Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek (center left) was joined onstage by Make-A-Wish America President and CEO Richard Davis (center right) and several Wish kids whose lives have been touched by the power of a Disney wish, Aug. 25, 2019, at D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. Chapek debuted a heartwarming video demonstrating how some wishes are so powerful, they stay with you for a lifetime. (Paul Morse, photographer)
This weekend’s D23 Expo 2019 showcased dozens of exclusive reveals and announcements for Disney parks and resorts across the globe. From Disneyland to Walt Disney World, to the Disney Cruise Line, we have heard so many exciting announcements as well as more details about some exciting projects we had previously heard about.
MAGIC HAPPENS
Debuting in spring 2020, the all-new, parade “Magic Happens” will make its way down Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland park. The parade will celebrate inspiring moments of magic at the heart of so many Disney stories. Featuring stunning floats, beautiful costumes and beloved Disney characters from beloved stories such as “Coco,” “Moana,” “Sleeping Beauty” and more. Of course, the parade will be lead by none other than Mickey Mouse and the gang. The parade will feature even more floats and characters, an energetic musical score and a new song produced in partnership with singer-songwriter Todrick Hall. The high-energy music combines this original song with classic Disney tunes in a fresh for a fun new beat.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
We also got a new look at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway coming to Mickey’s Toontown at the Disneyland Resort in 2022! The action takes place at the El CapiToon theater at Disneyland, where Mickey and Minnie are premiering their newest short, “Perfect Picnic” Of course, if you have seen the new Mickey cartoon shorts, you know that things may not go off as perfect for our friends. This first major Mickey-themed ride-through attraction will put you inside the wacky and unpredictable world of a Mickey Mouse cartoon short where anything can happen.
”Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway” is also set to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World in the Spring of 2020. You’ll be invited to the Chinese Theater, which serves as the magic portal through which theatergoers will step from the human world directly into the cartoon world for one Goofy adventure aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway!
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil will make its grand return to Disney Springs this Spring! For the first time, Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios have joined forces with Cirque du Soleil to create a show that combines Disney storytelling and heart with Cirque du Soleil’s signature artistry. Previews will begin March 20, 2020, leading up to the world premiere on April 17th.
Avengers Campus Coming to Disney California Adventure and Disnelyand Paris
Suit up alongside your favorite Super Heroes at the Avengers Campus, beginning in 2020 at Disney California Adventure Park and later at Disneyland Paris. These are campuses set up by the Avengers to recruit the next generation of Superheroes.
The first key address at the Avengers Campus will be the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – also known as “WEB” – which will house the first ever Disney ride-through attraction to feature this iconic Super Hero, Spider-Man. During an open house at WEB, the aspiring inventors are excited to invite you for a test drive of their latest invention: the “Web Slinger” vehicle, which allows you to sling webs just like Spider-Man! The attraction gives you a taste of what it’s like to have actual super powers as you help Spider-Man collect Spider-Bots that have run amok.
Avengers Campus will also feature Pym Test Kitchen. Just as Ant-Man and The Wasp use “Pym Particles” to grow and shrink just about anything, Pym Technologies is using the latest innovations to grow and shrink food at this eatery!
You will also find heroic encounters throughout the campus, including Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Super Heroes from Wakanda and Asgard, and Iron Man. As Super Heroes continue to assemble at both campuses, one of the iconic buildings in the California campus will be the Avengers Headquarters where you may catch a glimpse of the Avengers along its rooftops. This building, which will open in phase two, will become the future entrance to a brand-new E-Ticket attraction where you will step onboard a Quinjet and fly alongside the Avengers in an epic adventure to Wakanda and beyond! You will team up alongside the Avengers in a battle to save our world against one of the most powerful villains they have ever faced. Imagineers are hard at work conceiving an all-new innovative ride system to put you in the middle of this action.
EPCOT
Some of the biggest changes and updates are coming to Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. The multi-year transformation of the park will bring more Disney, more family, more timeless and be more relevant to the millions of guests who visit each year. The park will be unified with four neighborhoods that each celebrate a unique aspect of what makes Epcot so special. World Showcase will continue to celebrate culture, cuisine, architecture and traditions from around the world. And where Future World currently stands, three new neighborhoods will spring up: World Nature, World Discovery and World Celebration.
At World Celebration in Epcot, Spaceship Earth will remain the park’s grand icon but the journey will be transformed with new scenes reflecting the universal nature of the human experience. A new guide and all new narration will focus on the storytelling that brings people together. World Celebration in Epcot will also feature breathtaking views at Dreamers Point, lush gardens, a wishing tree, an interactive new fountain and a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney. A new pavilion at World Celebration will be the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals, providing a stunning view of World Showcase and an ideal spot to witness the park’s nighttime spectacular. This three level structure will have one of the most remarkable designs at any Disney park and will fast become a new icon for Epcot.
World Nature is dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe and balance of the natural world. It will include The Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilions. Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana” will be the first experience inspired by the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios film. This lush exploration trail will invite you to meet and play with magical, living water. The water will have a life of its own – just like Moana’s friend, the ocean – and you’ll learn about the importance of the natural water cycle. The Land pavilion’s new film, “Awesome Planet,” which showcases the beauty, diversity and dynamic story of the planet, will debut in January 2020.
In World Discovery, stories about science, technology and intergalactic adventure come to life. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be the first “other-world” showcase pavilion at Epcot. The adventure starts in the “Galaxarium,” a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of the formation of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar. You will be invited to learn more about the treasures Xandar has to share – until the moment when the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive, and adventures across the cosmos ensue. The attraction will feature a new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering – a storytelling coaster that rotates 360 degrees to focus your attention on the action, including the first reverse launch Disney coaster.
An expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion, the new restaurant Space 220 will be a culinary experience featuring the celestial panorama of a space station, including daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up. You’ll board a special elevator for a journey to a space station that is home to an incredible dining experience. Along the way, viewports will give you a real-time perspective as you travel high above the planet. Once you arrive, you’ll enjoy fantastic meals and drinks while taking in views that are truly out of this world. Space 220 is set to begin welcoming travelers this Winter.
The PLAY! pavilion will open in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. In this digital metropolis, you’ll discover an interactive city bursting with games, activities and experiences that connect you with friends, family and beloved Disney characters – both real and virtual – like never before. As part of this new pavilion, you’ll have the chance to help legendary fashion icon Edna Mode on her quest to rid the world of uninspired style, or make a splash competing in a water-balloon fight hosted by Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.
In World Showcase, the China pavilion, “Wondrous China” will take guests on a spectacular journey across China, filmed and presented in a completely seamless 360-degree digital format. The film “Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” will debut in January 2020 in the Canada pavilion with new scenes and a new story. The France pavilion will offer even more for guests to discover, including a new “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along” in January 2020. And in summer 2020, the much-anticipated attraction Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open, as well as a delicious new restaurant called La Crêperie de Paris.
World Showcase at Epcot will also welcome the first attraction inspired by Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, which will join the United Kingdom pavilion as an entirely new neighborhood!
Following the limited time run of Epcot Forever at Epcot, a new nighttime spectacular called “HarmonioUS” will be the largest ever created for a Disney park. It will celebrate how the music of Disney inspires people all over the the world.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
As we shared earlier this weekend, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World Resort will be a new, first-of-its-kind vacation experience where guests will check-in for a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship called the Halcyon. Once onboard, guests will interact with characters and become active participants in stories that unfold around them on their galactic journey. At Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, both children and adults will have the opportunity to face off against a training remote while wielding a lightsaber like Luke Skywalker did as he was learning to use The Force.
Disney Cruise Line’s 5th Ship Will Be Named….
The Disney Wish is the name of the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship. Magic will be found throughout this new ship, including the three-story atrium that will be inspired by the beauty of an enchanted fairytale. The Disney Wish will be delivered in late 2021 and will set sail beginning in January 2022. And for the Disney Wish, the signature stern character will be Rapunzel.
As you can see there are so many exciting adventures and memories to be created at the Disney Parks and on the Disney Cruise Line. With so much magic in store, now more than ever is the perfect time to contact your favorite Dream Designer to get started on your Disney story.
Be sure to contact your favorite Dream Designer travel agent, or request your free quote by clicking here.