Standee of the animation movie Moana at the theater – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Sarunyu L
Walt Disney World management said at the Destination D23 fan gathering on Saturday that a splashy walk-through experience named The Journey of Water, inspired by Moana will formally open on Oct. 16 and that the park will also feature a new fireworks extravaganza that will premiere on Dec. 5.
Additionally, Disney Parks president Josh D’Amaro informed the crowd of more than 2,000 super fans that there are significant development plans for the Magic Kingdom that are comparable to the $1 billion Star Wars land. In Animal Kingdom, a replacement for DinoLand is being created which will be a tropical rainforest land. For the tropical environment, they are thinking about adding Indiana Jones- or popular movie “Encanto”-themed activities.
While no specific timetable was provided and both are probably years away, D’Amaro stated that “over the next decade, we’re going to have more projects underway than at any point in our history.”
Bruce Vaughn from Walt Disney Imagineering followed D’Amaro on stage and contrasted ideas for the Magic Kingdom expansion to those for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the $425 million new Fantasyland that debuted in 2012. It was the largest addition in the park’s history at the time, virtually tripling Fantasyland’s size from 11 to 20 acres.
The Magic Kingdom, the most popular theme park in the world, has long been criticized by visitors for its crowdedness and lengthy waits. Additionally, Disney has been considering upgrading Animal Kingdom, which is one of its four Florida theme parks with the lowest attendance.
In addition to a playground called The Boneyard and a moving simulator ride called Dinosaur that bounces, bumps, and careens through an ancient forest, DinoLand currently includes a 50-foot-tall dinosaur skeleton at its entrance.
On December 5, Luminous: The Symphony of Us, a brand-new nighttime production at Epcot, which is undergoing a four-year renovation, will make its debut. Fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects, and music will all be included.
Media representatives and D23 members who attended the weekend convention had the opportunity to check out a preview of the Moana-themed Journey of Water attraction.
It has interactive water play zones, such as streams of water that, when touched by your hand, produce musical notes resembling those of a harp. Water also has a personality in the attraction, responding with leapfrog fountains that change height according to how frantically visitors wave their arms, exactly like it does in the movie.
Other information disclosed during the presentation on Saturday morning included:
Artists in Nashville, Tennessee, are hard at work on a new Country Bear Jamboree program that will debut next year and incorporate several country music styles.
In late November, The Hatbox Ghost, a 1969 Haunted Mansion character who was later removed due to technical difficulties, will make a comeback. An older man with a hatbox in the other hand and a cane in the other was the ghost. His head would disappear off his shoulders and return inside the hatbox as part of the joke.
The previous Barker Bird, which used to appear at the ride’s entrance, will now reside in the restaurant across from Pirates of the Caribbean.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a brand-new performance based on “Zootopia” is being developed for the Tree of Life theater.
The World Celebration community in Epcot will be finished by December. World Celebration will connect the park’s entrance area and connect World Discovery and World Nature, the other two brand-new Epcot communities. It will mark the most recent significant turning point in Epcot’s multiyear makeover.
When Journey of Water debuts on October 16, Moana will have a character meet-and-greet adjacent to it.
On Sunday, meet-and-greets with Figment, the purple dragon that serves as the mascot of Epcot’s Imagination pavilion, will begin.
Soon, teams from Chevrolet will work to reinvent Test Track for Epcot.
The Star Wars-themed rollercoaster Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting a makeover featuring Ahsoka, the role Rosario Dawson played in “The Mandalorian” and who now has her own Disney+ series. The following year, she will participate.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
