Several magical announcements were made at this year’s D23 Expo. Guests of Walt Disney World will be able to take a ride on the TRON Coaster in 2021 as well stay in a fully-immersive Star Wars Resort. Without a doubt, big changes are coming to the World. However, there were some rumors circulating in the days leading up to the Expo that were never confirmed by Disney. The folks over at The Kingdom Insider took a closer look at the announcements we were expecting to be made but did not come to fruition…. yet!
New Countries add to The World Showcase at Epcot
We were very certain at least one new country was going to be added to the World Showcase. The prevalent rumor was for Brazil to be the newest World Showcase Country. Some other rumors also pointed to Spain being added. While new Pavilions were not announced, we did receive confirmation on the Ratatouille ride from Disneyland Paris being added to the France Pavilion.
Figment, Inside Out, and Journey Into Imagination at Epcot
Surveys were sent out to guests this past Spring gauging the current popularity of the iconic Figment. The survey combined with rumors that an Inside Out attraction would be coming to Epcot led us to believe that the Inside Out attraction would be replacing Journey Into Imagination. There were also rumors that Journey Into Imagination would be turned into a combined Figment and Inside Out attraction. Sounds like Disney is still reviewing their survey results to see what the future of this attraction may hold.
Spaceship Earth at Epcot
It was announced back in June that Siemens would be terminating it’s sponsorship of this landmark attraction in Epcot. While we know that the actual structure wouldn’t be going away, were unsure of what would happen to the actual Spaceship Earth ride inside the “giant golf ball.” The ride is desperately due for a refurb and unless a new corporate sponsor steps up, Disney will be left to foot the bill. We do know that Disney is about to completely re-imagine all of Future World. It will be interesting to see what happens with Spaceship Earth.
Coco update to the Gran Fiesta Tour at Epcot
There was a popular rumor that Coco from the upcoming self-titled movie Pixar’s Coco would be replacing Donald and the Caballeros in the Mexico Pavilion. Since Disney didn’t address this rumor at the Expo, they may be waiting to see how popular the movie when it hits theaters this Fall.
Zootopia Land Coming to Animal Kingdom
We recently reported that word on the street was Rafiki’s Planet Watch would be overhauled to be Zootopia Land. This change made sense because just like in the movie, you would access Zootopia Land via a train. With the recent addition of Pandora – The World of Avatar, Disney may be a little gun-shy about investing any more money into Animal Kingdom at this time. Maybe we will see this one announced at the next D23 Expo in 2019?
Haunted Mansion Restaurant at Magic Kingdom
People got very excited about this rumor… including me! However, friends of the happy haunts that hang out in the Mansion were disappointed Disney did not announce another way to experience them. Some rumors pointed to the new restaurant replacing the current Columbia Harbor House. Some rumors even suggested that the area around the Haunted Mansion and Liberty Square would be re-imagined into a “Haunted Mansion Land.” The Haunted Mansion is a huge brand for Disney so hopefully we’ll hear at least of some kind of Mansion-themed restaurant in the future. I just hope I don’t have to lose my lobster roll at Columbia Harbor House in the process!
Volcano Roller Coaster and Moana at Magic Kingdom
We all love Moana! Every since she was replaced at Hollywood Studios by Star-Lord and Groot form Guardians of the Galaxy, guests have been upset. (We love Guardians of the Galaxy but we want our Moana too!) We were anticipating her to show back up in Adventure Land at the Magic Kingdom but unfortunately, we are still waiting. There is also a rumor that Disney might be adding a fourth coaster to the Magic Kingdom. This was rumored to be a volcano roller coaster inspired from Moana. While we may have to wait longer to hear about the Moana volcano coaster, hopefully we hear about Moana making appearances at Disney World in the near future.
What rumor were you hoping to be confirmed at the Expo that wasn’t? While we might not of heard confirmation on all of these yet, maybe we will in the future. If not, I am personally excited about all the other changes that have been confirmed!
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