From new and re-imagined attractions to new and returning nighttime spectaculars, and from new places to play to new places to stay, Members’ vacations will soon benefit from the wide range of news and updates that unfolded at D23 Expo – The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Here’s a look at just a bit of the magic coming soon to vacation plans near you.
Happily Ever After: “Ready to begin. Let the wonder take hold. Feel it draw you in. Watch the moment unfold. Spark a dream that we’re meant to follow, setting out for a new tomorrow.” If those words sent your eyes skyward, you’ll be happy to know that the beloved nighttime spectacular “Happily Ever After” will return to Magic Kingdom Park in 2023!
TRON Lightcycle/Run: Having tantalized fans for years as it's risen over Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park, the highly anticipated TRON Lightcycle/Run attraction (already a smash it at Shanghai Disneyland Park) is set to begin racing guests through the “Upload Conduit” into “The Grid” this spring!
Towering Te Fiti: A towering, flowering sculpture of Te Fiti will be part of the Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana interactive trail coming soon to the World Nature neighborhood of EPCOT, dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty and balance of the natural world.
Hatbox Ghost: The legendary Hatbox Ghost, who vanished from the original Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland Park shortly after it opened to foolish mortals in 1969 and reappeared to great fanfare in 2015, will materialize in the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park in 2023.
World Celebration: Lush green spaces, along with Communicore Hall and Communicore Plaza, are scheduled to debut in late 2023 as part of the World Celebration neighborhood at EPCOT, a welcoming place for relaxation and a new central gathering place for park festivals. Promising to be among the neighborhood’s most photographed locations is Dreamers Point, where the new “Walt the Dreamer” statue (which debuted at D23 Expo) will honor the legacy of our company’s original dreamer.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: Scheduled to open in late 2024 at Disneyland Park in California and Magic Kingdom Park in Florida, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will pick up where the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit The Princess and the Frog left off. Having realized her dream of opening a restaurant, Tiana is hosting a party for the people of New Orleans during Carnival season. Guests will join Tiana and Louis on a musical trip through the Bayou, where they’ll meet friends old and new while helping Tiana find a key ingredient for her celebration.
Disney Imagineers are blending tried-and-true techniques with the latest advancements in technology to make the iconic log-flume attraction look and feel entirely new.
Among the details revealed during D23 Expo was the star-studded assembly of voice actors lending their talents to the attraction, including Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen), Michael Leon Wooley (Luis), Jennifer Lewis (Mama Odie) and Disney Legend Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana) all reprising their cinematic roles for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
More recently, Imagineers revealed the new scene depicted in the artist rendering above. Positioned immediately after you first drop into the bayou, the scene is filled with fireflies lighting up the night as a band of critters (including an otter, rabbit, raccoon, beaver, turtle and others) use instruments fashioned from natural bayou materials to play Zydeco music – a special blend of rhythm and blues born in Louisiana.
Splash Mountain is set to close at Walt Disney World Resort beginning Jan. 23 to allow Imagineers to begin the next phase of the attraction’s re-development. (Timing updates for the attraction’s redevelopment at Disneyland Resort were unavailable at press time.)
World of Color – One: As Disneyland Resort becomes the heart of The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary celebration, Disney California Adventure Park is set to debut “World of Color – One,” an all-new nighttime spectacular in late January 2023. Celebrating the storytelling legacy started a century ago by Walt Disney and continued in the decades since by new generations of Disney storytellers, the water-and-animation-filled spectacle will tell an inspiring story through a century of beloved characters.
Artist rendering-proposed
Wondrous Journeys: Also adding a new nighttime spectacular in late January 2023 to celebrate “Disney 100 Years of Wonder” is Disneyland Park, where “Wondrous Journeys” will ignite the wonder in all of us through a journey filled with artistry, music, storytelling and a century of Walt Disney Animation Studios films.
This is the way: Visitors to Batuu (by way of California) may spot the Mandalorian and Grogu, as the stars of the hit Disney+ Original Series are now appearing inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park.
Magic Happens: The guest-favorite “Magic Happens” daytime parade, filled with stunning floats, colorful costumes and beloved Disney characters, is scheduled to return to Disneyland Park in spring 2023.