2024 D23 Expo Wish List: Lion Kings & Figments & Bing Bongs, Oh My!

Exactly one month from today, on August 10, the Parks & Resorts panel will be presented during the 2024 D23 Expo. Walt Disney World and Disneyland fans are anxiously awaiting announcements for the next phase of “turbocharged” growth. Rumors and wishful thinking are swirling about what’s on the horizon, with speculation of ride reimaginings, additions, and expansion.

As we’ve been saying for the last year, a big slate of announcements at the 2024 D23 Expo actually makes a lot of sense. The last time that happened was the 2017 D23 Expo, which revealed a huge slate of additions. Going into and coming out of the pandemic, the 2019 and 2022 events weren’t nearly as good–a lot of things that were cancelled or never happened.

But there’s reason to believe the 2024 D23 Expo will once again reach the same highs as 2017. The last project cycle has now wrapped up, there’s nothing brand-new under active construction at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, and the time is right to share what’s in store for the next development phase. Disney has practically telegraphed that this is what will happen.

The company has $17 billion investment plans for Walt Disney World. With the approval of DisneylandForward, they’ve committed to spending another $2 billion or more at Disneyland. Bigger picture, there’s the SEC filing indicating that the company plans to double investment to $60 Billion in Walt Disney World, Disneyland & beyond.

The reaction to this news was essentially crickets. Fans yawned, taking an I’ll believe it when I see it attitude. Investors, who also want to see more investment in Parks & Resorts, responded with a collective shrug. The stock price didn’t move at all. In the months since then, Wall Street has been asking more questions about the substance of Disney’s expansion plans.

On top of all that, the elephant in the room for Walt Disney World is Universal’s Epic Universe, the third theme park being built in Central Florida by Comcast. Officially, Disney won’t have any “answer” to Epic Universe. Their public position is a mixture of ‘Universal is answering everything we’ve done in the last decade’ and that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’ But as we explain in How Walt Disney World Will “Compete” with Epic Universe, there’s more to it than that.

The bottom line is that the stage has been set for an absolutely epic D23 Expo. Fans want big news. Investors want big news. The company is finally in a financial position to build, and thus deliver big news. The stakes are high, and we firmly believe that Disney will deliver. (No pressure.)

Before we dig into the specifics of what we want announced at D23 Expo, it’s important to offer the caveat that this is a wish list. It is not based on any inside info nor is it a list of predictions. This is what we hope will be announced given what’s realistically on the table, not what we actually think will be revealed. This is overly optimistic–if even 25% of this ends up coming to fruition, I’ll be very happy. Despite the disappointments and hard lessons of the last few years, I think there’s a compelling case for optimism for the long-term future of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

With that said, here’s what I hope gets announced–and what does NOT get mentioned–for Walt Disney World and Disneyland during the 2024 D23 Expo, in no particular order. We’ll be back roughly a week or so before the big presentation with a (much shorter) list of actual predictions…

No Blue Sky Nonsense – “Fish or cut bait.” It’s time to stop wasting time talking, and start doing. Collectively, it seems like that’s where the fan community is when it comes to the splashy non-announcement announcements Disney has “made” for its theme parks since the 2022 D23 Expo.

The initial reaction to the Dino-Rama and ‘Beyond Big Thunder’ expansion proposals was excitement. Once the dust settled and fans realized just what had and, more importantly, had not been announced that gave way to skepticism, pessimism, and downright dismissiveness. It’s been a similar story since–the word “turbocharged” when talking about Parks & Resorts has practically become a punchline.

Perhaps they’re seeing and hearing feedback that’s different from what this site sees, but from my view, this approach is not working. It is arguably worse than saying nothing at all. A big part of the problem here is the baseline from which the approach is starting–it’s occurring against the backdrop of several delayed or cancelled projects.

Regardless of reasons, a lot of the goodwill and patience fans might otherwise have had with these non-announcement announcements was already exhausted prior to the start of the current process. Now, these public blue sky brainstorming sessions just feel like a tedious tease or even a brand withdrawal to many fans.

If there’s something substantive to say about something, say it. Make an announcement about what it actually will be. Show concept art. Share when shovel will hit soil. But don’t go up there and talk about the endless possibilities that Imagineers are dreaming up or whatever. That’s just a waste of everyone’s time. It might garner some cheap cheers, but once fans realize that there’s no there there, sentiment will sour.

No DisneylandForward – Exact same story here. I don’t want to see concept art of Fantasy Springs, Zootopia, or awesome lands in the international parks that are (supposedly) “under consideration” for Disneyland. Sure thing, Bob.

You already got the glorified zoning project approved, Disney. No further need to play politics on this one to get the citizens of Anaheim on your side. Share what is actually happening, or nothing at all.

Less Filler & Fluff – There’s undoubtedly going to be a bit of pageantry and fanfare in the opening, finale, and probably other parts of the presentation. That’s the nature of the beast. I’ll be the first to admit that no one does a sizzle reel to hype up the crowd and get the emotions flowing quite like Disney.

I also rather enjoy the musical numbers featuring Cast Members and characters, especially the ones that have provided a bridge from past to present to future at prior D23 Expos. So I’m not averse to any of that. (I also don’t think they should get carried away–it’s a delicate balance.)

This is more to reiterate the above, as there were a few ostensibly substantive segments during the last D23 Expo that were utterly pointless. The top example that comes to mind was the segment about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure that “showed off” smoke and lighting. That one struck me as actively counterproductive, as it reinforced misconceptions that there wouldn’t be anything impressive about the attraction.

I know we still describe this as the “Parks & Resorts” panel rather than “Disney Experiences,” but it is technically the latter. And I’d rather hear about Epic Mickey Rebrushed or whatever is going on with Fortnite (etc) than substance-less segments about theme parks.

Some Singles & Doubles – They could announce a fifth gate for Walt Disney World and a third gate for Disneyland at D23, and some fans would still complain that it’s not enough. They’d be disappointed there was no mention of Disney’s Magical Express, free FastPass, Horizons being rebuilt, Pal Mickey brought back, full toppings bars at Pecos Bills and Cosmic Ray’s, Beastly Kingdom, and a seventh gate at Walt Disney World, too. Disney should stop trying to please the unpleasable.

It is not all “go big or go home.” To that point, I really liked the approach that Disney took at last year’s Destination D23, the off-year history-oriented event at Walt Disney World. That had a robust lineup of smaller-scale announcements like the Pirates Tavern, Test Track 3.0, Country Bear Musical Jamboree, and more. Without question, it was the biggest and best Destination D ever from an announcements perspective. (It wasn’t a “newsy” event at all until 2021.)

A solely singles and doubles strategy is not viable for D23 Expo. It’s a blockbuster event where fans are expecting bombshell news about new lands and attractions. But peppering in some smaller stuff between the heavy hitters would be a delightful one-two punch–especially if Disney isn’t ready to divulge details or release detailed concept art about some things that are rumored to be in the pipeline.

So give us info about ride reimaginings of Spaceship Earth, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Autopia/Tomorrowland Speedway, and anything else going down for refurbishment that’ll also receive enhancements. New details and concept art of previously-announced or currently underway projects like Test Track or the Zootopia show would also check this box.

Inside Out Into Wonders of Life – Up until it was permanently paused, Play Pavilion was planned for the old Wonders of Life. Walt Disney World already did a lot of work fixing the roof and other infrastructure issues with the pavilion and this is a prime piece of real estate now that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is drawing people to this corner of the park.

Up until this summer, my dream scenario was for a revival of the ‘Health Pavilion’ concept featuring Baymax and an assortment of other characters. I’d still like something along those lines, but featuring Inside Out. This IP injection would make complete sense for the former Wonders of Life, with an attraction that’s a spiritual successor to Cranium Command and more. (Possibly a shared space between Big Hero 6 and Inside Out?)

Admittedly, most of my desire for Inside Out to take over the former Wonders of Life pavilion is to take the IP off the table. While I think Wonders of Life makes much more sense for the Inside Out IP, the Imagination pavilion is also undoubtedly being considered. I’d hate to see that happen, so give it Wonders of Life instead. Given that Inside Out 2 has been a huge hit, it’s only a matter of time before it gets a major presence in the parks. And who doesn’t want to see Bing Bong brought back to life as a glorious Audio Animatronics figure?!

CommuniCore Hall Replacement – Obviously this is not going to happen, but I can dream. And this might be a “when the dog catches the car” scenario, anyway. As much as I’d like for Disney to acknowledge they screwed up the EPCOT overhaul and we’re not stuck with this for decades to come, I’m also not sure I’m ready to endure another 5 years of EPCOT being a sea of construction walls.

On a more realistic note, I hope that Disney realizes the EPCOT overhaul isn’t actually done and really could use a phase 2. Probably wishful thinking, as all signs point to plans focused around the other 3 parks.

Stitch’s Great Escape Replacement – There was a seemingly credible rumor pre-closure that a Wreck-It Ralph Sugar Rush attraction would be coming to this space. Obviously, that did not happen. It would seem those plans were fully abandoned, but then Tokyo Disneyland announced a (very vaguely) similar concept to replace its Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters attraction. (The Magic Kingdom incarnation was not, and probably could not be, a shooter ride.)

This is another space that could be perfect for something with Baymax. There’s also Pixar’s Elio in 2025, which is a science fiction film and thus could conceivably fit into Tomorrowland. The problem with Disney sci-fi films, though, is that they have a 50/50 shot at flopping. Frankly, I don’t really care what gets announced–even if it’s a stopgap with an expected decade-long lifespan, it’s better than the nothing we have now.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Reboot – I’ve advocated for this many times, so I’m not going to rehash all of that here. The bottom line is that I’d like to see Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge break the sacred timeline and use the setting of the land as a jumping off point for new adventures. (See Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Needs to Break the Rules for my take on all of that.)

A soft reboot of the Star Wars land would be an opportunity to introduce beloved characters, use the catwalks in the land for mini-shows, and make the land more lived-in thanks to droids and additional performers. They could also doing a test run of a dinner show in Starcruiser at Walt Disney World for a future purpose-built venue in the land. All of this would breathe new life into the land and help it finally realize its full potential.

More Muppets – What I’d really love is an Electric Mayhem overhaul of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Muppets takeover of the whole Sunset Showcase area. But it seems highly unlikely that the Muppets will get two mini-lands in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Speaking of which, Grand Avenue is basically a blank slate. It was designed to basically be a crowd corridor for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which has proven unnecessary. No good idea in Imagineering ever dies, and perhaps this could be the partial realization of the Muppets Studio land concept from decades ago. That was supposed to feature not just MuppetVision 3D, but also two restaurants: “The Great Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor” and “Swedish Chef’s Cooking School.”

Grand Avenue could receive the San Fransokyo Square treatment, with a Muppet Makeover that transforms Mama Melrose into Swedish Chef’s Cooking School and BaseLine Tap House into a Muppets establishment. Bringing back the ‘Great Moments’ puppets for a show in the windows overhead would be another great move, as would more placemaking throughout the land.

Animation Courtyard Overhaul – Walt Disney World has already announced the reimagined Little Mermaid puppet show. It would be fantastic if more were revealed about the future of this corner of the park, which has gotta be one of the most depressing areas of Walt Disney World. It has big Walt Disney Studios Park energy, which is not a good thing.

I don’t have any specific ‘wish’ for what this overhaul would entail. Anything is better than what’s there now, even if it’s mostly just aesthetics and placemaking. But it really should be more than just aesthetics and placemaking.

Summer Nightastic 2.0 – We’ve mentioned this repeatedly in the last year (and probably will do a dedicated post on it soon), but we hope that Disney pulls out the whole Summer Nightastic playbook, and makes 2025 a summer of spectaculars, anchored around new and reimagined entertainment on both coasts.

Walt Disney World will need a promotional push for Summer 2025 to “counter” Epic Universe. Disneyland needs something more than Pixar Fest to keep people coming. Almost by default, the solution will likely be entertainment–it’s the only thing that can conceivably happen on this tight of a timeline.

After years of rumors and wishful thinking, here’s hoping that 2025 will finally be the year that both Paint the Night returns to Disneyland. It’s been a while, but they’re both sitting in storage in Southern California, and Paint the Night has a still relatively new float. Getting another new float or two and costumes and calling the parade ‘reimagined’ would be an easy win.

At Walt Disney World, it’s conceivable that as-yet unannounced entertainment comes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and/or Magic Kingdom. That could mean a parade, parades (day and night), or a parade and a projections/fireworks show. Then there’s the “Disney Dreams That Soar” drone show, which we’re still convinced was a test for something in Animal Kingdom.

Avatar Experience Elaboration – Once every few months since he returned, Bob Iger has mentioned the “Avatar experience” at Disneyland. Each new mention conveys a morsel of additional info, with the biggest development being the above piece of concept art he shared during the Walt Disney Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders ‘sizzle reel’ in April. According to Iger, this shows what the Avatar attraction that’s possibly coming to Disneyland Resort could look like.

This art suggests that the Avatar experience is actually Pandora land, and will feature a boat ride along with immersive environments that are similar to and different from the incarnation of the land in Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Which makes sense given Disneyland’s unique space constraints and the release of Avatar: The Way of Water since the Animal Kingdom incarnation of the project.

I’d like confirmation that this concept art reflects what is going to be built, where it’ll be located, and what all it’ll entail. More concept art would be lovely, too. This is certainly on my wish list, but also seems like an incredibly safe prediction following the approval of DisneylandForward and given that James Cameron will be in attendance at D23. (And since this is clearly a project about which Iger cares.)

Tomorrowland Transformation – I’ve resolved myself to this not actually happening–but this is a wish list, not predictions. By the time the 2024 D23 Expo rolls around, it’ll be almost 5 years since Disney announced “A Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrowland Entrance Coming Soon to Disneyland.” That entrance, depicted in the concept art above, still has not come to fruition. The concept art had become so faded that they recently replaced–but didn’t remove–it. So there’s still hope!

That entrance was likely the first step in a planned, long overdue transformation of Tomorrowland at Disneyland. It seems logical that the next “new” Tomorrowland will revisit the 1967 ideas of Walt Disney and his Imagineers that envisioned it as a “world on the move,” streamlining the design to remove the visual hodgepodge and replace it with clean mid-century modern stylization.

On a substantive level, I’d love to see Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters get a new concept. As Hyperspace Mountain has proven, Space Mountain could become an entirely “new” ride via the strategic use of screens. Something more permanent could be a big draw and done without significant investment or downtime.

Then there’s the old Innoventions/Super Hero HQ/Star Wars Launch Bay building. This just got a DVC lounge last year, so it’s unlikely going anywhere. But the vast majority of the space is still unused. It could become the home of a brand new attraction–or perhaps the loading area for the PeopleMover. Now that’s very wishful thinking, but again, that’s what this list is!

Fantasyland Expansion – For years, there have been rumblings of Fantasyland expansion at Disneyland. Most versions of this involve replacing Fantasyland Theatre and taking up some of the space between Toontown and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or some portion of the lagoons and Autopia area on the opposite side.

Most credible versions of this rumor revolved around Arendelle, but are now several years old. Moving forward on this just makes sense. Fantasyland is cramped, and opening up more walkways would ease the strain of crowds and help with capacity. Not only that, but World of Frozen has already proven a huge hit in Hong Kong–cloning that now would be cost-effective and an easy win for Disneyland.

Avengers Campus: Phase 2 – Fingers crossed that this is the third consecutive D23 Expo with an Avengers Campus E-Ticket attraction announcement. Will it still be the King Thanos family-friendly ride? Will it be a revival of the Quinjet concept? Will it be something brand new? Nobody knows!

It’s probably safe to say that the ride vehicle shared at Destination D23 is still accurate. That suggests the ride system will be similar to or the same as Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure (or Spider-Man at Universal), which makes sense. It also means that there are a number of possibilities for the ride itself.

Disney should want to continue improving DCA to increase its drawing power. The first phase of Avengers Campus is underwhelming, and is getting worse with recent entertainment cuts. Which is why this isn’t just listed as an Avengers E-Ticket reveal–they also need to announce entertainment or something near-term so the land doesn’t just limp along for the next few years.

Hong Kong Disneyland has already signaled that its long-delayed Marvel E-Ticket is finally moving forward. It’s safe to expect news about that at D23 Expo, and whatever the plans are to be fairly similar at HKDL and DCA.

Tropical Americas Full Reveal – This Dino-Rama replacement and expansion is already confirmed. At Destination D23 last year, Disney announced that Imagineering will transform this into a new land inspired by a region sometimes referred to as “Tropical Americas.”

Imagineers have taken research trips to biodiverse areas of South America, stretching up into Central America for inspiration on the expansion. Construction permits have already been filed, and Imagineering is going to have a large trailer park campus backstage. So we know Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom is really-for-real happening, and not just blue sky daydreaming.

What’s not yet official is what, exactly, Tropical Americas will entail. It’s been suggested that an Encanto dark ride and Indiana Jones Adventure replacing DINOSAUR, along with a new carousel and refreshes of the entrance and restaurant are on the way. What I’d like is confirmation of all of this, plus 7 pieces of concept art: Indiana Jones exterior and interior; Encanto exterior and interior (with ride vehicle); restaurant, carousel, and entrance.

Beyond Big Thunder Reveal – Back in April, Imagineering indicated that initial water management permits for Beyond Big Thunder would be filed in the coming weeks. Over three months later, that still hasn’t happened. Nevertheless, that little tidbit alone suggests that plans for the massive Magic Kingdom project have firmed up.

My expectation is that Beyond Big Thunder will be carried out in phases, and that Disney won’t be ready to divulge full details for the entire expansion. That’s understandable. At the very least, I’d expect to hear about the first phase of the project, including which characters and concepts will be represented.

While I’d like to see more, I’d be satisfied with a single piece of concept art showing a bird’s eye look at the expansion–not like the impressionistic one from two years ago, but more like the art for New Fantasyland and Fantasy Springs (or even the above Tropical Americas art, for that matter) that conveys a tad more specificity.

Lion King Ride – Rumors have been swirling for months that two Lion King attractions are on the way: one at Walt Disney Studios Park/Disney Adventure World and another at Animal Kingdom, between the Port of Harambe and Pandora.

I know absolutely nothing about the veracity of these rumors, much less the (potential) projects themselves. What I have heard “suggested” from credible sources is that Imagineering isn’t just building the trailer park for Tropical Americas, and more is on the way to Animal Kingdom. That makes complete sense, as it needs more. I can’t think of many better options than the Lion King, which is both appropriate for the location and a modern classic movie that still doesn’t have a ride at Walt Disney World.

Even if a Lion King ride has been greenlit for Walt Disney World, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s too early to hear about it. That Disney wants to focus on Tropical Americas, and save that for a future event. In which case, here’s hoping we still hear about the version for France.

Out of Left Field Surprise – Even though this is my wish list, it’s somewhat grounded in the ‘reality’ of reasonable rumors and rumblings. It’s the wildest dreams or ideas from the deepest depths of my imagination–it’s plausible stuff.

With that said, what I really hope happens is a couple of announcements, no matter the scale or scope, that come out of left field–closely guarded secrets that catch fans totally by surprise…in a good way. And speaking of Imagination…

Figment & Dreamfinder – Finally, this list wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory daydreaming about Journey into Imagination 4.0. I’m not going to rehash all of that here yet again, but suffice to say, it just makes sense to reimagine Journey into Imagination. (Read that for my full pitch.)

An Imagination reinvigoration would generate goodwill among WDW diehards and forge new fans in the process. It’d be something that would define the EPCOT transformation, tying it together into a more cohesive project. Figment would become the face and mascot of the new-look EPCOT, elevating the otherwise underwhelming central spine in the process. Oh, and it’d be a license to print money–just think of the merchandising potential!

For Bob Iger, this should be a no-brainer move. Bringing back the real Figment and Dreamfinder would help with rebuild guest goodwill and address fan disenchantment. It’s a surefire way of undoing a lot of the outrage and brand damage from the last few years. I can’t think of any other single positive announcement that would outweigh so many prior negatives ones. A lot would be forgiven by fans in the blink of an eye. It’d be a legacy project for Bob Iger.

Announcing Journey into Imagination 4.0 is one surefire way to get massive applause from the D23 Expo audience, undo brand damage of the last several years, and guarantee visits from loyal fans. About the only ways to achieve that are the return of Figment and Dreamfinder or the PeopleMover (the event is in Anaheim, after all). If Disney executives are truly concerned about all of these things, it’s the logical time to do something that should’ve been done a decade ago.

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Your Thoughts

What’s on your wish list for 2024 D23 Expo announcements? Do you think it will be the biggest-ever Expo for Walt Disney World and Disneyland news? Will it be another disappointment? Are you excited/optimistic about what will be revealed, or taking an “I’ll believe it when I see it” stance given all of the cancelled projects of the last ~5 years? Any surprise announcements you think might be possible?