Magic Kingdom Expansion: Coco, Encanto & Villains Lands Revealed
At the D23 Expo, Disney revealed that a new land (or areas?) is under development for beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. The expansion would feature Coco, Encanto, and Villains (you read that correctly). This post will share all of the details, concept art, and everything we know about the possible expansion, plus a bit of commentary.
This Magic Kingdom expansion news was announced during the “A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experiences and Products” presentation at D23 Expo 2022. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years.
This was one of many announcements at the 2022 D23 Expo. Others include the opening season for TRON Lightcycle Run, return of a Figment meet & greet, new nighttime spectaculars for EPCOT & Magic Kingdom for Disney100. And that’s just what has been announced so far for Walt Disney World. We’ll have a recap of every announcement very soon.
This announcement was made following the news a potential Moana and Zootopia area in Animal Kingdom. The reveal was made by Imagineer Chris Beatty and Jennifer Lee, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. They didn’t provide any additional details, but were careful to use language crouching the announcement, indicating that this is an “early concept exploration” and one of the “potential expansion opportunities.”
Here’s the concept art the duo shared while on stage:
This concept art is definitely more impressionistic than what was shared for the Moana area at Animal Kingdom, but it’s still more detailed than some concept art revealed in recent years.
With that said, only the Coco and Encanto areas are well-defined. The Disney Villains expansion appears off in the distance–no concept art specific to that was shared.
When Josh D’Amaro kicked off this portion of the presentation, he prefaced it with a warning that it would make some people at the company very uncomfortable, but would be exciting to fans.
The Magic Kingdom portion of the presentation was presented with a what if we did this kind of vibe…but they also suggested that these plans are actively being worked on and pursued.
Plans are in early development, but the ideas being explored guests would offer guests the opportunity to enter the Casa Madrigal and ride on the back of Dante or Pepita, Alebrijes of the Rivera family from Coco.
Honestly, I’m not even sure how to categorize this news. It’s short of a fully-fledged announcement, but more than us being flies on the wall for an Imagineering brainstorming session or blue sky pitch. There are concrete details and concept art, but no promises about what the final version of this expansion will actually entail.
One question for me is where this Magic Kingdom expansion will be built (if it’s built). Walt Disney World has been quietly relocating roads behind the park in a way that could accommodate this, quite literally, behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Another possibility is that at least part of this replaces Tom Sawyer Island. About 7-8 years ago, a big-budget expansion for the area alongside Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was rumored. It’s possible that this location is still the plan, but D’Amaro wanted to share good news, and cutting into the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island wouldn’t be as well received by Walt Disney World fans.
Before we get too excited with the daydreaming, it’s worth noting that this might not even happen. Disney has a poor track record when it comes to vague D23 Expo announcements. In the past, many plans presented without the colossal caveats of these Magic Kingdom expansion plans have not come to fruition.
Just off the top of my head, the Main Street Theater, Cherry Tree Lane, original Future World plans, second Future World plans, first Avengers E-Ticket, and more all have not been built. (And I know I’m forgetting a ton of abandoned projects–I saw a list pre-Expo and there was way more than this on it!)
As such, I do not fault any for viewing this with a lot of doubt and pessimism. Beyond all of the asterisks, current management has not exactly done right by Walt Disney World fans in the last few years. It’s been a rough era, and this flurry of news feels very much at odds with what we’ve lived through recently.
Maybe it’s the inveterate optimist in me, but I am still cautiously optimistic about this even knowing how common it is for D23 Expo announcements–even more concrete ones than this–not happening. Even having been burned in the past by Chapek and co., I remain hopeful–perhaps foolishly so–that Magic Kingdom will receive another large scale expansion.
Josh D’Amaro could’ve come out and highlighted returning entertainment and other little stuff. He could’ve talked up the return of Fantasmic (which is very much still happening in the next 6-8 weeks), recapped what has already happened this summer, or spent more time fixating on the specifics of projects that are in progress.
Instead, his presentation swung for the fences with regard to Walt Disney World. This splashy D23 Expo suggests to me that, at the very least, the company has plans to expand Magic Kingdom. Whether it actually ends up being Coco, Encanto, and/or Disney Villains is immaterial.
The desire to build out the park exists at a high level of the company, meaning there’s the appetite to invest more money into Walt Disney World. This being presented on stage at the D23 Expo means this is not just some blue sky idea floating around Imagineering.
As someone who figured the best case scenario for Walt Disney World “expansion” news at the D23 Expo was a replacement for Primeval Whirl, this caught me by surprise. It may not be a direct and immediate response to Epic Universe, but it’s something substantial.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think leadership at Disney believes they need an “answer” to Epic Universe. Their public position when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened was that “a rising tide lifts all boats” — that a stronger Universal was beneficial to Disney because it attracted more people to Central Florida.
That’s inarguably true to some extent, but it’s also spin. Over a decade later, the theme park landscape has also evolved in Orlando. Universal has built a half-dozen hotels in the intervening years at a range of price points, and there’s also the difference that 3 theme parks plus a water park makes. For many visitors, Universal will be a destination unto itself, rather than a diversion from Disney.
Personally, I wonder to what extent Disney leadership is actually worried about Epic Universe. The company as a whole, and Walt Disney World in particular, has lost so much institutional knowledge in the last few years. So many leaders at Disney only know an era of success, and have a “no one can touch us” attitude as a result.
Watch any interview with Bob Chapek or Josh D’Amaro and you can see this confidence (to use a charitable term). If this is the tone being set at the top, do you really think this is a company that fears Universal?
To be abundantly clear, I think this confidence is misplaced. To be sure, Disney has enjoyed a decade-plus of unparalleled success, and its theme park business is at a different stage than is Universal’s. However, as a hotel business that also operates theme parks, Walt Disney World cannot afford to lose overnight guests to Universal.
Those are its most lucrative visitors, and if Universal is able to siphon some away–even just 10%–that’s a huge blow to Disney. With Universal offering more affordable accommodations and on-site perks for a brand new park, it’ll be a totally different dynamic from when the Wizarding World first debuted over a decade ago.
Regardless, none of this could conceivably be ready by the time Epic Universe opens. More than anything else, that’s why this is not an “answer” to Epic Universe. None of the major expansions announced at the 2022 D23 Expo will open before 2026. Probably more like 2027.
In my view, the company is likely preparing to invest in Walt Disney World not due to a perceived threat from Universal’s Epic Universe, but due to the resiliency of its Florida theme parks. Walt Disney World continues to outperform, and investors have begun to take notice of its success. This coupled with Wall Street souring on streaming (at least a bit) means Disney may finally start to bet bigger on its theme park business. (All lessons learned back during the Great Recession…demonstrating both that history repeats itself and that Disney has lost institutional knowledge.)
That’s why I think there’s something of substance to these Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom expansion plans. Even if they don’t incorporate Disney Villains, Coco, Encanto, etc. into the actual lands, there are likely plans for major development on the horizon. From my perspective, this is less about the details and much more about the big picture. The Walt Disney Company once again appears to be bullish on the theme parks business…and that’s a good thing for fans!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the possibility that Coco, Moana, and Disney Villains areas or attractions come to Magic Kingdom? Think these lands will actually be built, or is this yet another instance of Disney throwing as much at the wall and seeing what sticks? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Expansion…yes please! But this sounds like a bunch of hot air. Would also rather see the addition of a new land like tomorrow land, fantasy land etc. vs some semi popular movie addition areas. A new park would be the ultimate!
Coco and Encanto? Did those movies really spark that much interest to garner additions to WDW MK?
Encanto was huge, once it hit streaming and it caters to the South American market.
You obviously don’t live with preschoolers. What Frozen is to middle schoolers now, Coco and especially Encanto are to preschoolers. They’re growing up with those movies.
I REALLY like the idea someone mentioned above about the 5th Disney park for villains, not just an area in MK. More fast paced rides and more mature theming would be attractive to kids as they get older. I don’t know a single family that regularly vacations in Orlando who hasn’t transitioned to Universal once their kids “aged out” of Disney. Sure they still drop in for a day now and then for nostalgia, but they all say how much more fun their kids have at Universal once they’re probably 8-10+ yrs old.
Tom did a great breakdown of why a 5th park does not cut it (cost – lack of new customers – ie marginal return per guest check it out)- however it does cover a demo that Disney prop loosing to Universal which is older kids. A number of years ago Disney was being pushed to go into the casino business when Las Vegas was marketing to families I believe it was Eisner who indicated that betting the mortgage payment was not the look the Disney was interested. Disney has a very good target market 3 generations.
That being said I would love a 5th gate of that type and would help Disney compete with Universal but it might be too late
That’s when Vegas started sucking, when they went after family business in the 90s. It ruined it. Vegas was always for degenerate gamblers and alcoholics and man, was it fun for college students. Anyone could go and afford to play, somewhere. Now, you gotta be rich to play at the tables, the cigar girls are long gone, drinks are slow and watered down and the comps are a sad ghost of times past. R.I.P., the real Vegas!
But it was completely the right move for Disney to avoid it.
To translate this announcement into reality: “Good news, the head honcho(s) gave a tentative thumbs up to future CapEx budget for park expansion. In exchange, they said we had to announce something exciting at this D23 event. Anyhoo, we’ve been eyeing the Big Thunder Mountain area for this for awhile now, so when we got the go-ahead we asked some imagineers for blue sky ideas and sketches based on under-used IP. Then we threw a bunch of the ideas in front of guest focus groups, and then fed the focus group results into an AI system that created this surreal composite image for all you nice folks. Anyway, now you have something to blog/tweet about. We’ll let you know at the next D23 event if we end up deciding to any of this or something completely different!”
Good translation.
Today’s announcement almost certainly would’ve required approval from Disney’s Board of Directors. The art may be filler (or whatever you want to call it), but the underlying intentions are there. It’s just a question of what and when. As you suggest, we probably won’t know the real plans until the 2024 D23 Expo.
It’s like the EPCOT overhaul all over again, with 2017 being the “hey, something’s happening!” and 2019 being the specifics…or what would’ve happened had March 2020 not happened. 😉
This is great news. Coco and Encanto are classics for this generation. Both were terrific movies. I love the rides I grew up with but understand the park has to stay current. Disney is pretty slow in getting things done but it’s almost always worth the wait. We like Universal but it isn’t Disney and no matter how many virtual rollercoasters they build, they will never be Disney. As long as WDW has something new every couple of years they don’t need to spend too much time worrying about the competition. I do wish they would get rid of the reservation system and bring back the dining plan and daily housekeeping but your explanations for why they haven’t make sense. Thanks for keeping us in the loop Tom!
A new land is all good, but not at the cost of the rivers of America and Tom Sawyers Island!
This so called expansion will never happen with the current Disney Management. It’s a true example of Smoke and Mirrors. They have no intention of doing this plan. They DON’T CARE‼️ It’s a PR stunt nothing more nothing less.
Outside of Magic Kingdom, the remaining Florida Disney Parks are jokes compared to the Universal Studios Parks. I am a Disney Passholder and Disney Vacation Club Member, and it sickens me that prices keep increasing for the same boring parks with only a handful of attractions. Disney should add at least two new cool attractions (not the simulated garbage ones) to each park and then open a new park with all of the land they have.
Sadly, the greedy lot at Disney just keeps using the land to build endless hotels and no new parks. This company treats their patrons terribly by increasing prices and not adding adding substantial additions with rides – NOT RESTAURANTS OR MEET AND GREETS!!!!!!!
Isn’t there a new Moana area going in at Epcot? And, what decade do they plan for all of this to happen? They’re the slowest company ever when it comes to completing projects. Meanwhile, Universal…
Plus, Disney isn’t as attractive anymore on price point to me. They were with Fastpass+, Magical Express, seasonal Dining Plans deals with resort stays, true park hopping all day without park reservations, etc. Meanwhile, Universal…
This expansion idea absolutely rots me to my core. I really feel like these people should not be working for Disney. They have lost the spirit of classic Walt Disney which has been at the hearts of millions for generations. Coco and Encanto are NOT classic nor timeless Disney films and have only been released for a short while. They do NOT embody the spirit of Disney and this would SPOIL Magic Kingdom. What has happened to all of the classics? Are they chopped Liver now? I honestly felt heartbroken to hear this today and i’m so disappointed that these are the people representing Disney. It makes me feel ill that one day we all aren’t going to have that Magic Kingdom that we all loved when we were children. I hope this expansion idea is BINNED.
Whenever people get to wailing and rending garments about whatever post-Renaissance IP (probably featuring POC) gets representation in the parks, I have to wonder how many times it needs to be said that Sleeping Beauty Castle—the literal icon of Disneyland—was named for a wildly over budget film still in development hell at the time its park opened, a film that wouldn’t open for four more years after said opening. It was even used to promote the upcoming film, something that would surely cause aneurysms in the faithful if done today, but was done by Saint Walt himself.
Why does “timeless” always seem to equate to the films made whenever y’all were kids?
No one is knocking down a castle in favor of a Coco ride, but the fact that all the new IP you have a problem with features POC and more diversity than the “classics” is very telling. My kids – the actual target audience who Disney hopes to turn into lifelong visitors – would watch Encanto 65 times in a row rather than Snow White once.
Times change. No one under 60 has seen Song of the South but we all know Tiana. My 15 year old was terrified by Snow White when she was 5 and asked me why it was okay the the Prince kissed someone who he didn’t know and was sleeping, and wasn’t that rude of him? Just because they’re classics doesn’t mean they’re relevant. Coco and Encanto are relevant in addition to being very good movies.
I have longed for a Villains park for many years. Disney really needs a fifth park, and not just an expansion of an already huge park to spread out the crowds. Denying people access to the parks who want to purchase tickets is bad business. The advantage of having a park that is walking distance to Magic Kingdom would be that people could hop over to MK to see the fireworks.
WDW basically got nothing new announced. All the stuff you note was long term future pie in the sky ideas which may never get built.
Basically they are stalling and trying to gander interest knowing that Epic Universe is going to own them for the next 10 years. By the time they get these done, there will be virtually no interest in the IP. Like others said, better to further develop or reimagine areas as opposed to inserting IP 10 years after thr film came out.
Almost any expansion is good. But if it starts replacing, or merely upgrading, it may not be enough. Let’s face it – the real issue is another gate – the fifth park is needed to play keep-up with Universal. Timing is flexible, but they have the land and infrastructure, something Universal had in short supply. By failing to step up, the word is going to be that they are falling way behind. And it will be true. The current gates are being sold out way too often. An aerial view shows lots of opportunities for a big expansion, which should be at a relatively reasonable cost. Disney could simply say plans are in the works, and we want to solicit ideas from the peanut gallery, then give guidance. But progress could then be made.
For all the parks, I’m a fan of expansion with thematic integrity (fantasy, tomorrowland, etc.) and not just “different IP-land”, but it seems that is just a thing of the past. But I will be optimistic optimistic that any expansion is good expansion.
Agreed. It seems like Disney Imagineering is simply aping movie IP now. Remember that Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean rides were the IP drivers; not the (much) later movies. Put the movie IP in Hollywood Studios where they below…think higher for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom.
This probably all started with the failure of the original Disney California Adventure which had minimal movie IP. Why take risks on unproven concepts when you have sure winners in movie IP?
MK expansion should be themed to the bayous and swamps, a new attraction with Tiana and an awesome signature restaurant instead of ruining a great and seriously popular ride for no legitimate reason while also ruining the theming of Frontierland…
I honestly don’t think Disney is worried about Epic Universe. They will compete by bringing stuff online about 3 years after it opens. Epic Universe will bring people to Orlando and that will bring visits to WDW.
These announcements are so vague. They had more work done in the Spaceship Earth redo and Poppins attraction and those didn’t make it either. Also the DL Quinjet project has changed. Don’t get anymore excited other than they are thinking about how to spend money on the park (which is still good)
Coco does not interest me. The expansion would be good but not excited about a coco themed area.
I think you have it correct with looking recession and
Down turn in the whole economy. This could be shelved and never done or done down the road with some other ride or theme. If it’s pushed off it would be 4-5 years later min and the same people will not be in place and ideas change.
Very interesting!
I really like the concept of this. I just hope they have really good ideas for an attraction/ride for these proposed areas. MK has had a lot of expansion over the years, and this would really be another great addition. Hoping that this is more than just concept art. With Universal’s Epic Universe coming soon, Disney is going to have to counter that with their own ideas.
I feel like this was a tease of sorts. We MIGHT give you this at animal kingdom and Magic Kingdom. However we need some concrete things done first as Disney fans. Spaceship Earth refurb, play pavilion news, fantastic news, The Disney fav a nighttime parade in MK, and what are we doing at AK with that huge stadium. This feels like a red meat tease of what we could bring you if we wanted too, instead of actual announcements that WILL happen.