The Walt Disney Company may be realizing that a Splash Mountain redo won’t be enough to slow down Epic Universe. Is more on the way?
In the last year, I’ve been talking about the sometimes disconcerted plans for Walt Disney World going forward. These rumored options for increasing capacity, especially at Magic Kingdom, are important given that every effort Disney has made to draw crowds away from Magic Kingdom seem to rarely succeed. People genuinely love the castle park concept with Walt’s original idea for a hub design. It just works. Sure, Epcot will be wonderful when it is finishes and Animal Kingdom is a masterclass in design, but people continue to want to flock to the park that is synonymous with Disney World.
To that end, I’ve talked about a very secret plan at Disney that may look to expand Adventureland and connect it with a very luxurious hotel and spa with private entrance to MK. I’ve also touched on a ten-year plan to bring back the Main Street secondary street development with the old theater plan involved. According to two sources, that development, though modified, is back on the table in a big way as Disney grapples with serious competition in Orlando coming from the Epic Universe theme park set for 2025. Though Disney is behind in terms of having anything ready for Epic Universe, I’m told that internal polling and temperature checks have determined that the Splash Mountain removal for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is no longer expected to be a major boost for the park — they’re having to shut down comments and selectively create promotional material because this is now generally a less-than-popular change.
First, the Main Street theater is not dead. It may be heavily modified, but the previously shelved concept is high on the list of things to get done over the next ten years. The reason is simple and logistical. For Magic Kingdom to increase capacity, they need to alleviate the bottleneck through Main Street USA at the end of the day. Allowing in even more people can create a dangerous situation. The secondary street through previous backstage areas is there, but it lacks quite a bit in appearance. More importantly, because it is only used at specific times, many guests don’t know about it and it doesn’t get its intended job done. The thinking is that a theater (plus museum attachment) and addition of the pathway on the official map would solve the problem. Speaking of the museum, the most likely change here is that I’m hearing the theater would likely have a wrap-around museum in which One Man’s Dream is moved into the space.
Unfortunately, because I’m told Disney is in “chase mode,” at this point as they realize the formidable challenge Epic Universe will present, there are still plenty of variables in design. And also as a result, while we may get some sort of announcement at D23, it could also be pushed back until the next year. That would leave this year’s D23 for Disney World as a potpourri of previously-cancelled ride improvements (from before the pandemic) along with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and a Dinoland fix. One bit of very good news is that I’m told the Story Matters Group that was “modernizing” Disney Parks and making them more “relevant” has not been terribly active as of late… likely as a result of top-down pressure to stop. A number of changes they implemented for social causes over the last year were poorly conceived, executed worse, and not well-received. Maybe the worst was taking out the historic items from the American Adventure rotunda only to replace them with cheap cartoon posters about jazz. I want African American representation in the parks — I don’t want it to be a cheap and lackluster replacement to important pieces. I think most others feel the same.
So what is on the way based on what I’m hearing?
First, it seems that One Man’s Dream is indeed going to be leaving Hollywood Studios at some point in the future should these efforts go ahead. The current iteration I’m told features putting the museum in Magic Kingdom behind new facades that would extend from the Tomorrowland Terrace exit down to the future theater. I’m also told that the theater will be elevated so that guests enter onto the second floor. This will permit a parking garage to exist on the main level with backstage access. I’m also told that the budget for the theater may be significantly increased beyond its original incarnation. That was a shock to me, but I’m told Bob Chapek and Josh D’Amaro need something(s) in the next few years to really wow the world and stay ahead (or at least even) of Epic Universe.
All of this may be tied into a secret set of projects to increase the capacity of Magic Kingdom through expansions that feature additional walkway capacity and infrastructure additions. I hear the word “moonbeam” is bandied about a bit.
Other additions to this new theater space could include two new retail spaces, a DVC lounge, and an outdoor play area for children. Again, none of this is finalized according to my sources, but I do expect based on their details that this will be a major addition to Magic Kingdom when it does come into fruition. As for what might go into the theater, that can change given its properties. However, one source said that conceptual work they have seen has led them to believe it might be akin to a much more grand Mickey Mouse Revue.
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