New Villains Show Set to Replace Classic Attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

There are so many ways to be wicked, and if anyone knows how to do it best, it’s Disney villains! Over nearly 100 years, The Walt Disney Company has brought some of the most memorable villains to life. Villains like Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989), Scar in The Lion King (1994), Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009), the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1961), and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959).

An animated character with pale purple skin and white hair, smiling wickedly with red lips and heavy blue eye shadow. She's flanked by two eel-like creatures with yellow eyes and menacing expressions. Bubbles rise around them, set against a dark background. — Credit: Disney

While Disney princesses have always been the company’s bread and butter, fans have come to love the villains just as much, sometimes more. Villains can be funny, sarcastic, stylish, anything you can think of. And who doesn’t love an amazing Disney villain song? “Be Prepared”, “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” “Friends On the Other Side”? Iconic.

And soon, Walt Disney World Resort guests will be able to enjoy the legendary villains in a whole new way.

A menacing animated lion with dark fur and a scar over his left eye smirks while standing in shadows. He appears to be in a cave with jagged walls. His expression and posture convey arrogance and disdain. — Credit: Disney

According to the Mouse House, a new villain’s live stage show will be coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios next year! It will be replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, which will close on October 7.

Per Disney Parks Blog:

The creative minds at Disney Live Entertainment will transform Sunset Showcase into the mysterious, reflective realm of the Magic Mirror. The show will feature appearances by dozens of the most infamous evildoers, with fiendish foes Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent each breaking through the glass to take the stage in live production numbers.

A crowded theater at Hollywood Studios is lit by colorful stage lights, focused on a woman and a Dalmatian posing on stage. The backdrop features framed images of a fashionable woman in various outfits and poses, surrounding a central image of the same woman alongside her spotty companion. — Credit: Disney

Disney Embracing Love For Villains

This new villain stage show is not the only way Disney is finally acknowledging just how much its fans love its villains.

Last month at the D23 Expo, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that an entirely new land would be coming to Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park. After teasing what lies beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the 2022 Expo, D’Amaro finally announced that what lies beyond Frontierland is a Villains Land!

Concept art of the new Villains Land coming to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom — Credit: Disney

The new Villains Land will feature Maleficent’s castle as its central feature. There will be two “major attractions”, along with new shopping and dining spots. D’Amaro said that the new land will be a “fearless new vision” and show just how far Disney Imagineers can go.

We do not know when this new land will open, but we do know that plans have been made, some permits have been filed, and construction has begun on the highly anticipated new area.

Are you excited to see Disney finally featuring its incredible villains? Are you excited for the new stage show? Let us know in the comments!

This post originally appeared on Disney Dining.