1Walt Disney World Resort has major plans in the works for the future of Magic Kingdom Park.
As the original theme park in Walt Disney World Resort, Magic Kingdom invites Disney World Guests to enjoy many immersive lands, including Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Fantasyland. The Disney Park is much larger than any of the other theme parks– Disney’s Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios– and it consistently brings in the most Guests of any theme park in the country.
The biggest construction project happening at Magic Kingdom currently is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, an all-new attraction that is taking over the spot where Splash Mountain once was. The new attraction is expected to open in “late 2024” and, when it does, the expectation is that it will transform the entire area around it into a Princess and the Frog-themed location. Disney just opened TRON Lightcycle / Run in Tomorrowland, but the attraction is currently only available by Individual Lightning Lane purchase or by booking a time in the Virtual Queue, both of which can be done through the My Disney Experience App, where Disney Genie+ is found.
However, the biggest question that fans have is related to the future of the theme park. What’s next? What will Magic Kingdom look like in five years? Disney’s latest move gives us a glimpse into that.
Disney recently closed its Merida meet and greet permanently, which was located in the Fairytale Gardens in the shadow of Cinderella Castle in Fantasyland. Now, the meet and greet has been moved to Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom and an Encanto meet and greet will soon be taking its place. Soon, Guests will be able to meet Mirabel and potentially many other stars from the hit movie Encanto (2021), but this is just the beginning.
With Disney making an effort to plug Encanto into Magic Kingdom, this seems like a sign for things to come. Something that Disney has already hinted at for its future.
During last year’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared that Disney had plans for a major expansion in Magic Kingdom. The three themed lands that were teased during this presentation were Encanto, Coco, and Disney Villains. Of course, there have already been rumors that Coco could soon become a part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
According to insiders, the most likely of these to come would be Encanto. The hit movie has already had talks of a sequel– though it hasn’t been confirmed yet– and it seems like almost a foregone conclusion that we’ll be getting more Encanto at the Disney Parks in the future.
The timeline of construction for something of this magnitude hasn’t been set in stone, but most insiders believe that it will begin to take place once Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open. If the attraction stays on schedule, we could be looking at groundbreaking at the beginning of 2025, potentially with an opening in late 2026, for an Encanto-themed land. This is, however, just speculation and nothing has been confirmed by Disney.
As Disney continues to move forward with its plan for what’s “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain,” there are hopes that we’ll hear more this September when Destination D23 takes place.
What would you want in an Encanto land in Magic Kingdom? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!