Disney World Makes "Historical Mistake," Entire Land Closed

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that some fans aren’t happy when Walt Disney World Resort makes decisions to close down some of their favorite attractions, especially if it involves complete and entire lands.

Over the last few years, Disney World has made the difficult decision to close down certain rides and attractions to make way for new experiences in the unfortunate circle of life. As Disney-MGM Studios became no more and made the way for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the company ultimately elected to close down the Backlot Tour in 2014. Just a few years later, Disney opened Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in a major expansion at the Disney theme park, then closed down The Great Movie Ride to make way for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

At Magic Kingdom, we’ve seen quite a few attractions shuttered over the years. Stitch’s Great Escape (which had replaced ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter) closed down permanently in Tomorrowland. While most of its queues and attraction remain untouched, Disney has not announced what might be coming to the area. Most recently, Disney said goodbye to the iconic Splash Mountain.

Splash Mountain, which had been a mainstay at the Disney park for several decades, closed down permanently in January this year to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The new attraction, which is currently being constructed, is set to open in “late 2024” and will, of course, feature theming from Disney’s Princess and the Frog (2009) movie.

While there have been changes and updates at all Disney theme parks over the years, the current Disney park with the most work being done is none other than EPCOT. A few years ago, EPCOT underwent major transformations to completely revamp its layout and what it looks like.

EPCOT opened Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, as well as Connections Eatery and Creations Shop. This new area, which once was referred to as Future World, has now become “World Discovery.” Once you leave World Discovery, you’re taken through many different pavilions in the World Showcase. This gives guests a chance to celebrate different cultures and get a taste of several different countries from around the world.

On the other side of the theme park is World Nature. The Land Pavilion, which includes Soarin’ Around the World and Living with the Land, as well as The Seas with Nemo & Friends, are all located in this area. Just recently, Disney began Annual Passholder previews for Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, which will officially open on October 16, 2023 and will be part of the land.

The fourth and final land inside the Disney theme park has yet to be unveiled. EPCOT has already demolished everything that once resided behind Spaceship Earth and this new land will be called World Celebration.

However, Michael (@innoventioneast on Twitter– now called X) said that Disney’s decision is one of the “greatest mistakes in EPCOT history,” and of course, he hasn’t been the only one.

Demolishing the Fountain of Nations is one of the greatest mistakes in EPCOT history.

Demolishing the Fountain of Nations is one of the greatest mistakes in EPCOT history. pic.twitter.com/VnnJpZoOm4

— Michael (@innoventioneast) September 28, 2023

It wasn’t just this user who felt this way. Hundreds of social media posts, dating back to Disney’s original announcement, have shared their disdain for the company taking out the Fountain of Nations and, in place, constructing World Celebration.

“The fact that they wasted so much money on this portion of the park when people have been BEGGING for a new country in World Showcase for LITERAL decades…. Wouldn’t have been nearly as disruptive either…. Could’ve sustained park crowds during a major remodel like this one,” @MediaverseCU shared.

World Celebration still has no opening date at this point, and there is still work to be done construction-wise before it’s ready to welcome guests. The new land will not feature any new rides but will be focused on tying together all of the lands inside the Disney park and sharing the “spirit of EPCOT.”

The new land will feature an area called Dreamers Point and will also be home to a statue of Walt Disney. At this time, Walt Disney World Resort has not offered any more information on when the land– which remains shut down indefinitely– might open up.

While many believe shutting down this area was a grave mistake from Disney, others remain hopeful for the progress of the new land.

What do you think of Disney’s decision? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!