Disney Announces Multi-City "Expansion", Mickey Mouse Officially Leaving Orlando

During Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve event last night, The Walt Disney World Resort made an announcement with Mickey and Minnie Mouse on screen. It seems more of America will soon be getting the chance to see the big cheese without having to fly to Disney World or Disneyland.

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is an iconic New Year’s Eve television special that has become a staple for welcoming the new year. The history of the show dates back to its inception by legendary television and music personality Dick Clark. The inaugural Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve aired on December 31, 1972, on NBC.

In 2005, the show underwent a significant change with the passing of Dick Clark. Ryan Seacrest, known for his role as the host of American Idol, had previously joined the show as a co-host alongside Dick Clark. Following Clark’s passing in 2012, Seacrest took on the role of the main host.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest continues to be a major part of New Year’s Eve celebrations, now shown on ABC, featuring performances from top artists, interviews, and the infamous ball drop in Times Square.

As ABC is the main host of this show, we often see a Disney parks advertisement added to the special at some point in the evening.

Yesterday evening, we saw performances by LL Cool J, Jelly Roll, Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Post Malone, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and more. Additionally, our favorite mice (who have officially entered the public domain as of today) also appeared on the screen.

Mouse Info shared the video of the appearance on their YouTube channel, which you can quickly watch below.

Ryan introduces Mickey and Minnie from Walt Disney World, and discusses how he, too, has had some of his most magical memories while at the Disney parks. After Mickey and Minnie pull out their cell phones to show Ryan photos of their memories at the parks, which apparently include a photo at EPCOT and on Main Street, U.S.A, Ryan makes the new announcement.

Ryan teased a new Mickey Mouse expansion that is seemingly coming across America, “Disney is coming to select cities to ask you about your special Walt Disney World moment, so be on the lookout.” It looks like Mickey is packing his bags, and leaving Orlando to come and hear from Disney fans across the country!

While the announcement is a very short tease of what is seemingly going to be a much bigger quest for Disney, we can see that Disney is certainly looking to expand its mark and presence past just its two American theme parks, and with the specific mention of Walt Disney World, is choosing to actively promote their Florida location as opposed to Disneyland Resort.

At the moment, no further information has been revealed regarding what this new Mickey Mouse “tour” means, but with Universal Orlando Resort opening an entirely new theme park, Epic Universe, next year, and now reportedly expanding into the U.K., while simultaneously building Universal Kids in Texas, and a new Halloween Horror Nights expansion in Las Vegas, the timing of Disney’s new announcement seems rather perfect.

At the moment, Walt Disney World is finishing their EPCOT refurbishment, with World Celebration, World Discovery and World Nature. While further updates to Walt Disney World, specifically, have not been announced, we do expect to see some changes in the coming years to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with DinoLand U.S.A. going extinct and either Indiana Jones or Encanto IP taking over. The Tree of Life will also be undergoing an internal transformation, with a new Zootopia attraction and the removal of It’s Tough to be a Bug!

What do you think this new Disney announcement means? 

If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.