'Inside Out' Land: Major Update Follows Disney World's $17 Billion Expansion Announcement

Is Inside Out land on its way to the Walt Disney World Resort?

A view of Cinderella Castle at dusk in Walt Disney World Free. The castle is illuminated with blue and gold lights, surrounded by people. Trees and lampposts are visible, with the sky gradually transitioning to night. The scene captures a moment of magic and wonder. — Credit: Inside the Magic

When it comes to the box office, 2024 looks like a return to form for The Walt Disney Company. Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (2024) has blasted its way to being the biggest movie of the year, and just next month, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) will enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a very lucrative splash.

After being announced at the D23 Expo 2022, Inside Out 2 finally hit the movie theaters earlier this month. The Pixar sequel, directed by Kelsey Mann, opened with the biggest weekend of the year. It netted $155 million domestically and close to $300 million in all markets.

An animated scene shows a young girl with a birthday cake bearing the number 13. She is sitting at a dining table, smiling while a man on her left, holding a camera, and a woman on her right, clapping, celebrate with her. A wrapped present lies on the table in this heartwarming snapshot from Inside Out 2. — Credit: Pixar

Inside Out 2 now takes the 2024 top spot, surpassing Dune: Part Two (2024) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), with a total of $761 million. Pixar’s new movie’s ongoing success was helped by its small box office drop of just 34% in its second weekend.

The major update in Inside Out 2‘s journey comes not long after the announcement that The Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have buried the hatchet of their ongoing legal battles. The end of this affair came with a new $17 billion expansion deal for the Walt Disney World Resort.

Visitors walk down a broad pathway towards a grand, iconic castle with blue and gold accents. The sky is partly cloudy, and trees line the pathway. People are taking photos, chatting, and enjoying the theme park atmosphere. — Credit: Inside the Magic

“The move followed [the] approval of $17 billion in planned development at Walt Disney World near Orlando that will bring a fifth theme park and three smaller parks to the resort,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

While this is by no means a confirmation of a fifth theme park joining Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it is the closest fans have gotten to a potential new gate opening in Central Florida.

Aerial view of Disney World, showcasing various attractions and landscaped areas. — Credit: Bioreconstruct, X

The $17 billion comes just months after Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that $30 billion of a company-wide $60 billion would be spent on the Disney Experiences business over the next decade. This includes parks, resorts, and cruises. At present, fans know that expansions are coming to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

At Magic Kingdom, the Beyond Big Thunder project gained momentum after a permit was filed in May for the location behind the current Frontierland. Initially, this land was conceptualized with lands from Coco (2017), Encanto (2021), and the Disney Villains, but no official confirmation has surfaced.

Frontierland at Magic Kingdom — Credit: Allen Castillo, Flickr

As for Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney Imagineering has commenced with the DinoLand, U.S.A. renovation. The major overhaul of the area will see the prehistoric theming removed and the Tropical Americas take its place. The Encanto and Indiana Jones franchises will be included in this brand-new area.

But with a potential fifth gate and an unclear expansion of Magic Kingdom, could the Emotions of Inside Out find their way into the park?

Four animated characters are in a colorful, whimsical room. A large, pink character in a hoodie stands next to a small, orange character with wild hair, and a tiny, green character, both sitting at a control panel. A tall, blue character lounges on an orange sofa. — Credit: Pixar Animation Studios

With the massive success of Inside Out 2, a level not seen since The Incredibles 2 (2018) and Toy Story 4 (2019), the franchise’s footprint at Disney World—or any Disney park—should surely expand.

At present, Disneyland Resort has the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind at Disney California Adventure Park, and Disney World has a variety of meet-and-greet experiences. Neither park has much of an Inside Out footprint, but the recent audience approval of the sequel may change that.

An image shows animated characters from the movie "Inside Out." The characters, including Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, display a range of emotions. Joy is in the center, smiling, surrounded by the other characters who exhibit their respective emotions. — Credit: Pixar

What is perfect for Inside Out‘s integration at a theme park level is how high-concept the franchise is.

Taking place inside the mind of a young girl, audiences are introduced to Emotions such as Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling/Liza Lapira), and Fear (Bill Hader/Tony Hale) in the first movie, and Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) in the 2024 sequel.

Five animated characters are looking out at a vibrant, whimsical cityscape filled with various imaginative structures resembling a dreamland, during twilight. (From Inside Out) — Credit: Pixar

The creative nature of the movies, for example, how values (friendship, family, hockey, etc.) are seen as “islands,” lends itself perfectly to an entire themed land at a Disney park. In the movies, the Emotions also encounter Headquarters, Imagination Land, and the Memory Dump.

Kelsey Mann’s sequel expanded on the world Pete Docter explored and introduced new areas like the Stream of Consciousness and the back of Riley’s mind. The colorful nature of the Inside Out franchise would slot into the lands of Disney World with ease while also building on the legacy that Disney is for everyone, considering how well-received the movies have been across generations.

Inside Out 2 characters showing varied emotions inside a colorful, futuristic setting, with Joy looking surprised, Fear anxious, Anger yelling, Disgust annoyed, and Sadness apprehensive. — Credit: Pixar

A Stream of Consciousness water ride could transport guests through the inner workings of Riley’s mind. At the same time, Imagination Land could let others experience a ride through the wacky and weird–think The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Magic Kingdom but with Emotions instead of the characters of the Hundred-Acre Wood.

Inside Out 2 will almost certainly cross the $1 billion mark, signaling to Disney that the animated franchise is a major contender for more theme park space. If the sequel does exceed $1 billion, it will place the Inside Out franchise at close to $2 billion total–2015’s movie grossed $858 million during its theatrical run.

The image shows the entrance sign for "Tiana's Bayou Adventure" with a water tower in the background that also reads "Tiana's Foods." The scene is adorned with lush greenery, vibrant flowers, and a rustic fence, giving a whimsical, adventurous feel. — Credit: Disney

While fans await more information on what will be arriving in the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom developments, the former just welcomed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to the park. The water ride replaces Splash Mountain, which officially closed in early 2023.

Do you think Disney should add an Inside Out land to its theme parks? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!