Rumors of a Disney Villain Park have spiraled the fandom for years, but they didn’t have solid roots until 2023. After Imagineers expressed interest, multiple hints and updates have been sprinkled through the parks ever since, and fans are still waiting for an update.
Disney fans have always had a penchant for the studio’s colorful rogues gallery, but the villainous franchise seems to have had a massive uptick in recent years, especially with crowd favorites like Bruno Madrigal and Ernesto de la Cruz making an appearance in the Disney parks. That’s not even mentioning the adoration for figures like Loki and Agatha Harkness.
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Disney’s Oogie Boogie bash at Disneyland is the Halloween event of the year at Walt’s original park, but there’s much more to it than a few guest appearances. While the event might host a whole bevy of baddies amongst the pumpkins and candy, it might also be a chance to playtest how the villains do with more than the average Disney Meet and Greets.
New Faces Prepped for Disney Villain Park
Last Year’s Oogie Boogie Bash featured a host of famous villains at Disneyland, and the company spared no expense in bringing guests into their twisted worlds. Along with familiar faces like Doctor Facilier and Oogie Boogie, guests were greeted by some unexpectedly spooky additions.
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Two of the most notable additions were Yokai/Dr. Callaghan from Big Hero 6 (2014) and the surprisingly scary Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). This year, Disney is bringing them back for another round, but they won’t be traveling alone.
Similar to how the Disney Parks accounts have teased the new villains in the past, fans got a sneak peek of two new additions to this year’s lineup in the video above. Judging by the Grecian urn and Perry the Platypus hiding behind some sort of “Inator,” the new villains joining the ranks are none other than Hades from Hercules (1997) and Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb.
With these two additions, Disney’s list of villainous Meet and Greets continues to grow, and they’re even given their own unique stage venues that fit their eccentric personalities. If you’re anything like this writer, you’re also starting to see a pattern forming here, and it doesn’t stop at Disneyland.
That’s Not All
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an increase in villain activity this year, as the Disney Cruise Line is setting up a new theme for 2025. All that’s really missing in the mix is something for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
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With Universal Studios unveiling its Epic Universe expansion, it’s only a matter of time before Disney follows up with something similar. The pieces of a villain-focused experience continue to trickle down the pipeline, and as Disney essentially continues to subtly playtest these experiences, it’s only a matter of time.
Bringing all this together culminates the groundwork for a massive Disney expansion featuring the best of the studio’s rogues’ gallery. The stage is set for something fans have craved for years; all it needs is the word “go.”
Are we finally seeing a villain park in the works? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!