Credit: DisneyDisney is moving forward with several divisive renovations in Florida.
Related: Disneyland Ride Closures Jump to 11 in April, Some Attractions Now Offline Indefinitely
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that things are always changing at the Disney parks. From Disneyland in California to Walt Disney World in Florida, guests can expect to see changes big and small during their time at the parks, all of which are designed to make their vacation even more magical.
However, few years have been as exciting or as divisive as this one, with 2025 marking a shift for Disney. The company is now following through on a number of projects it announced last year, with Disney pledging a whopping $60 billion toward theme park investment over the next decade. Guests have already seen this money in action, although not everyone is thrilled by the changes.
Magic Kingdom Update
Related: Disney Guests Find Free Souvenir Hack During Hotel Stay
Disney officially unveiled its new look for the Emporium gift shop in Magic Kingdom earlier this year, an update that has proven to be quite controversial. Walls came down in March, revealing a lighter-colored floor near Casey’s Corner. The renovation saw several merchandise displays vanish, allowing for more foot traffic through the often densely-populated gift shop.
Not everyone was thrilled by this update, as some fans saw it as yet another “sanitization” of Disney property. This has been a popular complaint among more vocal fans online, with hardcore Disney World guests taking issue with other recently renovated locations like Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.
Another recent example is Disney’s BoardWalk, which recently received renovations of its own inside one of the resort’s stores. Some fans panned this update as being lifeless and falling in line with Disney’s other attempts to modernize some of its locations.
Regardless, it’s full steam ahead, as Disney recently refurbished more of the floors in the Emporium. As revealed by MickeyBlog, new walls are now up near the House of Magic entrance.
Floor refurbishment continues in the Emporium with new walls up around the registers near the House of Magic entrance pic.twitter.com/xyowJ81D0X
— MickeyBlog.com (@MickeyBlog_) April 9, 2025
DinoLand Update
Related: Universal Epic Universe Reveal Breaks the Internet After Massive Blackout Ends
Magic Kingdom is hardly the only Disney World theme park currently undergoing updates, with a large-scale renovation also taking place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The work specifically targets Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand U.S.A., a prehistoric-themed land where dinosaurs are brought back to life, more or less.
This area of the park has long been controversial, as many argue it doesn’t fit within the rest of Animal Kingdom. Some also argue DinoLand looks and feels cheap. Disney has a plan to rectify this, but it is also proving to be controversial.
Also announced at last year’s D23 event, Disney confirmed that DinoLand would be getting a major facelift.
Dinosaurs are going extinct for good this time, with DinoLand being taken over by a new South America-inspired world for guests to explore. This new land will feature new attractions, one of which will be inspired by Encanto.
Another attraction will take notes from Indiana Jones Adventure, which remains one of the most popular rides at Disneyland. This new Indiana Jones ride will replace DINOSAUR, which has served as one of Animal Kingdom’s only “E-ticket” attractions since the park opened in 1998.
Earlier this year, half of DinoLand closed permanently. In the weeks since, this section has been slowly demolished piece by piece. Today, hardly anything at all stands, with WDWMAGIC snapping several photos of what remains of DinoLand.
The second half of DinoLand U.S.A. will close in 2026, including DINOSAUR, meaning guests only have a few months left with this section of the park and all of its attractions. The entire DinoLand renovation project is expected to take several years to complete, with some rumors claiming the new South America area will open sometime in 2027 or 2028.
As stated earlier, Disney World is about to embark on a decades-long journey that will totally transform how the parks themselves look and feel. Perhaps the most high-profile and divisive update currently in the pipeline is a new Cars-inspired area for the Magic Kingdom. This new expansion will be located in Frontierland.
To make room for this new Cars expansion, Magic Kingdom’s Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will close. These two areas have been staples of Magic Kingdom for decades, serving as icons of the park. Disney also has plans to reinvigorate the Hollywood Studios theme park, with work soon beginning on a new land inspired by Pixar’s Monsters Inc.
While exciting, this project has also been marred by controversy, also due to its location. The new Monsters Inc. will take the space currently occupied by Muppet*Vision 3D. However, fans shouldn’t worry, as Disney has an interesting plan for Jim Henson’s colorful cast of puppet creations.
What do you think of all of Disney World’s ongoing projects and renovations?