Credit: DisneyWalt Disney World has started teasing something new for Disney PhotoPass, but for now, the company is keeping the biggest details a mystery.
Disney recently shared a post centered around its PhotoPass service and slipped in an interesting tease about what guests can expect next. According to Disney, “even more PhotoPass attraction magic is on its way,” with the company telling guests to stay tuned for additional information.
And that’s basically all Disney is saying right now.
There is no announcement about which attraction will receive something new, which theme park will be involved, or exactly what Disney means by additional “attraction magic.” Still, the wording makes this worth watching because Disney specifically connected the tease to attractions rather than simply announcing another PhotoPass location.
Whatever Disney has planned, it sounds like the company wants to expand the ways guests capture moments while experiencing attractions around Walt Disney World.
Disney Is Teasing Something New for PhotoPass
Disney PhotoPass has become much more than photographers standing in front of Cinderella Castle and taking family pictures.
Those traditional photos remain an important part of the service, of course. Walt Disney World currently offers PhotoPass photography at more than 175 locations. Guests can find photographers at major landmarks such as Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, and the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
But Disney has also continued finding different ways to incorporate PhotoPass into the overall theme park experience.
PhotoPass can capture guests on attractions, during character interactions, and even at Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Those photos can then become another piece of the vacation that guests take home with them.
Now, it appears Disney wants to do something more with the attraction side of the service.
The interesting part of this tease is how little Disney revealed. Rather than announcing a new ride photo or immediately explaining what is changing, Disney simply told guests that more PhotoPass attraction magic is coming.
That leaves quite a bit of room for speculation.
Disney could be preparing to introduce PhotoPass capabilities to additional attractions. It could also be developing new types of attraction photos, videos, or other effects. Disney hasn’t confirmed any of those possibilities, though, so we’ll have to wait for the company to reveal exactly what it has planned.
For now, the important piece is that something is coming.
PhotoPass Has Become More Than a Ride Photo
Theme park photography has changed considerably over the years.
There was a time when an attraction photo was relatively straightforward. Guests would reach a specific point during a ride, a camera would snap a picture, and everyone would see the result on a screen near the attraction’s exit.
That basic idea still exists, but Disney has increasingly found ways to make vacation photography feel like part of the attraction itself.
That is what makes Disney’s choice of words interesting.
Calling whatever is coming “PhotoPass attraction magic” suggests this isn’t necessarily another photographer being stationed somewhere inside a park. Disney specifically appears to be teasing something connected to attractions.
Exactly how extensive that addition will be remains unknown.
It could ultimately turn out to be something relatively small. On the other hand, Disney could be preparing a broader PhotoPass addition that affects multiple attractions or introduces another way of capturing guests during their experiences.
Until Disney provides more information, there simply isn’t enough information to know.
Still, Disney usually doesn’t tell guests to “stay tuned” unless there is something else it plans to reveal. That makes this an announcement to keep an eye on, particularly for guests who regularly use PhotoPass or purchase access to their vacation photos.
Disney Has Already Been Expanding PhotoPass
The attraction tease also comes as Disney continues experimenting with new PhotoPass offerings elsewhere around Walt Disney World.
Earlier in September, a new PhotoPass experience debuted at Disney Springs. The experience can be found at Disney PhotoPass Studio and includes backgrounds inspired by Frozen (2013) and Toy Story (1995).
That addition isn’t necessarily connected to the new attraction tease, but the timing is interesting.
Disney has introduced a new PhotoPass experience at Disney Springs and is now telling guests that additional PhotoPass content is coming to attractions. Taken together, it shows that Disney is still actively adding to the photography service rather than leaving it largely unchanged.
For guests, that’s potentially good news.
Disney vacations have become increasingly connected to smartphones, apps, and digital planning. Guests use their phones for attraction wait times, Lightning Lane selections, dining reservations, mobile ordering, hotel information, and plenty more.
PhotoPass fits naturally into that ecosystem because it gives families a way to capture their vacation without relying exclusively on their own phones.
Attraction photography is particularly useful because there are moments guests simply can’t capture themselves. You’re not exactly going to pull out the family camera at the perfect moment in the middle of a roller coaster.
Disney’s attraction cameras solve that problem.
Whatever the next evolution looks like, Disney clearly sees room to continue expanding the concept.
Which Disney World Attractions Could Be Involved?
This is where things become much less certain.
Disney has not identified an attraction.
It hasn’t identified a park, either.
There is currently nothing in the announcement indicating whether this will affect Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or multiple parks.
That means guests should be careful about treating any specific attraction as confirmed until Disney shares more.
Still, the wording makes it reasonable to watch existing attraction PhotoPass offerings as well as rides that currently don’t have the same type of photography experience.
Disney could add cameras to more attractions. It could upgrade existing systems. It could introduce new video elements. There could even be additional digital effects involved.
All of those would fit broadly within the idea of “PhotoPass attraction magic,” but none have been announced.
And perhaps that’s exactly what Disney wants right now.
Rather than giving everything away, the company has planted the idea that something new is coming and left guests wondering what it might be.
Disney Has Plenty of Options
One thing that makes this tease particularly interesting is just how many directions Disney could take PhotoPass.
A traditional attraction photo is only one possibility.
Disney could potentially create more elaborate photos using themed backgrounds or effects. It could expand video offerings that capture a longer portion of an attraction experience. Disney could also bring PhotoPass to rides that currently don’t offer an automatic attraction photo.
Again, Disney hasn’t said that any of these things are happening. These are simply examples of how broad the company’s tease currently is.
That’s part of what makes the announcement so intriguing.
If Disney had simply said that another attraction was getting an on-ride photo, there wouldn’t be much mystery. Instead, the company used much broader language about additional attraction magic being on the way.
We’ll have to see whether that language points toward something genuinely new or whether Disney is simply preparing to expand an existing PhotoPass feature.
Either way, guests who enjoy collecting attraction photos could have something new waiting for them in the relatively near future.
PhotoPass Remains a Big Part of Disney Vacations
For many families, PhotoPass has become one of those services they don’t think much about until they return home.
During a vacation, guests are constantly moving between rides, restaurants, shows, character meetings, and hotels. Having Disney photographers available throughout the resort gives everyone in the group a chance to appear in the same picture without handing a phone to a stranger.
Attraction photography fills a similar role.
Some of the funniest vacation pictures come from those moments when nobody in the ride vehicle knows exactly when the camera is coming. Those photos can capture reactions that would be nearly impossible to recreate afterward.
That makes Disney’s decision to tease more attraction-related PhotoPass content particularly interesting.
The company isn’t simply talking about another place to stand and pose. It is specifically pointing toward the attraction experience.
More Information Should Be Coming
This isn’t the type of announcement that will change someone’s entire Walt Disney World vacation overnight.
There isn’t anything guests need to book right now. There isn’t a new PhotoPass experience with an opening date. There isn’t even a specific attraction attached to the announcement yet.
But it is something worth keeping on the radar.
Disney PhotoPass operates throughout Walt Disney World and covers far more than the traditional park-icon photograph. Guests can use the service for attraction pictures, character photos, resort photography, and other vacation moments.
Adding more attraction-related features could give guests another reason to pay attention to those photos, especially if Disney introduces something beyond the traditional ride picture.
The biggest question is how ambitious Disney plans to get.
If this is simply another attraction receiving an on-ride camera, the change could be relatively minor. If Disney is preparing a new PhotoPass technology or a broader rollout across several rides, this tease could eventually become much more significant.
Right now, Disney isn’t ready to answer that question.
Instead, Walt Disney World has given guests a very simple message: more PhotoPass attraction magic is coming, and additional details are still ahead.
Considering Disney has already introduced another PhotoPass experience at Disney Springs this month, it certainly looks like the company has photography on its mind.
Now we’ll have to wait and see exactly what Disney has planned for the parks — and which attraction could be getting the new PhotoPass treatment first.
