The Magic Kingdom Expansion has been a big talking point and Disney World fans are excited to see what is to come.
Magic Kingdom
Some things have changed since the idea of what lies beyond Big Thunder Mountain was teased at D23 in 2022. Let’s take a look at what is different compared to the original announcement.
Back at the D23 Expo (Disney’s fan convention) in 2022, Disney gave us a glimpse at some Blue Sky ideas for Magic Kingdom. A Blue Sky idea is a project that the company is talking about, but it’s still in the “dreaming” stages of development. Blue Sky ideas can and do happen — but they rarely come to fruition exactly as they are first conceived. They’re a “first draft,” if you will.
Concept art of potential Magic Kingdom expansion including ‘Coco’ and Villains
So at that first “Blue Sky” discussion in 2022, Disney talked about ideas for lands that would lie beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This talk included the possibility a Coco-themed land, a Disney villains-themed land, and an Encanto-themed land.
Possible Villain Land Expansion Coming to Magic Kingdom
What we do know right now is that those ideas have probably changed! At Destination D23 (another Disney fan event) in September 2023, Disney gave us a big clue about what we WON’T see as a Magic Kingdom expansion — Encanto. But don’t worry Encanto fans, this is because this idea is being taken to another park in Disney World!
Animal Kingdom
At Destination D23, Disney announced that DinoLand U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom will undergo a re-theme to a land inspired by the Tropical Americas. This area would take elements inspired by movies that take place there — like Encanto.
©Disney Dinoland re-theme concept art
During a special edition of 20/20 celebrating Disney100, Disney shared the concept art for the DinoLand re-theme. Lin-Manuel Miranda made an appearance on the special and said “I want to go inside Casita, don’t you? I don’t even know what that would look like, but some genius imagineer does!”
Lin Manuel-Miranda
While we still do not know what will be officially part of the Magic Kingdom expansion, it is safe to say that an Encanto-inspired land is more likely in Animal Kingdom rather than Magic Kingdom like it was originally teased.
DinoLand
Another possibility teased for this new Tropical Americas land in Animal Kingdom was an Indiana Jones ride! This seems especially likely since the Indiana Jones Adventure ride in Disneyland uses the same ride system as Dinosaur –which is already sitting in Dinoland U.S.A.
©Disney
This still leaves imagineers with two other Blue Sky ideas for what lies beyond Big Thunder Mountain, a Disney villains-inspired land and a Coco-themed land. We hope Disney will drop new details soon, and when they do we will make sure to keep you updated!
Read More About the Animal Kingdom Expansion Here!
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