The 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort will be one of the biggest ever! The celebration will encompass all four Resort theme parks with amazing attraction openings, new entertainment, food and beverage, merchandise and more.
At D23 Expo 2019, new details were unveiled on some exciting Guest offerings coming to the Walt Disney World Resort for the 50th Anniversary and beyond.
Here’s a roundup of what’s to come:
An all-new Star Wars vacation experience is coming to the Walt Disney World Resort!
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be a new, first-of-its-kind vacation experience. You will check-in for a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship. Once onboard, you will interact with characters and become an active participant in stories that unfold around you on your galactic journey.
At Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, everyone (children and adults) will have the opportunity to face off against a training remote while wielding a lightsaber. Just like Luke Skywalker did in Star Wars: A New Hope as he was learning to use The Force. For more details, check out our recent Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser story from D23 Expo.
Also at Walt Disney World Resort, there are big plans for a multi-year transformation of Epcot.
The addition of new experiences that will make the park more Disney, more family, more timeless, and more relevant to the millions of Guests who visit each year.
The park will be unified with four neighborhoods that each celebrate a unique aspect of what makes Epcot so special. Where Future World currently stands, three new neighborhoods will spring up: World Celebration, World Discovery and World Nature. And World Showcase will continue to celebrate culture, cuisine, architecture, and traditions from around the world.
At World Celebration in Epcot, Spaceship Earth will remain the park’s grand icon. However, the journey will be transformed with new scenes reflecting the universal nature of the human experience, a new guide, and an all-new narration that will focus on the storytelling that brings people together.
World Celebration in Epcot will also feature breathtaking views at Dreamers Point. There will be lush gardens, a wishing tree, an interactive new fountain, and a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney.
A new pavilion at World Celebration will be the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals, providing a stunning view of World Showcase and an ideal spot to witness the park’s nighttime spectacular. This three-level structure will have one of the most remarkable designs at any Disney park and will fast become a new icon for Epcot.
At the World Discovery neighborhood in Epcot, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will feature the first reverse launch into space! The thrilling, family-friendly attraction will feature a never-before-seen storytelling coaster that rotates to focus on the action – wherever it may be.
Also, an expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion is coming. The new restaurant Space 220, will open this winter as an out-of-this-world culinary experience with the celestial panorama of a space station. Including daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up!
In World Showcase
We’ll welcome the first attraction inspired by Mary Poppins. Cherry Tree Lane, will join the United Kingdom pavilion as an entirely new neighborhood!
In the China pavilion, a whole new movie will be unveiled. “Wondrous China” will take guests on a spectacular journey across China, filmed and presented in a completely seamless 360-degree digital format.
The film “Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” will debut in January 2020. This new film, in the Canada pavilion, will have new scenes and a new story.
The France pavilion will offer even more for you to discover. A new “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along” debuts in January 2020. Then in summer 2020, the much-anticipated attraction Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open along with a delicious new restaurant called La Crêperie de Paris.
In World Nature, the reinvention of Epcot will include Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana.” This first-ever experience inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ hit film will let guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting.
And the Land pavilion’s new film “Awesome Planet,” which showcases the spectacular beauty, diversity, and dynamic story of the planet in World Nature, will begin welcoming guests in January 2020.
And following the limited-time run of Epcot Forever, a new nighttime spectacular will debut. HarmonioUS will be the largest ever created for a Disney park. It will celebrate how the music of Disney inspires people the world over.
Over at Hollywood Studios and Beyond
At D23 Expo, a first look at the newly-themed Chinese Theater was shared. This will be home to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway when it opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in spring 2020. This first major Mickey-themed ride-through attraction will put you inside the wacky and unpredictable world of a Mickey Mouse cartoon short where anything can happen!
And planned to debut in late 2020, Disney Genie. It will be a revolutionary new digital offering to enhance the way we help you plan for and experience a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. Disney Genie will make planning easier and more fun by providing you customized itineraries geared to princesses, thrill-seekers, foodies, families, and more. You will even be able to tell Disney Genie what you want to experience, and it will quickly evaluate millions of options to present you with an optimal day.
Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge, will be a unique hotel and proposed Disney Vacation Club resort inspired by the wonders of nature and artistry of Walt Disney.
Also, at Magic Kingdom Park, the TRON attraction will be called TRON Lightcycle Run. As regular readers know, this attraction lets riders board a train of two-wheeled Lightcycles and experience the energy, lights, and excitement of TRON’s high-tech universe.
And for the first time, Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios have joined forces with Cirque du Soleil to create a new show. This new show will combine Disney storytelling and heart with Cirque du Soleil’s signature artistry. Previews will begin March 20, 2020, leading up to the world premiere on April 17.
As you can see, it’s going to be one of the most extraordinary periods of growth and expansion in the history of the Walt Disney World Resort! Stay tuned future updates on today’s news and more.