This summer at the D23 Expo in Anaheim we got a lot of exciting announcements from Disney regarding new entertainment coming to the parks in 2025. But in true Disney fashion, no real dats or time frame, just 2025. Well this week we got some elaboration on not only timeframes, but also what we can expect from these new shows! The steady flow of updates on all the announcements from this summer has been really nice given that in years past something would be announced and then just fade away into our memories. So let’s dive into some of these announcements!
Villains Unfairly Ever After
A little while back we got the news that Lightning McQueens Racing Academy was going to be closing and the Villains were moving in for a new show. No other details until now and this sounds really fun! Disney announced this week that we can expect to see the some of our favorite Villains come through the Magic Mirror, including Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent as the leads! Disney Parks posted a message form the Magic Mirror this week summoning us to come and join the Villains this summer in Hollywood Studios. The post said we can expect other Villains to join in on the wicked fun too with captivating performances, humor and charm. While I am excited for this, I can’t help but think this would have been better suited to become a new Muppets show given Rock’n’ Rollercoasters re-theme and Muppet Vision 3D closing but I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
Also in Hollywood Studios sits the Voyage of the Little Mermaid theater that has not had anything in it for a long time. At one point there were even rumors floating around that the building had mold and would be demoed. But now we know that a new Little Mermaid show will be swimming into this building next summer! I loved the original show as a kid so I am glad they are doing something here and starting to do something with Animation Courtyard. But again…..Monsters could have gone here instead of Muppets Courtyard or Muppet Vision could go here but I digress. Disney announced the new show will still be a mixture of live actors and puppets but with new sets. It says it will include “stunning visuals” so I wonder if we will still have lasers, bubbles and rain in this show? On top of the musical numbers that were included in the previous Little Mermaid show, Disney announced that they have added Daughters of Triton and Kiss the Girl to the shows line up! I hope they open the little attached store back up as well, with all the Little Mermaid merch……this is where I did my best begging as a child! Hahaha!
Spaceship Earth Lounge
I am very excited for this gem! Who doesn’t love Spaceship Earth?! And who wouldn’t want to be able to get a drink at Spaceship Earth?! Disney says this new lounge will be an elevated experience paying tribute to the history of Spaceship Earth and EPCOT itself, past and future. Sounds pretty cool! It sounds like this lounge is going to have a somewhat fancy menu with food and drink creations exclusive to the lounge and some of the best EPCOT views you could possibly want. Disney said it will have a “unique perspective of the nightly fireworks” I guess we will have to wait and see what exactly unique means here but I wouldn’t mind watching Harmonious from Spaceship Earth! This is set to launch in late Spring….I am thinking between Flower and Garden Festival and Food and Wine maybe?
Test Track
Test Track has been closed for a bit now but this week we heard that it will be reopening late Summer! Disney said it will have an all new storyline featuring General Motors and that we may even start to see vehicle testing early 2025!
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away
This is probably the announcement I am MOST excited to get more details on! I lost it at D23 when they said we were getting a new nighttime parade here in Walt Disney World. It has been far too long! This will also be debuting in summer of 2025 and will be lead by the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. She will weave the magic through each float and costume in the parade “illuminating the stories in a vibrant constellation of wonder, hope and imagination” according to Disney. This looks and feels like our own version of Paint the Night and I cannot wait! The Spector Magic and Main Street Electrical Parades were always my favorites as a child. My oldest does not remember there being a nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom even though he did see it when he was little and there has not been one since my youngest could remember so this will be exciting as a family.
Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern
Also coming to Magic Kingdom is the new Pirates of the Caribbean tavern! Disney says this will open late 2025 and will have more than a few mysterious and magical surprises. The announcement says it will have grogs and grubs for all ages so I am assuming it will serve alcohol. This will be nice because now you can only get a drink if you are at a table service restaurant. You still won’t be able to take it and walk around the park, which is fine by me, but it will be nice to have a more casual spot to have a fun cocktail. I feel like this is a nice middle ground between being able to get a drink in Magic Kingdom but keeping it true to what Walt wanted where people can’t just walk around and drink. I am a sucker for anything Pirates themed so I can’t wait for this to open.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
This is the one announcement that I did not cheer for at D23 and cannot pretend I am excited for now either. I am not a Zootopia fan, but I am a huge It’s Tough To Be A Bug fan! It is such an awesome show and I feel like it is so on brand for Animal Kingdom in providing education on a subject while being entertaining. But here we are and it is what it is. This will be an all new 4D show in the Tree of Life and it is debuting winter of 2025 with music and characters from the movie and new wild adventures. I am sure it will be a really fun show……I am just a little salty about this one, sorry not sorry!
Conclusion
2025 is going to be a BIG year for new things coming to the parks. I feel like Disney is fast tracking a lot of things to try and compete with Epic Universe opening up over on the Universal side. I am not sure any of these things are going to really compete with that but I think it will help for sure. Depending on who you are, you either want to go book a late summer trip to Disney World right now so you are here for all the new things OR you will want to avoid the parks until 2026 and let the hype die down a bit before coming to enjoy these new things. I wish I could be there the moment they open but that’s just me! Which announcement are you most excited for?? I feel like we are going to be getting updates like this pretty regularly moving forward, there are just so many things changing and coming to Walt Disney World, it’s an exciting time. Thank you for reading along and have the most magical day!