
It was a big weekend for The Walt Disney Company. The D23 Expo revealed all of the new ideas coming to Walt Disney World shortly as it attempts to compete with Universal Orlando and its new Epic Universe.
Related: Magic Kingdom Shuttering Opening Day Attraction to Make Way for Expansion
Disney unveiled a new villain’s and Car’s land coming to the Magic Kingdom, a new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and an Encanto-themed land coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
But now it’s Monday, and the buzz from the D23 Expo has worn off. The average Disney fan was shot back to reality when they learned what they would be giving up at Disney World to get all of these new attractions.
At the Magic Kingdom, Disney announced it would remove Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island to make way for the new Cars Land. While at Hollywood Studios, Disney has yet to confirm exactly where the new Monsters, Inc. land will go, but fans believe it will take over Animation Courtyard.
Related: Disney Fans Could Lose Beloved Attraction to Make Way for Monsters, Inc.
For a while on Sunday, social media was buzzing that Disney may replace the Muppets at Hollywood Studios to make room for the new attraction. However, that rumor was quickly put to rest, and every Disney fan breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that the dust has settled on all the announcements, Walt Disney World fans wonder if Disney has done enough to combat Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe.
For most Disney fans, the answer to that question is, we’ll see. While Disney announced today that they were filing permits this week to start work on the new Cars Land at Magic Kingdom, very few details were revealed about when the other projects would start.
In recent years, Walt Disney Imagineering has been known more for its “Blue Sky” projects and failures (see Tiana’s Bayou Adventure) than its overwhelming great projects. This has given Disney fans pause when hearing these new announcements.
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Every new video that Universal Orlando drops showing off Epic Universe puts more pressure on the Walt Disney World Resort to develop something great that will match the energy that Universal is bringing.
Despite that, these projects are still years away. Cars will land in late 2026 or early 2027, and the earliest guests should see anything.
It was clear that Disney World fully understood that Epic Universe would change the theme park game, and Disney did everything it could to appease its most diehard fans.
But Disney fans have been burned before by Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney CEO Bob Iger. So, while everyone wants to know if Disney World can hold on to its crown with the Universal Studios Resort breathing down their necks, the only answer that Disney fans can give is to be determined.
Are Disney World announcements enough to hold off Epic Universe for now?
Disney is playing catch up. Universal is building an entire park in the time it took Disney to add one new ride. Disney parks are losing “guests” because they’re overpriced and nickle and diming us to death. The parks are dirty and attractions are falling apart!