D’Amaro Has a Lot of Work to Do at this Year’s D23

The Walt Disney Company finds itself in a difficult place as this year’s D23 Expo kicks off in Anaheim. Disney theme parks worldwide were once considered the benchmark of excellence, but they are now being challenged at every turn.

In Florida, the Walt Disney World Resort finds its dominance under fire from Universal Studios Orlando, whose Epic Universe appears to be a game-changer for the theme park industry.

Related: Disney World’s Policy Shift is Literally Pushing Guests to Universal Studios

However, while its competitors have been busy building, Disney has only introduced a few new, underwhelming attractions, including Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom and an updated Communicore Plaze at EPCOT.

So, with Disney fans desperately waiting for concrete plans for Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort, Chairman of Disney Parks Josh D’Amaro and Disney CEO Bob Iger better have something big ready to give fans at this year’s Destination D23 event.

Let’s take a look at what we already know and what we hope will be coming to the two American Disney Parks. The focus is on the American parks, so while Disneyland Paris and the other international parks are great, they have already been updated in recent years.

So, Walt Disney Imagineering, let’s see what you’ve got.

Related: The Crumbling Castle: Disney World’s Cheap Upgrades Are Falling Apart in Front of Guests

What We Know

At last year’s D23 Expo, D’Amaro made some significant announcements that have seen limited progress. Sure, Test Track at EPCOT has shut down for a year-long refurbishment, but beyond that, there hasn’t been much.

D’Amaro announced significant changes to Disney’s Animal Kingdom last year. DinoLand U.S.A. will be replaced by a Central/South American-themed land featuring an Encanto attraction. Despite that announcement a year ago, there has been no progress at the Disney Park.

Related: Sorry Disney Fans, A Fifth Disney World Gate Isn’t Happening

D’Amaro also teased the “largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom.” We now know the project’s name, “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain,” but little else besides that.

At the Disneyland Resort, we know that Disneyland Forward is… moving forward (sorry). Bob Iger let it slip that there will be an Avatar Land, similar to the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Disney World. But beyond that, there is very little concrete information.

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The Magic Kingdom

So, what exactly does Walt Disney Imagineering have in store for the first Disney Park in Florida at the Destination D23 Expo? The first thing Josh D’Amaro should address when he takes the stage is what exactly will be included in “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain.”

Earlier this year, rumors spread that Disney would bring Radiator Springs Racers from Disney’s California Adventure to the Magic Kingdom. The overwhelming response from Disney fans was “meh.”

Sure, the California Adventure ride is excellent, but fans are looking for something new at Walt Disney World, and they’re pretty sure they know what they want.

Related: ‘Go Back to Walt’s Original Vision,’ but What Does That Mean? 

When Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe introduced Dark Universe, Disney fans knew exactly what they wanted for “Beyond Big Thunder.” They wanted a Disney villain’s land.

Some might argue that would be copying Universal Studios, but who cares? It’s what Disney fans have wanted for years, and here’s the chance to give it to them.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This is the Disney park that needs the most updating. This is not necessarily an update, but there is more to do in the theme park.

Hollywood Studios has a limited number of attractions and tends to get overcrowded. However, there is a solution to this problem.

Disney is sitting on a large, empty building now that Star Wars: Galatctic Starcruiser is closed. An announcement of a new hotel attached to Hollywood Studios would be nice, but a new land there would be even better.

Related: Priced Out of Disney, Guests Are Fleeing to this Resort

Disney has plenty of IPs that would fit into Hollywood Studios, including its newly minted billion-dollar franchise, Inside Out. 

A Hollywood Studios expansion should be on the table immediately. But with Disney still reeling from the embarrassment of Galatctic Starcruiser, D’Amaro may not want to revisit that shame.

Animal Kingdom

There’s not much to say about Disney’s Animal Kingdom. D’Amaro already told us everything we needed to know at last year’s Destination D23 Expo.

However, D’Amaro can tell fans a timeline and the new attractions that will be part of the Central/South American expansion.

We already know that Disney has filed permits for trailers at Animal Kingdom, but that doesn’t give us much in terms of a timeline. We need more concrete details.

EPCOT

The irony of naming Disney’s D23 Expo 2024 announcements “Horizons” was not lost on fans. It was formerly the name of an attraction at EPCOT.

However, it was also not lost on fans that every Disney park worldwide was represented in the poster except EPCOT.

Does this mean that there is nothing else to announce about EPCOT? Probably.

We know that Test Track is already under construction and Communicore Hall and Plaza are underwhelming, at best.

So, there probably won’t be an announcement of a new country coming to the World Showcase, or the revival of the Mary Poppins ride at the UK pavilion, and there also probably won’t be an update on Spaceship Earth’s refurbishment.

It appears that EPCOT will be left out in the cold.

Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Forward is becoming a reality, but what comes with that? Pandora is coming, but what else?

Before D23, Disney announced that the Hungry Bear Restaurant would become the Hungry Bear Barbeque Jamboree. It seemed like an odd choice to make the announcement weeks before D23.

Does this mean more announcements about that area of Disneyland Park are coming? Possibly. However, the focus of D23 will probably be the expansion plans in Southern California.

In the past, Disney has teased possible rides, attractions, or lands centered around Black Panther, Coco, Tangled, and Encanto. 

All of those sound interesting and would work. But fans want concrete plans and timelines.

What Will Happen?

Does Jost D’Amaro want to be a Disney legend? Of course, he does. These announcements and the ensuing construction will define his term as the head of Disney Parks.

The chances of a fifth gate announcement for Central Florida seem slim, but you never know.

The most likely outcome will be an update on Disneyland Forward, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and more details on “Beyond Big Thunder.”

No matter what D’Amaro and Iger announce, Disney fans always want more.

The real question is, will whatever D’Amaro announces be enough to compete with Epic Universe? We’ll know soon enough.

What will Josh D’Amaro announce at this year’s D23 Expo?