Hi
The recent Disney development announcements at D23 are great!
But, like maybe a few people, I was expecting a name change to be announced for DHS at the D23expo. Also, I thought - hoped maybe - we might be getting a bit more for epcot (other than confirmation of the new Soarin film)
Just wondered what people's thoughts are -
Is a DHS name change still on cards but maybe announced once the two new big projects (Toy story & Star wars) are well on there way?
Does the lack of any further announcements for epcot mean we are unlikely to see much more happen (other than frozen and soarin upgrade) at epcot for a few years?
I guess what I am getting at, is the D23expo the be all and end all, and it's unlikely Disney will be announcing any further big projects in the near future, or do we usually see big announcements beyond the expo?
thanks
mike
Soarin' Over the World was announced at the very end of the Parks presentation on Saturday. Russell is correct: we are all suffering from news fatigue at the end there, and the Soarin' news didn't get as much attention as everything else. (I have heard, too, that burying Soarin' was yet another Tom Fitzgerald snub, too, if you're into WDI inter-office politics.)
Given the timeframe of the TSL and SWL projects, I now suspect that the DHS name change will be announced at the 2017 D23 Expo, in advance of the opening of those lands.
I don't really care much for a new DHS name but I just wanted see maybe an announcement on an inside out pavilion at Epcot. Also I was expecting a more gener Pixar land than just toy story land. And the now closed art of animation should be rethemed to Pixar .
They already announced the Art of Animation building was going to be the Star Wars Launch Bay, and will be opened rather quickly, by Disney standards, in 2016. I'm not sure what you "wanted", but I can tell you that what Disney announced at D23 far exceeded even the most optimistic fans' expectations. The announcements didn't include a lot of specific details (they're describing installations that are probably 5+ years from being reality), but the groundwork for DHS's makeover was very robust.
Yeah I think we all believe we got a lot more than expected at D23 this year, you have to keep perspective on everything though. Had Universal not up'd their parks so much in the past decade we may have only gotten Pandora - The World of Avatar and a neutered StarWars land. We can only hope and dream that after these next major expansions at AK and HS Disney will finally get around to doing something at EPCOT other than a layover and a new film for Soarin' Inside Out for Journey into Imagination could be so incredible or they could even fit it into the Wonders of Life Pavilion and focus on brainy stuff vs reproduction etc.
Yeah I think the announcements for DHS are great, though without dates mentioned I'm not so convinced we are going to see anything by 2018 as has been mentioned in other posts. I suspect it will be a loooong drawn out process. I really hoped we would hear more for Epcot
Mr. Wilbanks writes: " Had Universal not up'd their parks so much in the past decade we may have only gotten Pandora - The World of Avatar and a neutered StarWars land."
I Respond: "Yeah ... 'may have.'"
They should rename Hollywood Studios "Hollywood Confusion"!
See what I did there?
No?
Yeah, you're laughing on the inside....
Epcot will benefit mostly from the Frozen Ever After ride that was featured at D23. That you can at least have a chance to finally ride Soarin' is a good development. Although turning Imagination and Energy into worthwhile E-Tickets should be the next development, they should consider expanding at least one World Showcase pavilion into an adjacent plot with a new ride. I'm looking at you France with the Ratatoille ride or the American pavilion with Mystic Manor.
When shall I next visit? I suppose in 2020 or 2021, but maybe I'll do an interim visit in 2017 or 2018.
There seems to be no pressing reason to make a massive commitment to EPCOT. Maybe something at Imagination. The festival based model (flowers, wine and B-minus musical acts) keep 'em coming.
There's no need to announce a name change for DHS until there is a reason to change the name. Assuming Toy Story Land will be ready in 2018, I'm guessing the new name won't be announced until the next D23 and won't go into effect until the new land actually opens. DCA didn't have it's (minor) name change until the Paradise Pier refurbishment was almost complete and construction on the two new areas was underway.
As for Epcot, Disney can only do so much at one time. At the moment, they are focusing on DAK and DHS. I do think that once the DAK project is complete they will start working on improvements for Epcot. While I haven't actually visited the park (or Florida in general...tentatively planned for 2018), it doesn't seem to be in need of as much work as DAK or DHS. I doubt there will be a massive project all at once for Epcot, but I do think we'll see projects one at a time for the next decade and beyond. Frozen is the current project, so after that's done it will be time for the next, and I would expect an announcement on what that will be at D23 2017.
All EPCOT needs to do is start selling liquor. If they can just do that...
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Disney did tweet out a trailer for Soarin' Around the World that would be debuting on both coasts in the near future. I wasn't at D23, so I cannot say whether it was part of the park presentations, but it's very possible that the news was drowned in Star Wars news. Nonetheless, the information was put out by Disney Parks that a new movie is coming and that it would be used on both versions of the ride, which I think personally is pretty silly.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/08/soarin-around-the-world-coming-to-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-resorts/