What WASN’T Announced at the D23 Expo This Year?
This past weekend saw the 2023 D23 Expo, a fantastic, fan event that gave us so many exciting updates, announcements, previews, and more!
On Sunday, chairperson Josh D’Amaro lead the panel on Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products.
It’s an event that parks fans from around the globe eagerly anticipate at every expo, excited to hear what’s next for the ever-evolving parks.
D23 EXPO 2022 – The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by VISA – brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event, which takes place September 9, 10, and 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, series, games, theme parks, collectibles, and celebrities. (The Walt Disney Company)
Josh D’Amaro (Chairman; Disney Parks, Experiences and Products)
As expected, so many amazing things were announced at this panel, from potential new lands at the Magic Kingdom, to new experiences for the 100th anniversary, and more.
You can read a recap here, if you missed any of the news.
Screenshot from D23 Livestream
But, there was also a lot of things that weren’t announced at the panel, including some items that fans were sure we’d finally hear announced.
To keep you up to speed, I’ve put together a list of some of the most significant things we didn’t hear mentioned at the panel, and what this could potentially mean for each item…
An Opening Date for TRON Lightcycle / Run
This was possibly the biggest non-announcement of the expo, as most of us were certain a date was set to be revealed. The construction site in the Magic Kingdom is looking fantastic, the nearby merchandise store has closed in readiness, and testing of the ride has been well underway for weeks.
At the expo, Josh D’Amaro showed a short clip of him enjoying his first ride on the highly-anticipated coaster, and all of us watching along held our breath, with diaries at the ready, expecting him to share that opening date. Sadly, it didn’t happen.
Image Credit: D23
But, we were given the season of Spring 2023, which is a good start.
Plus, later that day, a webpage for the attraction debuted on the Walt Disney World website, so we’re definitely moving in the right direction towards an opening soon, even if we don’t quite know when!
A Date for the Return of Fantasmic
Okay, this one is also a biggie. The Fantasmic show at Walt Disney World has not yet reopened since the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all the fan’s pleading, petitions, and attempts at persuading.
And then, just two weeks ago, Disney Parks posted the cutest video on their socials, answering the call and letting us know that rehearsals had resumed for the show to come back.
Credit: Disney
I know all of us can’t wait to see Fantasmic back at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and we were hoping we’d hear of a date for our diaries at the expo.
Unfortunately, that particular nighttime show was not at all mentioned. Back to eagerly watching the Disney Parks socials then, I suppose!
Quite a Few Dates, Actually
TRON and Fantasmic aside, there are actually quite a few ongoing projects we are still waiting on final dates for, many of which we hoped (and, if we’re honest, assumed) would be stated at the expo. These include:
- The return of the Walt Disney World Railroad in the Magic Kingdom. We know progress is “chugging along” nicely, but when can we ride that train again? This classic attraction has been closed since 2018, and ties-in with the development of TRON, since the tracks pass by that construction site.
- The opening of the Moana: Journey of Water. This Epcot attraction has been brewing for some time, originally announced at the last D23, with the COVID-19 pandemic putting a dam in the progress for some time. However, we know from Disney’s social media that the project is well in the works, and the view over the construction site is also adding to the excitement! However, like with TRON, only an opening season for this attraction was announced: late 2023.
Photo: Disney
- The debut of MagicBand+ at the Disneyland Resort. We have been told 2022, but still no date, while the techy new bands actually debuted at Walt Disney World earlier this summer.
- The return of Happily Ever After. The expo opened with the announcement that the fan-favorite firework spectacular would be returning to the Magic Kingdom in 2023. I cried, did you? A set date wasn’t announced, but we are left speculating whether it’ll be in April, following the end of the 50th anniversary celebrations at Walt Disney World.
- Similarly, the return of the Magic Happens Parade. This was confirmed to be returning to the Disneyland Park, finally after the pandemic closures. We aren’t sure when, but we can’t wait!
Anything to do with Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
The resorts at Walt Disney World were something else we assumed would be mentioned at the panel, but weren’t.
We discussed quite a few theories before the event in this article here, but none of them came to fruition. Even the recent opening of the show-stopping Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser wasn’t discussed.
Image: Disney
But, we were told that the Paradise Pier Hotel over at Disneyland was receiving a Pixar-shaped retheme, and you can read more on that here.
A Fifth Park at Walt Disney World
Yeah, we might be waiting a long time for this one.
No, a fifth park has never been announced, or even teased, yet we cross our fingers every time a D23 expo comes around. We can still hope though!
Why is Blizzard Beach Still Closed?
The water park closed at the start of the year for maintenance, but hasn’t reopened since. Not even for the busy summer season, when all we want is a drop down Summit Plummet!
It might just be me who’s scratching my head as to why, but I sure hope the Ice Gator and the rest of the park is ok.
New Pavilions at Epcot’s World Showcase
Something fans have been waiting patiently for for a while now is the arrival of new country pavilions in the World Showcase at Epcot. There is space, after all, and plans have been circulating about a supposed Brazil pavilion for a few years.
Nothing has ever been officially announced, but we’ve been looking for signs of expansion for a while, and will hold our breath for the future.
Where is the Main Street Electrical Parade Headed Next?
This is another interesting topic we hoped to hear about at the expo. Last month, it was announced that the iconic Main Street Electrical Parade would bid farewell to the Disneyland Park, with its sparkling lights shutting off a few weeks ago.
It was sad news for our West Coast park-goers, especially since the parade celebrated its huge 50th anniversary only in June!
Throughout its years, the parade has appeared in both US parks, with many East Coast-ers hoping that the Magic Kingdom would once again see the parade now it has left Disneyland.
Unfortunately, nothing was announced as to the future of the parade, in either of these parks, nor was its 50th anniversary addressed, either.
Updates On the Announcements From the Last D23 Expo
Last of all, it would be amiss not to mention the number of projects for the parks which were announced at the last D23 Expo, back in 2019.
That convention saw a huge weekend of news for the parks, but we were left scratching our heads after many of the announced attractions never came to fruition, and weren’t mentioned at all in the 2022 expo. Does this mean they are still set to happen, or are we to assume the projects have been shelved?
There’s lots to unpack in that area, so I’ll be attacking that in another article. Stay tuned to MickeyBlog for more!
Photo Credit: D23
So, those are the big things that we feel like we missed from the D23 Expo this past weekend. That being said, we’re so grateful and excited for all the announcements that were made, and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the Disney Parks and beyond!
Have I missed anything from the list? Sound off in the comments below!
