Disney’s Year-By-Year Approach to Expansion
“Why isn’t Disney doing anything this year?”
Fans perform this lamentation relentlessly no matter what Disney has planned for the year.
Photo:visitorlando.com
Today, I’ll prove how ridiculous this assertion is by providing a timeline that shows how Disney takes a year-by-year approach to theme park expansion.
Why Are We Doing This?
Image: The Healthy Mouse
In 2025, Universal Epic Universe earned countless headlines and seemingly put pressure on Disney.
With Universal Orlando Resort opening a new theme park, fans and critics alike wondered why Walt Disney World wasn’t adding a fifth gate anytime soon.
xfinity
I’d argue that Epic’s post-opening struggles prove that the grass isn’t always greener on this subject.
Universal officials are struggling to keep many of their attractions operational in a timely manner.
xfinity
That’s not even including the Stardust Racers tragedy. Adding a new theme park is HARD.
Bob Iger prefers a more platformed approach.
Rather than adding a dozen rides at once, Disney creates several new attractions and experiences each year.
I’m about to lay out the timeline that shows how effective a measured approach can be when executed by a team as skilled as Walt Disney Imagineering.
Disney from 2016 – 2019
Photo: Disney
During some years, Disney obviously accomplishes less than others.
Also, some of its achievements are subtle, bordering on imperceptible.
Frozen Ever After
That statement applies to 2016, when Disney really only needed to add one new attraction.
Disney re-themed the former Maelstrom into Frozen Ever After, which is legitimately one of the company’s best decisions ever.
Photo: Disney
The formerly empty Norway pavilion partially transformed into an Arendelle experience, with fans lining up for hours.
While that may be what you remember from 2016, it wasn’t Disney’s biggest accomplishment.
Photo: Disney
During that same year, Imagineers re-themed the former Downtown Disney entertainment district into Disney Springs.
From a financial perspective, that’s one of the best things Disney has ever done, completely revitalizing the entire area.
Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom
In 2017, Disney added a new fireworks presentation, Happily Ever After, along with a water park ride.
Misadventure Falls features one of Disney’s most impressive audio-animatronics, but you probably haven’t heard that much about it.
I say this because Pandora – The World of Avatar sucked up all the oxygen in the room.
This expansion breathed new life into Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Photo: Disney
I don’t need to sell you on the greatness of this place, as it remains the park’s most popular destination after almost a decade.
In 2018, Disney added another themed land called Toy Story Land.
Photo: TheCoasterKings.com
Disney’s Hollywood Studios had been on death watch before its grand opening, but Slinky Dog Dash triggered a surge in park attendance.
Then, in 2019, Imagineers got to the fireworks factory by opening Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
To this moment, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance remains THE most popular attraction at Walt Disney World.
Imagineers somehow found time to open Disney’s Riviera Resort and the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Oh, and Disney World opened the Disney Skyliner, too.
The Pandemic Years
Photo: orlandoattractions.com
I could argue that Disney opened as many theme park experiences in 2019 as Universal did last year.
Alas, Disney’s 2019 came to a screeching halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Disneyplanning.com
Suddenly, many of Disney’s big plans fell apart due to an unexpected budget shortfall.
That’s what happens to Disney when every theme park and movie theater in the world closes. Despite this fact, Disney persevered in impressive fashion.
Disney still somehow managed to open five new attractions and experiences in the 2020 calendar year.
That’s like playing a video game on nightmare difficulty.
Here’s a list of what debuted in 2020:
- Awesome Planet
- Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
- Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Disney
In case you didn’t know, Runaway Railway opened mere days before the world shut down, which explains why it has remained a bit beneath the radar after five years.
Once the parks reopened, Disney spent 2021 protecting the health and well-being of tourists.
Remarkably, health officials never tracked a single pandemic outbreak at Walt Disney World.
Disney
Disney did open two new experiences in 2021.
Technically, one of them was a third-party offering involving Disney characters.
Photo: Disney
Drawn to Life Presented by Cirque du Soleil has delighted guests for nearly five years now.
Meanwhile, EPCOT’s France pavilion suddenly found itself a hot spot due to the arrival of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Photo: Disney
Undeterred by several unexpected COVID-related closures, Disney was still able to open Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in 2022.
That’s the only year since 2016 that Disney opened only one new experience.
Cosmic Rewind
During the pandemic era, Disney averaged nearly three new experiences per year, an incredible feat.
The Recent Now
Photo: Disney
In 2023, rejuvenated Imagineers finally completed several pandemic-delayed projects.
The most significant one is TRON Lightcycle / Run, which has redefined Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom.
Disney also unveiled the stunning Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.
The third offering, Luminous The Symphony of Us, replaced another I hadn’t mentioned yet, the failed HarmonioUS, an EPCOT World Showcase nightly presentation that distracted guests from the beauty of its lagoon.
Disney
In 2024, Disney rebooted two longstanding attractions into more modern variants.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree has ditched the obscure and oftentimes bawdy Western songs from the 1950s and 1960s in favor of countrified versions of popular Disney tunes.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
Speaking of reboots, Imagineers razed the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and rebuilt them to be bigger, better, and more efficient.
Finally, The Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort debuted and instantly became the hottest place to stay on the hotel campus.
Disney spent last year rebooting two attractions, introducing a new one, and delivering the first original Magic Kingdom nighttime parade in decades.
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away has dazzled guests with its breathtaking illuminated floats and digital displays.
Somehow, one of the train engines even features a moving face.
I mention this because Imagineers didn’t just sit on their hands during the pandemic.
They used a rare respite from building to dream up new experiences for guests.
Some of those visual improvements spilled over to Test Track 3.0, a ride that is somehow both retro and futuristic.
Photo: Disney
Last year, Disney also introduced two new shows, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After.
In total, Disney has somehow averaged the opening of three and a half new attractions and experiences each year, which is about one every three months.
Imagineers accomplished this despite a global pandemic!
Now that the world is no longer on fire, Imagineers are dreaming even bigger with the coming expansion projects.
Photo: Disney
In the companion article, we’ll examine everything Disney has in store for the next decade.
Photo: MickeyBlog
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, an EarMarked By Disney – Authorized Travel Agency – Diamond Level, will be in touch soon!
Feature Photo: Disney
