I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a Disney adult.
I grew up going to the theme parks twice a year with my parents. My dad is a huge Disney collector, and I grew up knowing many of the legendary animation artists before they passed away. Obviously, a lot of it is a nostalgia grab, which I guess is a crime to some people who have no heart.
But I love the escapism of the Disney parks. And I can understand that if you didn’t experience this stuff as a kid, maybe it’s harder to connect with it as an adult.
For me? It’s practically a necessity for my functionality. LOL. It’s my mental health.
So excuse me while I get excited about everything Disney unveiled last night at D23 in Anaheim.
The focus was largely on the theme parks, and while Disney didn’t unload a ridiculous number of announcements, the few they made were pretty hefty.
One of the biggest surprises was a tease involving EPCOT’s Journey Into Imagination, which Disney basically ripped the heart and soul out of when the original attraction disappeared. Dreamfinder is finally coming back, reuniting with Figment for what Disney is calling a new journey into imagination.
What exactly does that mean? They didn’t really say.
It could mean a substantial reimagining of the attraction, or something considerably smaller involving Dreamfinder elsewhere in the pavilion. The messaging was frustratingly vague, so I guess we chill and wait.
But the really big announcement, especially for horror fans, was Villains Land.
Disney first announced plans for the villains-themed Magic Kingdom expansion back in 2024, but now we finally know what the hell is actually going inside it.
And it sounds awesome.
The land has its own mythology involving a Wishing Well corrupted by an evil wish, unleashing dark magic that spreads across the surrounding forest and attracts Disney’s villains.
Disney revealed two major attractions, including a Maleficent roller coaster that will race around her enormous castle and eventually bring riders face-to-face with the sorceress herself. Disney also teased new technology being developed specifically for the attraction.
The other is a dark ride built around the Magic Mirror from Snow White. Guests will descend underground beneath the Evil Queen’s palace before entering the Mirror Realm, where they’ll encounter villains from throughout Disney history.
Disney says Villains Land will be massive, comparable in scale to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
And yeah, Universal beat them to the punch with Dark Universe, which is already leaning hard into horror and the adult audience. But Disney finally seems to understand that the people who grew up with these parks are still here, and we want new shit to get excited about too.
Glenn Close even showed up dressed as Cruella de Vil, which immediately made me wonder whether Disney is cooking up something involving her down the road. Nothing was announced, to be clear, but give me some insane Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride meets Test Track attraction with Cruella trying to run me off the road and take my money.
For horror fans who also love Disney, though, Villains Land is the big one.
A poisoned Wishing Well. Maleficent’s castle. An underground Magic Mirror ride. Disney villains everywhere.
Disney is finally letting the Magic Kingdom get a little scary.
About time.
Categorized:News