This year at D23, one of the most surprising announcements came right at the end of the nearly four hour show that revealed a slew of new information about the upcoming attractions, lands, and offerings at the Walt Disney family of parks across the world. With new projects going on globally to bring the most exciting Disney storytelling and technology to guests and fans, one of the most exciting additions is slated for The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Announced just before the closing ceremonies at D23 this year, Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Entertainment, and Products, took the stage one last time just before the announcement that a new land would be introduced to the Magic Kingdom. Heralded by pyrotechnics and an ominous orchestral, D’Amaro’s closing remarks were interrupted by the Magic Mirror, who relayed a dangerous message. To D’Amaro’s displeasure, the Magic Mirror announced “a land twisted and broken.”
Ominous and dark, guests were treated to a hypnotic lights show and a rendition of Trust in Me from The Jungle Book as the forces of evil that descended upon the expo tried to overpower D’Amaro and force the Walt Disney Company into announcing the devious new land that will be joining the Magic Kingdom.
“This land will be home to the villains that you know and loathe,” and will feature two new attractions as well as dining and shopping. While in-depth details were not given about this land during the closing of the four-hour show, D’Amaro goes on to claim that this is a “fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.”
This new land is part of the biggest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom, marking a bright (or dark) new feature for Walt Disney World.
“I have had a chance to be a cast member for twenty six years, and I’m more excited about what’s on our horizon than I ever have been before,” D’Amaro said to a crowd of thousands, and the announcements that have come out of D23 this year prove that this is a new era of the Disney parks worldwide.
As D’Amaro mentioned in the beginning of this expo, everything that was announced tonight is already underway, in active development. Ground is being broken, attractions are being developed, and the villains land will open at the Magic Kingdom in the not-so-distant future. While there is not currently an opening date for this terrible new experience, fans of heroes and villains alike are looking forward to more information as Disney unveils the dark and dismal details of the villains land that looms like a dark cloud on the horizon in the best way possible.
