Aside from completing renovations at Epcot, Disney World has no major attractions set to open. The company has said it plans to invest $17 billion in its Florida theme parks over the next 10 years, but it has not shared many details about where that money might get spent.
Aside from Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro talking in very broad terms at the recent D23 Expo about adding new attractions to increase capacity at Disney World. In those remarks, he blue-skyed some ideas and hinted at major things to come, but in the months since, nothing has been announced and no new construction appears imminent.
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Some of that may be due to Walt Disney's (DIS) -) ongoing battles with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. That political war, which will take months to play out in court, has led to the company threatening to pull some of that investment.
Disney has added a number of major rides relatively recently, including "Tron Lightcycle/Run" at Magic Kingdom and "Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind" at Epcot, but it has nothing big on tap to counter the 2025 opening of Universal's third Florida theme park, Epic Universe.
And, while Disney has mostly been quiet, Comcast's (CMCSA) -) Florida theme parks have continued steadily adding rides with "Villain-Con Minion Blast" opening in August. That, along with a new gift shop and restaurant, joins the existing "Despicable Me Minion Mayhem" ride to form a new land at Universal Studios Florida.
Now, even with Epic Universe on the way, it appears the company has not stopped adding new lands to its existing parks. The theme park giant has also shared -- albeit without a lot of details -- that it's adding a land based on its DreamWorks animated properties in 2024.
Image source: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty
DreamWorks takes over Universal's KidZone
When Universal closed its KidZone land in January, construction walls went up immediately. It was clear the company was going to put something in the area, but it had not shared its plans.
Now, the theme park giant has shared that the space will be used for a reimagined series of rides based on popular DreamWorks Animation characters.
"As guests step into this new land, their imaginations will run wild as they take in the vibrant colors, sights and sounds that surround them. They will share special moments with their favorite characters like Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse and explore themed, interactive play spaces and attractions that bring popular franchises like Shrek, Trolls, and Kung Fu Panda to life in the most imaginatively fun ways,” the company shared.
This marks a major return to Universal Studios Orlando for Shrek as the popular ogre's "Shrek: 4-D" ride was closed to make way for the new Minion-based attractions.
The press release did not share any details as to how each character will appear, but Theme Park Tourist appears to have some it figured out.
"Rumors have hinted that the former Fivel's Playland area is currently being transformed into Shrek's Swamp," the website shared.
In addition, concept art for the new area does appear to show a Trolls-themed family roller coaster on the site of the former coast themed to Woody Woodpecker.
"In addition to the playground and roller coaster attractions, there will be a character meet and greet areas in this land where guests can meet a rotating cast of familiar faces from DreamWorks films as well as new characters from upcoming movies, similar to the former Dreamworks Destination attraction," the website reported.
DreamWorks's "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise is expected to be part of Epic Universe and was not named in this press release.
