D23 Announcements for Walt Disney World and EPCOT

Sharing the magic!

The D23 Expo 2019 has come and gone, check out the details on these Announcements for Walt Disney World and EPCOT at the D23 fan event.

This post may contain affiliate links.

D23, the Disney fan convention just finished in the Anaheim Convention Center. What they revealed were big plans for the parks worldwide, especially at Walt Disney World. Among the significant reports were a slew of updates about Project Gamma, which ultimately amounts to a reboot of Epcot. New Disney Springs entertainment and a brand new app got D23 announcements as well. For the best Walt Disney World news from D23, read on.

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

The Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Announcement came at D23 in 2017, and the company has been tight-lipped about it, except to say how original and how amazing it will be. The opening date has been pushed back a lot. The new grand opening comes in Spring 2020. We have learned that the ride will open in Disneyland at some point as well and that the Disneyland version will take place inside the El Capitoon. The El Capitan in Hollywood is a famous theater owned by Disney.

As with many of their premiers, the screening of Mickey‘s Perfect Picnic will feature exhibits for guests as they enter the attraction. Once inside, they board a train conducted by Goofy and hilarity ensues. The train ride will feature autonomous vehicles and a trackless system among other design elements that will bring Mickey’s cartoon world to life like never before. At Walt Disney World, the new Hollywood Studios attraction will take place inside the Chinese theater.

EPCOT

Epcot is getting a rebrand as part of Project Gamma. The park will be reverting to its original name and retro-style font and icons. Despite this, the new park design is entirely forward-thinking. The new theme of a unified world shows up in the parks four neighborhoods, World Nature, World Discovery, World Celebration, and World Showcase. There will be plenty of green space added to the park as well as new attractions and a much more prominent, permanent structure for the festival center. Among the new changes will be Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, an innovative and record-setting roller coaster.

The UK pavilion is also getting a Mary Poppins expansion along with a ride. This news and the announcement of a Moana “Journey of Water” walkthrough comes on top of other attractions we have known about since 2017. Another recently confirmed expansion is the inclusion of a new Brazil pavilion between Germany and Italy.

New Cirque Du Soleil

In other Walt Disney World news, Disney Springs is finally getting a new Cirque Du Soleil show on the Westside. The show will celebrate Disney animation and feature music from Walt Disney Animation classics. The collaboration between Cirque Du Soleil and Disney to create the upcoming show is very close. The Cirque team has pulled inspiration from Disney parks, to the Walt Disney Family Museum, Walt Disney Archives, and the Walt Disney Animation Studio for the show’s creation. The result is going to be an incredible interpretation of what makes Disney Disney.

Disney Genie

If you didn’t think it could get any easier than using My Disney Experience, get ready for a shock. If you haven’t used My Disney Experience, it’s an essential tool for doing almost anything at Walt Disney World. The app manages your itinerary, reservations, Fastpasses, and even lets you check in to your hotel remotely and get into your room using your device. For all of the remarkable things My Disney Experience can do for you, you still have to plan your vacation. Disney Genie is the latest app to solve that problem.

Because there is so much to do at Walt Disney World and so many different ways to experience it, planning the ideal Disney vacation is a challenge. Especially if you have never been there before. With Disney Genie, you will get recommendations based on your preferences to help you find more of the things you want. Disney Genie will also take all of your plans and cross-reference them over millions of possible outcomes to deliver an optimal schedule. The Disney Genie app will debut sometime during 2020, just in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.