As the busy summer travel season draws to a close it's time once again to take a look at some of the big projects Disney has in the works for the next five years.
For our summer 2018 update, we take a look at new restaurants coming to Epcot, plus the rapidly progressing Disney Skiliner project!
1. Disney Junior Dance Party
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: Fall 2018
Disney has announced that this fall a new show called Disney Junior Dance Party! will be coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios. This character-based show will feature plenty of familiar faces from popular TV shows like "Mickey and the Roadster Racers," "Doc McStuffins," "The Lion Guard" and the newest hit series "Vampirina." This new show is being billed as a musically infused, interactive concert, hosted by new characters Finn Fiesta and Deejay, who involve guests in all the fun.
Unfortunately, this means that Disney Junior - Live on Stage! will be coming to an end after over 17 years of performances at this park. This puppet-based show will have its final performance on September 1, 2018, and this new show is expected to debut a few weeks later after a short venue refurbishment.
2. Untitled Cirque du Soleil show based on Disney movies
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: Late 2018/Early 2019 (Rumored)
Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba at Disney Springs closed forever at the end of 2017, but just before it did, Disney confirmed that a new Cirque du Soleil production was being developed for this theater. But this time, this all-new show will have a uniquely Disney flair, and be unlike anything else either Disney or Cirque du Soleil have produced in the past.
According to a press release from Disney, this new show will be based around some of Disney's most iconic films “draw [ing] its inspiration from Disney's heritage of animation,” and will “celebrate Disney’s legacy of storytelling in Cirque du Soleil’s signature way, with a tribute to the one-of a kind craftsmanship that makes Disney so extraordinary.”
Image: Cirque du Soleil
Though no specifics have been made available, we’d imagine this new show will feature plenty of high flying stunts, incredible costumes, and of course some classic Disney songs recalling Disney's most famous animated hits, all while keeping with Cirque du Soleil's iconic and irreverent style. No opening date has been announced but it seems plausible that this new show either around the holiday season (about a year after the closing of La Nouba) or sometime in the beginning of the new year.
3. Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy
Image: Disney
Status: Confirmed
Opening in: Early 2019
A new show based on the world of Cars called Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy has been confirmed to be coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios early next year. Though specifics about the nature of this upcoming show have not been immediately made available, according to Imagineer Kathy Mangum, this new entertainment offering will be "a show unlike anything we've got anywhere else," and will feature well-known characters from the Cars films.
In addition to Lightning McQueen the show will also feature Cruz Ramirez and Mater, and will immerse guests in the world of Cars, bringing them face to face with racing legend Lightning McQueen who will be on hand to demonstrate racing techniques on a new simulator and share some of his biggest career highlights with guests during the show.
When it opens in 2019, this show will be performed daily in the Sunset Showcase facility. You can learn more about this new, upcoming attraction here.
