20. Permanent Festival Center
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Downsized/cancelled
A permanent Festival center was in the planning phases for Epcot, and was intended to host live events while providing a stunning elevated view of the entire park with a beautiful three-level structure featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level. However, Theme Park Insider reports that this project has been put on the back burner or potentially cancelled outright, and Disney has confirmed that it will be taking a "different approach" to this project than what was originally announced. We're not quite sure yet what that means, but hopefully we'll have some more information soon. In the meantime, images of the original concept have been removed from a poster series on ShopDisney, and Disney is now referring to a future "Festival area" leading many to believe this project has indeed been cancelled.
21. UK pavilion redesign/Mary Poppins attraction
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: TBD
Status: Downsized/cancelled
Disney announced last year that the UK pavilion in the World Showcase would be getting a Mary Poppins facelift in the near future that would see the fictional neighborhood of Cherry Tree Lane added to the pavilion and a new attraction inspired by Mary Poppins added behind the facade. However, Disney has confirmed that the project is being "reevaluated" and has been removed from The Epcot Experience.
22. Play Pavilion
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Delayed/Cancelled
Much like the permanent Festival Center and Mary Poppins attraction, EPCOT's new "Play" pavilion has been in the works for some time, but with construction not actually started, and with a heavy emphasis on interactive components and character interactions, this is likely another project that Disney will be reassessing over the coming months.
Recently, the Play Pavilion was omitted from the most recent EPCOT transformation project press release, which included other major like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. And while this isn't an official cancellation, it definitely isn't a good sign either.
As of right now this is still included as part of the Epcot Experience presentation, but that could change in the near future, so stay tuned for updates on this particular Disney project.
23. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
Park: Disneyland
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Opening 2023
Though guests at Disney's Hollywood Studios have been enjoying Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway since March, it looks like the efforts to bring this attraction to Disneyland park in California hit a major snag when work ground to a halt back in April. However, it looks like as of September 2020, work has picked back up, with the attraction finally going vertical, as you can see in the image above. As expected, the attraction will miss its 2022 original opening target, but Disney has confirmed that they are making this project a priority and are anticipating a 2023 debut for the west coast version of this attraction and are prioritizing this project at Disney California Adventure.
24. Super Nintendo World
Park: Universal Studios Hollywood
Original Opening Date: Unknown
Status: Under construction
Though Universal Studios Hollywood is currently closed due to local regulations in California, it looks like Super Nintendo World construction has finally kicked off at Universal Studios Hollywood, as first-look images of the Nintendo-themed expansion have surfaced on Twitter.
Like its counterpart in Japan, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood will feature rides based on Yoshi’s Adventure and Mario Kart, plus interactive elements, shops and a restaurant. No release date information has been released yet, but with this project finally ramping up on the West Coast, hopefully we'll learn more soon!
25. Universal's Epic Universe (The whole park)
Park: Universal's Epic Universe
Original Opening Date: 2023
Status: Delayed indefinitely/cancelled
Comcast executives confirmed last month that due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all construction on Universal's Epic Universe has been paused, and the target opening date has been moved. The new Universal Orlando Resort expansion was originally set to open in 2023, and while Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did not say specifically how much delaying construction would impact the project’s overall timeline during the phone call, Orange County mayor Jerry Demings said in a separate meeting that he had spoken to Universal officials and was told that the project has been delayed by a year, making a 2024 theme park opening the new target.
And while 2024 sounds pretty far away now, there's no telling how things may develop in the future, so that is likely a "best case scenario" target for the resort, as it is possible that the project could be delayed indefinitely or cancelled. During a recent earnings call, a Comcast executive confirmed that this project was still on hold, and Universal would have updates about its future at another time.
However during a recent interview, Senior VP and Chief Creative Officer at Universal Creative, Thierry Coup, has said that Universal parks are "not done” adding to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Of course, no specifics were given, but we cant help think about the rumored Fantastic Beasts addition that may be a part of this park, which has not been cancelled, but is still technically on hold.
In addition, Universal Orlando Resort has recently confirmed that Super Nintendo World is coming to Florida, which also seems to indicate that development on this project (presumably for Universal's Epic Universe) is continuing.
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