Villains, cruises, and virtual gaming worlds—oh, my!

Who knew people loved villains so much?

Details were scant, but the Villains attraction is expected to open (date uncertain) beyond the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with shopping, dining, and two major attractions. The crowd reaction perhaps shows how wide-ranging Disney fan passions have become. An artist’s rendering showed a somewhat forbidding-looking place, and a teaser about “poor, unfortunate souls” and “poison apples” (so we know that Ursula and the Wicked Witch will likely make appearances).

D’Amaro also unveiled a slate of upgrades to existing parks over the next 10 years, even announcing four new cruise ships will join Disney Cruise Lines, for a total fleet of 13. All these investments—some $60 billion worth—are not just “blue-sky” projections, D’Amaro promised: “This is all happening. We’re actually doing this; dirt is moving.”

Some other highlights:

• Disneyland in Anaheim will expand its land by 50%, investing $1.6 billion, not only on the future Villains Land, but a new attraction based on Avatar: The Way of Water, with renderings hinting at an otherworldly terrain where guests will encounter native marine creatures on a boat ride.

• At Disney California Adventure, Avengers Campus will double in size, adding Avengers Infinity Defense, with two new attractions offering “a multi-world adventure experience” that includes visits to Asgard, the Kingdom of Wakanda and an NYC encounter with King Thanos. As a kicker, a photo of Disney CEO Bob Iger and Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. strapped into an Avengers flight simulator drew hoots of approval, as it was announced Downey would “return” to play his billionaire inventor character (at least for the Stark Flight Lab ride).

• The first Coco-inspired ride also opens at Disney California Adventure, taking cues from Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean for the new attraction.

• And—finally—an animatronic attraction built around the park creator himself called “Walt Disney—A Magical Life” is set to open next year at Main Street USA Opera House.

• Down in Florida, a new Cars attraction will replace Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland, offering a “thrilling rally race through the mountains” (it’s a gas; we experienced it in Disney California Adventure), plus a second family ride for smaller fans.

• Billy Crystal came out to announce a new Monsters, Inc.-themed attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Florida, which he promised would be “not at all scary,” but will boast Disney’s first “suspended” roller coaster. That’s set for 2025.

Also at Disney World, DinoLand USA will be replaced with an 11-acre Encanto-themed attraction called Tropical Americas, with a “magical casita,” a new carousel and an Indiana Jones-themed ride that will explore a Mayan temple.

• Opening at Disneyland Paris, a new Lion King-themed attraction is coming, with characters, dining, shopping, and a water ride inspired by the movie.
• New Spider-Man attractions are heading to Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.

With COVID-19 behind us, Disney Cruise Line announced an expansion of its lucrative fleet—it had already added four ships to its existing five, but announced four more at D23, bringing its fleet to 13.

The following day, we heard from the heads of Disney Experiences, including D’Amaro, promising big upgrades in Disney’s “interactive” experiences. International Parks president Jill Estorino noted that Disney understands how important “generational visitations” are. “We have people coming as children, coming back as young adults, proposing marriage in front of the Magic Castle. We see people who came as a child now bringing their own children—so the legacy continues.”

Since parks now extend to Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Japan, the key is “being authentic to the unique guest and consumer that we have in these regions across the world.”

For example, Zootopia was the most successful animated release in China; so when Disney opened Zootopia Land in Shanghai last December, “We added a layer of unique cultural cues that are only Chinese or Shanghainese. When a guest comes to see Zootopia, they feel like it was built just for them.”

Bruce Vaughn, CCO of Walt Disney Imagineering—which designs all of the interactive attractions in Disney parks—noted that when they first opened Disneyland Paris, “We never even thought about serving wine. And the Parisians expected it!” It’s those little cultural differences, as Vincent said in Pulp Fiction, that matter.

Part of the “multigenerational” appeal is also understanding what adults want. (Hint: They want to act like kids, but with adult privileges.) As Thomas Mazloum, president of New Experiences Portfolio and Disney Signature Experiences, noted: “On the Disney Treasure cruise ship, we have our very first Haunted Mansion lounge. The guests have wanted this in the parks for years, saying, ‘Can I go to a lounge and actually have a drink and enjoy myself in the theme of the Haunted Mansion?’ and we’re delivering it for the very first time in the world on one of our ships.”

Cruise ships have opened up a whole new world of expansion, says Mazloum: “We introduced well over 40 percent of our guests to the concept of cruising for the first time—only because we happen to be in the space, and we offer these incredible experiences.”

Next, in 2025, Disney will be cruising out of Singapore.

“This is the Disney brand at sea,” Mazloum says. “Each ship is based on a character, each one has a distinct personality.”

Another way Disney is enhancing guest experience is through gaming. D’Amaro announced a huge collaboration with Epic Games, allowing fans to plug into virtual environments, employ character “skins,” and even curate their own park spaces—all from home. New virtual environments from Fortnite featuring Disney Villains, The Incredibles, The Mandalorian and Doctor Doom from Marvel were livestreamed the previous night to 1.3 million viewers. Says Games and Digital Experiences EVP Sean Shoptaw, “Watching content on Disney+, you’ll now be able to go play that experience and go immerse yourselves in these worlds… in a way that really is going to be unique to this company.”