This year Disney’s ultimate fan event, D23 Expo, returned to Anaheim, California! This convention is where the company’s biggest fans get the inside scoop on what’s to come in the near future. At the last expo in 2019, we learned about the major changes coming to EPCOT, the Galactic Starcruiser, and more. Today we’re sharing all of the updates that Disney shared for Walt Disney World in 2023 and beyond!

Happily Ever After
The people have spoken, and Disney listened. Happily Ever After will be returning after the World’s Most Magical Celebration comes to an end in 2023. As Disney Enchantment comes to an end, Happily Ever After will light up Magic Kingdom’s night sky once again. Although this nighttime spectacular will be getting a bit of an update, we can expect the same popular anthem that made us fall in love with the fireworks show in the first place. 2023 will be 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, so we couldn’t think of a better anthem to kick off such a major milestone for the company!

TRON Lightcycle / Run
Tomorrowland will be home to an exciting new coaster experience soon, and at D23 Expo we finally got an idea of when! According to Disney, TRON Lightcycle / Run arrives in the Magic Kingdom in Spring 2023. For the first time ever, Walt Disney World guests will have the opportunity to enter the grid, racing through eight Energy Gates aboard a speeding lightcycle. This new coaster will be located between the Tomorrowland Speedway and Space Mountain. We hope to have a definite opening date as Spring 2023 grows closer, so stay tuned!

 

 

Haunted Mansion
We got word that a happy haunt from the West Coast will be materializing at Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion sometime next year. While guests can enjoy this classic Disney attraction on both coasts, it’s known that Disneyland and Magic Kingdom have slightly different ride experiences. Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is known for the Hatbox Ghost and now Magic Kingdom guests can visit him in Liberty Square, too! Haunted Mansion opened with the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971, so seeing a piece of Disneyland make its way to Orlando is sure to have those 999 happy haunts excited!

Walt the Dreamer
At D23 Expo 2022, guests were able to see EPCOT’s new Walt Disney statue “Walt the Dreamer” in person. This new addition will be found at Dreamer’s Point in the World Celebration neighborhood at EPCOT. World Celebration will also be home to Communicore Hall and Communicore Plaza, the new home for festivals at EPCOT. Over in EPCOT we can expect the completion of the World Celebration neighborhood in late 2023. In case you missed it, this multi-year transformation of EPCOT began in 2019. Over the past few months we’ve started to see the opening of many of these changes, so seeing World Celebration open to guests will be a satisfying milestone for this park.

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
Moana fans, get excited! Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is set to open in late 2023. This new exploration trail will be located in the World Nature neighborhood of EPCOT. D23 Expo 2022 teased a scale model of Te Fiti that will be a part of the future attraction. While she stands about 4 feet tall as a scale model, the true Te Fiti feature will stand 15-16 feet tall, containing over 180 feet of vines, and comprising 3,200 pieces of scene foliage. Guests will learn the story of water on our planet while interacting with water throughout the attraction.

Figment Meet & Greet
Just in time for EPCOT’s 40th anniversary, we’ve learned that a Figment meet and greet will be returning to Walt Disney World resort. This lively purple dragon still stands as the mascot of EPCOT four decades later. Guests who are fans of him will soon have the opportunity to meet him when visiting EPCOT. We don’t have an opening date yet, but you can expect to find him at the Imagination Pavilion in World Celebration by the end of 2023!

It’s always fun learning what new and exciting offerings are headed to the Most Magical Place on Earth at the biannual D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. With so many openings in the year 2023, we’re in for a great big beautiful tomorrow at Walt Disney World Resort!