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207. Five Takeaways from Disney’s Destination D23 Announcements

09.11.2023 by Dan Heaton // Leave a Comment

Disney announced a different approach to the Animal Kingdom at the Destination D23 event.


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After so much speculation, Disney has finally released their vision for the future at the Destination D23 event. A lot of the news was expected, but there were still a few big surprises after Josh D’Amaro took the stage. On this episode of the Tomorrow Society Podcast, I sum up my five takeaways from Disney’s announcements this past weekend at Destination D23. Here’s a quick overview of my five main points from this episode.

1. Disney learned from the feedback to last year’s D23 Expo and delivered a smoother presentation.

I didn’t expect much from this presentation, but it felt a lot zippier at Destination D23. D’Amaro and the other speakers didn’t get distracted and stayed on task for more than an hour. The house band appeared a few too many times, and the Muppets were everywhere, but that wasn’t really a bad thing.

2. Disney made a smart decision to change their expansion plans for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

I did not expect Disney to mention last year’s “thought experiment” with Chris Beatty and Jennifer Lee. Surprisingly, returning Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn joined D’Amaro to revel updated plans for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. They used the D23 Expo as a springboard to unveil better ideas to replace DinoLand.

A new version of Test Track will arrive in the future thanks to having Chevrolet as a sponsor.
© Disney

3. Disney still really prefers to have a corporate sponsor on EPCOT attractions before making updates.

I really like the decision to update Test Track, especially with it taking inspiration from World of Motion. It was surprising to hear this Destination D23 news instead of an Imagination update. However, it makes sense because of Disney’s relationship with Chevrolet for Test Track.

4. Disney is picking up the pace on projects and giving clearer opening dates…mostly.

I was relieved to learn a few exact opening dates for Journey of Water, the new EPCOT show Luminous, and the Figment character greeting. Clearer plans are always a good idea, though it wasn’t a perfect event in that regard. Vaughn talked more about the “Beyond Big Thunder” ideas, but it still seems like Disney is a long way from making this concept a reality.

A surprise Destination D23 announcement is the changes to the Country Bear Jamboree.
© Disney

5. Disney music is still a key part of upcoming attractions, but that’s possibly not a bad thing.

The most controversial announcement for some fans was the changes to the Country Bear Jamboree. I’m relieved the classic attraction will remain in place, but using Disney music seems like a questionable choice. It’s not all bad, however, and I’m keeping an open mind until we learn more next year.

During this podcast, I dive further into each topic and give my reactions to all the news from Destination D23. This includes the return of Soarin’ Over California to EPCOT, Star Tours updates, a different landing spot for Zootopia, and a lounge themed to Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m cautiously optimistic about where Disney is heading, but they still need to address a few more questions in the upcoming months.

The Destination D23 event concluded with the hilarious arrival of big Figment.
© Disney

Show Notes: Destination D23

Learn more about all the updates from Destination D23 on the Disney Parks Blog.

Watch this video summary of the Top 8 Updates on the Disney Parks YouTube channel.

Make a one-time contribution to help the channel and buy me a Dole Whip!

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Categories // Tomorrow Society Podcast Tags // Disney California Adventure, Disney's Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Podcasts, The Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

About Dan Heaton

Dan’s first theme-park memory was a vacation at the Polynesian Resort in 1980 as a four-year-old. He’s a lifelong fan who has written and podcasted regularly about the industry. Dan loves both massive Disney and Universal theme parks plus regional attractions near his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. His favorite all-time attraction is Horizons at EPCOT Center.

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