Disney followed up yesterday’s proxy victory with more good news for theme park fans today. A wave of information has come out, largely from a showcase of the Imagineering department that includes a new web series. In this post, we’ll cover today’s news with a look at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure animatronics as well as permits filed to expand Walt Disney World.

We’ll start with the aforementioned web series which showcased great looks of a few of the animatronics that will inhabit the new ride coming to Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. I’d encourage anyone with an interest in Imagineering to watch the first episode of the web series called ‘We Call It Imagineering’ (I linked it above). The video shows the animatronics moving impressively. All of the photos are taken from there via Scott Gustin, an excellent theme park reporter.

Here’s our girl herself in an adventuring outfit fit for the Bayou! No wonder they’re calling it Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I apologize for the joke, especially because this animatronic looks incredible. Her movements are so fluid and the lifelike size while keeping the some of the animation aspects is beautifully done.

The other animatronic that gets featured heavily in the first episode of the web series is Louis. Similar to Tiana, his electronic movements are top notch. He looks so jolly and the moving reflects that. I’d be happy to hang out with him for a while, we’d be friends.

While these are just a few of the animatronics in the attraction, seeing them has raised my expectations. I think Imagineering knew that this had to be a home run and the animatronics match that level of commitment.

Of course, I don’t actually know anything. I haven’t been on the ride! Some would say that I still won’t know anything even after going on the ride. We’ve all got haters! Back on track… What I do assume after seeing these is that this wasn’t some half baked project to take over Splash Mountain. These figures look like peak work and I’m so excited to see them in action in just a few months! Until then, I’m going dark on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as I want my first ride through to be a surprise.

Moving along, word has spread this week that Disney is in the process of filing permits for two giant expansions in Walt Disney World. These have been eluded to both at D23 Expo in 2022 and Destination D in 2023. Now, we’re finally getting the first actual proof that these will happen.

The first of these, and the one with an actual permit filed, is Tropical Americas coming to Animal Kingdom. This will take the space of Dinoland and maybe beyond. Indiana Jones and Encanto have been the IP teased for the area, along with a chance of Coco. The permit filed thus far is just space for Imagineering offices and parking spots but that likely precedes actual work. Further confirmation was given via this Imagineering Instagram post:

There’s not much to add other than I’m so happy to see confirmation of an actual project. I’m optimistic about the whole idea but will wait for more details to have any real commentary on the issue. Like most upcoming things, I think we’ll hear those details at D23 Expo in August. Josh D’Amaro keeps using the verb ‘turbocharge’ to describe their plans and, well, that’s funny. The word is both cheesy and could be a subtitle for a Transformers movie but he can say whatever he wants if they invest heavily in the parks!

Last but not least, is word coming out from an Imagineering presentation that permits for a Magic Kingdom expansion will be filed in the coming weeks. This was also teased at the D23 events and termed as “what’s beyond Big Thunder Mountain”. I saw this expansion as far less likely than the Animal Kingdom idea so I’m very excited to see it move forward! Again, I’ll wait on details before adding much commentary.

I will caution that both of these expansions, especially the Magic Kingdom one, will take a long time to develop. There’s so much to do behind Big Thunder Mountain and the large scale of the project isn’t going to make it go any faster. Patience should be paid off for all of this but I wouldn’t let these early confirmations affect your vacation plans for the next few years at all! Instead, it’s all something to look forward to in the future as the D23 Expo will hold some massive official announcements this year.

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