Walt Disney World will have the attention of the theme park world over the next decade thanks to all of the announcements made at the D23 Expo. For some areas, like Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland, that will mean an area closing before construction begins. Other projects that don’t take as much heavy lifting will be opening in 2025. Disney has revealed the opening and closing seasons for a number of projects and this post will share those with you before adding a little bit of commentary. Each park got a bit of news, we’ll start with Hollywood Studios.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios  

“Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” 

The villains show that’s replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy now has a name! It’s a wordy one and I do have some questions about if they thought ‘Unfairly Ever After’ sounds catchy but none of that is important. The show will open in Sunset Boulevard in the summer of 2025. This delightfully wicked live show will keep you on your toes when the most fiendish of foes, Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent, break through the glass to take center stage and captivate you with performances full of witty humor and mischievous charm. You may even get a glimpse of a few more of your favorites through the magical mirrors as dozens of the most infamous evildoers try to join in the delightfully diabolical fun.

“The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” 

Via the Disney Parks Blog – Grab your dinglehoppers and get ready, because it’s time to shell-ebrate with “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.” This summer, we’ll all be part of Ariel’s world as the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic “The Little Mermaid” comes to life on stage! We’re talking all-new sets, a vibrant cast of puppets, live performers, and stunning visuals coming together to take us under the sea. 

Remember the days when we’d pop in that favorite VHS tape and sing along to our favorite tunes? Fans of the movie can relive that nostalgic joy with plenty of nods to the brilliant animation style from the film. Even the youngest kiddos will sing along with beloved songs including “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World,” plus two new-to-this-theater musical numbers, “Daughters of Triton” and “Kiss the Girl.” 

EPCOT

Spaceship Earth Lounge 

Paying tribute to the most beautiful EPCOT icon, the geodesic sphere will be home to a whole new experience in late spring, welcoming an elevated lounge to the list of things that make it absolutely stunning! This elegant lounge, honoring the intertwined history of Spaceship Earth and EPCOT itself, is set to celebrate the legacy of the icon’s past while admiring its future.

Chefs have created delicious culinary creations to complement the elegance of this extraordinary, intimate setting. While enjoying breathtaking views of the park from an entirely new angle, you can be inspired by the stories and legacy of this iconic structure. With sweeping views of World Celebration Gardens and a unique perspective of the nightly fireworks, this secluded retreat invites you to raise a toast to the enduring spirit of EPCOT. 

Test Track presented by General Motors  

Get ready to feel the thrill of the open road, the wind in your hair, and nothing but adventure ahead! Test Track presented by General Motors is making its return lap late summer 2025. Walt Disney Imagineering has been working with General Motors on an all-new storyline – you’ll want to be all buckled in for an adventure. You might even see cars returning to the track (for testing…at Test Track…nice) with their new look early in the year! 

Magic Kingdom Park 

“Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away” 

It’s time for a new fabulous nighttime parade! “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away” is coming to light up the summer 2025! This new evening spectacle combines nostalgic Disney storytelling and glowing innovation, continuing the legacy of dazzling nighttime entertainment that holds a special place in the hearts of so many. 

You’ll get the chance to see a bunch of your favorite characters in a whole new light … literally. Featuring fan-favorites from classic and new Walt Disney Animation Studios films like “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” “Moana,” and more, the parade’s vibrant lights will dance in the dark, transforming the night into a mesmerizing canvas of glowing colors.

The Blue Fairy from the classic tale, “Pinocchio,” will weave the transformative magic of starlight through each float and every costume in the parade, illuminating the stories in a vibrant constellation of wonder, hope and imagination.

Pirates of the Caribbean-Inspired Tavern 

Prepare yourselves for the swashbucklin’ world of adventure as all bandits and buccaneers-to-be are invited to join the jolly crew at a new Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired tavern. Making landfall in Adventureland in late 2025, this yonder lounge will welcome pirates of all ages with a sea-worthy selection of grogs and grub. There may be more than a few mysterious and magical surprises in store!  

Animal Kingdom Theme Park   

“Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” 

Hold onto your hats (and your tails, feathers, or ears!) because the all-new 4D production coming to the Tree of Life Theater in winter 2025 – “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” finally has an opening date! You’ll want to herd the whole family together to join Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and more for a new wild adventure that will make you want to clap your hands.

Last Chance for DINOSAUR 

While you’re visiting, make sure you “go get that dino” at DINOSAUR. We’ve previously shared this attraction will be closing to make way for the new Tropical Americas land – 2025 is your year to visit before it goes extinct! 

Commentary

I’ll start off by crediting Disney World for putting an opening season on all of the 2025 projects, even before the new year hits. That hasn’t always been the case and it’s nice for us planners to know a general time frame for the projects. While none of the above announcements are new, all of the date ranges are and now this can help people to start plan their 2025 WDW vacations.

As far as the actual news go, there’s nothing particularly surprising. Perhaps the biggest one is that it appears that Dinosaur will be left for the duration of 2025. Considering the space that Tropical Americas is taking up, there’s a good amount of work that can go on behind the scenes. For a park like Animal Kingdom that is already short on rides, being able to keep Dinosaur open for as long as possible makes sense.

On the other hand, I have no clue why the Zootopia show is taking so long. This 3D show should be relatively easy to swap out in the already existing theater. But the project was announced 15 ago and still won’t debut for nearly a year? It’s not worth getting outraged by but I’m truly curious what the delay is. When announced in September of 2023, I thought it would debut by May 2024. I was very wrong!

The rest of the news is all systems go. Epcot’s new lounge has an aggressive timeline and will add another pretty spot to sit and have a drink in that park. I’m looking forward to that. Similarly, the Test Track overhaul seems to be moving at a quick pace. I’m sure WDW would like to push that up to an opening in June if possible so I’d keep an eye on that ‘season’.

While today’s news came as a bit of a surprise, I wouldn’t call any of it overly surprising. It’s more convenient for fans to be able to plan their travel schedules around. As we get closer to some of these openings, we will update readers with exact dates and then get our reviews of them in as soon as possible!

Are you excited for Walt Disney World’s 2025 offerings? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our planning guide to help you along the way! This site has you covered for Disney World discount tickets. Thank you for reading Wandering in Disney. If you enjoy the site please subscribe to the blog via WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those on the right side of this page. Have a great day!