Things are about to get spooky even more spookier at Magic Kingdom! Villains Land is coming to Magic Kingdom and Imagineers have now been told to supercharge the project. In this post, which we’ll update through the time the land opens, we’ll cover what we know about the land and our hopes and expectations for this generational expansion. Read on to learn all about the Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom!
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Villains Land Is Coming to Magic Kingdom (you are here)
Latest Update: “Bigger and Bolder” (PArt 2)
The last update discussed rumors that Imagineers had been told to scrap the original plans for Villains Land (which will still happen) and dream “bigger” and “bolder”. While there’s been some dispute about the veracity of the already vague rumor, TheWrap now confirms it: “According to several people with knowledge of the situation, this is very much the case”
The article from Drew Taylor goes into great depth about the land, and it presents some examples of the ideas that are being workshopped (my word, my interpretation) right now.
Before I get to a list of those (scroll down to the bullets if you don’t want to hear my venting)…this whole situation is exactly why I don’t love topics like this. Historically, I didn’t care about attractions until they actually opened. Until something is actually operating in a park, how it will operate and impact the guest experience is entirely theoretical. My territory isn’t the theoretical world of theme park design, my territory is the real world of telling people how to best tour theme parks.
I’ve loosened up my standards a bit as the years have gone on, but I still consider it my responsibility to emphasize we’re in the speculative realm here. As TheWrap’s piece confirms—these discussed changes still need to be approved by Disney’s Board of Directors.
D23—Disney’s favorite event for announcements—begins August 14, 2026. That’s when I’d expect the next substantive update from Disney on Villains Land. It’s possible in the interim we’ll get a Disney Parks Blog post that reorients the fan community. It’s been said that Josh D’Amaro likes to keep his finger on the pulse of the fans, so I’d hope he’ll find a way to cut through all this speculation before August.
With allllll that context, here are the things Drew Taylor says Imagineers are working on for Villains Land:
A land with Universal’s Isle of Berk as the “point of reference.” Aesthetically “brighter” and more “family friendly” than Universal’s Dark Universe, the former point of reference.
A family-friendly coaster themed to The Emperor’s New Groove
An indoor water-based ride (think Shanghai’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure) themed to Maleficent
A yet-unannounced third ride—probably an aerial carousel themed to Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
A dinner show hosted by Hades, Pain, and Panic
I’m honestly too exhausted at this moment to comment on this more (the newsletter will get at least a small blurb, probably), but the bottom line right now is I think we should all catch our breath and wait for August. I think the “tone shift” is probably something like a mandate, but it’s also a flexible element to begin with. I’d also guess the specifics of the rides and dinner show are still somewhat fluid.
Beyond that, I’m hoping I don’t have to update this post again until August. When D23 gets here, maybe we’ll get a clear picture of what’s actually going to happen in Villains Land.
Update: “Bigger and Bolder” (Part 1)
We’ll start with the latest news for those of you already familiar with the background. But if you’re new to this story, you’ll definitely want to check out the rest of the post, too.
News broke last week that Disney Imagineers were told to go “bigger” and “bolder” in their Villains Land concepts. Here’s the full quote from Len Testa of TouringPlans:
I’m hearing the initial plans for Villains Land have been scrapped. Imagineers have been told to think of bigger, bolder ideas. Budget secondary.
Not sure if this is “new players, new game” re: Josh as CEO.
Various outlets followed this up with reporting from their own sources, and the bottom line here is that Villains Land will still be happening and this is good news.
Let’s be real about something:
Tropical Americas Land will probably be pretty good, but everything comes down to how good the Encanto / Casita ride is. If it isn’t groundbreaking, then the land will probably be good (or great) but not revolutionary. (My guess is still something in the style of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, so not groundbreaking.)
Monstropolis will be good, but it’s mostly about getting an awesome new coaster.
Piston Peak will be…probably an upgrade to Magic Kingdom, but we’ll have to see if the ride design elevates it.
That is, none of the other projects are revolutionary additions. They’re closer to Toy Story Land than Galaxy’s Edge (a little revolutionary) or Pandora (more revolutionary). Toy Story Land is a great land, but it didn’t push the boundaries of what we thought a theme park could be.
Of the major upcoming lands at Walt Disney World, it’s been widely assumed that Villains Land will be the last to open, with the best estimates being “I dunno, 2030ish?” That means it has the most time for major changes. With a new CEO, from parks, who happens to be a big fan of Villains Land, it makes sense that Disney would decide this is the time for a game-changer.
Ultimately, this does set an exceptionally high bar. Villains Land may well wind up being the defining part of Josh D’Amaro’s legacy, one way or another. If there really is a blank check here, it falls on Imagineering—led by Josh’s handpicked guy, Bruce Vaughn. I’m excited to see what they come up with.
Basics About Villains Land Coming to Magic Kingdom
We’ll start with when and where the land will debut. The “when” question is particularly important because, as you’ll see, it’s still a long time away. This means that while this project is very much real, the details are still subject to change. And you don’t need to stress over planning a trip to see it yet—plenty of time to just enjoy the ride (and years of concept art).
When Will Villains Land at Magic Kingdom Open?
Disney has not announced an opening date for Villains Land, so we’re left only to speculate as to an opening timeframe. Let’s start with a look at some recent land openings at Disney World:
Pandora - Announced September 2011, Work Began January 2014, Opened May 2017 (~3 years construction)
Galaxy's Edge - Announced August 2015, Work Began April 2016, Opened August 2019 (~3 years construction)
Toy Story Land - Announced August 2015, Work Began April 2016, Opened June 2018 (~2 years construction)
Pueblo Esperanza - Announced September 2023, Work Began January 2025, Scheduled to Open 2027 (~2 years construction)
Probably the closest analogy we have here is the dual announcement of Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios. Magic Kingdom is getting two new lands. There’s the Cars Land (maybe smaller than a full “land”) that will mostly replace Rivers of America, and there’s the Villains Land that will mostly occupy new park land.
Cars Land Map, Concept Art, Copyright Disney, Fair Use Claimed
These lands were announced at the same time, just like Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. If we assume the Cars area will be the first to open (a reasonable assumption for a lot of reasons), the August 2024 announcement would point to the Cars land opening Summer 2027 and the Villains Land opening Summer 2028. But I doubt that will happen, for a few reasons.
First, we know Pueblo Esperanza at Animal Kingdom is already under construction and set for a 2027 opening. When it comes to opening new lands, it usually makes most sense to spread them out to keep guests coming back (and to spread costs).
Relatedly, there’s the Monsters, Inc. land being added at Hollywood Studios. I don’t want to be so pessimistic as to say Disney definitely will space out these lands only one year at a time (which pushes us to four new lands in 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030). But if we consider that we can reasonably expect this work to continue until at least 2029, we need to consider how all these projects might be spread out.
On this end, the “Beyond Big Thunder” project for Magic Kingdom, including these two lands, is no typical expansion. The project first requires filling in the Rivers of America. That aspect already hit a small, now resolved, permitting snag, and is much more complex than the majority of work on previous expansions, which involved repurposing existing land.
If we assume this complexity puts this project at the longer end of timelines, we’re probably expecting the Cars area to open in 2028 or 2029, with the Villains Land to follow in 2029 or 2030.
Again, this is all guesswork at this point. The bottom line is that you aren’t planning trips to see these new lands yet. On the plus side, they aren’t just “blue sky” projects anymore. Villains Land will get built.
Where Will Disney World’s Villains Land Be Located?
Villains Land will be located in Magic Kingdom, “beyond” Big Thunder, according to Disney. This could mean the land uses space that is literally past Big Thunder, but it could also include land in the Rivers of America area between Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion / “it’s a small world”.
Whatever the case, its clear the land is going to be on the west side of the park. Here’s one speculated map that looks pretty good to me, and which seems to accord with more recent permitting.
Villains Land Rides and Attractions
Reminder: As discussed so much above, details of this section are probably out of date given more recent rumors.
Details are limited as to what new rides and attractions will be present in the land. Here’s the main line from Disney, noting there will be two major attractions:
The new land will encompass all your dreams- er, nightmares. The space will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. Source.
If you look closely at the concept art (below), you’ll see tracks suggesting that one of the new attractions will be a roller coaster. This makes as much sense as any other suggestion, but I’ve never had a fondness for concept art.
The other theming detail we have comes from the characters who appeared behind Josh D'Amaro during one of the announcements related to the land. This list included 13 villains: Chernabog, Captain Hook, Cruella de Vil, Evil Queen, Gaston, Hades, Jafar, Lady Tremaine, Maleficent, Mother Gothel, Queen of Hearts, Ursula, and Yzma.
Of course, we have no information as to what this list actually meant. Maybe all these characters will feature. Maybe they’ll be roaming. Maybe someone just had to throw together a graphic of 13 (spooky number) villains. It’s always possible the list will be changed. Personally, I’d like to see Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, and Intergenerational Trauma considered for feature roles.
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