While there were plenty of announcements out of the Disney Parks presentation at D23 Expo 2022, there’s also a number of projects rumored or previously announced that we heard nothing about, so let’s go over everything we didn’t hear about during the Parks Panel this year:

Walt Disney World Resort

• Long-Awaited Update to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
  • As originally reported, an update to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress was scheduled for 2023. It’s possible now that this has been shelved or delayed.

• Wreck-It Ralph/Replacement for Stitch’s Great Escape
  • While the Wreck-It Ralph attraction was set to be constructed starting in March 2020, the pandemic halted work just as construction walls were about to go up. It would now seem the project is completely dead and the space will remain empty for a few more years.
• Reopening Date/Timeframe for Walt Disney World Railroad
  • Closed to accommodate the work on TRON, the reopening of The Walt Disney World Railroad is imminent, but no date was announced. We would assume it will return before the Spring 2023 opening of TRON.
• “Lightyear” Update for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Given the commercial letdown of the “Lightyear” film, it was unlikely this project would move forward.
• Closing Date/Timeframe for Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom
  • A closing date has not been given for Splash Mountain on either coast, but rumors indicate it will be in early 2023. There was still plenty of discussion regarding the project during D23 Expo 2022.
• Details on New Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Disney Vacation Club Addition
  • New details on the controversial new Disney Vacation Club wing at the Polynesian were not revealed.
• Restart/Replacement of Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge Resort
  • With an unseemly dirt plot and construction fencing ruining the serenity of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, one would hope something will be done with the land for the hotel that was cancelled due to the pandemic. We will have to stare at this mess for a while longer now.
• Details on Further Changes to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort (Lobby, 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian Cafe, ETC.)
  • Changes will be continuing at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, with remodeling projects expected for the lobby, 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian Cafe, and more, but no further details were given.
• Spaceship Earth Refurbishment
  • Delayed and undoubtedly heavily altered due to the pandemic, the Spaceship Earth refurbishment and reimagining still needs to happen as the attraction is in terrible shape. No future plans have been announced for the iconic attraction.
• Is the Mary Poppins Attraction Even Happening?
  • A project placed “on hold” due to the pandemic, it seems unlikely to be restarted.
• Details on DuckTales World Showcase Adventure
  • Despite not having been mentioned in quite some time, this experience is still expected to see the light of day last time we checked, but no mention was made.
• Something, Anything for Journey Into Imagination
  • We DID get the announcement of the return of a Figment meet and greet in 2023, but nothing for the ride just yet. This is a very promising first step though.
• Opening Date and/or New Details for Roundup Rodeo BBQ
  • While Disney announced the restaurant would open this year, no visible progress has been made on the exterior. It is likely the venue may be delayed again.
• Expansion of Woody’s Lunchbox, Other Toy Story Land Fixes
  • Disney has continued to fix the issues with the land, but nothing concrete was mentioned regarding Toy Story Land. The presentation did focus on “bigger picture” projects though, so this may have been deemed not important enough to mention at D23 Expo 2022.
• Opening Date for Fantasmic!/Details on New Scenes
  • No details were announced regarding the return of “Fantasmic!” including the replacement for the “Pocahontas” scene. Other entertainment offerings were announced at the Expo and rehearsals have reportedly begun, so we’re unsure what exactly is going on, but it seems there may be some issues in the way of announcing the exact date.
• Play Pavilion at EPCOT
  • As we speculated, the Play! Pavilion was completely ignored, meaning it is either cancelled or significantly scaled back. Our money is on the former. It’s also worth noting that the Wondrous China CircleVision film has not been mentioned in a while either, and it likely suffering the same fate. Presenters at D23 Expo 2022 did not address the topic.

Disneyland Resort

• Return of the PeopleMover
  • We expected that the PeopleMover would finally return to Disneyland as part of an overhaul of Tomorrowland. No mention of Tomorrowland was made at all during the panel. What is interesting is that Disneyland Resort stayed away from long-term project announcements, even ignoring the Swiss Family Treehouse project which is actually already under construction, visible to guests, and vaguely announced to the press. Other than the new Avengers Campus attraction (which needed to be announced to placate bad press from the canceled E-Ticket attraction that it is replacing), Disneyland Resort announced nothing beyond what is expected to be completed by 2023. We still expect the PeopleMover to return on the same schedule as was rumored, though D23 Expo 2022 gave us no hints.
• “Encanto” or S.E.A. Treehouse to Replace Tarzan’s Treehouse
  • Tarzan’s Treehouse closed rather unceremoniously over a year ago, and it’s generally assumed an “Encanto”-themed replacement is on the way to Adventureland. Rumors have also appeared of a S.E.A. overlay to the treehouse, but no announcements were made despite very visible construction in the park.
• Lightyear Mountain Replacing Space Mountain
  • While the commercial failure of the film casts doubt on the project, it was expected that a new version of Space Mountain themed to the “Lightyear” film would be announced.
• Closing Date/Timeframe for Splash Mountain at Disneyland
  • A closing date has not been given for Splash Mountain on either coast, but rumors indicate it will be in early 2023.
• MagicBand+ Launch Date
  • Disneyland Resort has remained quiet on when MagicBand+ will launch in Anaheim.

Disneyland Paris

• Replacement Land for Canceled “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge”
  • While it may be too early to hear anything about it, it is expected that either a “The Lion King” or “Avatar” themed land will be added to Walt Disney Studios Paris, though no mention of it was made at D23 Expo 2022.
• New Details on Lake Nighttime Entertainment
  • A new nighttime show using barges from the now-defunct “Fantasmic!” at Tokyo DisneySea is expected to be announced at some point. We didn’t hear about it this weekend though.
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • At one point, Disney was keen on the idea of adding this ride to every Disney property on Earth. It remains to be seen if plans to add the ride to Disneyland Paris will come to fruition.
• Phantom Manor Holiday
  • While maybe not a proper time to announce such a project, it is still suspected that Jack Skellington and others from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” will eventually invade the Frontierland attraction.