The Disney theme parks are constantly evolving, meeting modern-day standards and utilizing their intellectual property (IP), such as films, characters and brands, to appeal to audiences around the globe.
Let’s just say The Walt Disney Company has a deep cabinet of IP, releasing some of the most classic, timeless films to date, that people can’t avoid if they tried. Think “Frozen,” “Indiana Jones” or even “Cars.” These franchises have become integral parts of society, as I can still sing “Let it Go” word for word 13 years after its release.
However, when Disney Experiences looks to incorporate its new IP into its theme parks, specifically Walt Disney World, it’s at the expense of fundamental aspects of each theme park’s identity.
For instance, Disney Experiences finalized the extinction of Dinoland U.S.A. on Feb. 2, an opening-day land in the resort’s youngest park. The company had been slowly letting go of the dinosaur-focused area of the park, as early as 2020, with the permanent closure of Primeval Whirl.
While nothing was officially announced about the land’s closure, Disney’s D23 Expo in August 2024 would spark rumors of a Tropical America extension, including IP from “Indiana Jones” and “Encanto.” Right where Dinoland U.S.A. sat.
Don’t get me wrong, while I love everything Disney does and always have full faith in them, I miss when Disney’s theme parks held their own lands and attractions with original stories. Not stories from their films that, yes, did well in the box office.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom serves as a prime example of the company replacing its original theme park ideas with basic IP from its films, dating back before the removal of Dinoland U.S.A.
From its creation, Animal Kingdom was meant to represent three different categories of animals: the past, present and mythical. The park’s logo even represents it, featuring a dragon, dinosaur and lion, along with other animals.
Yet, when budget restraints forced Imagineers to push the mythical portion of the park, Beastly Kingdom, to a second phase of the theme park’s construction, it simply disappeared. Today, it’s occupied by none other than Pandora — The World of Avatar.
Technically, yes, The World of Avatar counts as having mythical creatures, yet once again, it’s a direct representation of Disney taking a successful IP and franchise and slapping it onto their theme parks.
And I can’t even blame them, because it’s working. Avatar Flight of Passage has consistently held one of the longest wait times in Disney World daily for the last nine years.
It even worked over at EPCOT, despite the original imagineers of the park not wanting any Disney IP, as it was meant to showcase international culture in World Showcase and human achievement in Future World.
In 2014, Imagineers closed the Norway Pavilion’s Maelstrom, which educated guests about Norwegian mythology and culture, replacing it with Frozen Ever After.
EPCOT even had a nighttime show, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, that ran for 20 years, featuring original music celebrating cultures around the globe and international unity, and what did they replace it with? Luminous: The Symphony of Us, featuring songs from Disney films that are not even the original versions of the songs.
Disney Experiences has seemed to do it with each of the four theme parks making up the Walt Disney World Resort. At the Magic Kingdom, closing the opening day park attractions, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island to replace it with none other than the Cars franchise.
All of these attractions have one thing in common: they were the core foundations of their respective theme park’s identities
The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island were a nod to Liberty Square and American culture. Dinosaur was the only existing area of Animal Kingdom that featured animals of the past.
Malestrom celebrated the culture of its pavilion where it sat, which was the whole idea behind EPCOT from the beginning.
It’s honestly sad to see Disney ripping out core parts of their theme parks just to replace them with IP, but I can’t even deny that it’s a good strategy to keep people coming to its theme parks.
Maybe I’m just a girl whose childhood was filled with Walt Disney World in the early 2000s, but I wish they could just expand elsewhere and stop destroying my childhood memories. I mean, Walt Disney didn’t just buy 25,000 acres of land for nothing.
Yet, I sit here and watch, as it’s only a matter of time before Disney does it again, this time at Hollywood Studios, replacing Rock‘n’Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith with Rock‘n’Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
In the meantime, I’ll reminisce on what was, despite still being a little excited for what’s to come.
