Walt Disney World hasn’t opened a new theme park in nearly 30 years, and an argument could be made that they really should have.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Over the first 30 years of its existence, the Walt Disney World Resort added theme parks with relative regularity. After the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, EPCOT Center came along in 1982, the Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, and Animal Kingdom in 1998. However, for the last 27 years, the company has taken another approach. Instead of opening a new park, Disney has instead added to their preexisting parks, for better or worse.
We’d argue that it’s well past time for Walt Disney World to have added a fifth park, and these are the main reasons why.
Intellectual Property Invasion
Over the last several decades, Walt Disney World has – – somewhat controversially – – added a litany of intellectual properties to the resort: Pandora: The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, and Frozen Ever After and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. One thing all of those expansions have in common? All of them had to fit into preexisting spaces within their respective theme parks.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Imagine instead if they had debuted as part of a purpose-built new “Worlds of Disney” park? How much larger could the lush landscapes of Padora or the settlement of Batuu have been? Instead of being set within a fictional Wonders of Xandar Pavilion, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind could have been part of larger cosmic Marvel world (which might have negated the fact that so many of Marvel’s characters are legally unavailable to Disney in Florida). Ditto a fully realized Kingdom of Arendelle like the one featured at Tokyo Disneysea. Obviously, some properties would have to still be added to the preexisting parks, but space could have been more evenly allocated across the board.
Fantasy Springs Arendelle castle in Tokyo DisneySea
Preserving the Past
In addition to giving some of these intellectual properties a chance to breathe a bit more, the availability of more space could have perhaps saved some of the iconic parts of Disney history that have been lost over the years. For example, perhaps Monsters, Inc. or Cars could have come to the Walt Disney World Resort without sacrificing the Rivers of America or Muppet*Vision 3D. Again, these are just examples, and surely some classic Disney attractions would still close as change is simply a fact of life when it comes to these parks, but it would have given Imagineering a bit more wiggle room.
Kermit in Muppet*Vision
Crowd Dispersal
This one is a bit of a given, but from an operational standpoint, a fifth theme park could help redistribute crowds around the resort, lessening the overall impact of heavy crowds and wait times at the preexisting Disney World theme parks.
Crowds at the Haunted Mansion
Perception is Reality
On May 22nd, Universal is opening Epic Universe. Some Disney fans – – and Disney executives – – will spin the opening of the new park as “good for Disney”, saying that the company has been “preparing” for Universal’s new park by adding to their existing roster for years. There is likely some truth to this, as historically anytime a new attraction opens in Orlando, it benefits Disney.
Universal Studios
However, there’s also perception. Not only is Epic Universe going to be a modern, technologically advanced theme part, it’s also the SECOND theme park Universal is opening since Disney last opened one at Walt Disney World. In fact, since Animal Kingdom debuted, Universal will have added two theme parks, a water park, the full CityWalk district, and 11 hotels to their resort. Whether fairly or not, this gives the perception that Disney World has stood pat while Universal has continuously grown.
Epic Universe
Disney World hasn’t added a new, full theme park since 1998, even though they arguably should have. Stay tuned to DFB for more on Disney World’s evolution.
My Millennial Mind Is Literally on Fire After Learning That Disney World Used to Have…
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I don’t think a new gate is the way to go. I would rather they just add to the existing parks.
Definitely,it would help with wait times . First time I’ve ever had to pay extra amount to get on rides. It’s already too expensive for so many families.