A new rumor is swirling that Walt Disney World’s initial plans for the upcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom have been “scrapped,” and Imagineering has gone back to the drawing board to come up with bigger and bolder ideas. Here’s a rumor rundown, plus our commentary about why this is happening, what probably is not changing, and why this is good news for WDW fans.
We’re reporting on this rumor because it’s at least superficially plausible, aligning with rumblings we’ve heard, current company-wide events, and development timelines. Major mid-stream changes are possible in part because Villains Land is the odds-on favorite to be the last land to open during Walt Disney World’s 5-Year Plan, and will probably debut in 2030.
There’s also the fact that very little has been revealed since Villains Land was first announced at the 2024 D23 Expo. Or even during that event! Since then, all we’ve learned is that Villains Land will feature “Conjured Architecture,” which is basically a cursed twist on Art Nouveau. Disney also revealed the 13 classic villains who will be featured in Villains Land. But that’s really about it.
Beyond that, the original announcement teased that Villains Land is a place where poison apples are aplenty and magic potions can ruin your whole day; where once upon a dream is actually once upon a nightmare. It’s a place where “happily ever after may feel like just a distant dream,” shared Josh D’Amaro when making the announcement.
Substantively, Disney has announced that Villains Land at Magic Kingdom will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. “It’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be,” Josh D’Amaro teased when announcing Villains Land.
It is widely believed that Villains Land will include an outdoor “story coaster” and an indoor family-friendly dark ride. This is based on a mixture of concept art (however vague), informed speculation, permits & documents filed with Florida, and a dash of credible rumors.
Against that backdrop, we have the latest rumor that comes from Len Testa of TouringPlans and the Disney Dish Podcast with Jim Hill, which is making a splash on social media. This is the type of thing Len would often discuss on the Disney Dish, but I’m not sure whether he’s elaborated on the rumor on his podcast. For those who are unfamiliar with Len, he’s credible and connected; he’s gotten a lot right over the years.
Here’s what he wrote:
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.
Just so everyone is on the same page, this should not be construed as Villains Land being cancelled. It is very much still full steam ahead. The largest-ever Magic Kingdom expansion is still happening, and there’s every reason to believe it’ll still feature Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land.
It strikes me as superficially plausible that Villains Land has changed from the initial plans. At least, in part. Let’s quickly run through the reasons.
When Villains Land was announced, only concept art that was simultaneously detailed but vague was released. It showed the contours of the land, but didn’t give away much about the attractions. Despite a lot of fan speculation, there was always a lot of leeway for Disney to adjust its plans within the parameters of the aforementioned “two major attractions, dining, and shopping.” Right off the bat, this was a signal to me that there was fluidity in the plans.
Of course Villains Land was going to have a restaurant and retail, so it’s really only the 2 headliner rides that were flexible. We’ll know for sure the plans have changed if it ends up having a single E-Ticket, or 3 headliners, or 2 headliners plus 3 flat rides. Etc. But if the plan remains two major attractions, it’ll be impossible to confirm or refute the “plans have changed” rumor.
Even today, Villains Land is still ~4 years away. It was ~6 years away when first announced.
Back then, we discussed how this was essentially phase 2 of the Beyond Big Thunder project, and Disney is notorious for second phases of projects being cancelled entirely or changing considerably. We also pointed out that Disney would have a CEO change before construction began in earnest on Villains Land.
And in fact, this is accurate. Josh D’Amaro will soon become CEO, and actual construction has not yet commenced, only site prep (see this weekend’s new Villains Land & Piston Peak Construction Update). This means there has been and is still the opportunity for adjustments or enhancements to Villains Land.
There is also the motive for betting bigger on the expansion, with the new CEO having the chance to make his own mark on the company with big and bold changes early during his tenure. There’s also the perception, whether accurate or not (I think it is) that Villains Land is D’Amaro’s baby, and will nurture it accordingly.
Back at the last D23, Villains Land was the announcement that got the biggest and most enthusiastic response.
Prior to that, it was my understanding that Disney was uncertain how Villains Land would be received, and wanted to gauge the response. Both with the in-person and at-home audiences. It was and continues to be overwhelming positive.
It also was my understanding that there were internal apprehensions about moving forward with Villains Land. That it would be “too dark” or “not sufficiently mainstream” for Magic Kingdom, and debate about just how much budget to blow. (Although I cannot corroborate it, I suspect being burned by Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge caused a bit of reticence and is why the “safer” counterpart of Cars was chosen.)
My impression is that Disney has become increasingly bullish on Villains Land. Beyond the fan response, it’s the project for which creatives are most excited, as discussed in our article about Walt Disney Imagineering’s Comeback. Likewise, it sounds like the project for which the new CEO is most excited, as suggested by his outward enthusiasm for Villains Land during My Meeting with Josh D’Amaro.
This has been reinforced by countless conversations I’ve had over the course of the last year-plus. It’s sometimes difficult to separate the idle gossip from the baseless bluster to the real rumor, but the picture that has been painted by the totality of these talks is that Villains Land is going to be the blockbuster addition.
Villains Land is not going to suffer the typical phase 2 fate of dying a quiet death or being value-engineered to mediocrity. Rather, it’ll overdeliver and make a statement. Imagineers being told to dream bigger is unequivocally good news.
Some of this has come in response to Dark Universe at Epic Universe. This is probably unsurprising, as Villains Land is viewed by some fans as an “answer” to that. Even in the absence of credible rumors, Walt Disney World fans have correctly speculated that Imagineering has to deliver something bigger and better than Dark Universe.
From what I’ve heard (and this should all be filed in the gossip bucket), Imagineers were not blown away by Dark Universe…but they were by Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, the flagship dark ride in the land.
They were likewise impressed by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, both the land itself and the two attractions in it (dark ride and show). That these two rides, show, and land exceeded expectations. (The versions of the story I’ve heard are a bit more embellished than that.)
Although it’s gossip, this also all strikes me as plausible. Those two rides are envelope-pushing, as is Ministry of Magic as a whole. If anything, though, visiting Dark Universe had me slightly concerned about Villains Land. It’s the weakest of the worlds in Epic Universe, and set a pretty low bar aside from its marquee ride (thankfully, that is very good). But that’s probably another topic for another post.
Separately, I’ve heard credible chatter that the company is investing more in Parks & Resorts as a whole and Walt Disney World specifically than previously announced. I don’t know if this is the consequence of inflations, tariffs, or the substance of the plans getting more ambitious. I also don’t know if this means more money allocated towards what’s already been announced, or other projects that are in the pipeline.
With all of that said, I’ve heard nothing to suggest that the ‘meat’ of the plans for Villains Land have changed. Which is to say that, to the best of my knowledge, Villains Land still consists of a roller coaster and a dark ride, plus retail and a restaurant.
If those foundational elements are unchanged, I would have a difficult time saying the plans have been “scrapped” or that Imagineering has gone back to the drawing board. This is likely more a matter of enhancing existing plans to unlock their full potential than starting from square one with a blank slate.
In other words, it’s probably not like what happened early during the development of what became Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or Fantasy Springs (both of which actually became ‘bigger and bolder’ projects). It’s probably not even akin to New Fantasyland, which (thankfully) had Seven Dwarfs Mine Train added after the original announcement.
What’s more likely from my perspective is that Disney is going to bigger and bolder within the previously established parameters. Meaning that we aren’t going to see new permits that deviate from the recent Filing Revealing Show Building Sizes & Locations of Cars & Villains Lands. (I’m still not convinced that shows all of the buildings, but regardless, I don’t expect it to be refiled.)
That instead of cutting Audio Animatronics or reducing the budgets for show scenes, they’re going to spend more freely. As a (made up) example, maybe instead of a limited-motion figure of Maleficent in Dragon form, we’re going to get a ‘statement scene’ on par with the Department of Magical Creatures with an advanced Audio Animatronics chasing guests. Perhaps the placemaking on the roller coaster is better, with more done to conceal the track and make it more of a story coaster.
Basically, my bet is that Disney is pulling a “Reverse Toy Story Land” with Villains Land. That they’re going to go full John Hammond on Villains Land, albeit within the original plan’s parameters.
At this point, I’m not expecting any fundamental changes to the expansion as a whole, but rather, a bigger budget and bolder execution of the ideas Imagineers already have. I also wouldn’t expect this to materially delay the project in the same way that actually scrapping the previous plans would. If Imagineers truly went back to the drawing board, Villains Land probably is no longer a 2030 project.
That may not sound as exciting as Imagineers being told to dream (nightmare?) ‘bigger and bolder,’ but keep in mind that the typical phase 2 trajectory is cost-cutting and value-engineering. That’s what could’ve happened if someone else was named Disney’s next CEO, especially if that person got cold feet about a darker concept in the Magic Kingdom.
If these Villains Land plans end up being even modestly more ambitious than before, that alone is a win and departure from the historical norm. And I absolutely think that’ll be true–that Imagineering wants this to be a home run, has the ideas and talent to deliver one, and will also get the budget for it.
Beyond all of the above, I would speculate that Disney has been emboldened to do this not just on the basis of fan response to Villains Land or the quality of Monsters Unchained or Josh D’Amaro wanting to make a mark as new CEO. I’m guessing they also have spending data to support the decision.
Part of this is merchandise sales, food & beverage, etc. More significant is line-skipping product. Since the announcement, they’ve launched Lightning Lane Premier Pass. They’ve seen the staying power of Lightning Lane Single Pass. They’ve also seen the unprecedented demand for comparable products at Fantasy Springs in Tokyo DisneySea.
They know that the dollars spent to build mega E-Tickets will have direct ROI, especially as Walt Disney World moves more upmarket (see Rich Rescued Walt Disney World from Spending Slump). Two bona fide blockbusters and an ambitious land will be a license to print money, opening the door for selling more Lightning Lanes and untold other premium products (custom vacation packages, VIP tours, new dessert parties and dining packages, etc).
It’s going to be interesting when Magic Kingdom has 4 Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions, but that’s exactly where I think things are heading. (Three added from the Beyond Big Thunder expansion, and SDMT demoted to LLMP.)
There’s every reason to believe Disney is going big and bold on Villains Land. Even before this rumor, Imagineering President Bruce Vaughn said he’s been “blown away” by the concepts for Magic Kingdom.
The Beyond Big Thunder project scope and scale are supposedly on par with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or Pandora – World of Avatar. Vaughn also indicated that the project would exceed New Fantasyland, and be the biggest expansion in Magic Kingdom history. D’Amaro has made similar comments, some of which have felt like a tease for the big reveal.
We believe all of that, and are likewise bullish on Villains Land. This is one of those rare occasions where the stars align and what’s good for investors is good for guests. Parks & Resorts has proven a financial powerhouse for the company–strong and stable even as other business units have faltered. Expanding Magic Kingdom improves capacity, gives the park more drawing power, is fun for fans, and will offer tremendous ROI. (All lessons learned back in 2009, proving yet again that history repeats itself!)
Given all of this, it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if ‘bigger and bolder’ with the plans actually does end up resulting in an additional attraction being greenlit for Villains Land. I don’t think that’s what has actually happened here, at least not yet, but it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if we got a “…but wait, there’s more” reveal at the 2026 D23 Expo.
As for how we will know that Josh D’Amaro told Imagineers to dream bigger and bolder with Villains Land in the absence of a third attraction given how little has been publicly announced, honestly, I suspect he’ll tell us. Disney has a rich history of doing things exactly like this, and weaving it into lore about their rising star leaders.
Whether it happens during the upcoming Shareholder Meeting or at the 2026 D23 Expo or sometime in between, I strongly suspect we’re going to get a slate of “New Sheriff in Town” announcements from Josh D’Amaro that vindicate theme park fans who are optimistic about the new CEO and future of Walt Disney World. Or maybe I’m just wishcasting. Time will tell!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the rumor that Imagineering is being told to dream bigger and bolder with Villains Land? Believe this will actually happen, or think the typical phase 2 trajectory of cost-cutting and value-engineering is more likely? Still in ‘wait and see’ mode? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
