100 Things Disney Can Do For Disney100 — Revisited on Disney’s 100th Anniversary

Back in March, I listed 100 things Disney could do for Disney100. Let’s see what they did.

Back in March in the Boardwalk Times newsletter I wrote about 100 things that Disney could do for its 100th anniversary. On the day of the 100th anniversary, I decided to check in and see if some of my suggestions/predictions came true.

Come take a trip down memory lane…

1. Create a Disney100 docuseries on Disney+ showcasing Disney’s 100-year history. — Sadly this didn’t happen! Missed opportunity.
2. Disney gives an update on its “making of Disneyland” film. — This didn’t happen but Disney gets a minor pass due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes.
3. To celebrate Disney100, Walt Disney Animation Studios does a new Mickey Mouse project similar to Get A Horse. — Once Upon a Studio sorta counts right?
4. Pixar does a crossover short with Marvel. — That didn’t happen.
5. We get a promising update on the Avengers Multiverse attraction. — We did get an update on the ride vehicle.
6. A clear goal for the Star Wars theatrical landscape. — Star Wars: Celebration did give a clear idea of what was happening.
7. Announcements about the future of 20th Century Studio. — Still waiting to hear more about the plan for 20th Century Studio.
8. Push Disney+ to new heights with new features. Fully embrace the shopping feature as well. — Shopping perks have started to happen but Disney is still developing some new features.
9. Chart ESPN’s path for the future, by turning it into a sports ecosystem that showcases where to watch all the games. — Disney wants to do this but no timetable on it yet.
10. Disney gives a positive update on DisneylandForward. — We are getting a lot more news on DisneylandForward. Seems to be progressing nicely.
11. Walt Disney World announces new expansions and attractions. — We haven’t gotten any new expansion or attraction announcements quite yet.
12. Disney reveals more about the Disney Treasure ship. — They revealed a lot!
13. Walt Disney Imagineering gets to build a touring, location-based experience. — This hasn’t happened yet.
14. Make more Disney100 books. (Call me and let me cook write). — They did have a selection of Disney100 books. They didn’t call me to help.
15. Disney gives a positive update on the Figment film. — Once again the strikes probably prevented this from happening.
16. Walt Disney Animation Studios announces more long-form Disney+ series. — They have not! We are still awaiting the series that were announced.
17. Pixar does a crossover short with Star Wars. — They haven’t… yet!
18. Disney announces stronger updates to WEB Slingers. — We still need this.
19. Lucasfilm during Disney100 announces that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will be doing a film event for The Mandalorian and all those Mandoverse characters. — THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Dave Filoni is getting a film.
20. Reveal even more about the next couple of Avatar films. — This hasn’t happened yet but should soon.
21. Bring in legacy content for Disney100 on Disney+. (Walt Disney Anthology Series, early-era Disney content, etc.) — Disney restored some animated shorts but they didn’t add Walt Disney Anthology Series or early-era Disney content to Disney+.
22. Do an ESPN special for the Top 100 teams, players, and moments in the Disney century. — ESPN didn’t do this, as far as I know.
23. Disney gives concrete details on the Avatar Experience coming to Disneyland Resort. — Iger and Co. have been extremely vague. No news has come out.
24. An overhaul of the Disney Genie feature and Disney’s entire app/tech infrastructure for the parks. — Minor updates have occurred but not an entire overhaul.
25. Give us news on Disney Cruise Line’s purchase of the Global Dream cruise ship. — Disney gave us news about the Global Dream at Destination D23, renaming the ship Disney Adventure.
26. Disney confirms that SXSW will become a yearly tradition to showcase Walt Disney Imagineering’s newest technical projects and achievements. — This is still unclear but WDI understands that showcasing its innovation is good for business and the brand.
27. Bob Weis’ Marty Sklar Archives book gets a release date. — It hasn’t yet.
28. Disney announces a new iteration of Pirates of the Caribbean. — Not yet.
29. With a supporting Pirates of the Caribbean Disney+ series. — Not yet.
30. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit gets a project. — Still unclear.
31. Pixar announces another original Disney+ series in the same vein as Win or Lose. — There was another series in the works but seems like it was scrapped because of budget cuts.
32. Marvel Studios delays Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars so they can announce more films for Phase 6. (A good thing!) — Both are still slated for May 2026 & 2027 but honestly, another delay is inevitable.
33. Lucasfilm finds another franchise besides Star Wars, Willow, and Indiana Jones. — The opposite has occurred. Lucasfilm is all in on Star Wars.
34. Disney gives details on the new set of Planet of the Apes films. — Nothing yet.
35. Continue the push of doing live specials on Disney+ and maybe even one on the actual 100th anniversary that takes place all over the company! — They aren’t doing a live Disney+ special on the actual day but it seems like Disney+ will continue to experiment with live programming.
36. Disneyland Resort announces a new attraction due to Disney100. — I guess we will see.
37. Bring Back Stacey J. Aswad for Walt Disney World Must-Do’s: Disney100 Edition. — Disney, this was a layup. But sadly this one didn’t happen.
38. Disney reveals the name of its next Disney Cruise line ship after the Disney Treasure. — Not yet.
39. Rebuild and reload Walt Disney Imagineering to a point where you have to use both the Glendale campus and Lake Nona campus because you have so many Imagineers, that you need two campuses. — Little did I know back in March that Lake Nona would be scrapped entirely.
40. Do more Disney Scripted Classics books. — No plans announced yet.
41. Disney highlights its upcoming films based on the parks like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Tower of Terror. — They haven’t done this yet.
42. Disney attempts to do a Fantasia project for its 100th anniversary. — Nope.
43. Pixar announces some new original films to make up for that Toy Story 5 announcement. — Sadly not.
44. Marvel Studios does more Special Presentations around the holidays. — Sadly not.
45. Lucasfilm gives updates on Star Wars projects in development. (It’s tricky for them). — Nothing concrete due to strikes.
46. Disney adds a 20th Century property into its parks for a temporary experience. — This hasn’t happened yet but I think it will in the near future.
47. Do a second season of The Imagineering Story. — We wish.
48. Add pizza balls from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to Avengers Campus. — A no-brainer that hasn’t happened yet.
49. Add more things to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. — Nope.
50. Disney announces another Storyliving by Disney community. (Maybe one that represents Disney’s 100 years of history?) — The focus is solely on Cotino so far.
51. Add new innovative Disney100 experiences across the Disney Cruise Line portfolio. — They haven’t… yet.
52. More updates on Lighthouse Point, Disney’s second private island destination. — Destination D23 provided some updates like the name being Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
53. Do “The Art of” books for every single Disney Parks project (Disney, just trust me). — This hasn’t happened yet but this is something that really needs to happen.
54. Make some worthy individuals Disney Legends. (Michael Eisner, Frank Oz, etc.) — PLEASE DO THIS.
55. Encanto gets a Disney+ series. — Still shocked this hasn’t been announced. Maybe they are doing another film?
56. Disney does more with Marvel and Marvel Studios’ history during Disney100. — They didn’t.
57. Disney confirms that Star Wars Celebration 2025 is in Orlando. — It will be in Tokyo instead! (punches the air)
58. Figure out a way to do an Avatar Disney+ series and announce it before the Disney100 hype is over. — This hasn’t happened yet.
59. Add room for temporary Avengers Campus experiences. — This hasn’t happened yet but Hollywoodland is for the taking.
60. Expand the Disney Skyliner routes. — Maybe one day but not during Disney100.
61. Make sure the new EPCOT nighttime spectacular is better received than Harmonious. — We will see in December!
62. Resurrect some never-built projects for Disney100! — Hasn’t happened.
63. Give Disney+ some feel-good films from Walt Disney Studios. — Nothing yet.
64. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser gets updates like new eras, special deals, holiday cruises, etc. — Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would have its final voyage in September.
65. Make Disney+ Day matter again. — Unclear.
66. Random early park openings at Disney Parks across the globe, ideally 100 minutes early. — This would’ve been epic.
67. Add a bookstore to Disney Springs to honor Disney’s history. — My Disney Springs bookstore dream will happen one day.
68. The NBA Experience becomes a VR exhibit with a rotating slate of Disney IP. — This hasn’t happened yet.
69. A Disney100 experience at Disney Springs. — Not yet.
70. Invent a new form of Disney transportation. PeopleMover. Monorail. Skyliner. What’s next? It’s Disney100 figure it out. — Nothing yet.
71. Connect Disney D23, Disney Annual Pass, Disney+, and other loyalty and membership programs under one roof for “Disney Prime.” — Sadly Disney did not do this. This would be a home run idea though. It would help both Disney and the guest/consumer.
72. Add new missions to Star Tours (The Mandalorian, Andor, etc.) — Happening in 2024 with Ahsoka but we need more.
73. Add new missions to Smugglers Run. (Stealing coaxium is so 2019!) — This still hasn’t happened yet. They need to get it together.
74. Ron Moore lays out his timeline for the Magic Kingdom Universe on Disney+. — Not yet.
75. Top 100 Movies of Disney countdown special on Disney+. — Nope.
76. Top 100 TV shows of Disney countdown special on Disney+. — Nope.
77. Top 100 songs from Disney countdown special on Disney+. — Nope.
78. Re-releasing some Disney classics in theaters for Disney100. — Yes, they did this! But it was more modern classics.
79. it’s a small world adds Disney characters at Walt Disney World. — They did not.
80. 100th-anniversary food items that really emphasize the 100. A Mickey Bar but there is a Disney100 logo on it. — I personally didn’t see any Disney100 food at the parks.
81. Carousel of Progress gets a new, updated finale scene. — No new finale scene.
82. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World receives the explosion effect (as seen at Disneyland). — This didn’t happen.
83. Two new World Showcase countries are added for Disney100. — Sadly not.
84. Make Disney100 at Walt Disney World the celebration that Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary should’ve been. — WHAT COULD’VE BEEN.
85. Announce what the new theme of Rock ’N’ Roller Coaster is going to be. — Aerosmith lives (for now).
86. Give Mickey’s PhilharMagic an update but keep the charm. — No update for now.
87. A brand-new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom. — Nothing yet.
88. Make a new Muppet film for theaters or Disney+. — Please do this. But they haven’t done this yet.
89. Turning Red replaces Canada: Far and Wide at EPCOT. — Still holding out hope for this.
90. Add more Marvel to Walt Disney World. — Also hoping for this.
91. Fix Spaceship Earth so it doesn’t collapse and choose a worthy new narrator. — Disney hasn’t done either yet so Spaceship Earth may still fall apart.
92. Bring Duffy back to EPCOT. — Disney hasn't brought back the legend yet.
93. Reassess Disney Genie and the upcharges. (Doubtful but hey why not!) — Still doubtful they haven’t reassessed this.
94. Make more Orange Bird merch for Disney100. — Unclear, but totally unrelated shop at Boardwalk Store for some Orange merch.
95. Disney finally asks Defunctland creator Kevin Perjurer to do a Disney+ documentary on the best defunct Disney attractions/experiences of the last Disney century. — This didn’t happen.
96. Take some big swings for D23 2024 when it comes to presentations, hype, and activities. — D23 is taking big swings. They are doing the Honda Center at night for big presentations. The event will also have a Disneyland component.
97. Disney decides to make its own A.I. for funsies. Call it Yen Sid. (Disney spelled backwards). — Disney as of this writing hasn’t made its own A.I.
98. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge gets updates to include The Mandalorian and more. (Potentially a third attraction if we want to get crazy!) — No updates for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have been announced.
99. A book that chronicles 100 Disney cast members/employees who helped make Disney better. Maybe do more under-the-radar choices. The unsung heroes so to speak. — Disney, make this book.
100. Make October 16, 2023, the biggest Disney synergy machine day ever! — I guess we will see…

So, 16 out of 100 happened! Most of my ideas are pretty bold so I will cut Disney some slack. Maybe I should look back at this in five years? Which one of my suggestions was your favorite? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Thank you for always reading and supporting.

Happy 100, Disney!

Be sure to continue to follow Boardwalk Times for more coverage of The Walt Disney Company.

Support Boardwalk Times on Ko-Fi.

Support Boardwalk Times by shopping on Boardwalk Store:

Boardwalk Store

If you like this article. Subscribe to my free newsletter Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore, a monthly dose of Disney, its businesses, and the wider themed entertainment industry.

Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore

Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times