Our Longshot Predictions for Disney’s Destination D23 Event

With Destination D23 on the horizon, let’s give some longshot and far-fetched predictions.

Zach Perilstein
Boardwalk Times

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Destination D23 is next week, and now is the perfect time to give some predictions. Right off the heels of Disney+ Day, I think it’s safe to expect Destination D23 may continue the fun. But let’s give some longshot predictions for the event.

EPCOT news

EPCOT is amidst a major transformation but because of the pandemic, we don’t know what else is coming to this reinvented park. This is where our first longshot prediction comes in at. I hope Disney provides a meaningful update on EPCOT’s future. I would love to know what World Celebration, World Nature, World Discovery, and the World Showcase have in store for us. A timetable for the transformation would also be helpful.

Journey into Imagination!

Photo from the attraction’s past

Fans have been clamoring for an update of Journey into Imagination with Figment. Destination D23 is the perfect place to announce an update or potential retheme to this beloved EPCOT attraction.

There is a ton of angles Disney can take with Journey into Imagination. They can bring back Dreamfinder, they can just update the attraction and update Figment (the character), or they could integrate a IP along with Figment to justify the update.

Disney+ news

Destination D23 is coming off the heels of Disney+ Day. So, I could see a lot of rehashing happening. But my longshot prediction regarding Disney+ news is that Disney announces some sort of synergy between D23 and Disney+.

Whether that is a D23 Disney+ show or D23 live events being streamed on the platform. It could be a cool opportunity but then again it is a long shot.

Disney may just preview Disney+ in 2022. Maybe we see sneak peeks at She-Hulk, Iwaju, Baymax, Tiana, Ms. Marvel, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Moon Knight, multiple films, and more.

New attractions

Is this sad that I consider this a long-shot prediction?

Yes.

But it’s not a guarantee that Disney announces brand-new attractions that haven’t already been announced. They may save that for D23 2022 or we may be gearing up for an era without too many “new attraction” announcements. I hope I’m wrong and Disney announces new attractions during Destination D23.

More touring attractions from WDI

Back in April, we covered Walt Disney Imagineering’s New Experience Development division. The new division looks to specialize in museum exhibits, pop-up experiences, and pop-up shopping experiences as well.

Destination D23 could be the perfect time for Disney and leaders at WDI’s New Experience Development to lay out their plans for the future. This new division may also be playing a part in why Disney is sunsetting the Disney Stores across the country in favor of more temporary experiences.

Could this division end up being the spiritual successor to Disney Regional Entertainment but with a better result?

Lake Nona update

If you’re going to announce what your new campus is going to look like you best do it in Florida and not California.

If Disney decided to give a Lake Nona update and potentially preview what the campus would look like. It would only make sense to do it during Destination D23 because this event is taking place at Walt Disney World. This is home-field advantage.

If you wait to do Lake Nona updates at D23 in 2022 in Anaheim you may end up getting some boos.

But Disney may end up not announcing any of this stuff at all and it could end up being a simple press release. I would prefer they announce it at Destination D23 and they bring a creative campus design to Florida.

An opening year for the Avengers E-Ticket attraction at Avengers Campus

Let’s dream, and in all honesty, if they say 2028 I wouldn’t even be upset. That would mark the 20th anniversary of Marvel Studios.

Just give us hope.

Teaser for Disney 100

The Walt Disney Company turns 100 in 2023. It’s never too early for a teaser. Destination D23 should start to tease the company-wide plans from the Parks to the Plus. What’s coming our way in this historic year?

I hope you enjoyed my longshot Destination D23 predictions. I will be attending Destination D23 live next weekend. I’m excited to experience the weekend-long event.

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

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