Exploring Theories for Walt Disney World’s New Villains Land
Image Credit: Disney Parks Blog
I still can’t get over last month’s announcements at the D23 expo. I am beyond excited for the new nighttime parade coming to Magic Kingdom and Monsters Inc land coming to Hollywood Studios! But I was arguably the most excited for the new Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom. While an official opening timeline has not yet been announced, it will likely take a few years to complete. That being said, work is reportedly already underway!
This land will feature two major rides, dining experiences, and merchandise locations. Based on the concept art pictured above, it appears that one of these rides will be a rollercoaster, and one might be a water ride. The rollercoaster (track pictured in the top left) is likely going to be the most thrilling attraction in this new land.
The castle in the background near the ride tracks is most definitely Maleficent’s castle, as seen on the left here (Image Credit: Disney Wiki). Maleficent’s castle is located on the Forbidden Mountain, which could be the location of the rollercoaster - maybe something similar - but scarier - than Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom.
There do appear to be mountains all over the background of the concept art for this land, so it could be very likely that this is a ride themed around Maleficent. You can also see her in dragon-form by the tracks! However, in the 1990s, there was talk of a villains attraction in Disney World. The Tokyo Disneyland attraction, ‘Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour’, was a dark attraction that went through secret passageways of the lairs of different Disney villains.
Because of the success of this ride, there was talk of a ride to come to Disney World in Orlando called ‘Villains Mountain’. This was said to be similar to Splash Mountain, now known as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, because the ride vehicle was going to be a flume. These vehicles would have been designed after the longboats in Hercules, and riders would have been taken through different villains’ lairs. Another possible name for this attraction was Forbidden Mountain, which I mentioned before as the location of Maleficent’s castle. (Read more about this here.)
That being said, it also could be a possibility that there is a water attraction, similar to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Pictured at the bottom of the concept art, this could be the track for either a water ride through the different lairs of popular villains, a Hades-themed water ride, or an Ursula-themed attraction. I assume it is more likely to have drops and thrills than be a slow-moving water vehicle, like in ‘It’s a Small World’.
My current top guesses for the two main attractions are a Maleficent-themed rollercoaster, and a villains water ride. And as Disney reveals more information, I am excited to delve into different theories.
There is also another castle pictured in this concept art. While this castle is not as easy to identify as Maleficent’s castle is, it could be the Evil Queen’s castle because of the gothic appearance.
I am also excited about the new dining options there will be in this land. Disney Cruise Lines recently announced a Cruella de Vil piano bar for the Disney Destiny, which sets sail in November 2025. Guests will be able to meet Cruella during this dining experience, so I wonder if villains character dining will be available in Disney World as well. While it would be amazing to have a Cruelle-inspired bar in Orlando, I doubt they would open one similar to the bar that is coming to the cruise line.
An Ursula-inspired restaurant would be exciting. It could be a seafood restaurant and could also serve drinks inspired by her potions. With edible glitter!
Whatever Disney comes up with for this land, I know is going to be incredible! It seems like this is going to be the place to spend your nights at Magic Kingdom, especially if it looks like it does in this concept art! There are a lot of areas that seem to be lit up, and I assume it will be the busiest after dark. Can’t wait to see what Disney comes up with for this!
