I have seen a tremendous number of social media posts expressing disappointment in the park’s presentation at this year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. This rant, however, is not about the presentation; this rant is about the Disney fandom.
Tom’s Disney Fandom Rant
I started this website in 2007, and as I gained a persona and people came to know me in this community, especially by the mid-2010s and into the 2020s, I became known as the negative guy, the guy who hates everything. People made up stories about me, and there are still lots of people who don’t like me or give me dirty looks in public for whatever reason.
What rubs me the wrong way today is seeing the fandom adopting that negative persona that people felt I was for many years, particularly when this weekend was clearly a rare moment in which almost everyone got what they wanted.
I have been to nearly every D23, and there were rightful complaints at the end of all of them. However, this was a year where we got so many incredible details about the projects that are coming up that have already been announced, along with huge announcements that we have YEARNED for like Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
If you are a true Disney Parks fan, you should be able to find joy or happiness in at least one of the announcements made at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026, such as the Yeti at Everest being fixed, the return of Dreamfinder, a reimagined Journey into Imagination attraction, a new Tomorrowland for Disneyland, the original Space Mountain De La Terre A La Lune coming back in Paris or even the Spaceship Earth reimagining finally happening.
If not one of those things mentioned above speaks to you, you’re not one of us. I’m sorry, you’re just not.
And don’t come after me that this is some sort of “gatekeeping”, because it isn’t. If the biggest complaints of 20+ years are being addressed, it is incredibly silly to be upset with where we are going or to claim that this event was somehow a disappointment. If anything is disappointing, it’s that these things which were the most wanted for decades aren’t enough for you.
If you are a Disneyland fan, that Tomorrowland news should be earth-shattering. If you are a Walt Disney World fan, either the Yeti or Dreamfinder and Figment should be tremendous news for you. And obviously, if you’re a Disneyland Paris fan, you are getting what you always wanted, and I’m so happy for you to once again enjoy Space Mountain as Imagineers first intended.
And then there’s the Spaceship Earth refurbishment finally happening. I saw people complaining about that. “They’re going to ruin Spaceship Earth.” The current ending is just black curtains, triangles, and a jib jab video. They’re going to ruin that? Are you okay?
The absolute worst version of Spaceship Earth is the current one of the four of them, and it is not arguable in any way, shape, or form because it literally doesn’t have a second half.
Kudos to Thomas Mazloum, chairman of Disney Experiences, as it’s called now. He has cemented himself already as the real deal for fans. Every Imagineer I’ve spoken to this week has said nothing but the most gloriously positive things about Mazloum, and I’m beyond excited to see where he takes these special places we love so dearly next.
The more I’ve talked to Thomas, the more I’ve seen he is genuine in what he says and that he cares. Over half the people that have held this job in my lifetime were the total opposite. So long as all these projects are carried out, he will have accomplished more positively in one night than most of them did in their entire tenures.
And don’t get me wrong, his number one job is financials. His number one job is to make money for this company, but I think he is smart enough to know and understand what some of his predecessors did not: There is a lot of money in the people, the people like us who love this place and come back time after time after time and buy all the merchandise and stay in the hotels and renew that annual pass every year.
Clearly, under Josh D’Amaro’s leadership, they have put together the right people at Parks and Resorts. There are some of these executives where the verdict’s still since they are still very new in their roles, but the leadership above them certainly seems to be putting things in the right direction.
In a short conversation with Joe Schott, new president of Walt Disney World Resort, I found a realistic and assuring outlook on where things are heading for the Florida property and I look forward to seeing what he and his team can do for our home parks.
After what had felt like so many years of darkness and despair for the places and the art form we hold so dearly, I find myself so far more optimistic than I have ever been. If the most negative man to ever live can feel this way right now, what’s your problem?
See every announcement from Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026.
What D23 announcement has you the most excited? Let us know on social media.
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The post Tom’s D23 Fandom Rant: You Got the Yeti, Dreamfinder, Tomorrowland and Spaceship Earth, What More Do You Want? appeared first on WDW News Today.
