Could Disney World be in store for a MASSIVE expansion?

Last year, Disney announced that $60 billion would be allocated toward expansion over a decade and experts have been speculating what that massive budget could yield. From new themed lands to larger-scale expansions, the Disney Parks have the opportunity to grow exponentially, especially at Disney World. In fact, it’s possible we could see a fifth Disney theme park show up in Florida!  

Speculation about a fifth Disney World park has been prevalent for decades now and has only gotten stronger due to the pressure applied by the nearby Universal Orlando Resort’s expansion. Disney World is legitimately being challenged for Central Florida theme park supremacy and will need more than just land changes and ride refurbishments to maintain its stature as king of theme park resorts.

In early 2023, Disney confirmed that a fifth Disney World theme park was in play, and, according to WFLA, 70% of the $60 billion will be invested in incremental capacity, “referencing growing attractions.” During Disney’s Q1 earnings call on February 7th, 2024, The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger danced around the idea of a fifth Disney World park but didn’t deny it.

“We’re already hard at work, basically determining where we’re going to place our new investments and what they will be,” said Iger. He then alluded to upgrades being made at every Disney location worldwide, including the Disney Cruise Line. With Disney World being a major focus for Disney, we can assume the Florida theme park resort will get some TLC, perhaps in the form of a new park.

So what could we see at this fifth park? Let’s speculate!

D23 Clues

In 2022, Disney teased possible Magic Kingdom expansions at D23 Expo and the conversation came up a year later at Destination D23, with Disney doubling down on the Magic Kingdom plans. During a panel, Disney executives described the plans as something akin to the scale of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with new attractions, shopping, and restaurants. If those expansion plans moved to a fifth park, what could they look like?

Disney previously confirmed a retheme of Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to a Tropical Americas land. Some possible options for the land have centered around Zootopia, Encanto, Moana, and Indiana Jones. Those Magic Kingdom expansion plans have included talk of a Coco and a Disney villain-themed land, so we could see one or multiple of these ideas come to fruition at a fifth park.

DisneylandForward Clues

The reality of it all is that we’re too far out from the full conceptualization of a fifth park to accurately speculate what we could see in said park. However, it’s also fair to assume Disney has been leaving breadcrumbs. Disneyland is currently in the process of trying to get planned expansion — DisneylandForward — approved, and they have listed some concrete examples as to what might be included in that expansion.

Over at Disneyland Park, Disney has teased Tangled and Peter Pan-themed lands and attractions, while Disney California Adventure could include Frozen, Zootopia, Toy Story, and Tron attractions and lands. DisneylandForward also includes new hotels, shops, and restaurants that could all be installed if the plan is improved.

So why does California’s DisneylandForward matter for a fifth theme park at Florida’s Walt Disney World? DisneylandForward has taken a lot of inspiration from the latest developments at Disney Parks in Europe, Asia, and, yes, Disney World. This indicates that Disney could be looking to duplicate or expand upon existing lands, attractions, and ideas into its newest parks and expansions.

NEW Intellectual Property?

The Walt Disney Company looks A LOT Different today than it did back in 1998 when Disney World opened its fourth theme park, Animal Kingdom. For starters, Disney now owns Pixar, 21st Century Fox, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Studios. Disney has already played with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, and Marvel’s Avengers-themed lands and rides, it’s likely Disney keeps collecting and using different intellectual property like Thanos collecting infinity stones.

Just this month, Disney partnered with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery to make a joint sports streaming platform. As Disney continues to work with other companies outside of the Disney bubble, it only further heightens the possibility that Disney expands its IP collection either through partnerships or purchases.

The possibility of a fifth Disney World park is incredibly exciting and while nothing is concrete as of now, we can’t wait to bring you any and all future updates — so stay tuned here at DFB for all the latest!

WARNING: Don’t Let These 2024 Disney World Hotel CHANGES Catch You Off-Guard 

What do you think a fifth Disney World theme park NEEDS to have? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Experts Think Disney World Could Add a 5th Park — Here Are 3 Clues About What Could Be In It first appeared on the disney food blog.