Walt Disney World is going to be a buzz of activity over the next several years as new projects take shape at Magic Kingdom (Cars rides), Hollywood Studios (Monsters Inc. land), and Animal Kingdom (Tropical Americas). Despite all these developments, Disney World still has several empty attraction buildings and spaces that seem ripe for something new.
Many of these vacancies are right in front of guests. Many have been empty for years. Here’s five somewhat abandoned spots in Disney World where we think something new should be built.
Stich’s Great Escape – Magic Kingdom
The old home of Stitch’s Great Escape (and ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter before that) in Tomorrowland hasn’t been used for guests since 2018. The space was rumored to become a new attraction with Wreck-It Ralph theming, but those plans apparently fell apart years ago. Disney has used this spot as storage and no other development plans appear to be in the works.
Remember that the Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world. Stitch’s former home is taking up valuable real estate just off the main entrance into Tomorrowland. Stitch’s footprint isn’t big by any means, but it’s crazy that Disney hasn’t done something here – especially with their love of revamping existing spaces.
Wonders of Life Pavilion – EPCOT
Once upon a time, the Wonders of Life Pavilion at EPCOT was home to two unique attractions. Those days are long behind us (the attractions closed in 2007), and the Pavilion was used as the hub for all Festivals at EPCOT until 2018. Construction then began to change the building into the Play! Pavilion, but that project stalled out during the COVID closures. Disney was “re-evaluating the Play! Pavilion” back in 2023, and nothing has been said since.
Now, Disney has blocked off the pathways to the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Crews have worked on the golden roof a couple times over the years, but there’s no indication Disney has any plans to reopen the Pavilion. That’s a shame too. The building is vintage EPCOT and could provide a nice indoor spot for something new in the park.
Discovery River Amphitheater – Animal Kingdom
Disney spent a lot of time and money to build an outdoor amphitheater along the banks of the Discovery River at Animal Kingdom. The amphitheater was primarily built for the nighttime Rivers of Light show, but that show (and its variation) barely lasted three years. Disney later tried a daytime kite show, named KiteTails, but that show – and its hilarious kite crashes – ended in 2022.
Today, the amphitheater doesn’t host any shows. Some guests will take a load off on the benches during the day, but the severe lack of shade makes it an unattractive option. It’s a shame such a large venue isn’t being used.
Why doesn’t Disney host a new nighttime show at Animal Kingdom and keep the park open late? Disney tried to make Animal Kingdom more of a nighttime park when they debuted Rivers of Light, but we’ve heard that it fell short of expectations. Financially, Disney wasn’t happy with the costs to keep the park open late and the relatively small return.
Star Wars Launch Bay – Hollywood Studios
OK, technically Star Wars Launch Bay is still operating and open to guests. However, we think this space is vastly underutilized. In fact, the entire Animation Courtyard area as a whole needs to be completely redeveloped. While Launch Bay is is home to a few meet and greets, the rest of it feels like an abandoned museum. There’s just not much to see or do. It feels weird.
Launch Bay has been used as an event space over the years, but that mostly stopped when Hollywood Studios ended their nightly fireworks/projection shows. Everything about it has felt out of place after Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened just across the park.
Launch Bay and the rest of Animation Courtyard could (and should) be bulldozed and transformed into a new anchor land that would go a long way in rounding out Hollywood Studios. Rumors claim Disney has exactly that in mind, though we don’t know which movie or franchise will be used.
Discovery Island
Discovery Island has been closed for more than 25 years and has been almost completely reclaimed by nature. We don’t expect Disney to do anything with the island, but it’s fun to pretend about a location that has such a colorful history.
Located on Bay Lake, Discovery Island was a zoological park from the 1970s up until 1999 when the island closed and the animals were relocated to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Rumors have popped up several times over the years about Discovery Island’s future. One of the most interesting was a connection to the game Myst that would see visitors explore and solve puzzles. That obviously never happened, and the island continues to sit empty to this day.
Various trespassers have explored the island over the years and found mostly abandoned buildings. Disney doesn’t take these trespassing situations lightly, and we don’t recommend trying to get a look for yourself.
While it’s possible Discovery Island will one day be used for something, we think Disney would rather focus on other areas that are much easier to develop.
