Things are about to get spooky at Magic Kingdom! Disney has confirmed that Villains Land is coming to Magic Kingdom. The “blue sky” project many have dreamed about for years is officially in the works. In this post, which we’ll update through the time the land opens, we’ll cover what we know about the land and our hopes and expectations for this generational expansion. Read on to learn all about the Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom!
Basics About Villains Land Coming to Magic Kingdom
We’ll start with when and where the land will debut. The “when” question is particularly important because, as you’ll see, it’s still a long time away. This means that while this project is very much real, the details are still subject to change. And you don’t need to stress over planning a trip to see it yet—plenty of time to just enjoy the ride (and years of concept art).
When Will Villains Land at Magic Kingdom Open?
Disney has not announced an opening date for Villains Land, so we’re left only to speculate as to an opening timeframe. Let’s start with a look at some recent land openings at Disney World:
Pandora - Announced September 2011, Work Began January 2014, Opened May 2017 (~3 years construction)
Galaxy's Edge - Announced August 2015, Work Began April 2016, Opened August 2019 (~3 years construction)
Toy Story Land - Announced August 2015, Work Began April 2016, Opened June 2018 (~2 years construction)
Pueblo Esperanza - Announced September 2023, Work Began January 2025, Scheduled to Open 2027 (~2 years construction)
Probably the closest analogy we have here is the dual announcement of Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios. Magic Kingdom is getting two new lands. There’s the Cars Land (maybe smaller than a full “land”) that will mostly replace Rivers of America, and there’s the Villains Land that will mostly occupy new park land.
Cars Land Map, Concept Art, Copyright Disney, Fair Use Claimed
These lands were announced at the same time, just like Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. If we assume the Cars area will be the first to open (a reasonable assumption for a lot of reasons), the August 2024 announcement would point to the Cars land opening Summer 2027 and the Villains Land opening Summer 2028. But I doubt that will happen, for a few reasons.
First, we know Pueblo Esperanza at Animal Kingdom is already under construction and set for a 2027 opening. When it comes to opening new lands, it usually makes most sense to spread them out to keep guests coming back (and to spread costs).
Relatedly, there’s the Monsters, Inc. land being added at Hollywood Studios. I don’t want to be so pessimistic as to say Disney definitely will space out these lands only one year at a time (which pushes us to four new lands in 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030). But if we consider that we can reasonably expect this work to continue until at least 2029, we need to consider how all these projects might be spread out.
On this end, the “Beyond Big Thunder” project for Magic Kingdom, including these two lands, is no typical expansion. The project first requires filling in the Rivers of America. That aspect already hit a small, now resolved, permitting snag, and is much more complex than the majority of work on previous expansions, which involved repurposing existing land.
If we assume this complexity puts this project at the longer end of timelines, we’re probably expecting the Cars area to open in 2028 or 2029, with the Villains Land to follow in 2029 or 2030.
Again, this is all guesswork at this point. The bottom line is that you aren’t planning trips to see these new lands yet. On the plus side, they aren’t just “blue sky” projects anymore. Villains Land will get built.
Where Will Disney World’s Villains Land Be Located?
Villains Land will be located in Magic Kingdom, “beyond” Big Thunder, according to Disney. This could mean the land uses space that is literally past Big Thunder, but it could also include land in the Rivers of America area between Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion / “it’s a small world”.
Whatever the case, its clear the land is going to be on the west side of the park. Here’s one speculated map that looks pretty good to me.
Map Copyright Disney, Fair Use Claimed
Villains Land Rides and Attractions
Details are limited as to what new rides and attractions will be present in the land. Here’s the main line from Disney, noting there will be two major attractions:
The new land will encompass all your dreams- er, nightmares. The space will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. Source.
If you look closely at the concept art (below), you’ll see tracks suggesting that one of the new attractions will be a roller coaster. This makes as much sense as any other suggestion, but I’ve never had a fondness for concept art.
The other theming detail we have comes from the characters who appeared behind Josh D'Amaro during one of the announcements related to the land. This list included 13 villains: Chernabog, Captain Hook, Cruella de Vil, Evil Queen, Gaston, Hades, Jafar, Lady Tremaine, Maleficent, Mother Gothel, Queen of Hearts, Ursula, and Yzma.
Of course, we have no information as to what this list actually meant. Maybe all these characters will feature. Maybe they’ll be roaming. Maybe someone just had to throw together a graphic of 13 (spooky number) villains. It’s always possible the list will be changed. Personally, I’d like to see Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, and Intergenerational Trauma considered for feature roles.
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