Video of the announcement is here: D23 Expo
Some of the main points:
- The original Fantasyland will not change. This is an expansion of the land into what is now Toontown. Toontown will be totally replaced. There is no date on Toontown's closing.
- The new Fantasyland is scheduled to open 2012.
-The new Pixie Hollows (an area to meet Tinkerbell and the other pixies) will open 2013.
-A new E-ticket ride featuring The Little Mermaid. It's working title is "Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid". It will be an enclosed ride that takes one through the scenes of the popular movie and will use the Omnimover technology for the ride cares (what is used for The Haunted Mansion).
-Expansion of the Dumbo ride. It will now feature 2 separate rides. There will also be a queue that isn't really a queue. Instead one will be playing interactive games as they wait. No real detailed information on this though.
-Separate themed areas for many of the popular princesses including Snow White, Aurora, and Belle.
-New restaurant based off of Beauty and the Beast named Be Our Guest. Also another dining location named Gaston's Tavern.
-Mickey and Minnie's houses from Toontown will be relocated. Goofy's Barnstormer will be rethemed but stay in it's current location.
A pic of the area's rendering as well as the plans can be found at the Orlando Sentinels site: Fantasyland Plans
Another bit of information found is that the Star Tours ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios is being redone. The 3D movie will now feature the rider in a PodRace instead of on a transport ship. Here's a preview: Star Tours 2. Personally, I do not like the idea of bringing this is. Does the ride need revamping? Yes, the movie is outdated. But I am against anything being updated with a Prequel feel. I personally HATE the prequels and feel like they ruined the name of Star Wars.
If any more information comes out then I will update my blog to reflect it!
