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The Irish Sun

I'm a Disney expert who's visited 50 times – what to expect from their new Florida theme park from Fortnite to Frozen

WALT Disney World have filed plans to add a fifth theme park to their Florida resort - which is major news for families heading to Orlando. Disney is already big business in Florida, heavily contributing to the Advertisement 7 Helen is a Disney expert and content creator at @passportstampsuk who has been to Orlando over 50 times Credit: Helen Wright 7 The iconic Disney castle has been the icon of Walt Disney World since 1971, but live-action films and computer games could dominate the new park Credit: Helen Wright As someone who has visited the theme parks in Florida more than 50 times, this is exciting news and could potentially change everything when it comes to theme park holidays - especially for Brits. Heading to Florida is not a cheap trip, with many families I speak to through my website For some, a potential new theme park opening is brilliant news, as once you've booked and paid to get to the US, you'll be getting even more for your money. Advertisement But, in reality, this means your Disney holiday will cost you even more, as a new theme park will likely mean a longer trip is necessary and even more cash needed for food, drinks and hotels. Ultimately, this is what Disney really wants - to welcome guests and keep them Walt Disney World is already Florida's unofficial city, bigger in size than Miami. So first-timers to the resort often have no idea what to expect and it A whole new world As someone who first went to Walt Disney World at the age of eight and has returned almost every year since, I have seen Advertisement With Disney acquiring franchises like Pixar, Lucasfilm, The Chronicles of Narnia and National Geographic, the potential for this new theme park is endless. With Universal Orlando Resort opening the new However, it's unlikely that we'll see the impact of that change for another Some reports are suggesting the 'fifth gate', an insider name for a completely new theme park, won't open until 2045! 7 Helen's children, pictured with partner, Simon, will be almost grown up by the time the new Disney park opens in Florida Credit: Helen Wright Advertisement 7 Disney has made an application, pictured, to build a whole new theme park in Orlando Credit: Central Florida Tourism Oversight District' My children are now five and eight, meaning they could be in their mid-twenties by the time it opens. I will be 60! However, I think things will move a lot faster. Epic Universe, which opened in May 2025, is now the However, Disney still have some magic up their sleeve, with the announcement of the new Advertisement This land, based on Disney baddies such as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and Hades from Hercules, will add a new dynamic to the existing park and change the pace from cute characters and pretty princesses to a darker, more mischievous vibe. After first being announced in 2019, Universal Orlando officially Using this as a guide, realistically, we won't see the gates open to the new Disney park until at least 2035. Disney fans can, however, look forward to a new area of the Magic Kingdom Park This will happen much sooner, rumoured to be opening in 2027. Advertisement This expansion itself will be the largest in Like many other theme park enthusiasts and Disney fans, I have some ideas on what the new Disney park will feature. From cutting-edge tech and immersive, live-action encounters, these are my predictions on what we might get to experience at Walt Live-Action Land 7 Live-action movies have made over $7bn at the box office, so Disney will want to capitalise on the popularity Credit: Helen Wright The original Advertisement Fast forward 70 years, and both the movies and the theme parks have come a very long way. Disney's live-action movies have made over $7bn at the box office since 2010, and franchises like So, it makes sense that Disney will want to have a modern, high-tech theme park, based on the most popular live-action Disney films, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Attractions are likely to be similar in style to the new, jaw-dropping Harry Potter and I expect the attractions to be fully immersive, featuring state-of-the-art video projections that use the original actors, an animated queue line and a physical ride. Advertisement Fortnite and Interactive Gaming One entertainment space that Disney Parks have not yet fully explored is the concept of This is a dedicated theme park land, based on a video game, or games, that incorporates a gaming element into the lands, projections and rides. Think In 2024, Disney announced they were collaborating with Epic Games, who own the worldwide phenomenon, Fortnite. At the time, Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive of The Walt Disney Company, said: "This marks Disney's biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion. Advertisement "We can't wait for fans to experience the Epic Games already works with Unreal Engine, a software developer, and Disney has hinted they will collaborate on an all-new games and entertainment universe. Unreal Engine was used in the creation of more than 15 Disney Parks attractions, including Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. So watch this space. Moana Water Park In the new development plans, Disney have requested space for the new theme park as well as two 'small' theme park spaces, which could very well be used for a new water park. Disney currently has two water parks, Advertisement The film, which is set on a fictional Polynesian island, would be ideal to create a water park around, but incorporating modern elements like a water coaster, as seen on DisneySEA Florida 7 DisneySEA in Tokyo is one of the most unique Disney parks in the world, so a version could be created in the US One of the most unique Disney parks in the world is Japan's This is an entire theme park, which sits alongside Japan's other Disney park, Advertisement This would be ideal after the success of Disney's live-action Plus, Florida DisneySEA would be a None of the existing parks have a specially-themed water area, so this would be a perfect addition. Plus, the plans include requests for an underground basement level. Could this be to build a lake and river that would need to be below ground, for visual effect and purification? Marvel Cinematic Universe Marvel is a hotly debated topic in the realm of Florida theme parks, with Disney's biggest rival in Orlando currently holding the rights to original comic book brands, such as Advertisement While Disney now own Marvel and can create commercial properties with the brand in Europe, Asia and on the US's West Coast, they are not permitted to use the Marvel brand in the east of the US, where Walt Disney World is located. However, since Disney's acquisition with Marvel in 2009, there are some Marvel movies and characters that didn't exist when the intellectual rights were drawn up, are free to be That led to the opening of Advertisement The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. There is no doubt Disney will want to create a modern theme park with this theme, which lends itself perfectly to the modern lands and attractions we have come to expect in the digital age. Rumours have been circulating for years that Universal will sell the Marvel brand back to Disney and re-brand their space at This could lead to an entire Animation World Showcase 7 Disney's most beloved movies could be celebrated around a large lake, just like at Japan's DisneySEA, pictured here Advertisement Finally, the size of the proposed theme park at Walt Disney World could make way for a new version of This classic area of Disney's EPCOT park features pavilions themed on 11 different countries around the world. With diversity at the forefront of Disney's movie projects, this could lead to an animated The most obvious franchise would be Advertisement The picturesque, snow-covered fictional kingdom would be perfect if set around an Other animated film pavilions could include a Mexican-themed Encanto, Italian-inspired Luca, Machu Picchu from The Emperor's New Groove and San Francisco from Inside-Out - another huge, yet under represented Disney movie across the parks. Disney has yet to comment on the new plans but, like