Recap of the 2015 D23 Expo

A lot happened at this year's D23 Expo, an event that occurs just once every two years (but man is it great when it's an odd-numbered year). The first look at Captain America: Civil War was shown, as well as concept art from Doctor Strange. Pixar announced their upcoming slate of films, as did Disney Animation, which also bolstered the event with an announcement that Dwayne Johnson would star in their upcoming film, Moana. Magic Kingdoms was announced to be a new game coming soon to mobile phones, but everyone cares about the real theme parks when it comes to the D23 Expo. And there was some huge news in that arena that weekend in mid-August. Let's take a look at all the theme park news announced.

• Soarin' at EPCOT will receive a new film that will lead the ride into its change to be called Soarin' Over the World. To me, this is the most exciting news because I love Soarin' and I can't wait to see what it's like to travel the world in that capacity. Maybe the ending will be in space. That would be something really special.
• A new restaurant will open at Magic Kingdom's Adventureland called The Skipper Canteen and it will be themed like The Jungle Cruise!
• Finally, an attraction has been announced for Pandora: The World of Avatar over at Animal Kingdom. The ride will be titled Avatar: Flight of Passage and it will place riders on a Banshee that dashes through the land of Pandora in the film's climactic action sequence.
• Similar to Disneyland Paris, Hollywood Studios will now be home to an eleven-acre Toy Story Land. Included in the land will be a family-friendly roller coaster on top of Slinky Dog and a saucer-esque ride that makes the guest feel like one of the squeeze toy aliens as they try to avoid The Claw.
• Finally, what was arguably the biggest news of the whole weekend. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, a fourteen-acre Star Wars Land will be taking a spot in the park over by Star Tours. The two main attractions coming with it will be a customized individual mission to pilot the Millennium Falcon and what has only been described as "an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle." In addition to these, the land will have Star Wars Launch Bay, an introspective look at the seven films, Jedi Academy, where characters can be met, Seasons of the Force, a fireworks show set to John Williams's score, a revamped Star Tours, and a Cantina-themed restaurant. This sounds epic.

It was definitely a good year for the D23 Expo. Even though this blog is ending, I will definitely have to come back with my thoughts on the way Walt Disney World looks once all of this is open. An exciting time!