Wakanda joins Coco, Zootopia, and Encanto on Disney Parks' future blue sky expansion list, reveals Josh D'Amaro

Speaking to the New York Times today, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro widened the blue sky wish list even further to include Wakanda from Marvel's Black Panther.

"Imagine bringing Wakanda to life," D'Amaro said. "In terms of bringing the latest Disney-Marvel-Pixar intellectual property to the parks, we haven't come close to scratching the surface. And we have learned that incorporating Disney I.P. increases the return on investment significantly."

Josh D'Amaro at Destination D23

Disney has recently changed tact on how it discusses plans for new attractions and is now openly discussing blue sky projects before they are even green-lit. At one time, the first anyone would know of a new Disney attraction was when steel was spotted rising from the ground.

Tropical Americas Encanto land concept art at Disney's Animal Kingdom

D'Amaro first revealed blue sky plans for Walt Disney World at D23 Expo in 2022, where he outlined plans for Moana and Zootopia attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom, with Encanto and Coco moving into the Magic Kingdom. A year later, at Destination D23, he revealed updated plans, which have seen Moana canceled, Zootopia moved to a smaller project at Tree of Life theater, and Encanto and Indiana Jones taking over DinoLand U.S.A. None of these projects are green-lit, but whatever is built will come from Disney's movie intellectual properties.

Josh D'Amaro and Imagineering boss Bruce Vaughn

Walt Disney Imagineering has gone through a massive period of transformation in recent years, with the on-and-off move to Lake Noana in Florida, the departure of key Imagineers and leaders, and now the return of its former head, Bruce Vaughn.

Photo: WDWMAGICWalt Disney Imagineering in Glendale California

Disney today announced a $60 billion expenditure plan for Disney, Parks, Experiences, and Products over the next ten years, with at least $17 billion of that earmarked for Walt Disney World.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an email today, "The growth trajectory is very compelling if we do nothing beyond what we have already committed. By dramatically increasing our investment - building big, being ambitious, maintaining quality and high standards and using our most popular I.P. - it will be turbocharged."