Disney Plans to Reinvigorate Theme Parks

Disney executives are planning the largest expansion in the history of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in central Florida. the company announced plans over the weekend to modernize its Star Tours rides and greatly expand Fantasyland at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Among the new or reworked attractions coming to Fantasyland over the next three years are an elaborate area where children can dance with Cinderella, celebrate Sleeping Beauty’s birthday or interact with Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” There will also be a redesigned Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride and the addition of Pixie Hollow, a Tinker Bell-themed experience that opened last year at Disneyland in California. Disney also plans to update Star Tours, the Star Wars-themed ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It will debut in 2011. The Fantasyland overhaul will be complete by 2013. Disney declined to say how much it will spend on the projects.