Of the many projects under construction at Walt Disney World, arguably the most anticipated among fans is Villains Land, a new area of Magic Kingdom dedicated to Disney’s classic bad guys. Walt Disney Imagineers have teased that Villains Land will be on a scale comparable to the intricately detailed Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, so expectations are high. One of Villains Land’s flagship attractions will be a roller coaster starring Maleficent, the evil fairy from Sleeping Beauty.
Disney shared a first look at the Maleficent roller coaster coming to Villains Land, and we’re taking a deep dive into all the details and references. Plus, we have a look at other Villains Land attractions and an opening date prediction. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the calendar of when Disney World’s new rides will open and new Disney Cruise Line itineraries.
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New Maleficent Roller Coaster at Magic Kingdom’s Villains Land
Villains Land is under construction at Magic Kingdom. In a theme park known for the happily ever afters of fairytale characters, the infamous antagonists of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, going all the way back to the very beginning of the studio’s catalog nearly a century ago, will finally get their due.
Within the story, Villains Land will take place in a realm called the Dark Forest, where a mysterious stranger has made an evil wish into a wishing well. Their wish creates dark magic that spills from the well and draws Disney Villains to claim it for themselves. Imagineers shared more details about the Villains Land backstory during a media briefing with Mickey Visit. Read their insight here.
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Zooming in on the concept art of the evil wish materializing, it’s clear Imagineers aren’t holding back in their dark concepts for what Villains Land could be. This looks scary! From left to right in the zoomed-in artwork above, we can see floating eyeballs, undead skeletons, rats, a sentient poisoned apple, and bats.
This may seem like a departure for Magic Kingdom, but it’s very much in line with the three earliest films from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Several moments in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia, pictured above, were macabre, bordering on altogether terrifying at times.
But what of Maleficent? She’s come to claim the dark magic for herself too, and guests will come face-to-face with her in a “high thrill” new roller coaster attraction, which Imagineers say will contain elements they “haven’t done before in a Disney coaster.”
An inscription on concept art for the Maleficent roller coaster reads, “Enchanted briar ensnarls Maleficent’s fortress, posing a challenge to those who dare answer her invitation.”
Maleficent’s fortress will be perched atop a cliff, just like it is in 1959’s Sleeping Beauty.
The coaster train will have a dragon’s head on the front, and riders will sit in rows of two, as seen in this concept art and a scale model of the ride.
Details will abound throughout the decaying, but somehow still regal, look of Maleficent’s aged fortress. In this photo of the model, you can see how the track will twist and turn through the fortress’s grounds and the briars outside. The coaster appears to be mostly outdoors. There could be indoor show scenes, but Disney hasn’t shared those if so.
If the coaster doesn’t go upside-down, it seems to come pretty close by the looks of this angle of the track in the scale model.
Details seen throughout the model, such as these on threshold passageways, speak to the level of storytelling nuance that Villains Land will embody.
Sleeping Beauty is one of the most gorgeous films in Disney’s library. Glancing at a few frames from the movie, one can see how Imagineers drew inspiration for the aesthetic of the Maleficent coaster and for Villains Land as a whole.
Maleficent’s goons from the film will seemingly return for the ride. They can be seen in the ornamentation of the concept artworks’ borders, zoomed in super close in the collage above.
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Other Attractions in Villains Land
In addition to the Maleficent roller coaster, Villains Land will have one more ride, plus shopping and dining experiences.
A new dark ride, the term for an indoor, slow-moving, storytelling-driven attraction, will be hosted by the Magic Mirror and the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Starting off in the Evil Queen’s palace, riders will venture into the Mirror Realm, facing visions of Cruella De Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Jafar from Aladdin, Doctor Facilier from The Princess and the Frog, Scar from The Lion King, and Ursula from The Little Mermaid.
Imagineers have said that the Villains arrive in the Dark Forest to craft “new lairs for themselves.” It remains to be seen if those will be part of the Magic Mirror dark ride, or if those will materialize as individual meet-and-greet spaces elsewhere in the land.
Disney hasn’t announced details about restaurants or shops in Villains Land.
When Will Villains Land Open?
Disney has not announced an opening date or year for Villains Land at Magic Kingdom. However, based on the current progress, pictured above, and the number of similarly large expansion projects that will open at Walt Disney World before it, Mickey Visit predicts Villains Land will open in 2030 at the earliest. See more in our opening date timeline for Disney World’s new rides.
Also under construction are Monstropolis for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tropical Americas for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Piston Peak National Park at Magic Kingdom.
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