Ah, 2017. What a time to be a Walt Disney World fan. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land were already under construction, and ahead of that year’s D23 Expo, there were rumors trickling out that the board had approved a several billion dollar expansion plan that would include the Great Mickey Ride, Gondolas, DVC at Caribbean Beach, Spain and Brazil in World Showcase, and much more.
Obviously, some of that was slightly incorrect. But with exception of Brazil and Spain, the rumors ended up being right–with an emphasis on the “much more” part. As we wrote recently in 2024 D23 Expo Wish List: Lion Kings & Figments & Bing Bongs, Oh My!, this year’s event has the potential to once again reach the same highs as 2017.
That was the best D23 Expo for Parks & Resorts announcements and one of the biggest days ever for Walt Disney World news. A ton of game-changing projects that have rolled out in the years since and forever changed the landscape of Walt Disney World. It was the last true blockbuster D23 Expo–going into and coming out of the pandemic, the 2019 and 2022 events weren’t nearly as good, with a lot of things that were cancelled or never happened. By contrast, what was announced at the 2017 D23 Expo actually came to fruition, with one glaring exception…
Announced on stage by then-Parks Chairman (and future umbrella enthusiast) Bob Chapek, the Main Street USA Theater during the Parks & Resorts panel was the one big project that didn’t get built. The venue was described as being inspired by Kansas City’s Willis Wood Theater from the 1920s, where Walt Disney lived after he left Marceline.
Chapek himself likened the Main Street Theater project to the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure, saying it would house Broadway-style shows like Frozen that had been huge hits at Disneyland Resort. “The new Main Street Theater at Walt Disney World continues that streak by bringing a new venue for world-class entertainment to the world’s biggest park.”
Here was the concept art shared by Bob Chapek and Disney back in 2017:
The project got underway only a few months later, with Imagineering filing a permit package for “Magic Kingdom East Side Modifications” in November 2017 that encompassed both TRON Lightcycle Run and the Main Street Theater project. Other permits suggested that the theater would be finished by late 2019 and would open in 2020.
Those made clear that it would go onto a backstage parking lot between Tomorrowland Terrace and Town Square Theater, along the current bypass that’s used for Halloween and Christmas party entry and fireworks exit. (See the permit below–the theater is “MK1” at the bottom; TRON is “MK2” at the top.)
Construction was about to begin on the Main Street USA Theater, with backstage prep work beginning and space being cleared to allow the work to get underway behind the existing Town Square Theater and Tomorrowland. Then out of left field came credible rumors in February 2018 that the Main Street Theater had been paused indefinitely–effectively abandoning the project right as it got going.
Walt Disney World never made an official announcement (so I guess technically it’s still in project purgatory?!) to cancel the Main Street Theater, but the area was un-cleared, the parking lot was put back into use, and subsequent permits for TRON Lightcycle Run scrubbed the Main Street Theater. And also, you haven’t stepped foot into this theater (because it doesn’t exist), so it’s safe to say the rumors were accurate.
It was also rumored that the Main Street Theater project was “delayed indefinitely” in order to allocate funds to another major project that would debut in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. One of those rumors pointed to new monorails, as the fleet was old and overdue for replacement in 2017. Obviously, that did not occur. Another possibility was a more ambitious EPCOT overhaul, which I suspect was the actual explanation…until March 2020 happened, and then it wasn’t. But that’s not the point of this post.
Here’s my full reaction to the Main Street Theater from my D23 Expo post-mortem: “My initial reaction to this theater is that it does not match the scale of Main Street, U.S.A. If the scale is off, it doesn’t matter what real-world place inspired the theater–it will not fit. The concept art also makes the materials (mostly concrete) look dissimilar to the rest of Main Street, but that could just be the art. On the plus side, if this means getting rid of that infernal Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage, I guess it’s not all bad.” (I was a lot less verbose back in the day.)
Despite the permit package revealing that the Main Street Theater would be off Main Street (there was a lot of confusion at the time about whether it’d be replacing Town Square Theater), I doubled down on this sentiment when word of the cancellation broke, calling the news “fine by me” and reiterating that the design looked boring and prominent but poorly-themed.
A bit of an aside, but I also said the D23 Expo gave the vibe of a ‘Disney Decade 2.0’ with announcements that were sufficiently vague so they could be abandoned or altered with little fanfare, pointing specifically to how the EPCOT overhaul concept art only flashed on the screen and was never released publicly.
Three iterations of the EPCOT overhaul later, I was right about that last point. But nothing else. The other projects from the 2017 D23 Expo were built and most turned out really well. If anything, Disney fans underestimate just how much the D23 Expos from 2015 and 2017 set Walt Disney World up for the decade to come and to compete with Universal in 2025 despite not opening anything new (yes, really). I was also wrong about the Main Street USA Theater project–it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t built.
Actually, I’m not going to walk that back all the way. The concept art as revealed was underwhelming. Not only that, but I think I’ve been vindicated a few times over with Imagineering’s “big box” builds since 2017. Not even Tokyo Disney Resort has managed to escape this trend, as its new Fantasy Springs Hotel is about as bland as it gets, making Disney’s Riviera Resort look well-designed by comparison.
But I also think the Main Street Theater could’ve been better than the concept art suggested and also wouldn’t have realized my worst fears. For one thing, the big box hotels are ugly in part because of their sightlines and in part because of their scale and visibility from all sides.
While this looked bad in the concept art, the viewing angles would be more limited since it’d be down a corridor. Trees could’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting in concealing it from the Main Street bypass, and it probably wouldn’t have even been visible from Main Street USA proper, as the buildings would’ve blocked it.
Also, there’s nothing to say Imagineering couldn’t have built something that looked better than the starkly utilitarian concept art. Not exactly a high bar, there.
There are a few reasons why it’s time to revive the Main Street Theater project now. The first was intimated above, which is that it would get shows off the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage and into a proper venue. Daytime stage shows in that ‘venue’ are miserable most of the year.
As we reported earlier this month, the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage is closed through the end of summer for “refurbishment.” Yes, work is actually happening to the stage, but it seems like very convenient timing given the oppressive heat and humidity, which make those normally unpleasant daytime stage shows even worse than normal. It’s no fun to camp out and watch these shows in the scorching sun, and it can’t be good for the performers, either.
Don’t get me wrong–Cinderella Castle is an awesome backdrop for entertainment. But it’s also incredibly impractical (and lazy) for daytime stage shows, which are the only kind Magic Kingdom does during daily operations. If it’s going to stick around, I’d love regular nighttime stage shows in that spot, but otherwise, an indoor and air-conditioned venue makes more sense. It’s safe to say that Orlando’s summers aren’t suddenly going to get cool and comfortable.
Similarly, it’s worth pointing out that Magic Kingdom is the only park at Walt Disney World that does not have a large-scale musical stage show. Yes, there’s Country Bear Musical Jamboree, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, and Carousel of Progress–but those aren’t the same. It’s honestly kind of odd that Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom arguably have an overabundance of shows, whereas Magic Kingdom doesn’t have enough.
Not only that, but Magic Kingdom is the only castle park with this problem (assuming Disneyland plans on doing something with Fantasyland Theatre post-Pixar Fest). All of the rest have stage shows, and many of them follow a similar montage-style formula that switch out the framework but are otherwise very similar. (That’s even true of the new-ish Mickey’s Magical Music World at Tokyo Disneyland, which I assume is similar to what this MSUSA theater would’ve been since the development timelines were similar.)
As Magic Kingdom gets busier–presumably the goal given Beyond Big Thunder–having a huge Broadway stage show venue would not just be good for guests, but great for operations. This theater would help soak up crowds and be an excellent change-of-pace attraction.
Another reason is more tangential to the Main Street Theater itself, but equally important. Magic Kingdom needs a Main Street bypass.
This is already evident during peak season, as well as around Happily Ever After and Festival of Fantasy Parade. And if Magic Kingdom is ever going to have a nighttime parade again (about that…), a bypass would be an invaluable asset for crowd control. It’s necessary for entertainment right now, but frankly, it’ll be necessary in general in ~5 years with Beyond Big Thunder.
If we’re being realistic, the only way a Main Street bypass gets proper funding and becomes something better than what’s there right now is if there’s a project anchoring it. This theater would be exactly that. While I’m realistic enough not to expect something on par with the existing Main Street, I know Imagineering would be ambitious and inventive if given the chance–working on a Main Street project would be an honor for many Imagineers, and it would become a passion project.
Finally, because we’ve seen what these Broadway style shows can be–and they’re excellent!
Disney Live Entertainment has gotten really, really good at creating stage shows like this. I’d go as far as to say that right now is a golden age of entertainment, at least from a creative perspective (certainly not in quantity or atmospheric acts) and the Disney Live Entertainment team can absolutely deliver. Just look at the stage shows they’ve brought to life at Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, or aboard Disney Cruise Line.
This is even true at Disneyland in California. The only slight problem there is that all of these great shows have fallen victim to cost-cutting. Although every show staged there has been great, there isn’t anything in the Hyperion–nor is there any actual entertainment at Fantasyland Theater. But that’s not a creative failing of Disney Live Entertainment. Blame Disneyland management for being cheap.
The problem is that Walt Disney World management is, historically, also cheap when it comes to live entertainment.
The Florida parks have lost so much exceptional entertainment over the last decade, and especially since 2019-2020. Given everything that has been cut or is still “temporarily unavailable” following the phased reopening (that began over 4 years ago) the whole premise of this post feels a bit silly, frankly. Walt Disney World spending the money to produce and staff a Broadway style stage show? Sure thing, Bob. Just as soon as free FastPass and Disney’s Magical Express return.
However, I am perhaps foolishly optimistic about Walt Disney World’s future entertainment prospects. Everything I’ve heard has me feeling good about the future. As I’ve said before, there’s a reason that Walt Disney World brought David Duffy over from Disneyland Paris and we should start seeing the fruits of that in 2025.
While the Main Street Theater could not be one of Walt Disney World’s “answers” to Epic Universe in 2025, it probably could be ready by Spring 2027 if the project were accelerated. That’s way before Beyond Big Thunder and probably prior to Tropical Americas, too.
Failing all else, if Walt Disney World put the resources into creating a spectacular stage show–something along the lines of Mickey and the Magician or Big Band Beat (pre-COVID), they could absolutely monetize it. I’m not saying this is what I want to see–quite the opposite–but they could easily sell Lightning Lane Single Pass to a show that good.
Ultimately, I’m not upset that the Main Street Theater project got delayed indefinitely in 2017. With so many other projects having higher priority, it wouldn’t have surprised me if it were built on a tight budget and without sufficient design and placemaking. Given the venue’s size and prominent location on Main Street, it should be created with careful attention to detail and thoughtfulness as to how it’ll blend with the iconic area. With $17 billion to be spent in the next decade, hopefully the Main Street USA Theater can be revived and given a healthy budget along with a proper bypass.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What did you think of the Main Street Theater project? Glad it was cancelled or would you like a Broadway-style stage show and themed bypass of Main Street for crowd control? Do you think the appearance of the proposed theater was ‘good enough’ or should it have been themed better? Agree or disagree with our take here that the Main Street Theater should be revived? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments!
