Theme Park Bits - The NBA Experience At Disney World, ‘Hunger Games’ Land In Dubai, Pixar Comes To DisneySea
In this edition of Theme Park Bits:
This week,Disney Parks Blogused the start of the 2017-2018 NBA season as an opportunity to release concept art for the NBA Experience at Walt Disney World Resort. The NBA Experience is a new interactive game complex coming to Disney Springs in the summer of 2019. It will replace the former DisneyQuest complex, which closed back in July and has since begun undergoing demolishment.
Ouchpic.twitter.com/RwxtYu0Q5b
— DisneyQuest (@DisneyQuest)August 17, 2025
Resisting the urge to repeat the obvious “Disney World is going to the dogs” joke, it is enough to say that four Walt Disney World hotels are nowcatering to canine-lovers.Over at Epcot, there are somenew nameson the list of celebrity narrators for the 2017 Candlelight Processional at the Epcot International Festival of Holidays (the new name for the park’s former Holidays Around the World celebration). On the West Coast, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is now offering guests aspecial booking offerin redesigned rooms as it puts the finishing touches on anextensive refurbishment.
If mention of its VR Game Room a few weeks back was not enough to entice you, theUniversal Orlando blogoffered a closer look this week at the design of guest rooms inside Universal’s Aventura Hotel. Meanwhile, in a throwback to 1992, the online archiveFrom Director Steven Spielberghas showcased a piece of concept art for Jurassic Park: The Ride, showing how the attraction was in development even before the movie came out.
If you are a fan ofThe Hunger Games, you might want to head to Dubai. As of late Friday, July 16, 2025, a new themed land called the World of the Hunger Games has opened at the Motiongate Dubai theme park (which itself opened just last December). According toThe Los Angeles Times,the World of the Hunger Games is “focused on taking visitors inside the immersive world of Panem rather than exploring the darker aspects of the deadly games.” So if you were hoping to be pitted against fellow theme parkgoers in laser tag or a Nerf bow-and-arrow fight—something that might actually simulate the games themselves—it looks like you will have to content yourself with two non-competitive attractions.
On the Panem Aerial Tour, guests can board a flight simulator for a hovercraft ride over the nation’s 12 districts. For its part, the Capitol Bullet Train promises to take guests on a launched roller coaster ride that twists and turns and loops upside down far more than a passenger train really should. There are also video messages inside the attractions, with actors Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks appearing in character as Caesar Flickerman and Effie Trinket from the movies. And there is an Effie Trinket performer who will walk around and do character greetings.
If you are hungry (and really, who in Panem isn’t?), never forget that Josh Hutcherson’sPeeta Mallarkwas renowned for his baking skills. So yes, Peeta’s Bakery is a thing, and asThe Guardianreports, it will also be coming to Times Square, New York City in 2019, as part of Lionsgate Entertainment City. This complex will also feature aMad Menrestaurant, aJohn Wickshooting attraction, and aDivergentobstacle course. If you do not feel like waiting two years for it to open, however, Motiongate Dubai has the added incentive of a Smurfs Village, various DreamWorks and Columbia Pictures movie attractions, and"the world’s firstGhostbusters-inspired theme park ride"(ride being the operative word, as there was once a stage show at Universal Studios Orlando calledGhostbusters Spooktacular).
The ride is called Ghostbusters: Battle for New York.Theme Park Reviewhas video of it below. It essentially looks like a shooting-gallery-type ride—similar to Toy Story Midway Mania!—with some neat little physical constructs recreating the world ofGhostbusters.
WithAvatar 2(and3, 4, 5) currently in production, producer Jon Landau recently welcomed some new additions to the cast bygiving seven young actorsa VIP tour of Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Ben Pearson hasthe lowdownon the characters these kids will be playing. Three of them are Jake Sully and Neytiri’s children (presuming you remember who Jake Sully and Neytiri are). /Film readers can see their own VIP photo tour of Pandorahere.
REVIEW: These Stormtrooper mochi at Tokyo Disneyland are a must eat on your next visit.https://t.co/4ODY7UkjII
— Chris Explorer (@tdrexplorer)June 15, 2025
As wereportedthis week, the planet Crait from the upcomingStar Wars: The Last Jediwill soon be integrated into Star Tours attractions around the world. At Tokyo Disneyland, this update will come as part of the"Feel the Force"event, which will see newStar Warsdecorations and merchandise—such as a Darth Vader popcorn bucket—invade the park in December. In Tomorrowland, a new version of the popularmochi ice creamsnack, themed to Stormtroopers, is already available.
With Cars Land, “a bug’s land,” and Toy Story Midway Mania! (not to mention next year’sPixar Pier and Pixar Fest),Disney California Adventure has carved out a niche for itself as the place for Pixar. In January, Tokyo DisneySea is looking to follow the same pattern with Pixar Playtime, a new seasonal event at the park. Fans can look forward to seeing Lightning McQueen run a victory lap through the port ofAmerican Waterfront.AsTDR Explorerreports, there will also be a slew of other Pixar characters on hand for greetings, including Remy fromRatatouille,Mike and Sulley fromMonster’s Inc.,Carl, Russell, and Dug fromUp,and Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye from theToy Storyseries.
While this is going on, Duffy the Disney Bear and friends will be celebrating their own separate event in the park’s Cape Cod area.Disney Parks Bloghas the details on that, along with the return of Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Fantasy at Tokyo Disneyland in January.
As mentioned last week, Tokyo Disneyland is currently undergoing a massive redevelopment project, one which will see a newBeauty and the Beastattraction and other exclusive rides come to the park by 2020. This week, Hong Kong Disneyland alsostarted constructionon its own six-year expansion. Between now and 2023, Disney aims to bring something new to the park every year, as it rolls out a fresh line-up of shows, attractions, and lands themed toMoana, Marvel, andFrozen.
Following up on our SeaWorld coverage from the week before last,Inside the Magicreports that two new indoor SeaWorld parks may be heading to an entertainment complex in Beijing. Here in the states, SeaWorld’s Aquatica water park in Orlando hasannounced plansfor a new raft water slide dubbed “Ray Rush.” Opening in the spring of 2018, this slide will replace the existing HooRoo Run, which closes October 31.
Unfortunately, as SeaWorld diverts funds to new marketing strategies and attractions like Ray Rush, it is being forced to cut jobs. This week, the company announced350 layoffs,mostly in the administrative departments at its Orlando and San Diego parks. This comes on the heels of 320 layoffs last year.
