In 2024, we’ve seen a lot in regards to The Walt Disney Company.

Cinderella Castle

We had a new Disney Cruise Line set sail, we saw World of Frozen open in Hong Kong Disneyland, and a lot of closures were announced. As we reflect on this past year, there is one word that really stands out to us. But before we tell you, here are some of the runner-ups.

According to Oxford University Press, “brain rot” is the word of the year for 2024. This is described as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. We set out to ask our team what they thought the word of the year was in terms of Disney.

Magic Kingdom

Our team threw around “Pass” for all of the Genie+, Lightning Lane Pass, and Premier Pass changes we saw this year. Disney Genie+ is now Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Individual Lightning Lanes are now Lightning Lane Single Pass. And, on October 30th, 2024, a third, all-inclusive option was introduced: Lightning Lane Premier Pass. 

©Disney

“Villains” was also tossed around. In case you missed the BIGGEST piece of Disney news all year, Villains Land is coming to Magic Kingdom. Disney shared, “The new Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom will feature fan-favorite Disney Villains from popular Walt Disney Animation Studios films and two new attractions.” Say WHAT?! We’re getting two NEW villain rides, people! 

Villains Land ©Disney

There is also a new villains show coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This new show is taking over Sunset Showcase, the building that once held Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. The Cars-themed show permanently closed its doors on October 7th, and the new Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After will premiere in the summer of 2025!

©Disney

We also happened to notice two words Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, often uses in investor calls and interviews that he does — Bullish and Turbocharged. On April 3rd, 2024, Disney held its Annual Shareholder Meeting, where we learned more about a new Avatar theme park project and got some confirmation on a few upcoming films. The word of the day? TURBOCHARGED! We heard Iger use the word during the question-and-answer portion of the meeting and later spotted the word pop up in more Disney content published that same day. In fact, Iger went so far as to call it a “tremendous turbocharge” when discussing Disney’s plans.

©Disney

Ok, ok, we won’t keep you waiting any longer. The Disney word of the year is EXPANSION. Thanks to D23 this year, we heard a LOT about new expansions and offerings coming to both Disneyland and Disney World. On the shortlist, Disney World is getting a Monsters, Inc. area in Hollywood Studios…

©Disney

…Magic Kingdom is getting Cars Land, a new nighttime parade, a Pirates of the Caribbean tavern, and the previously mentioned, Villains Land…

‘Cars’ area in Magic Kingdom ©Disney

… Animal Kingdom is getting a completely new land, Tropical Americas, now called Pueblo Esperanza…

©Disney

and EPCOT is getting a new Spaceship Earth lounge.

©Disney

As for Disneyland, we got confirmation on the new e-ticket Marvel attraction, a Coco ride, and the Avatar expansion.

©Disney

So, as you can see, expansion is the perfect word of the year. So why are all of these amazing projects potentially a bad thing for Disney Adults? Well, with all the expansion will come construction and walls. It wasn’t that long ago when we had construction walls up right in the middle of EPCOT and they were frustrating to navigate around.

CommuniCore Plaza

With these major projects, we will be seeing construction for a while. Just remember, when you get annoyed at the construction walls, it means that something greater is coming! 

Magic Kingdom

We are excited for all of the expansions coming and we will keep you updated on all things Disney. Be sure to follow us here at DFB for more!

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What word would you use to describe Disney in 2024? Let us know in the comments below.