ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — With Disney World reopening its theme parks after a months-long closure due to coronavirus, two attractions and one nighttime spectacular will not be returning.
What You Need To Know
- Disney confirmed the closures Thursday, did not announce replacements
- Rivers of the Light first debuted in 2017
- Disney World recently reopened its theme parks
Disney confirmed Thursday that Primeval Whirl and Rivers of Light: We Are One at Disney's Animal Kingdom will not reopen. Also on the permanently closed list is Stitch's Great Escape at Magic Kingdom.
Prior to the coronavirus shutdown, Primeval Whirl had been relegated to "seasonal" status before being placed under "refurbishment" and never reopening.
As for Rivers of Light: We Are One, the nighttime show debut in 2017 as simply Rivers of Light. Last year, Disney debuted a new version of the show, renaming it to Rivers of Light: We Are One and adding moments from Disney animated films like Lion King.
While the closure of River of the Light might come as a shock to some Disney fans, the least surprising closure is Stitch's Great Escape. The attraction closed in January 2018. At the time Disney said Stitch was a "seasonal" attraction. In the months that followed, reports surfaced that animatronics in the attraction had already been dismantled. Although still listed as "Temporarily Closed" on Disney World's website, Stitch is officially done.
Disney didn't share any details about the decision to close these attractions or what could possibly replace them in the future.
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