At the 2024 D23 Fan Expo, Disney Parks announced that a villains-themed land will be debuting at Magic Kingdom in the near future. This area will have an aesthetic Disney has not approached in their parks before: a horror theme.
While rides like Haunted Mansion exist, this is the first time Disney is experimenting with darker themes for an entire land. With this theme in mind, many people believed that Disney will finally give Magic Kingdom a true thrill coaster: a coaster with fast launches, more intense elements, and possibly some inversions.
Recently, those plans have changed. While a new roller coaster will headline the area, it would have a family-friendly track layout. This disappointed many fans: a perfect opportunity to receive a thrill coaster at Magic Kingdom went astray.
Disney has a problem ignoring a big part of the theme park clientele: thrill seekers. The lack of thrill rides on Disney World property makes thrill seekers head to other competing attractions, such as SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando Resort.
In recent years, Universal Orlando has expanded their thrill lineup. In 2025, they opened their newest theme park, Epic Universe. This came with the opening of “Stardust Racers”: two side-by-side launched thrill coasters that race against each other during the ride. Roller coaster enthusiasts and the public alike praised the ride for its strong airtime, fast launches, and terrifying near-miss elements with the opposing coaster train.
Even in the beginning of this year, Universal Studios Florida announced “Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift”, a new multi-launch coaster to replace the recently-closed “Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit” in 2027. Built by the same company behind “Velocicoaster” Intamin Rides, the new coaster will feature a 170-foot-spike, several airtime moments, and even features coaster cars that can spin during the ride.
While competitors such as SeaWorld and Universal continue to innovate in the thrill market, Disney World essentially ignores this major part of a theme park. While Disney does have a family-friendly focus, they should consider appealing to all family members, especially those eager for something scarier than “Big Thunder Mountain.”
Some say it does not make sense for Disney World to add a major thrill coaster; however, Disney Parks across the globe have installed one in the past. Disneyland Paris’ Space Mountain variant includes three inversions in the dark. Hollywood Studios arguably features Disney’s most thrilling coaster: “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster”. Despite having a 57 mile-per-hour launch and four inversions in the dark, the coaster still racks up several hour-long waits during peak season.
To conclude, to better keep up with competitors in the Orlando area, Disney should consider potentially adding a new thrill coaster to one of the Orlando parks. Through rides such as “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster”, it demonstrates that a high thrill coaster does work at Disney World. When Disney finally realizes this, maybe the Magic Kingdom will one day see an inversion in the near future.
