D23 Expo always has all kinds of announcements from new movies, park news and more, but there are rumors about something that true Walt Disney fans aren’t happy about.
For some context to this rumor, Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971, and though Walt Disney never lived long enough to see it completed, let alone break ground, the plans for the secretly named “Florida project” started prior to Walt’s death. In 1967 they broke ground on this new theme park and Walt’s plan was to call it “Disneyworld.” After Walt’s death, his brother, Roy Disney, decided to change the name to “Walt Disney World” and dedicate the park to his late brother. Roy put his heart and soul into finishing Walt Disney World and sadly passed away just a few months after the opening on December 20, 1971.
The rumor that has been circulating amongst Disney groups, boards and twitter threads is that the current CEO Bob Chapek is planning to change the name to Disney World. Once you know the history of the name you’ll see why people aren’t thrilled. Though some can argue that “Disneyworld” is in fact what Walt was planning to call the new theme park, it simply just feels like another attempt to remove even more of Walt himself out of the parks. Remember? They didn’t even play Walt’s opening day speech on Disneyland’s 67th birthday. A this point, perhaps I wouldn’t be shocked if Bob renamed it “Bob Chapek World”
If true, this isn’t going to be a quick and easy thing to do. It’s not just the sign out in front of the park, but the signage around the entire Resort, at every hotel, documents, merchandise and so much more. I guess we will know more at the D23Expo in September.
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