Walt Disney World has announced that a new Villains stage show is coming to Hollywood Studios in Summer 2025. This post shares the announcement and official details, plus our commentary about the upcoming addition and the fate of what it’s replacing. (Updated January 18, 2025.)
Let’s start with the announcement from Walt Disney World. Deep in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, something delightfully wicked is about to take the stage. It’s an all-new live production starring your favorite Disney Villains, that will debut in Summer 2025!
The creative minds at Disney Live Entertainment will transform Sunset Showcase into the mysterious, reflective realm of the Magic Mirror. The show will feature appearances by dozens of the most infamous evildoers, with fiendish foes Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent each breaking through the glass to take the stage in live production numbers.
January 18, 2025 Update: The official name of the Villains magic mirror stage show is Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, continuing the company’s aversion to using titles without punctuation. That was shared during the holiday specials on ABC, but nothing else was revealed. Well, now Walt Disney World has pulled back the curtain a bit more on the upcoming stage show.
In Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, the Magic Mirror has summoned guests to hear each of them out and judge who has been treated most unfairly over the years. Never ones to let a dramatic performance pass them by, fiendish foes Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent will break through the glass and take the stage to prove once and for all why they are the most misunderstood.
In the end, guests make the final call on who has been treated most unfairly (unfairliest?) in a delightfully wicked finale filled with dozens of the most infamous evildoers awaiting your decision from within the Magic Mirror’s realm. (Horizons fans rejoice–choose your own ending has returned!)
A dedicated team has spent nearly two years developing the cutting-edge stage design, thrilling effects, and catchy live musical numbers in Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, which will celebrate the villains we love to hate. There will be drama, there will be laughs, there will be something for everyone when the show opens this summer alongside “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” – another spectacular new production sure to make waves at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
We’re still awaiting word on the opening date of Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.
On the one hand, no one is going to book a trip for this stage show, so its opening date won’t move the needle one way or the other, and will just create pressure for the creative team.
On the other hand, Walt Disney World has several pieces of entertainment debuting this summer, which will also include Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away and (hopefully) a surprise or two. The sooner Walt Disney World reveals its summer slate, and the stronger that is in aggregate, the more likely they are to capture time, hotel and vacation package bookings from tourists. So it might make sense to make an announcement sooner rather than later–ideally before Epic Universe really starts stealing the spotlight.
For reference, last year’s version of the ‘summer slate’ was announced on March 21. That’s way too late. Walt Disney World needs dates within the next month if they want this stuff to have an impact. People are already booking summer trips right now.
For what it’s worth, saying no one is going to book a trip for Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After isn’t intended as a knock, I’m just being realistic. Honestly, it seems like most Walt Disney World fans have already forgotten it even exists! (For our part, we are looking forward to this show…in large part for its bigger-picture implications, as discussed below.)
I say that because in response to Walt Disney World announcing that MuppetVision 3D is closing to make way for the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster and Monstropolis along with the Muppets taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and replacing Aerosmith, a very common reaction has been: “Easy answer. Just replace the Lightning McQueen show with MuppetVision 3D!”
If you’re reading this post, you already know why that’s not an easy answer–because Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After is going there! Nevertheless, I can’t help but share some of that sentiment, and wonder if maybe, just maybe that’s the long-term plan. As discussed in the commentary below (written months ago), I don’t think this show is a temporary, stopgap measure until Villains Land. If that’s accurate, it could be retired quickly and MuppetVision could take its place.
I guess this is going to be one of those rare times where my hope is that Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After isn’t very good and is done on the cheap. If it is, that’ll increase the odds that it’s only meant to last a few years. I know hoping for low-quality is like cheering for your team to tank the season to score a higher draft position…but I’m perfectly fine with that!
In order for these villainous fiends take the spotlight at Sunset Showcase, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy closed permanently back in October. Now that the Cars attraction has raced to its final finish, Walt Disney World is wasting no time in getting down to business on the transformation. They’ve already filed the first permit for the project, and work will likely begin shortly after the Cars attraction closes.
The permit for ‘general construction’ (a vague-but-common scope of work) is assigned to the regular Walt Disney World third-party construction company, Whiting-Turner Contracting. That name might sound familiar, as they’ve worked on a number of minor and major projects–most recently, the Pirates Tavern at Magic Kingdom. In any case, the permit is valid for the standard one-year term, through September 2025.
Honestly, I’m not expecting that the new show will necessitate a ton of changes. If you compare the concept art below with the images of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, it seems pretty clear the theater will retain the wrap-around screen and benching seating. My expectation is that a proper stage will be built with a couple of additional platforms flanking it, plus framing (also consisting of screens so it can change for each villain).
In any case, I doubt construction will dictate the timeline on this project. More likely, Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After will open when it’s advantageous and as part of a promotional push for Summer 2025. Bigger concerns for Disney might actually be finding performers and properly preparing for and rehearsing the show ahead of opening. (To that point, we should expect casting calls around Christmas.)
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I thought that Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy was pretty good…for what it was. To be completely clear, this is not me lamenting its loss or complaining about change. To the contrary, this attraction was/is a stopgap meant to help with capacity during the initial opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
It’s fulfilled that role admirably, but it never quite gained the traction it could’ve or should’ve. Unlike some of the legacy stage shows, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy does not have a passionate fan following. So even after only ~5 years or so, it’s time has come to be replaced. I’m good with this.
Much like the Racing Academy was a stopgap, I’d imagine that the same will be true for Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After. My bet is that it lasts about as long as Racing Academy, closing around the time Villains Land opens. Pretty incredible when you look at the longevity of the other stage shows around Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with the big ones dating back to 1989 or the early 1990s…and still going strong!
As for Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After, I’m looking forward to it. Based on the concept art and limited details, my best guess is that it’s going to be something of a montage show for the various villains, presented with a mixture of live performers and screens. (I wonder how much of the Racy Academy infrastructure they’ll reuse–it doesn’t look like much from the concept art!)
My hope is that this is something like Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, which uses the Sanderson Sisters as the hosts and their story as a framing device for what’s otherwise a montage medley of villains. That works really, really well and elevates the production far above what you’d expect from a normal montage production.
Of course, I would not expect this to simply be Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition. It seems highly unlikely that Walt Disney World would use the Sanderson Sisters here, especially given the cult following of that show, which alone sells tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. It wouldn’t be smart to potentially cannibalize special event tickets.
Rather, my hope is that Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After is of a similar caliber, with other live performers and a robust narrative structure in addition to the villains. This cannot–or should not–be a simple role call of the villains coming out to do a superficial little smile and wave production. Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After needs to be on par with Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular.
For one thing, Disney shouldn’t want to draw unfavorable comparisons to that. For another thing, villains skew older than something like Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, so this has to have sufficiently high production value and show quality in order to resonate with its target audience. If it’s just fluff, it won’t succeed.
And I don’t think it will be fluff or a superficial smile and wave production. If Walt Disney World wanted something aimed at a younger demographic, it would probably be a lot easier and way cheaper to just clone the Mickey’s Trick and Treat show from Disney California Adventure. (That’s surprisingly good for what it is!)
Finally, all four parks are going to need compelling draws in Summer 2025, or else risk attendance falling even further.
Magic Kingdom already has the Disney Starlight Night Parade, which will be a huge selling point for that park. No matter how good this Villains Magic Mirror show is, it won’t qualify as counterprogramming to that parade–but it’ll help.
On a related note, back in July we argued that Walt Disney World Needs ‘Summer Nightastic’ in 2025. It now appears that the first two pieces of that puzzle have fallen into place. Now we just need a festival at EPCOT and a drone show at Animal Kingdom. Plus a few more ‘little things’ throughout Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World needing a summer draw probably isn’t the only reason for creating this new Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After show. One of the things mentioned in the announcement is the Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom.
While that could just be filler in a press release that’s otherwise devoid of details, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Walt Disney World wants to do more market research on the most popular villains with guests before making firm commitments for which characters will (and won’t) be represented in the Villains Land. Some are likely a given, but I suspect there are borderline villains that could make the cut or miss it based on guest reactions and surveying from this show.
Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After now also gives Walt Disney World to do a relatively low-stakes test to see how intense, dark or scary they can get with a villains offering outside of a hard ticket event. As we’ve mentioned before, Alien Encounter is an infamous example of an attraction that was too dark for Magic Kingdom and was prematurely shuttered despite being reasonably well-received by its target audience. Disney understandably does not want a repeat of that with Villains Land.
There’s actually a more recent example of this at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the Villains Unleashed hard ticket event. That came courtesy of Oogie Boogie’s Freaky Funhouse Show, which Disney repeatedly warned was “too intense for young children.” I will never forget the faces of families fleeing from that–I have never seen so many people abruptly exit a show at Walt Disney World. (Oogie Boogie’s Freaky Funhouse was actually quite good, but definitely not for small children.)
There’s absolutely no way the Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After show will be anything like Oogie Boogie’s Freaky Funhouse, which would’ve been more at home in Halloween Horror Nights than Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Still, there’s undoubtedly a desire to test drive a villains concept with the general public during daytime operations before starting actual construction on the Villains Land. Getting an overwhelmingly positive response from fans at D23 doesn’t necessarily translate to how the general public will receive the concept.
Not to get too far out in left field, but on the topic of Villains Unleashed…I also wonder if this opens the door for a return of something like that. After a rough inaugural event, Disney managed to salvage Jollywood Nights last year and it sounds like the sophomore season will be a dramatic improvement. If all goes well there, I could absolutely see Walt Disney World salivating at the prospect of a similarly more-adult Halloween event at DHS. Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After could serve as the foundation for that, and even more testing for Villains Land at Magic Kingdom.
Ultimately, I’m excited for Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After. The concept has a lot of potential and Walt Disney World likely realizes that it needs to be done right if it’s going to help boost attendance in Summer 2025. That coupled with the closure of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy right as the new fiscal year starts and the Burbank money spigot turns on all bodes well from my perspective.
Then there’s the track record of Disney Live Entertainment in recent years, which has been quite strong. Walt Disney World hasn’t seen this as frequently as literally any of the other parks, but Disney has gotten quite good at stage shows, including the montage medley variety.
For that matter, they’re also really good at producing villainous entertainment. Minus that weird World of Color, all of the villains shows that I’ve seen in the last decade or so have been pretty good. This includes gone-too-soon productions at Walt Disney World hard ticket events and more.
As we’ve said before, David Duffy being promoted to VP of Live Entertainment at Walt Disney World wasn’t a coincidence. After years of neglect and stagnation, Florida is finally ready to invest big on entertainment and spectaculars.
If Duffy can work the same magic he did for Disneyland Paris, entertainment could prove to be a big draw for Walt Disney World during a time between big development cycles. The wait until new lands and rides start opening in 2027 will sure pass a lot faster with entertainment and other additions. Expect to see plenty more announcements like this in the months to come!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What is your reaction to Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After being officially announced for Walt Disney World? Happy about this concept? Pleased with this stage show being added to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or are you disappointed to lose Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
