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In 2019, Disney held its biannual D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. Disney’s ultimate fan event brought Disney fans from around the world to the Anaheim Convention Center, where they got exclusive sneak peeks of Disney movies and projects in the works. During the Parks, Experiences, and Products panel, now-fired CEO Bob Chapek announced that the UK Pavilion in the World Showcase at EPCOT would be getting an upgrade. Cherry Tree Lane — from the iconic film Mary Poppins — would be built into the pavilion. The new area would even house a brand-new Mary Poppins attraction!
Credit: Disney
Cherry Tree Lane would bring Guests past Admiral Boom’s home and then let them enter the Banks’ home. Sadly, in March 2022, Chapek announced that the EPCOT reimagining had to be delayed. Chapek said that it was because Disney needed more liquid assets to finance the project.
“Certainly, the Poppins project, which I was very excited about, has had to be put on hold for awhile – as has the Quinjet,” Chapek explained. “But you know, those are projects that we’ve got sort of in a holding pattern right now. And as our cash situation becomes a bit more robust and a little bit back to normal, in terms of our liquidity, we look forward to hopefully refunding those projects in the future.”
Credit: Disney
One year later, we haven’t heard a peep about whether the theme park project is another unfulfilled promise from Bob Chapek, a dream sent to the Disney graveyard. However, former Disney Imagineer Damon Pressman is now sharing more details on what the Disney Park area could have looked like, should the project have come to fruition.
From the concept art shared by Pressman, we can see that Guests would have entered the Banks’ home. The various rooms in the home would serve as the queue for the new Mary Poppins attraction. The new ride appears to be an indoor version of a teacup ride.
Credit: Damon Pressman
At this time, the Mary Poppins project remains shelved. Disney CEO Bob Iger cutting $5.5 billion from the budget, so it’s unlikely to move forward any time soon. However, Iger seems more determined than ever to bring more to the Parks, so hopes of a Mary Poppins-themed area in the United Kingdom pavilion aren’t entirely dead.
Disney Fanatic will be sure to update readers should any progress be made on the project.
