There are a lot of changes happening at Walt Disney World right now and Epcot is undergoing plenty of them, but it seems one more is on the way. While two brand new attractions are currently being built at the park, one that has been open for more than two decades is rumored to be closing soon. If you’re heading to Epcot anytime this month, you will want to get in at least one more viewing of Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable as it may be gone before long.
Anyone who was at WDW in the last couple of weeks may have had the chance to take their possibly last-ever ride through Stitch’s Great Escape at Magic Kingdom. There are rumors that it may never open again, but that still remains to be seen.
Now, there is speculation that the Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable film, which has been shown in The Land pavilion for the last 23 years, may close next month. According to WDWNT , the film will have its final showing on Feb. 3, 2018, and after that, it will close forever.
Circle of Life had its first-ever showing on Jan. 21, 1995, and interestingly enough, its closure may help make another longtime rumor a reality.
The short film is based on The Lion King and advises guests how to respect and treat the environment and Earth better. It’s not often that it has a long line or even many people in it at all, but it has been in place for a long time.
When the Circle of Life reportedly exits the theater inside The Land after Feb. 3, groups from Disney Performing Arts are scheduled to hold performances and workshops there. That is set to begin on Feb. 9 and continue until an undetermined date in the future.
Those workshops are currently being held in a location between Germany and Italy pavilions of World Showcase, but backstage and out of view of day guests. If the movement to the theater in The Land does happen, it would mean the closure of the backstage area currently used for Disney Performing Arts.
That leads to the belief that this would open land for the long-rumored Brazil pavilion being added to World Showcase. Some thought that the new pavilion would be confirmed and announced this past summer at the D23 Expo, but that didn’t happen.
As of now, this should only be taken as a rumor as Disney has said nothing regarding the closure of Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable. Even the official page on the Walt Disney World website has show times for the attraction through Mar. 31, 2018. With the additions of Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy coming to Epcot, is this longtime short film inside of The Land going to be one of the subtractions?