Villains Land at Magic Kingdom will be ‘extraordinary’ (Exclusive Interview)
Villains Land — a new realm opening at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World — is “going to be extraordinary,” consultant and former Disney Villains animator Andreas Deja told AttractionsMagazine.com in an exclusive interview.
During a conversation mainly focused on his new, hand-drawn, animated film “Mushka” — an interview shared here — Andreas Deja shed some light on the progress of Villains Land, currently under construction in Florida.
“That was my territory for so many years, doing villains,” Deja said. He was the supervising animator for some of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ most iconic antagonists: Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast,” Jafar in “Aladdin,” and Scar in “The Lion King.”
Now he’s working with Walt Disney Imagineering in a part-time, advisor position for Villains Land, as announced earlier this year.
Originally published in December 2025, updated by Dani Meyering on August 16, 2025.
Photo courtesy of Andreas Deja
Our interview
Deja first heard about the idea at the same time as the public, when Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced the project at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in 2024. When D’Amaro revealed Villains Land, the arena erupted with cheers of approval. Deja liked what he saw.
Image courtesy of Disney
“I just loved the idea as soon as I heard it at D23,” Deja told us. “I said, ‘Well, that’s an idea whose time has come for sure!’ Then that got through to Disney and they said, ‘Would you like to help us maybe with this?’ So I said, ‘Yes! I think it’s an excellent idea.'”
The land will contain multiple attractions. Specific rides and bad guys remain under wraps, though previously revealed concept art shows Maleficent and a roller coaster.
“I come and go as they need me,” Deja said of working with the Imagineers on Villains Land. “I really like working with that team because they really pay attention to what I say! I’m not saying that I’m not used to that, but they really do. It’s a whole bunch of very creative people who are doing this.”
The scale of the project is huge, taking up valuable real estate at Magic Kingdom previously partially occupied by Tom Sawyer Island as well as undeveloped land.
Photo by @bioreconstruct
While story-related details remain scarce for now, Deja reiterated the Villains Land project will be impressive. “It is just such a good idea to do that. We’re having fun with it. It’s going to be extraordinary.”
Aug. 15, 2026 update: Disney reveals more of what Andreas Deja has been helping create
Eight months after Andreas Deja told Attractions Magazine that Villains Land would be “extraordinary,” Disney has pulled back the curtain on the Magic Kingdom expansion Deja has been helping Walt Disney Imagineering develop.
During the D23 “Horizons: A Carousel of Progress” presentation, Disney confirmed Villains Land will feature two major attractions, dining and shopping within an expansion that Imagineering compared in scale to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The land’s story begins when a mysterious figure makes an evil wish at a twisted wishing well in the Dark Forest, infusing the area with dark magic that draws Disney Villains seeking its power.
Courtesy of Disney
One attraction will be a thrilling roller coaster featuring Maleficent, sending guests racing through enchanted briars with elements Imagineers said they have never attempted before on a Disney coaster.
Courtesy of Disney
A second attraction will be a boat or trackless ride into the Evil Queen’s catacombs, where the Magic Mirror tells the story from his perspective and an array of Disney Villains will appear. Disney describes the attraction as a dark ride, suggesting that the ride vehicle only looks like a boat, but isn’t actually on water.
Courtesy of Disney
Disney also showed early character studies for Cruella de Vil, Dr. Facilier and the Evil Queen, offering a clearer look at the elegant, elevated visual approach being developed for the land.
The new details add context to what Deja told Attractions Magazine in the exclusive interview about his consulting work with Imagineering. The Disney Legend and veteran animator — whose Villains work includes Gaston, Jafar and Scar — said the team was attentive to his input as it developed the ambitious Magic Kingdom project.
Full transcript from December 2025 interview
Below is the full transcript of the portion of our interview with Andreas Deja relating to Villains Land at Magic Kingdom:
It’s sort of an advisor or a consultant. It’s not a full-time job by any means. I come and go as they need me. I really like working with that team because they really pay attention to what I say! I’m not saying that I’m not used to that, but they really do. It’s a whole bunch of very creative people who are doing this.
I just loved the idea as soon as I heard it at D23. When was it, last year that they announced it? I said, ‘Well, that’s an idea whose time has come for sure!’ Then that got through to Disney and they said, ‘Would you like to help us maybe with this?’ So I said, ‘Yes! I think it’s an excellent idea.’
I really can’t say much about it other than that it’s not a ride, it’s a land. There are several things that are going to happen there. It takes over a huge space. That was my territory for so many years, doing villains. Back into bad people, bad guys. … It is just such a good idea to do that. We’re having fun with it. It’s going to be extraordinary.
Deja’s new film, “Mushka,” debuts on streaming platforms Dec. 15, 2025; we’ll have much more to share from our conversation with him — including his experience working with the late Richard Sherman, who wrote new music for “Mushka” — on the film’s release date. We’ll see you then, right here at AttractionsMagazine.com.
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