Fantasyland expansion begins at Disney

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Walt Disney World has officially broken ground on the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom. The expansion of Fantasyland is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

The project will nearly double the size of Fantasyland and include a new, lavish ride based on the Little Mermaid.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo made the announcement in September of last year.  Analysts predict the expansion will re-ignite travel to Orlando, which has lagged in the global recession.

The groundbreaking comes at a time when Universal Orlando is putting the finishing touches on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, expected to open sometime within the next three months. 

Read more about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter here >>>

Disney's parks are a major profit center for the entertainment giant, contributing about a third of the company's revenue.

The biggest addition will be the Little Mermaid attraction, based on Disney's 1989 movie of the same name.

Plans call for an enclosed ride that will carry guests through the underwater realm of Ariel -- the redheaded mermaid. It will use an Omnimover ride system similar to that of the Haunted Mansion, and will move through scenes featuring characters and songs from the movie.

The ride, which has a working title of Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid, will be the same as one being built as part of the $1 billion overhaul of Disney's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, Calif., though the attractions will have different exteriors.

The Fantasyland overhaul will be completed in about two to three years. Disney declined to say how much it will spend on the projects. Princesses will also figure heavily in the renovation.  As more and more details are released by the Mouse, it seems to lend credence to a blueprint of an expansion project which was reportedly leaked last summer and made its way to several blogs and theme park websites (see below), though there are a few minor differences.

Disney World will construct individual areas -- whether a castle, cottage or chateau -- where guests can interact with some of the company's best-known princesses and other characters from their movies. Children will be able to dance with Cinderella, celebrate Aurora's birthday with the Good Fairies at Sleeping Beauty's cottage, or play a role with Belle in a performance in the library of the Beast's castle.

Disney intends to relocate Dumbo the Flying Elephant to a new "circus grounds" that will include an interactive queue under a big-top tent to entertain children waiting in line. Disney will add a new Pixie Hollow character-greeting area, home to Tinker Bell and other fairies.

To accommodate the expansion, Disney will raze most of Mickey's Toontown Fair, the smallest of the Magic Kingdom's "lands." Gone will be both of the walkthrough country houses where guests were guaranteed to meet Disney's most famous characters: Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Disney says Mickey and Minnie will get new homes near the front entrance of the park. The children's roller coaster, the Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, will remain, though it will be re-themed, likely with a circus overlay linking it to Dumbo.