The dream (nightmare?) is about to come true

Villains finally have a home at Disney World. Plans for a villainous land at Walt Disney World were revealed Saturday at the D23 Expo, with Disney Experience chairman Josh D'Amaro promising the expansion would be "a fearless new vision of what a Disney experience can be." Seems like you want a villainous country to instill a lot of fear, but OK.

Hardcore Disney fans love the villains, which has led to nearly three decades of rumors that the Disney parks experience would one day be dedicated to the dark obsession of a land dedicated to villains. The idea of Villain Land really began in 1991 when Disney opened a villain-themed store in Fantasyland. Ever since, park visitors have been clamoring for a temple built for the likes of Maleficent, Ursula and Chernabog from Fantasia.

Disney has responded with plenty of park merchandise and the occasional show (see: Friday the 13th special Unleash the Villains), but left most of the villain work to the other arms of the business. And it has worked: The Descendants movies are a success for Disney Channel/Disney Plus and villain-focused thrillers are a mini-empire within Disney Publishing. It was only a matter of time until Disney Parks made good.