New plans released for Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World has announced plans for major renovations at Downtown Disney, a 120-acre retail, dining and entertainment complex on the eastern edge of Disney’s Florida property.

According to details released on the official Disney Parks Blog, the renovated section will be called Hyperion Wharf, and will be a “nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier.”

Hyperion Wharf will be located in an area formerly called Pleasure Island — Disney’s failed attempt at establishing an adult nightclub district at Walt Disney World. Since Pleasure Island closed in fall 2008, there has been a lot of speculation about what would be put into that location, right in the middle of the Downtown Disney complex.

The Hyperion Wharf plans call for shops and eateries open during the day, and lighting that transforms the area into “an electric wonderland” after dark.

The district’s name is a nod to Hyperion, the Greek God of Light, and Hyperion Avenue, the street on which Walt Disney built his first animation studio.

Disney says construction on the new district will begin immediately, and Hyperion Wharf will be completed in 2013.