Up, up and away: Channel 9 gets exclusive look at Walt Disney World's Skyliner

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — It's not Buzz Lightyear or the house from "Up" soaring above Walt Disney World -- it's the park's first new form of transportation infrastructure in decades.

If you've been to Walt Disney World recently, you've probably seen construction crews, towering poles, wheels hanging mid-air, and giant gears in the sky.

They're all part of the new Skyliner system which will connect two parks and four resorts by air.

It’s the biggest transportation project at Walt Disney World since the monorail.

“They’re all unique in their own way in terms of scope and magnitude, but I would say this is one of our larger projects that we’ve undertaken,” said Walt Disney World Imagineer Dean Huspen.

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The Skyliner will connect Epcot and Hollywood Studios to Disney’s Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and the new Riviera resort, which is set to open in 2019.

The project, which spans three miles across Disney property, includes tall towers that will transport people above parking lots and backlots.

What the actual gondolas look like remains a secret, though Disney has circulated artist renderings of the project.

Disney says guests will be in for quite a view, but the did not say when exactly the new Skyliner system will open.

“From the sky, the Syliner will give them never-before-seen views of the parks and resorts,” Huspen said. “We even want the transportation part of the guest experience to be magical.”

The Skyliner is one of several major projects Disney is promising. The much-anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios is scheduled to open in late 2019. A Star Wars-themed hotel is also planned. Hollywood Studios also welcomed Toy Story Land earlier this summer.

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Cox Media Group