D23 is the official Disney fan event that takes place every two years. As well as showcasing the latest technology, announcing upcoming films and tv shows, and honouring Disney Legends, this convention is where we get a first look at new attractions and experiences coming to the worldwide Disney Parks, and this year’s event certainly didn’t disappoint!
Hosting this showcase of things to come was Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro. He explained “Disney Experiences is embarking on an accelerated path of ambitious growth and innovation. With so many great Disney stories to tell, we’re excited to bring an unprecedented number of new projects to life in the near future, whether it be in our theme parks, on our cruise ships or through our partnership with Epic Games in the digital space.”
And among the many announcements were details about six new themed lands, including a new Frozen-themed land for Disneyland® Paris, plus an area dedicated to The Lion King, while Disneyland Resort in California will get its own Avatar land and the first-ever ride-through attraction themed to Coco. But the biggest array of new attractions will be coming to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, including a new Villains Land in Magic Kingdom Park and Monsters, Inc. land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Here’s a closer look at everything that’s been announced:
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
By AttractionTickets.com’s Florida Experts, Susan and Simon Veness
Are you ready for the biggest array of new attractions at Walt Disney World Resort in more than 25 years? We are truly bowled over by what’s in store for our big Orlando destination. It’s not since the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in 1998 that we’ve seen SO much additional new development for Walt Disney World, and not just individual rides but whole new lands. It’s practically unprecedented.
We have had some heavy hints of this in the past 12 months or so, yet that didn’t really prepare us for the wealth and breadth of what we can expect in the next few years, so let’s take a more detailed look at all the proposed new attractions:
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Construction starts next year on the Monsters Inc. land, which will feature the first suspended coaster in a Disney Park and guests can experience what it’s like to zoom through the door vault in the factory, just like Mike and Sulley.
There’s no word yet on what the other attractions of the land will be – other than to walk the streets of Monstropolis – and there is no indication as to where the land will be inside the park. Speculation centres on either the Animation Courtyard area, which makes most sense to us, or possibly the Grand Avenue section that currently is home to the Muppets.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
A new Tropical Americas land is set to open in 2027 in the area currently occupied by DinoLand USA, including Chester and Hester’s Dinorama. This will feature another two new signature attractions – a thrilling adventure following the heroic Indiana Jones into an ancient Maya temple and a journey through the Casita Madrigal from the movie Encanto.
The Indiana Jones ride will probably look similar to the Indy motion-based ride in Disneyland Resort, taking the place of DINOSAUR, while the latter will follow Antonio’s story on the day after he received his magical gift and also feature a beautiful carousel highlighting animals from many favourite Disney stories, ideal for young families to enjoy.
Magic Kingdom Park
Magic Kingdom is the park that had the most announcements, and the revelation of a Radiator Springs land and ride from the film Cars (similar to the one in the Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim) is just the start. Yes, it will be an absolutely huge new ride in a reimagined part of the Frontierland area of the park, with two all-new attractions taking guests into the wilderness beyond Radiator Springs, a thrilling off-road rally race and a family-friendly attraction that the youngest racers will love. Construction on this area will begin early next year.
But the biggest news of all was something that has been teased for years – Villains Land. The idea of a section of the park (or even a whole park) dedicated to the nefarious do-badders of the Disney pantheon is a concept the Imagineers have been playing with since the 1990s, at least. Just to start with, the concept art for it is absolutely stunning, an animated panorama of magnificent proportion and details. Logically, this will have to go in adjacent to the park’s Fantasyland area, and the extra news is that work is already under way (albeit with no finish date as yet). There will be two headline attractions, one of which looks distinctly like a roller-coaster themed to the dragon form of the evil Maleficent. As D’Amaro added: “Since the beginning, our Disney Villains have given us endless possibilities to tell new stories. In this new land, you’ll see storytelling on a grand scale that only Disney can deliver. Be prepared, you poor unfortunate souls. It’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Magic Kingdom Park will also see the return of a nighttime parade, Disney Starlight! Following in the footsteps of the fabled Main Street Electrical Parade, Disney Starlight will be brought to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy, in addition to beloved characters from the films Peter Pan, Encanto, Frozen and others. It is due to make its debut in summer 2025, so stay tuned for more details.
Disneyland Resort in California
2025 is a big year for the Disney park that started it all, as it will be celebrating its 70th anniversary! And while we (not so) patiently wait for more information about these celebrations, here’s a look at what is set to come to Disneyland Resort in California as early as this year, and in the years to come too:
Disneyland Park
We all know the history behind Disneyland Resort in California, being the first Disney Park and sadly the only one Walt Disney himself got to experience. So there’s really no better place for him to be immortalised than Disneyland Park’s Main Street Opera House, where “Walt Disney - A Magical Life” will debut in 2025. The show will feature the first-ever Walt Disney audio animatronic, and will play in rotation with Great Moments with Mr Lincoln.
We also now have an opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, coming to Bayou Country on November 15th!
Disney California Adventure Park
If you can’t get enough of Pandora - The World of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park you’ll love this next announcement, as a brand new land themed on the franchise will be coming to Disney California Adventure! This iteration of Pandora will mainly take inspiration from Avatar: The Way of Water and future Avatar films. Based on the concept art it looks like an all-new water ride is in the works!
The first-ever Coco-themed attraction will also be opening at Disney California Adventure Park, as guests join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead. Imagineers are said to be drawing inspiration from Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean for this attractions, using the latest audio-animatronic technology for this colourful boat ride.
And, as if that wasn’t enough new attractions, there will two more coming to Avengers Campus too, doubling the size of the land currently! Avengers Infinity Defense will see King Thanos wreaking havoc with Avengers technology that will have you jumping between locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. will be reprising his role as Tony Stark to bring you another mission; Stark Flight Lab. On this attraction guests will sit in two-person pods that are put through a simulated test flight by robot arms. Construction for this expansion will begin in 2025.
Disneyland® Paris
Unsurprisingly most of the announcements for Disneyland® Paris related to the expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park and its transformation into Disney Adventure World, including updates on current projects and details of completely new ones too!
This is what we can expect in the next few years:
Walt Disney Studios® Park (Disney Adventure World)
Construction is now well underway for World of Frozen, and we now know it will be opening in 2026. This land will transport guests to the Kingdom of Arendelle with a new attraction taking them on an adventure alongside their favourite characters from the Frozen films. There will also be dining and shopping experiences, and a meet and greet with Anna and Elsa.
But what we didn’t know, was that joining World of Frozen in this incredible park expansion would be The Lion King! This will feature the first water-based attraction at Disneyland Paris, using the majestic Pride Rock as its focal point, as well as Character encounters, themed dining, and shopping opportunities. There’s currently no opening date for this land, but construction is set to begin in 2025.
And there’s even more to be excited about, as the transformation to Disney Adventure World in 2026 will also bring with it a new nighttime spectacular on and above the Adventure Bay lake. This show will use a combination of water screens, fountains, special effects, and drone choreography.
Disneyland® Park
We won’t have to wait until 2026 and beyond for everything though, because a new nighttime spectacular will debut in Disneyland Park early next year! Using projections, fountains and lighting effects, this show will use both Sleeping Beauty Castle and Main Street, U.S.A. to immerse guests in the magical stories of their favourite Disney Characters like never before at Disneyland Paris.
Wow! There’s so much to look forward to across all the Disney Parks and we can’t wait for all of these projects to begin to take shape! Which one are you most looking forward to?
