Disney Parks Expansion: D23 Updates

Disney Parks Expansion: D23 Updates

Last night’s Horizons Showcase was a game-changer! Disney dropped nearly 50 groundbreaking Disney parks projects, and these aren’t just dreams – construction is already underway on many of them. Get ready for the next five years to be a golden age for Disney Parks as these exciting new experiences come to life! Let’s dive into the details!

Related – D23 Merchandise Collections: A Magical Shopping Adventure Awaits!

Disney Cruise Line

What’s better than one new Disney Cruise ship? How about four brand new Disney Cruise Line ships joining the fleet?

Four is the magic number! Josh D’Amaro (with a little help from musical group All-4-One) revealed that four ships will be joining Disney Cruise Line’s ever-growing roster of award-winning ships sailing around the world. These new ships will arrive between 2027 and 2031.

Five ships are currently in the fleet, with four others already in the works. These new, four additional ships will bring the fleet to a total of 13, giving you 13 different opportunities to experience everything that Disney Cruise Line is known for. The ship names, designs, and exciting itineraries are still in development, but go ahead and start dreaming about your next sailing!

Additionally, Josh revealed new details about the Disney Treasure — setting sail later this year! — where guests will get to see the brand-new stage production, “Disney The Tale of Moana.” The show will also include a giant puppet on stage.

“Te Kā will appear onstage as a 15-foot-tall puppet – the largest we’ve ever produced for a Disney Cruise Line show,” Josh told the crowd. “I’ve had a chance to see this in person, and it is stunning.”

Josh also revealed that the signature production aboard the Disney Destiny — which starts sailing next year — will be “Disney Hercules,” featuring the music and characters you know and love from the classic Walt Disney Animation Studios film.

Disneyland Resort

While Pandora—The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is based on Oscar-winner James Cameron’s “Avatar” film, the new destination coming to Disney California Adventure draws inspiration from “Avatar: The Way of Water” and upcoming Avatar films to bring Pandora to life in a brand-new way.

Guests will go on the adventure of a lifetime in search of majestic natural wonders that can only be found on Pandora and the beauty – and danger – that come along with the journey. This new and thrilling excursion will bring all the action, excitement, and wonder of Avatar, taking guests all the way to the wide-open seas of Pandora.

An all-new attraction themed to Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco” is coming to Disney California Adventure in the future.

The attraction will be filled with the characters — and music! — you know and love from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead. This marks the first-ever “Coco” ride in a Disney park!

Walt Disney Imagineering will draw inspiration for the attraction from beloved classics, like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. “We’re bringing our skeletal cast of characters to life in a big way through the latest Audio-Animatronics technology,” Josh told the crowd. “These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.”

Get ready to celebrate everything you know and love about the movie, and music, with work beginning on the attraction in 2026!

Josh D’Amaro gave a small glimpse of a fitting tribute coming to Disneyland. For the first time ever, when it debuts in 2025, you’ll actually be able to see Walt Disney through the magic of Audio-Animatronics technology in “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.”

Walt Disney Imagineering’s first Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is being created for this very special experience. “I speak for our entire team when I say there is so much pride and excitement for everyone involved in this endeavor,” Josh told the crowd.

The past, present and future are coming together, giving visitors the chance to imagine what it would be like to stop by Walt’s office. Who knows what he might be dreaming up inside? Only time will tell with Walt.

“Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will debut inside the Main Street Opera House, and after its initial run, the attraction will play in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” A fitting acknowledgement of Walt’s significant advances with Audio-Animatronics about 60 years ago when he first introduced the groundbreaking technology.

The Happiest Place on Earth will open their attraction inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film “The Princess and the Frog” on Nov. 15, 2024 (at the start of the Holiday season at Disneyland Resort)! And not only that, but Critter Country will be appropriately renamed Bayou Country when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens. Gather up your friends and family, a celebration is coming!

Ready, recruits? The size of Avengers Campus at Disneyland will double with not one but two brand new attractions to suit up and fight alongside some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Construction on this expansion will begin next year.

Get ready for a multi-world adventure experience with Avengers Infinity Defense. Technology that allows the Avengers to jump between worlds has gone missing, and King Thanos is using it to wreak havoc everywhere. Recruits will travel to iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City alongside the likes of big, and small, heroes. You also just might find yourself face-to-face with King Thanos, too.

If you’re up for another mission, Tony Stark has one for you. And you know Tony, he always wants to try something new and exciting, and it’s going to make you feel like a Super Hero yourself. With the just announced Stark Flight Lab, you’re going to sit in two-person pods and deploy to a test station. Then a robot arm grabs your pod and starts whirling you around in a simulated flight.

And, a familiar face will join you at the Stark Flight Lab — Mr. Stark himself. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark for the attractions in the land.

When the upcoming “The Mandalorian and Grogu” movie blasts off in theaters in 2026, it will also touch down at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. A brand-new story featuring Mando and his youngling is coming to Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Walt Disney World

In summer 2025, a brand-new parade will make its way to the Most Magical Place On Earth. The all-new parade “Disney Starlight” is coming to Magic Kingdom next summer!

“Disney Starlight” will continue the nighttime spectacular legacy started by the “Main Street Electrical Parade” using the latest technology to tell new stories about the characters you love. All of this is brought to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy, in addition to beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios films “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” and more.

A new adventure awaits at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park with the addition of a new space themed around Tropical Americas. Welcome to Pueblo Esperanza.

The space will be lush and sprawling, featuring a large fountain in the center where the villagers like to gather and tell stories. Additionally, a woodcarver has created a giant working carousel featuring his favorite animals from Disney stories. It’s a new take on a classic attraction that young families are going to love.

That’s not all that will be located here – the new land will include not one but two signature attractions!

A new Indy experience is set to arrive in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and will be different from any other Indiana Jones experience around the world.

In this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.

If you’re a fan of drawers, floors, and doors, let’s go! The first-ever “Encanto”-themed ride-through attraction is coming to Animal Kingdom, featuring the beloved Madrigal family from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film. Inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. It’s time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into…

Construction on the land is set to begin this fall and will open in 2027.

And, elsewhere in Animal Kingdom, there are more exciting updates coming, too! The newest show coming to the Tree of Life Theater features Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and all their friends from Disney Animation’s Zootopia. The show, “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” will take guests on an adventure through different biomes seen in the film and opens next winter.

Set course for the Magic Kingdom! First announced at Destination D23 last year, this rambunctious watering hole will offer a welcoming haven for all pirate-kind, big and small, and everyone in between. Here, bandits and buccaneers-to-be from every corner of the seven seas are welcome to join together and raise a toast to the pirate life! In the newly released artwork, X marks the spot for a sea-worthy selection of grogs and grub inside this tavern location coming to Magic Kingdom Park.

For over 40 years, Spaceship Earth has welcomed visitors to EPCOT as a shining beacon of optimism and hope. This just-announced lounge is inspired by the stories, shapes, and enduring legacy of this timeless icon. Taking inspiration from the geometric sphere, the zen space for families to gather and enjoy refreshments will be draped with rich textures and warm metallic tones, giving it a mysterious and elegant intimacy.

Both spaces will open in 2025.

Buckle up for a brand-new experience when a reimagined Test Track presented by Chevrolet races into EPCOT in 2025.

Test Track will celebrate today’s innovation while highlighting the past, present, and future. The queue will feature six distinct exhibits, and within each room celebrate the vehicles – and people behind the vehicles – that push the envelope and help get people to our next chapter in our motion journey.

New show scenes will be added showcasing technological advances and how our lifestyles and relationships to mobility connect everyone. Enjoy a joy ride through scenes focusing on onboard technology, customization and personalization. Followed by a trip through a scenic outdoor route reminding us all of the joys of driving, taking in the world around us and spending quality time with friends and family.

It’s laughter they’re after when a brand-new land themed around Pixar Animation Studios’ “Monsters, Inc.” comes to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.

Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc. — and the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. But it’s not a true visit without the factory itself. You’ll be able to see the sights, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like James P. Sullivan (a.k.a. Sulley) and Mike Wazowski — via a door!

“The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley,” he told the crowd. “You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”

The coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action. Just be sure to fill out your paperwork! Roz is always watching…

Work on the project is slated to begin next year, so get ready to ROAR with laughter!

a new area inspired by the Pixar Animation Studios film “Cars” will be coming to a reimagined section of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. “The American West has always been about keeping your eyes on the horizon … believing in yourself, carving your own path, and striving toward success. That goes for miners in the mountains, bears from the country, a princess from the bayou … or a racecar from the big city,” Josh told the crowd.

Don’t get too comfortable in Radiator Springs because it’s time to leave the pit stop and head west into exciting new frontiers. On this adventure, guests will be able to experience not one but two exciting new “Cars”-themed attractions.

One attraction will invite you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes.

But what about smaller racers? The second attraction will be geared towards them and will be fun for the whole family.

Get ready to start your engines! Work on this new space in Frontierland will begin in early 2025.

Once upon a nightmare… A place where poison apples are aplenty and magic potions can ruin your whole day. For all those things hiding in the shadows, it’s time to join them as we lift the veil on a forthcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort.

The new land will encompass all your dreams- er, nightmares. The space will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. “Be prepared, you poor unfortunate souls,” Josh teased. “It’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.”

Disneyland Paris

World of Frozen, a land themed to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen” will open alongside the debut of the park’s new name, Disney Adventure World, in 2026.

A new nighttime spectacular will premier in Disneyland Paris in January 2025, featuring popular songs from Disney Animation and Pixar films told through projections on Sleeping Beauty Castle and down Main Street.

A brand-new attraction themed around Simba and the rest of the animal kingdom will soon join the expanding roster of experiences at the Disneyland Paris resort.

A new area of the park will be dedicated to the characters and stories from the film, including dining, shopping, and a chance to meet some favorite characters. Then, when you’re ready (you don’t have to wait to become a king for this one), head down to the caverns beneath Pride Rock. The new attraction will bring you alongside Simba’s journey from cub to king — it’s going to feel like you stepped right into the movie.

Shanghai Disneyland

Webs at the ready, an all-new Spider-Man thrill attraction is coming to Shanghai Disneyland! Peter Parker has gotten himself — and us — in a bit of a tight spot. We’re going to follow HIM – at very high speeds – to get us out of trouble.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Expanding Stark Expo, there’s an all-new attraction coming to Hong Kong Disneyland. Tony Stark has invited his friend, and new Stark Industries intern, Peter Parker to showcase some new inventions, but unfortunately, that also means this has also caught the attention of one of Spidey’s most formidable villains. While trying to help Spider-Man protect the new tech, guests caught in the middle of the action!

First look at “Reach for the Stars” coming to Tokyo Disneyland on Sept. 20. This will be the first time Marvel Super Heroes will be making an appearance at a Tokyo Disney Resort.

What Disney parks announcement are you most excited about?

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