It happened. D23 EXPO 2024 has come and gone, and we now know all the major details coming to the Disney parks. Josh D’Amaro led the Horizons presentation by unequivocally saying that everything announced was in active development—this isn’t Blue Sky. Enough chit chat: here are the D23 Disney Theme Parks News: All the Major Announcements Revealed.
Walt Disney World
The Magic Kingdom
Villains Land Coming to the Magic Kingdom. The new land will feature two new attractions, dining, shopping, and was touted as a new vision for what’s a Disney experience can be. According to Josh D’Amaro, this represents the biggest expansions ever at the Magic Kingdom. I am afraid I will make this land my entire personality.
Cars-Themed Land Coming to Frontierland. A Cars-themed land, set away from Route 66, is coming to Frontierland and will feature two new attractions: a thrilling race through the mountains, and a family friendly attraction.
Pirates of the Caribbean-Themed Lounge at the Magic Kingdom opens in 2025.
Disney Starlight. A brand new nighttime parade, “a star kissed constellation of Disney dreams,” premieres Summer 2025. The show will be brought to life “by the magic of the Blue Fairy,”and feature characters from Peter Pan, Encanto, and Frozen, among others.
EPCOT
Spaceship Earth Lounge at EPCOT. A spaceship earth lounge opens in EPCOT in 2025.
Test Track will reopen in 2025.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Monster’s Inc. Land Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Billy Crystal himself announced that the first land inspired by Monster’s Inc. is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! This was unexpected, and I am excited. Expect an attraction featuring the first-ever suspended coaster at a Disney park, inspired by the famous doors at the Monster’s Inc. factory.
A Mandalorian and Grogu-themed adventure is coming to the existing Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Animal Kingdom
Pueblo Esperanza land with Indiana Jones and Encanto Attractions to Open in 2027. The Tropical Americas land replacing Dinoland, U.S.A in Animal Kingdom will be called Pueblo Esperanza, and include two attractions plus a carousel.
Pueblo Esperanza will include a hacienda that will be one of the biggest quick service restaurants at Disney World, and the carousel will be giant and filled with wood carved animals from Disney stories.
The Indiana Jones attraction will take place in an ancient Mayan temple where Dr. Jones is intent on exploring a mythical creature within the temple. The ride will be entirely new, and different from any other Indiana Jones ride at other Disney theme parks.
A new land called Pueblo Esperanza will include a new carousel filled with Disney characters.
Additionally, an Encanto-themed attraction will feature an adventure in the Casita from the beloved film come to life, with the story starting the day Antonio receives his gift. The story will continue beyond the movie, where Casita transformed furniture to explore the rain forest and encounter other Madrigal family members. Pueblo Esperanza will open in 2027, so head to Dinoland before its excinxt.
Zootopia-Themed Show on the Tree of Life. Better Zoogether, a show set against the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom begins, next winter.
Disneyland Resort
Disneyland
Walt Disney—A Magical Life: a brand new show at Main Street Opera House will feature an audio-animatronic of Walt Disney himself—the first of its kind. This one is…interesting.
Disney California Adventure
Avatar Themed Land. The land, which was not named at the event, will represent a brand new location on Pandora—i.e., it will be different from Pandora at Animal Kingdom—inspired by The Way of Water and the upcoming Fire and Ash Avatar films, plus later entries to the franchise. A new attraction will join an excursion in search of majestic natural wonders on Pandora. The land will feature dense forests, animals, and bioluminescent flora.
Coco-Themed Attraction. The first attraction themed to the Coco film will be a dark boat ride (similar to Pirates of the Caribbean), breaking ground in 2026.
Avengers Infinity Defense. We have name for the previously-teased attraction coming to Avengers Campus, which is described as utilizing Stark technology to travel between worlds, and of course, King Thanos is using the technology to wreak havoc. The attraction will put guests right in the attraction and explore various locations, including Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City. Construction will begin on the attraction next year.
Brand New Stark Flight Club Attraction. A newly announced ride, Stark Flight Club, will take place at Stark’s lab to test new technologies—concept art and footage shows two-seated pods on top of arms that rotate in many directions. The ride will features differing experiences with each ride. This looks slightly reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal Studios, but I am excited to see Disney’s take on the concept.
Disneyland Paris
A Nighttime Spectacular will premiere at Disneyland Park next year, featuring projections, and fountains, including lights on Main Street, USA—a first for this park.
Disney Adventure World
(Reminder: as I previously reported, Disney Adventure World is the second of two theme parks at Disneyland Paris, that up until very recently, was called Walt Disney Studios Park—see my guide to all the upcoming changes.)
World of Frozen opens in 2026. The highly anticipated land themed to Frozen (which follows similar lands at Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySEA and at Hong Kong Disneyland) finally has an opening year. No additional information about attractions, shows, or dining.
Lion King Attraction. The first of its kind, based on the animated classic, is coming to Disney Adventure World in an area called Pride Lands. In caverns beneath Pride Rock will be an attraction that follows Simba on an adventure—this is huge, and an interesting decision to be in Paris and not stateside.
New Nighttime Spectacular. A new nighttime show will debut on Adventure Bay, the lake at the center of the theme park, in 2026.
Tokyo Disneyland
Reach for the Stars, a new nighttime spectacular debuts September 20.
Hong Kong Disneyland
An Avengers-themed attraction, featuring Tony Stark and Spider-Man will open at the park.
Shanghai Disneyland
A Spider-Man Coaster Coming to Shanghai Disneyland.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney is adding four new cruise ships between 2027 and 2031, which will bring the total to 13 ships.
My Thoughts
That was an interesting presentation, much of which was spent on musical numbers and Disney’s partnership with Epic for their integration with Fortnite. Here are my quick thoughts based on first impressions:
- Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom is the most exciting; I cannot wait to hear more about the attractions and experiences.
- Cars Land at the Magic Kingdom fits perfectly, to me—it is a family-friendly franchise that is still very with popular guests. With the success of the land at Disney California Adventure, it makes sense to have an East Coast version, though I am intrigued at where it will fit within the theme park.
- The Monster’s, Inc. land announcement made things really interesting. I did not expect this, but I am on board, especially at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which seems like a natural fit. Plus, the idea of a suspended coaster based on such an iconic scene from the movie is exciting.
- Additional details about Pueblo Esperanza at Animal Kingdom show a fully commitment to an immersive experience instead of only adding new attractions. Though the signature attractions were already known to us Disney fans, it is nice to see where the stories pick up for the respective experiences.
- Pride Lands at Disney Adventure World is perhaps the most intriguing. I would have expected a Lion King-themed land to feature at a U.S. park. Along with the major changes coming to that theme park, including the World of Frozen, Disneyland Paris is shaping up to be the place to be.
- The major investment in Disney California Adventure is notable—two new attractions at Avengers Campus, a Coco-themed ride, and an entire Avatar land that will differ from the existing Pandora at Animal Kingdom..
- I am not sure how I feel about the Walt audio-animatronic. I understand his legacy is intertwined with the technology, but it may be an adjustment seeing such an attraction, and guests interacting with it.
Those are my thoughts for now, subject to change. Overall, these are exciting additions and expansions to the theme parks, and I think there is enough to keep Disney fans satiated without over promising. Stay tuned to this blog because, as always, I will be closely tracking all of the developments.
Like what you read? Consider subscribing to my Disney Download Newsletter. can also find me on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
See ya real soon!