By Alison Stateman
Disney fans were in for epic news about an unprecedented slate of new offerings and expansions at Disney Parks, Disney Cruise Line, and Disney’s gaming alliance with Epic Games on Saturday at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at the Honda Center—all aimed at bringing the Disney stories fans love to life in new and thrilling ways.
“Everything we share here tonight is in active development. This isn’t Blue Sky,” said Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, referring to the initial stage of Walt Disney Imagineering projects, where initial ideas and concepts are created through a combination of brainstorming and concept design.
“We’re doing all of it,” he emphasized during his division’s showcase before a sold-out crowd, who greeted the news with thunderous applause.
Among the many announcements were plans for four new cruise ships and details about six new themed lands and areas that will bring guests deeper into the stories they love, including Monsters, Inc., Cars, Indiana Jones, Encanto, Avatar, The Lion King, and the classic Disney Villains. D’Amaro announced plans for 14 all-new attractions featuring those stories and more, such as the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the first-ever ride-through attraction themed to Coco coming to Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort, inviting guests to join Miguel on a trip through the Land of the Dead. Among the five new shows and nighttime spectaculars coming to Disney Parks around the world is Disney Starlight, an all-new nighttime parade set for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
D’Amaro was joined onstage by Disney Imagineers and creative leads across Disney’s film studios to share breaking news, as thousands of fans heard from stars and storytellers in the electric, high-energy showcase. Beloved Disney Legend Billy Crystal announced a Monsters, Inc.-themed land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. Meghan Trainor surprised the audience with a stirring rendition of “Feed the Birds” by the Sherman brothers—a song from Mary Poppins beloved by Walt Disney. D’Amaro also announced the largest expansion in history for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, before Shaboozey treated the crowd to a new rendition of “Life Is a Highway” to announce a Cars-themed area, and Rita Ora joined the Magic Mirror to perform “Trust in Me” as part of the announcement of a Villains-themed land, which closed the show to a sea of roars from the audience.
Here are some of the exciting announcements that Disney Experiences revealed at D23 on Saturday:
Disney Villains, Cars, and the Largest Expansion to Date at Magic Kingdom Park
The world’s most-visited theme park will be getting its largest land expansion ever with Disney’s iconic villains and its hit franchise Cars moving into Magic Kingdom Park.
The expansion at Magic Kingdom—the keystone park of Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida—will bring new and beloved stories to life as Disney Imagineers craft a land based on the wickedly wonderful Disney Villains. The new land is underway with two new attractions planned as well as dining, shopping, and more.
“Since the beginning, our Disney Villains have given us endless possibilities to tell new stories,” D’Amaro said. “In this new land, you’ll see storytelling on a grand scale that only Disney can deliver.”
Fans of Pixar’s Cars were elated to hear that the franchise is also racing into the Magic Kingdom. In a reimagined section of Frontierland, guests will leave Radiator Springs behind and head off into the wilderness with two new Cars attractions—a thrilling off-road rally race and a family-friendly attraction that even the youngest racers will love.
Esperanza, Encanto, and Indiana Jones
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World is also getting a new land, which will take guests on adventures in the Tropical Americas. Guests will enter the land through Pueblo Esperanza, a fictional village in heart of the rainforest that will feel lived-in, with a long, rich history.
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will feature 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 Encanto following Antonio’s story on the day after he received his magical gift. It will also feature a beautiful carousel featuring animals from many favorite Disney stories, perfect for young families to enjoy. Tropical Americas is set to open in 2027.
Monsters, Inc. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World is home to attractions from some of cinema’s biggest blockbusters, such as Toy Story and Star Wars. Now, another popular film franchise is coming to life: Monsters, Inc.
The Pixar franchise is getting a new land, which will welcome guests to tour the Laugh Factory with an amazing new attraction that will be the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney Park, with construction beginning next year.
Avengers and Avatar
New lands and attractions are also coming to Disneyland Resort.
On Saturday, D’Amaro announced that two new thrilling Marvel-themed attractions are coming to Disney California Adventure Park. Avengers Campus will expand, doubling its current size to house the new attractions.
Marvel—which has already made more than $30 billion at the global box office—is not the only popular film brand that is coming to Disneyland Resort.
Avatar—the innovative science fiction series that has brought in more than $5 billion at the global box office—will come to Disney California Adventure including an innovative new attraction that will bring all the action, the excitement, and the wonder of Avatar to life in a completely new and thrilling way. The new destination is inspired by the second Avatar film, Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as the upcoming films.
Updates also included the following:
- First-ever Audio-Animatronics® figure of Walt Disney: Next year, a new show based on the life of Walt Disney, Walt Disney – A Magical Life, will play at the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland Park and feature the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney. After the show’s debut run, it will play in rotation with perennial fan favorite Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
- Epic Games Collaboration: While livestreamed in Fortnite, D’Amaro was joined live on stage by creative leads from across The Walt Disney Company—Jennifer Lee from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pete Docter from Pixar Animation Studios, Kevin Feige from Marvel Studios, and Dave Filoni from Lucasfilm—to discuss Disney’s expansive collaboration with Epic Games and how they are bringing Disney storytelling to this dynamic new environment.
“Imagine a place where all the Disney characters and worlds converge in one connected universe. Imagine a place where you can watch, play, and create your own Disney stories,” said D’Amaro. Among the announcements, the group unveiled new characters and skins coming soon to Fortnite, from Disney Villains to The Incredibles and The Mandalorian, and showed a trailer for the next Marvel season featuring Doctor Doom, which debuts on August 16.
- The beloved animated film The Lion King, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, will also be brought to life through the first-ever ride-through attraction themed to the film next to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris, within a themed area of the park, complete with dining, shopping, and character meet-and-greets. This water attraction will go down into the caves beneath Pride Rock to follow Simba on his journey from cub to king, following the story from the classic Walt Disney Animation Studios film.
For more on these and other updates unveiled at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, visit the Disney Parks blog.