A new villains-themed land is coming to the Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom, one of a number of announcements the company made over the weekend at its D23 fan event in Anaheim, Calif.
In the Magic Kingdom, there will be an expansion of Frontierland with two new "Cars" attractions. At Hollywood Studios, a new land themed to "Monsters, Inc." is coming.
The Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park will double in size and a new Avatar-themed land is planned.
And, four more ships will join the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
During D23, Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, stressed that "everything we're going to share with you is in active development."
"Plans are drawn," he said. "Dirt is moving. I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you've heard here."
Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom will be home to the antagonists from classic Walt Disney Animation Studios films. Disney called the land "dark and thorny." It will have two attractions, plus dining and shopping.
D'Amaro called it "a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be."
One of the new "Cars" attractions at Frontierland will be an off-roading adventure. Photo Credit: Disney
Frontierland will also expand in the Magic Kingdom with two new attractions themed to Pixar's 2006 film "Cars." Disney billed one of the attractions as an off-roading "thrilling rally race through the mountains." The other will be a family attraction.
The Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios will feature Disney's first suspended coaster. Humans will be invited to visit the monsters' world, including its famous factory. Guests will be zipped around on a door, just like in the 2001 Pixar film. Work on the new land and attraction is expected to begin next year.
Disney's Animal Kingdom will also have a new area: Pueblo Esperanza, themed to the tropical Americas. Located in what is today DinoLand U.S.A., the 11-acre area will feature two main attractions in addition to one of Disney World's largest quick-service restaurants, a central fountain and a carousel that appears to have been carved out of wood.
The first main attraction in Pueblo Esperanza will be themed to the Indiana Jones franchise. Guests will join the adventurer as he explores a newly discovered Maya temple and the mythical creature rumored to be within.
An Indiana Jones attraction is coming to the new Pueblo Esperanza area at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Photo Credit: Disney
It will also be home to Disney's first ride themed to its 2021 animated film "Encanto." Guests will join the Madrigal family inside the Casita. Specifically, they will visit Antonio's room, recently transformed into a rainforest after he received his special gift of communicating with animals.
Construction will start in the fall and a 2027 opening is planned.
Elsewhere in Animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life Theater is set to welcome a new show, "Zootopia: Better Zoogether!," featuring characters from the 2016 film "Zootopia." The show will open next winter.
Next summer, the Magic Kingdom will welcome a new nighttime parade, "Disney Starlight." The parade will feature characters like the Blue Fairy and familiar faces from "Peter Pan," "Encanto" and "Frozen." Disney said it "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."
Test Track in Epcot has been closed since June for a refurbishment by Disney and attraction sponsor Chevrolet. The reimagined attraction will reopen in 2025 with six new exhibits in its queue and new show scenes. Work on Test Track is ongoing, and its new exterior is reminiscent of the original version of the attraction that opened in 1999.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, the attraction where guests board and pilot the iconic ship from the Star Wars franchise, is getting a new storyline featuring the Mandalorian and the beloved Grogu from the Disney Plus show "The Mandalorian." Guests will be able to fly alongside the duo in 2026, in conjunction with the theatrical release of the film "The Mandalorian and Grogu." The update is being created via Disney's partnership with Epic Games.
A lounge will be themed to classic Epcot attraction Spaceship Earth. Photo Credit: Disney
Two new lounges will open at the Walt Disney Resort in 2025. One will be themed to classic Epcot attraction Spaceship Earth. The other will be a pirates-themed lounge announced during last year's Destination D23. That lounge will be located in the Magic Kingdom.
New ships for Disney Cruise Line
Between 2027 and 2031, four new ships will join Disney Cruise Line.
With five ships sailing and another four already in the works, the cruise line's fleet will be 13 ships strong.
Additionally, the main show aboard the Disney Destiny will be "Disney Hercules" featuring characters and music from the 1997 animated film. The Destiny is expected to start sailing in November 2025.
The Disney Treasure, which will enter service this December, will feature a new stage show, "Disney The Tale of Moana," based on the 2016 animated film "Moana." In that show, the character Te Ka will be depicted by a 15-foot-tall puppet. D'Amaro said it's the largest puppet ever to be featured in a Disney Cruise Line show.
Disneyland updates
An Avatar-themed land based on 2022 film "Avatar: The Way of Water" and other upcoming Avatar films is coming to Disney California Adventure. Disney promised an attraction featuring a "new and thrilling excursion" through Pandora, the planet where the films take place.
Avengers Campus at California Adventure will get two new attractions with construction to begin next year. On one of the attractions, the technology the Avengers use to travel between worlds is missing, and recruits will join familiar characters in locations like New York, Asgard and Wakanda. On the other, guests will board two-person pods at the Stark Flight Lab. They will be spun around by a robotic arm, simulating flight.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Disney's redo of Splash Mountain that opened in Disney World this summer, will open in Disneyland on Nov. 15. It is located in Bayou Country, the newly renamed Critter Country, next to New Orleans Square.
The first attraction based on "Coco," Pixar's 2017 film, is coming to California Adventure. Guests will join Miguel on a visit to the land of the dead. Work is expected to begin in 2026. D'Amaro said the ride will lean into the latest audio-animatronics technology, while taking inspiration from classic attractions like the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.
A new tribute to Walt Disney himself is coming to Disneyland in 2025, and it's, well, Walt himself, in audio-animatronic form. "Walt Disney -- A Magical Life" will feature a depiction of the patriarch of Disney Parks. During the show, visitors will see what it might have been like to stop by his office and see what he was working on. The show will debut in the Main Street Opera House for an initial run, then play in rotation with the classic show "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." Members of the Disney family are being consulted in the creation of Walt's audio-animatronic, D'Amaro said, including his great nephew Roy P. Disney, who was at D23.