D23: The Ultimate Fan Event Logo

Friday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, fans of The Walt Disney Company flocked to the D23: The Ultimate Fan Event in beautiful Southern California to celebrate everything Disney – past, present and future!

During every D23, we find out additional details around yet-to-be-announced and highly-anticipated attractions and experiences coming to Disney Destinations! The Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase presentation at the 2024 D23 was no exception, providing us with many great details!

Below is a recap of the latest Disney Destinations news from D23.

“At Disney Experiences, Imagineers dream, create, design and build these stories into real places. And we have Imagineers in place right now all around the world because everything we’re going to share with you is in active development. Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving. I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’ve heard here tonight.” – Josh D’Amaro, Disney Experiences Chairman

Walt Disney World® Resort

  • [Magic Kingdom® Park – Summer 2025] – An all-new Nighttime Parade called “Disney Starlight” is coming to Magic Kingdom® Park in Summer of 2025. “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.
  • [Magic Kingdom® Park – 2025] – Opening in 2025 is a tavern themed to Pirates of the Caribbean.
  • [Magic Kingdom® Park – TBA] – A new area inspired by the Pixar Animation Studios film “Cars” will be coming to a reimagined section of Frontierland® at Magic Kingdom®. Two exciting new “Cars”-themed attractions will be included – one taking you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains and another geared towards smaller racers yet fun for the whole family. Construction will begin in early 2025.
  • [Magic Kingdom® Park – TBA] – A new Villains Land will be coming to Magic Kingdom® Park. The space will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping.
  • [EPCOT® – 2025] – A reimagined Test Track will open in 2025. The update will celebrate today’s innovation while highlighting the past, present, and future.
  • [EPCOT® – 2025] – A new lounge inspired by Spaceship Earth will open in 2025.
  • [Disney’s Hollywood Studios® – 2026] – A brand-new mission featuring Mando and Grogu is coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
  • [Disney’s Hollywood Studios® – TBA] – A brand-new land themed around Pixar Animation Studios’ “Monsters, Inc.” will be added to Disney’s Hollywood Studios®. The land will include the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Work for the project is expected to begin in 2025.
  • [Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park  – TBA] – The previously announced “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” show that is coming to the Tree of Life Theater will open next winter.
  • [Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park  – 2027] – A new space themed around the Tropical Americas is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. This 11-acre section of the park will feature one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World® Resort and several new attractions including a giant working carousel featuring favorite animals from Disney stories. The land will also feature two signature attractions. The first is a new Indy experience that will be different from any other Indiana Jones experience around the world. The second will be the first-ever “Encanto”-themed ride-through attraction. Construction on the land is set to begin this fall and will open in 2027.

Disneyland® Resort

  • [Disneyland® Park  – 2024] – Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Disneyland® Park and Critter Country will be renamed Bayou Country on November 15, 2024. The Hungry Bear Restaurant is also being reimagined into Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree.
  • [Disneyland® Park  – 2025] – 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.” It will play inside the Main Street Opera House in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”
  • [Disneyland® Park  – 2026] – A brand-new mission featuring Mando and Grogu is coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
  • [Disney California Adventure® Park – TBA] – A new Pandora destination is coming to Disney California Adventure. It will draw inspiration from “Avatar: The Way of Water” and upcoming Avatar films.
  • [Disney California Adventure® Park – TBA] – The size of Avengers Campus will double with two brand new attractions – Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. Construction on the expansion will begin in 2025.
  • [Disney California Adventure® Park – TBA] – An all-new attraction themed to Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco” is coming to Disney California Adventure® Park in the future. Work is scheduled to begin on the attraction in 2026.

Disney Cruise Line

  • [Disney Treasure – 2024] – The Disney Treasure — setting sail later this year — will feature the brand-new stage production, “Disney The Tale of Moana.” The show will include a giant 15-foot-tall Te Kā puppet on stage.
  • [Disney Destiny – 2025] – The signature production aboard the Disney Destiny — which starts sailing next year — will be “Disney Hercules.”
  • [2027 – 2031] – Four brand new Disney Cruise Line ships will be joining the fleet 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.

Artist Renderings

Actual construction may vary from Concept Art. All Concept Art © Disney © Disney/Lucasfilm © Disney/Pixar © MARVEL