Welcome, World Travelers! Here Are 8 Big Announcements about Disney World from D23!
by James Coulter
From Disney villains getting a whole land to themselves, to Encanto and Monsters Inc. getting their own attractions, to a brand-new nighttime parade coming, several big announcements were recently made that promise a great big beautiful tomorrow for the Happiest Place on Earth.
This weekend, the bi-annual D23 Expo was hosted at Disneyland’s hometown in Anaheim, CA. During the event, the Walt Disney Company made several announcements about upcoming projects for their animated and live-action movies, Star Wars and Marvel properties, and especially their theme parks.
On Saturday evening, Josh D’Amaro, Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, took to the stage during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase to announce several new rides, attractions, and themed lands coming to Disney Parks around the world within the next decade.
These upcoming projects are part of an initiative by the Walt Disney Company to invest $60 billion into their theme parks worldwide over the next 10 years. CNBC reports this proposed investment by Disney as, “a key part of its strategy to keep the parks fresh and relevant in a competitive segment.”
“About 70% of that money will go toward new experiences in domestic and international parks, along with cruise lines,” CNBC reports. “The other 30% will go toward technology and infrastructure, including maintenance of existing attractions.”
Fittingly enough for D23, more than 23 new rides and attractions were announced for Disney parks worldwide including Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Of course, plenty of new experiences are coming to the parks in California and Florida.
Here are eight of the biggest announcements about new rides and attractions planned for Walt Disney World in Florida:
#1: Villains at Magic Kingdom
Rumors about a land themed to the Disney Villains have been circulating for decades. Two years ago, those rumors were teased when blue sky concept art revealed several new lands “Beyond Thunder Mountain” at Magic Kingdom. One of those lands appeared rather dark looking, almost as if it was the “Dark Kingdom” Villain-themed land that fans have long speculated about.
Now, those rumors have been proven true with the announcement of Villains at Magic Kingdom. The concept art for the proposed land, which is speculated to be located somewhere “beyond Thunder Mountain”, reveals a dark and twisted landscape ideal for Disney’s most dark and twisted characters.
Several notable landmarks include a dark foreboding castle, Chernabog’s mountain from Fantasia, and a forest of dark thorns with Maleficent in her dragon form. That area in particular includes rollercoaster tracks, perhaps hinting at the land’s big e-ticket rollercoaster-type attraction.
#2: Monsters Inc.-Themed Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Seven years ago, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened its first land themed to a Pixar movie with Toy Story Land. Now, seven years later, a new land themed to another popular Pixar movie will be arriving soon—and it’s sure to be a scream.
A Monsters Inc.-themed land was announced for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The land will allow guests to visit Mike, Sulley, and their other monster friends in their home city of Monstropolis.
The big attraction will be a suspended roller coaster—the first ride of its kind at any Disney Park—based upon the hanging doors sequence from the first movie.
#3: Encanto and Indiana Jones at Animal Kingdom
After Primeval Whirl shut down in 2020, many fans speculated that Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama, along with the rest of Dinoland USA, would soon go the way of the dinosaurs and become replaced with a new themed land.
Those rumors seemed confirmed with blue sky concept art revealed two years ago showing attractions based on Moana and Zootopia. Now, two years later, new concept art shows that Encanto and Indiana Jones will be moving in once the dinosaurs move out.
A new Tropical America’s land will be replacing Dinoland USA, with new attractions based on Encanto and Indiana Jones. The centerpiece of the land will be Pueblo Esperanza (“Village of Hope”) based on the setting of Encanto, and the main attraction will be a ride inside the magical Casita.
The land will also include a new attraction based on Indiana Jones. While the ride will be similar to those in Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, the ride itself is promised to be unique to Disney World, especially with its proposed Mayan-themed setting and show building.
#4: Cars-Themed Land at Magic Kingdom
Two years ago, D23 unveiled blue sky concept art showing themed lands that expanded beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad–thus having the proposed expansion named “Beyond Thunder Mountain.”
One of those lands was a Villains-themed area, which has since been confirmed as Villains at Magic Kingdom. The other two lands appeared to have attractions based on Coco and Encanto.
With Encanto rides now planned for Animal Kingdom, these new areas “Beyond Thunder Mountain” have now been unveiled to be home to another big franchise: Cars.
Yes, apparently, Frontierland will expand beyond Thunder Mountain with two new attractions based on Pixar’s Cars. Both rides appear to be trackless with vehicles based on the Cars characters. One of these rides very well may be similar to Radiator Springs Racers at Disney’s California Adventure. Only time will tell.
#5: Disney Starlight Nighttime Parade at Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom’s signature nighttime parade SpectroMagicended its decades-long run in 2010. The last nighttime parade to perform there was the Main Street Electrical Parade, which ended its run in 2016. Since then, the Magic Kingdom has been without a nighttime parade.
A new nighttime parade had been planned for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, with theme music allegedly based on “Trip A Little Light Fantastic” from Mary Poppins Returns. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020, plans for such a parade were apparently put on hold to comply with health and safety requirements.
That all changes soon! A new nighttime parade is set to make its debut in the Magic Kingdom soon. The parade will be called Starlight, with concept art showing floats and characters from movies like Frozen 2, Moana, and Encanto.
#6: Zootopia Show at Animal Kingdom
Two years ago, blue sky concept art revealed a new themed land in Animal Kingdom based on Zootopia. Many fans speculated the new land would be similar to the Zootopia land in Shanghai Disneyland, which recently opened earlier this year.
The bad news is that, with the new area in Animal Kingdom now being themed to Encanto and Indiana Jones, the new Zootopia land no longer seems like a reality.
The good news, however, is that Zootopia will be coming to Animal Kingdom in the form of a new show that will be hosted in the Tree of Life, thus replacing the park’s opening attraction of It’s Tough to be a Bug. Zootopia fans rejoice! A Bug’s Life’s fans sigh!
#7: Mando and Grogu at Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
When Galaxy’s Edge opened five years ago in Disneyland and Disney World, the Star Wars-themed land was strictly themed to the sequel film trilogy with characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren.
However, following the closure of the Galactic Starcruiser hotel last year, Galaxy’s Edge has eased up upon its internal lore, featuring meet-and-greet characters from other points in the Star Wars timeline.
Two of the most popular characters were The Mandalorian and The Child from the hit Disney Plus streaming series The Mandalorian, who started making appearances a few years ago.
Now, Mando and Grogu will apparently star in a side mission for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. This new alternate version of the ride will most likely premiere alongside Mando’s and Grogu’s upcoming big-screen appearance in The Mandalorian & Grogu in 2026.
#8: Pirates and Spaceship Earth Themed Lounges
Finally, two new lounges will be opening their doors next year in Walt Disney World. The first is a tavern themed to the Pirates of the Caribbean, which will be located somewhere in the Magic Kingdom. The other will be a Spaceship Earth-themed lounge opening in Epcot, most likely in the former corporate lounge adjacent to Spaceship Earth itself and overlooking World Celebration.
