All the biggest Disney World announcements from Destination D23 in Orlando

There’s a lot of new stuff coming soon to Disney World — all of it announced during a packed presentation this weekend at Destination D23 in Orlando.

Destination D23, similar to D23 Expo, is Disney’s version of a fan convention. It’s the company’s chance to unveil new movies, shows, theme park attractions and more without having to compete with other major studios announcing projects in the convention hall next door.

This year, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro hosted the presentation filled with opening dates, upgrades and new attractions coming the parks.

For Disney World alone, there were nearly a dozen announcements. Let’s break them down by park.

Epcot

Figment, the lovable purple dragon with a big imagination, started meeting guests on Sunday in the Imagination pavilion. At one point that day, the line to meet the classic character stretched to over three hours.

Next up is Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, a new interactive walkthrough attraction announced back in 2019. The experience is set within World Nature, the new Epcot neighborhood dedicated to exploring, educating and preserving the beauty of the natural world.

Journey of Water is set to open Oct. 16, and Moana herself will be there to meet guests the same day as well.

At Test Track, the iconic ride that originally turned you into a safer version of a crash test dummy, the attraction will get a reimagining with help from teams at Chevrolet.

More details are coming soon, but Disney said they and the Chevy teams are “reaching back into history for inspiration — from the original World of Motion — and bringing that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of the Test Track attraction.”

There’s also a brand new nighttime show arriving Dec. 5 — Luminous: The Symphony of Us. The show will feature fireworks, lasers, lighting and fountain effects and new music.

Finally, the must-anticipated World Celebration neighborhood is set to open in December.

After several years of nonstop construction around Epcot, the opening of World Celebration will finally reopen the front of the park and tie together the new World Discovery and World Nature neighborhoods.

Animal Kingdom

Perhaps the most controversial announcements at Destination D23 were related to the future of Animal Kingdom.

The Tree of Life Theater will soon get a new show inspired by 2016’s Zootopia. The current concept for the show, according to Disney, features guests going on an adventure to different biomes alongside Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and other favorite characters from the movie.

That means the popular It’s Tough to Be a Bug! show will eventually be replaced. The 8-minute 3-D show is inspired by 1998 movie A Bug’s Life and has been a part of Animal Kingdom since then.

So, while there’s much love for Zootopia finally coming to Animal Kingdom, it’ll be a bittersweet goodbye to a 25-year-old staple of the park.

Then, there’s the rumors and discourse surrounding what Disney will do with Dinoland U.S.A. — an opening day land.

During the presentation, D’Amaro said Imagineering has plans to reimagine the prehistoric carnival themed land into a new one inspired by the “tropical Americas.”

According to Disney, Imagineers are researching biodiverse areas in regions just north and south of the equator — northern South American up into Central America.

With that in mind, D’Amaro said IPs (intellectual properties) like Indiana Jones and Encanto are being considered for future theming in the new land.

Those franchises aren’t a done deal, but Disney did share an artist rendering of what the reimagined land could look like.

Magic Kingdom

Disney World’s version of the iconic Haunted Mansion ride will finally get the Hatbox Ghost in late November. Like the character’s iteration in Disneyland, the Hatbox Ghost will materialize as doom buggy-riding guests pass the Haunted Mansion’s Endless Hallway scene.

Then sometime next year, the Country Bear Jamboree will begin performing new songs and a new musical act.

Alongside D’Amaro, Imagineer Chris Beatty said the beloved bears will reimagine classic Disney songs as country music tunes. Imagineers are also working with Nashville musicians to “get the authentic country sound” as well as pay tribute to historic musical revues from the world’s country musical capital.

Over in Adventureland, there will soon be a new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge, which will extend the story of the iconic boat ride attraction.

Planning and designs are underway, but Disney did share an artist concept image of a raucous pirate-filled tavern.


D’Amaro also teased some expansion plans for Magic Kingdom that include stories “beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” That means opening new attractions beyond the thrilling coaster, restaurants, shows and more. Disney said the proposed expansion is similar in scale to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora: The World of Avatar.

While more details will come eventually, the biggest change to Frontierland is the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride, which replaced Splash Mountain. The Princess and the Frog-themed attraction is set to open next year.

Hollywood Studios

While Disney didn’t have any major ride announcements or expansion plans to announce for Hollywood Studios, the company did share an upgrade coming soon to the Star Tours simulator attraction.

Next spring, Ahsoka Tano will become part of Star Tours at the Orlando park as well as Disneyland in California and Paris.

The character is certainly having a moment with her first live-action series streaming on Disney Plus. And the character recently started greeting guests at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland.

So, when will Ahsoka — and Hera and Chopper, too — arrive in Florida? Soon please, Disney.

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