The House of Mouse has been busy, and rightfully so since its biggest competitor down the street is about to open a whole new theme park. Disney World’s answer to that competition is at least one new themed land or attraction in every park.
This weekend at D23, the company’s mega fan convention hosted the Horizons showcase — a veritable news dump of lands and attractions being built at Disney parks around the world. There were plenty of exciting reveals for Disneyland Resort in California and the Paris parks. But as the vacation capital of the world and home to Disney’s largest resort, Orlando was in the spotlight.
Here’s everything coming to Disney World revealed at Saturday’s D23 panel.
Magic Kingdom
The park’s Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America will be overhauled to make way for a Cars land. The “reimagined area of Frontierland” will include two new attractions — a “thrilling rally race through the mountains” and a second more family-friendly one.
“Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests,” said Michael Hundgen, Portfolio Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering.
Don’t worry, fans of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America, there’s still plenty of time to experience the current Frontierland before Cars land construction begins next year.
The much-anticipated Beyond Big Thunder Mountain project finally has a name: Disney Villains. The expansion — literally beyond the Big Thunder Mountain coaster — will include two major attractions, dining, shopping and immersive theming for all the best and most wicked Disney villains.
Don’t expect the Villains land to be as dark as Epic Universe’s monster-filled Dark Universe. But it’s nice to see Disney World embracing its spookier side beyond its Halloween events.
The new Cars and Disney Villains lands are part of the biggest expansion in the park’s history, but they aren’t the only new things coming soon to Magic Kingdom. The D23 showcase also revealed a new nighttime parade debuting next summer.
“Disney Starlight” promises to continue and build upon the legacy of the beloved “Main Street Electrical Parade,” which stopped performances in 2016 at Disney World. The new parade will use lighting technology to bring scene floats and beloved Disney characters to life down Main Street U.S.A. in summer 2025.
Lastly, Disney shared some updates and a new rendering of the Pirates of the Caribbean tavern that was announced last year. The pirate-filled haven serving “a sea-worthy selection of grogs and grub” will open in 2025.
Animal Kingdom
Though previously announced, the D23 showcase revealed more about the new Tropical Americas land coming to Animal Kingdom. The 11-acre expansion includes transforming the dated DinoLand U.S.A. into Pueblo Esperanza, a “Village of Hope” in the heart of a rainforest.
Beyond two major attractions, the sprawling village will have a large centerpiece fountain and a woodcarver-made carousel featuring beloved Disney animals.
The outskirts of the village will feature the new Indiana Jones attraction being built from the bones of the soon-to-be closed Dinosaur ride. While there are indoor Indiana Jones rides at other parks, Disney promises this one will be different.
“In this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: It’s time to explore,” Disney Parks wrote in a release. “He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself.”
Fans of Encanto will finally get to visit the beloved Casita of the Madrigal family. The family-friendly ride through attraction takes guests on a journey through the magical abode alongside Antonio, who has just received his special ability to talk to animals.
Construction on the new Tropical Americas land will begin in the fall with a planned opening in 2027. The countdown to extinction is on for the Dinosaur ride, but there’s still time to experience it.
Elsewhere in the park, the Tree of Life Theater will bid farewell to “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” to make way for “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” The Zootopia-themed show will feature characters Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and their friends as they show off all the different biomes from the 2016 movie. The new show will open next winter.
Hollywood Studios
One of the most controversial announcements at D23 was the reveal of a new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios. The professional laughter-seekers are loved by fans, but there’s concern about what in Hollywood Studios will be overhauled to make way for Monstropolis.
Disney hasn’t yet revealed where the Monsters, Inc. land will go in the park, but many fans are worried about losing the sliver of The Muppets near the entrance to Galaxy’s Edge.
As for what’s going in Monstropolis, the story of the land is set after the events of the film. There will be immersive, Monster-filled experiences throughout, including the iconic laughter factory and signature attraction that lets guests ride through the iconic door vault.
“You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro said at D23. “Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”
While we wait for more information about where Monsters, Inc. is going, work on the new land begins in 2025.
Speaking of Galaxy’s Edge, the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride will get a new mission in 2026. Just in time for the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the iconic bounty hunter and youngling will feature in a brand new story on the attraction.
The Mando and Grogu story at Galaxy’s Edge is part of Lucasfilm’s partnership with Epic’s Unreal Engine, which helps create some of the virtual sets for The Mandalorian TV series and movie.
“Just imagine it: you’ll be able to fly alongside Mando and Grogu on thrilling, and dangerous, missions,” Star Wars creative executive Dave Filoni said.
Epcot
The experimental prototype community of tomorrow may have just completed some major construction updates, but a few more new attractions are still on the horizon.
D23’s showcase included more details about the reimagined Test Track ride opening in 2025. Disney is collaborating with Chevrolet to create an attraction that celebrates historic, modern and future vehicular innovation.
The new Test Track line will have six exhibits celebrating the vehicles and the people behind them “that push the envelope and help get people to our next chapter in our motion journey.”
The ride portion will include scenes showcasing motor vehicle technology, customization and personalization followed by “a scenic outdoor route reminding us all of the joys of driving, taking in the world around us and spending quality time with friends and family.”
Construction on the new Test Track has already begun.
Also opening next year At Epcot is a new Spaceship Earth lounge. The new “zen space” for refreshments (and air conditioning) will pay homage to the iconic geometric sphere and its “stories, shapes and enduring legacy.”
An artistic rendering of the new space also hints it’ll offer fantastic views of the park’s signature pavilions.
More details about these new lands and what attractions will close to make way for them are coming soon.
