The Walt Disney Company has outlined its future theme park investments during its D23 fan event in Anaheim, California.
The presentation detailed an array of global projects, spanning entirely new themed areas, major attraction updates, and fleet expansions for its cruise line. With developments spread across North America, Europe, and Asia, the announcements clarify the company’s capital expenditure plans for the coming years. Industry professionals can now observe how the operator intends to allocate resources to compete in the leisure and tourism sector.
The showcase event presented a comprehensive look at what the creative teams at Walt Disney Imagineering have planned for the future. The announcements cover structural changes to existing park layouts, the deployment of new ride technologies, and the revival of legacy entertainment. By leaning heavily into proven franchises such as Cars, Monsters Inc., and The Avengers, the operator aims to secure guest retention across its global resorts.
The experiences presentation was hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, who opened the show with a musical number inspired by his dream to become an Audio Animatronic, including some celebrity cameos:
Below is a detailed breakdown of the 23 most notable additions and updates announced during the event, listed by location.
Disneyland Resort, California, USA
Disneyland Park, California
1 – A trio of nostalgic entertainment offerings will return to the Californian parks in 2027. The presentation confirmed the revival of the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks spectacular at Disneyland Park. Concurrently, Disney California Adventure will see the return of the original 2010 version of the World of Color nighttime spectacular, alongside the Magic Happens daytime parade, which initially had a brief run before park closures in 2020.
2 – The Tomorrowland area will receive a comprehensive transformation designed to restore the spirit of optimism and possibility that originally defined the land in 1955. While specific attraction details remain undisclosed, the project promises to introduce new experiences and more open spaces. The design intent is to harmonise the legacy of the original retro-futuristic aesthetic with modern storytelling for a new generation of visitors.
Disney California Adventure
3 – The Marvel-themed Avengers Campus land will double in physical size with the addition of two major attractions. Avengers Infinity Defense will transport guests across multiple realms, including Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City, to battle King Thanos. The attraction will feature actors reprising their cinematic roles, including Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man. The second attraction, Stark Flight Lab, will offer a simulated flight experience hosted by Iron Man, with actors like Brie Larson and Anthony Mackie also reprising their respective superhero roles.
4 – A new boat dark ride based on the film Coco will break ground near Paradise Gardens Park. Utilising advancements in audio-animatronics technology, the ride will follow the character Miguel as he journeys into the Land of the Dead. A prominent, lifelike statue of the character Hector will feature within the colourful, skeletal-filled show scenes, expanding the park’s cultural representation.
Walt Disney World, Florida, USA
Magic Kingdom
5 – The Carousel of Progress attraction is set to receive a structural and narrative update. During the presentation, it was revealed that actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston will join the rotating theatre show as the mother and father figures for a newly updated 1980s scene. This refurbishment, scheduled for late spring 2027, will modernise the second act of the ride, replacing older sequences while maintaining the historic charm of the original attraction that debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair.
6 – A substantial investment is coming to the Frontierland area, where a new space named Piston Peak National Park will replace the existing Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. Influenced by United States national parks like Yellowstone, the area will feature an erupting geyser named Old Tank Full and an animatronic character named Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore. The land’s flagship attraction, Cars Ridge Run Rally, will utilise a completely new ride vehicle system designed to function as an off-road car. Guests will embark on a race to find the wildest racer in the wilderness, navigating steep mountain climbs, a snowy peak with camelback humps, and a geyser field finale.
7 – Accompanying the main off-road rally attraction is a secondary capacity driver. The newly announced Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along will be an outdoor spinning flat ride built around the character from the third Cars film. Disney executives described the ride as a stampeding bash featuring a school-bus-sized animatronic of Miss Fritter hosting a demolition derby. This addition will serve to round out the attraction lineup within the newly formed Piston Peak area, leaning into a detailed, automotive theme.
8 – Located beyond the existing Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the newly announced Villains Land will introduce antagonist-driven storytelling to the park. Walt Disney Imagineering President Bruce Vaughn and Executive Creative Director Caroline May confirmed the area will feature two major attractions, dining, and shopping. Former Disney animator Andreas Deja is consulting on the project to ensure character accuracy. The headline attraction is a Maleficent rollercoaster, where riders will race through enchanted briars surrounding her mountaintop fortress. A secondary dark ride will take guests into the catacombs beneath a pristine palace, where the Magic Mirror will transport them into a mystical Mirror Realm. The aesthetic of the land has been coined Conjured Architecture by the design team.
EPCOT
9 – Spaceship Earth, the geodesic sphere at the entrance of the park, will undergo a complete reimagining for the first time in nearly two decades. Imagineer Ali Rubinstein and internet personality Mark Rober announced that the slow-moving dark ride attraction will shift its primary narrative focus. While the current version centres on human communication, the updated storyline will focus on human connection. The overhaul promises to bring the ride’s message into the modern internet age, adding new technical elements throughout every scene while preserving the attraction’s classic journey through time.
10 – Fulfilling the long-held desires of EPCOT purists, the original character Dreamfinder is officially set to reunite with Figment inside the Journey Into Imagination attraction. Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum delivered the news to the audience, stating that the company had listened to fan feedback, with at least one animatronic of the character to be added to a revamped ride inside the iconic Imagination Pavilion building. The character originally debuted in 1983, guiding guests on a whimsical journey to collect sounds, colours, and ideas.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
11 – Progress is well underway on Monstropolis, a completely new area based on the Monsters, Inc. film franchise, which is replacing the Muppets Courtyard. The land focuses on a timeline where monsters use laughter instead of screams to power their city. The flagship attraction will be a suspended rollercoaster, fulfilling a fan desire to zoom through the factory’s door vault.
Additionally, the area will feature a show inside the Glob Theater introducing humans to the monster world. ‘Welcome to Monstropolis’ will feature a live cast as well as animatronics and an original song by composer Randy Newman. Dining operations will include a restaurant named Harryhausen’s, featuring a multi-tentacled audio-animatronic sushi chef.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
12 – Set within the upcoming Tropical Americas land, a new attraction titled Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will feature actor Harrison Ford as the physical model for a highly advanced new audio-animatronic figure.
Imagineers Chris Beatty and Michael Hundgen detailed an original storyline where guests rendezvous with the famous archaeologist in a Maya temple near a water-filled cenote. Riders will be unwittingly sucked through a portal into the Maya Underworld, where they must escape monstrous bats, large scorpions, fire, and a mythical serpentine creature known as the Tsukán.
13 – Also located in the 11-acre Tropical Americas expansion, Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, will take guests inside the magical Casita Madrigal from the animated film Encanto. This attraction will feature an array of audio-animatronics, with the main cast of the film signed up to voice their respective characters.
Sitting in the centre of the land will be El Carrusel de los Animalitos. The charming carousel will feature 22 hand-carved wooden animals inspired by various Disney and Pixar stories, including characters like Pua and Heimlich, adding kinetic energy to the new zone.
14 – In an announcement regarding existing park infrastructure, Mazloum confirmed that the infamous yeti audio-animatronic inside the Expedition Everest rollercoaster will finally be repaired. The massive figure, which operates within the mountain structure, has run in a static mode utilising strobe lights for years due to complex foundation issues. Engineering teams have now committed to restoring the yeti to its fully functional, dynamic state.
Tokyo Disneyland Resort, Japan
15 – A 100 billion yen investment will see the complete replacement of the Japanese park’s central Tomorrowland Plaza. Anchoring the reimagined area is Space Mountain Earthrise, an entirely new indoor rollercoaster built from the ground up. The attraction features a powerful launch and special light and sound effects, with an exterior design incorporating curved architectural features inspired by celestial bodies and natural forms like trees and flowers.
16 – Joining the new coaster in Tomorrowland is Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue, a highly interactive attraction based on the Wreck-It Ralph film franchise. Guests will team up with characters Ralph and Vanellope to save a candy-filled game world from destructive glitches known as Sugar Bugs. This attraction brings a modern, interactive gaming element to the park, complementing the surrounding futuristic plaza. During D23, a short video highlighted animatronics which which will accompany the screen-based gameplay, including a giant articulated Ralph audio-animatronic.
Disneyland Resort Paris, France
Disneyland Park
17 – In a move celebrating park heritage, the Space Mountain rollercoaster will abandon its current Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain overlay and revert to its original 1995 theme, Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune. This update restores the Jules Verne-inspired retro-futuristic aesthetic and the original sweeping soundtrack. This specific version of the ride paved a new way for guest experiences with world-first innovations when the European resort first opened, expanding on the story of the park’s unique Discoveryland area.
18 – Set to replace the long-running Disney Stars on Parade, a brand new daytime spectacle will debut in 2028. Entertainment Vice President Dana Harrel noted the parade required over 10,000 hours of research and technical development, featuring 225 unique sketches for costumes, wigs, and makeup. Characters such as Genie, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Miguel will feature on completely new, highly detailed float designs.
Disney Adventure World
19 – The ongoing multi-year overhaul of the former Walt Disney Studios park will feature a dedicated Lion King zone centred around Pride Rock. Imagineer Michel Den Dulk outlined the technical specifications for the main water flume attraction, which includes 19 scenes, two lifts, and three drops, with the final drop reaching 16 metres in height. The 37-metre-tall attraction building will feature an adjustable splash level to suit the European climate, and the surrounding area will be heavily landscaped with nearly 300 newly planted trees.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
20 – The Stark Expo area within Tomorrowland will see a major expansion with the introduction of a new Avengers drop tower attraction. Extending over 120 feet in the air, this towering structure will house the Avengers Research Testing Labs, with an experience similar to the Tower of Terror ride found at other Disney parks. The ride experience will transport guests across different Marvel realms, further expanding the narrative universe that began at the park with the Iron Man Experience in 2017.
Shanghai Disney Resort, China
21 – Expanding its Marvel portfolio, Shanghai Disneyland will introduce a brand new Spider-Man-themed rollercoaster. This high-speed attraction will form part of the Worldwide Engineering Brigade narrative, a storyline already established at other global Disney resorts. The ride will offer a thrill experience smoothly integrated into the existing Marvel storytelling framework.
Disney Cruise Line
22 – Disney Cruise Line is preparing for a period of rapid fleet expansion by announcing a completely new class of ships slated to debut between 2029 and 2030. These vessels will sit between the older classic ships and the newer, massive models in size. This strategic scaling will allow the ships to access different, smaller ports, opening the door to new global destinations that are currently inaccessible to the larger vessels in the fleet.
23 – Prior to the launch of the new class, the fourth Wish-class vessel, named Disney Believe, will officially set sail in 2027. The thematic design elements of the ship have been confirmed, featuring the character Moana in the Grand Hall, Tinker Bell positioned on the bow, and Toy Story characters Buzz and Woody adorning the stern, continuing the tradition of character-led maritime design on the Disney Cruise Line.
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Images: Disney
