ANAHEIM — Fans of The Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line got an ‘earful’ at D23 this past weekend.
The multi-day expo for everything Disney, D23 – the ‘23’ is for 1923, the year Walt Disney founded the company – takes place in Anaheim every two years.
It’s a headline-making showcase for announcements from The Walt Disney Company, and this year’s event was no exception, with news about new lands and attractions – including the largest expansion in history for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort – new cruise ships for DCL, and more.
This year’s updates came courtesy of D23 host Josh D’Amaro, Disney Experiences Chairman.
“Disney Experiences is embarking on an accelerated path of ambitious growth and innovation,” said D’Amaro. “Today we unveiled an extensive slate of new experiences that only Disney can deliver. Work is well under way on all of the new projects we announced, and fans will start to see them come to life in the near future.”
Among the many announcements were plans for four new cruise ships and details about six new themed lands and areas that will bring guests deeper into storytelling franchises including Monsters, Inc., Cars, Indiana Jones, Encanto, Avatar, The Lion King, and the classic Disney Villains.
D’Amaro announced plans for 14 all-new attractions featuring those stories and more, such as The Avengers, Spider-Man, and the first-ever ride-through attraction themed to Coco coming to Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.
Among the five new shows and nighttime spectaculars coming to Disney parks around the world is Disney Starlight, an all-new nighttime parade coming to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
D’Amaro was joined onstage by Disney Imagineers and creative leads across Disney’s film studios to share the news.
Here’s a look at the top 10 announcements from D23 …
Expansion of Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line will add four new vessels to its fleet between 2027 and 2031. The new ships will make for a fleet that’s 13 ships strong.
Monsters, Inc. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Construction will begin in 2025 on the first full land dedicated to Monsters, Inc., coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. The land will feature the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park.
Cars at the Magic Kingdom
Pixar Animation Studios’ Cars franchise is coming to a reimagined area of Frontierland with two all-new attractions including an off-road rally race and a family friendly attraction. Construction on this area will begin early next year.
Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom
Work is already underway on a new land dedicated to Disney Villains coming to the Magic Kingdom – complete with two attractions, dining, and shopping.
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will feature two new signature attractions: a high-energy adventure following Indiana Jones into an ancient Maya temple; and a journey through the Casita Madrigal from the movie Encanto. It will also feature a carousel featuring animals from many favourite Disney stories, perfect for young families. Tropical Americas is set to open in 2027.
Avatar at Disney California Adventure
An all-new Avatar experience will come to Disney California Adventure including an innovative new attraction that will bring all the action, the excitement, and the wonder of Avatar to life in a completely new and thrilling way.
First-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney
Next year, a new show based on the life of Walt Disney, ‘Walt Disney – A Magical Life,’ will play at the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland park and feature the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney. After the show’s debut run, it will play in rotation with ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.’
Avengers Experiences in California, Shanghai and Hong Kong
The original Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort will double in size with the addition of two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. Shanghai Disney Resort will introduce its first major Super Hero attraction, a Spider-Man-themed thrill coaster. At Hong Kong Disneyland, the presence of the Avengers will continue to expand with a major new attraction coming to Tomorrowland featuring Spider-Man … and one of his most formidable villains.
Lion King Area at Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris
On the heels of the highly anticipated World of Frozen, set to open in Disneyland Paris in 2026, the first-ever ride through attraction themed to The Lion King will come next to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris in a new Lion-King themed area of the park, complete with dining, shopping and character meet & greets.
Epic Games Collaboration
While livestreamed in Fortnite, D’Amaro was joined live on stage by creative leads from across The Walt Disney Company — Jennifer Lee from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pete Docter from Pixar Animation Studios, Kevin Feige from Marvel Studios, and Dave Filoni from Lucasfilm — to discuss Disney’s expansive collaboration with Epic Games and how the full power of Disney storytelling will come to this dynamic, new environment. They shared how the world’s most notable characters and stories will converge in one connected universe where fans can watch, play and even create Disney stories. The group also announced new characters and skins coming soon to Fortnite, from Disney Villains to The Incredibles and The Mandalorian, and showed a trailer for the next Marvel season featuring Doctor Doom which debuts on August 16.
“With so many great Disney stories to tell, we’re excited to bring an unprecedented number of new projects to life in the near future, whether it be in our theme parks, on our cruise ships or through our partnership with Epic Games in the digital space,” said D’Amaro.
For more details check out the Disney Parks Blog.
