Last weekend, the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase was held during D23’s Ultimate Disney Fan Event, and there were almost 50 new announcements that gave us a sneak peek into the future of how we explore and experience Disney. Let’s break down some of the biggest announcements park by park!
Disney Cruise Line
First up, Disney Cruise Line announced some massive news when it comes to their fleet! While Disney Cruise Line’s fleet currently consists of five ships, with an additional four currently in production, they announced that there are another four ships being built to expand Disney Cruise Line’s fleet to 13 total ships by 2031. That means Disney Cruise Line’s fleet will more than double from its current offerings, and that can only mean the magic of a Disney Cruise will only continue to grow and be more accessible to everyone. There was also an announcement that the Disney Destiny, one of the four previously announced ships that sets sail later next year, will be home to Disney Hercules, a broadway style show that will bring the characters and music from the 1997 film to life
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
One of Walt Disney World’s four parks, Hollywood Studios, released some scary good news this weekend, as Monsters,Inc. is getting its first land in a Disney Park! Monstropolis will be open for humans to visit for the first time, where you’ll be invited to tour the Laugh Factory and even ride along with the doors just like Mike and Sully did in Monsters, Inc. This will make for the first suspended coaster in a Disney park. Construction for the new area is expected to start sometime in 2025!
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will also be debuting a new storyline inspired by The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is currently filming and is releasing in theaters May 26, 2026. You’ll be assisting everyone’s favorite duo from a galaxy far, far away on an adventure unlike any you’ve taken from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon yet!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom roared with announcements during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase, and the park is going to have some incredible new experiences coming in the next few years! First, Zootopia: Better Together is a new show that will take place within the Tree of Life, Animal Kingdom’s iconic tree that is the centerpiece of the park. Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps will take you through many of the different biomes seen throughout the city of Zootopia, which will make for quite the adventure!
While Dinoland U.S.A. was previously announced to be re-themed, we received some more news on what that will mean as the Tropical Americas was announced to take over the area, coming in 2027. Tropical Americas will transport you to the town of Pueblo Esperanza, a lived in and rich in culture town where you’ll even be able to dine at a large Hacienda, which will be one of Walt Disney World’s largest quick service restaurants. It will also be home to a beautiful carousel that has lots of Disney characters carved from wood for you to ride. Indiana Jones will also be making his way to this new area and with your help, you will venture into an ancient Mayan Temple that will be a whole new adventure, different from any of the current Indy rides at Disney parks across the globe.
Finally, Encanto is coming to Animal Kingdom! You’re invited to the casita, the magical home of the Family Madrigal, where Antonio is set to receive his special gift of being able to communicate with animals. You will bump into different members of the family all while riding along enchanted furniture the house has brought to life just for you!
Disney California Adventure
Horizons: Disney Experience Showcase was full of news for Disney California Adventure, which is located at Disneyland Resort in California. First, Avatar and the World of Pandora is coming to the west coast! Inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water, guests will have an entirely new way to experience Pandora and all of its wondrous creatures, different from the floating mountains you’re accustomed to at Animal Kingdom. While specific details were kept under wraps, it looks like it will be an incredible boat ride that makes for an intense, emotional experience. Next, Coco will be getting its first attraction at a Disney park, where you will accompany Miguel on a journey through the land of the dead, with lots of the movie’s music and characters included!
Last, but certainly not least, Avengers Campus is entering the multiverse with its long anticipated new attraction, Avengers: Infinity Defense. You will assist in assembling the Avengers in order to help stop King Thanos from bringing havoc upon locations such as Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City. This will be an attraction unlike any other and a must for fans of the MCU! That wasn’t all though, Disney announced a surprise fourth attraction for Avengers Campus, Stark Flight Lab, where Tony Stark will put you in a two person pod and you will be taken on a test flight where you’ll even fly right into some other famous heroes.
Disneyland
The park that started it all, Disneyland, is getting a truly special attraction that will be coming soon. “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will be a sit down show that goes over the wonder of the man who started it all, and has brought magic to the world like no other. For the first time ever, Disney has created an animatronic of Walt Disney, who will be your guide and tell his story in his own words. The attraction will take place in the Main Street Opera House, where after a debut stint, it will rotate shows with the classic attraction, “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln”.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom was prevalent with news throughout the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase, and some of the biggest announcements were for Disney’s most popular park. Let’s start with the big one; There is a Villains Land coming to the Magic Kingdom! While Magic Kingdom is known for living your dreams, Villains Land will pull from your nightmares where some of Disney’s most fearful villains will make their presence known. The land will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping experiences, all within an area with a theme that is new to any Disney Parks lover.
Over in Frontierland, Mater and Lightning McQueen are going on a road trip and you’re coming along! While Disney California Adventure is home to Radiator Springs, you will be exploring a new area from the world of Cars at Magic Kingdom. There will be two attractions and you are sure to want to speed there as soon as that section opens in the next few years!
A day at Magic Kingdom isn’t complete without a parade, and nighttime parades are coming back in 2025! “Disney Starlight” will be a new nighttime spectacular that takes place up and down Main Street USA with characters from Encanto, Peter Pan, and Frozen all come to life in incredible new ways.
