July 13, 2026, 5:20 PM ·
Fans attending next month’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim will notice a big change at the Disney Parks presentation. The chairman of Disney Experiences will not be hosting the Disney Experiences Showcase.Josh D’Amaro got promoted since the last D23, in 2024. He’s now the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, with Thomas Mazloum taking his place as the Chairman of Disney Experiences. But Mazloum won’t be the host for next month’s big show at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Instead, Disney has called upon long-time EPCOT Candlelight host and well-known Disney fan Neil Patrick Harris to host the show on Saturday, August 15.This is not a knock on Mazloum, who is every bit as good with fans and crowds as D’Amaro. I have heard from multiple sources inside Disney that D’Amaro pretty much decided after last year’s Honda Center show that hosting a production of that scale was a task best left to a professional actor/MC and not to a Disney executive. So even if D’Amaro had not moved up, he was not going to be hosting this year. And D’Amaro wasn’t about to stick Mazloum with that task, either. So Harris it is. D23 today announced its full line-up for the three-day Anaheim event, which will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center, which is the home to the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. The Saturday evening show at the Honda Center will be called “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase.”Despite that name, the show will be themed to a different now-defunct Walt Disney World attraction, the Carousel of Progress. Walt Disney Imagineering is installing a 60-year time jump for the Magic Kingdom show, which debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair before moving to Disneyland and then to Florida. That new production will open in Florida next year, so it’s a timely theme.So what should fans expect from the show?”Neil will guide the show and lead engaging conversations with the people creating the future of Disney Experiences — complete with behind-the-scenes looks, special performances, exciting announcements, and a few surprises along the way,” D23 said in its press release today.Having spoken with several people in Imagineering and Disney Experiences over the past months, I would advise fans to look for additional details on previously announced projects rather than out-of-the-blue reveals. Some of those projects we could hear or see more about might include:The expanded Avengers Campus at Disney California AdventureThe new Coco-themed ride at DCADCA’s Avatar attractionThe Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park rides at Walt Disney World’s Magic KingdomThe upcoming Villains land at the MKMonstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood StudiosTropical Americas at Disney’s Animal KingdomThe upcoming Disney Believe cruise ship and additional ports of callThe Lion King-themed land and flume ride at Disney Adventure World in ParisThe Avengers-themed drop tower ride at Hong Kong DisneylandThe Spider-Man roller coaster and land at Shanghai DisneylandWe also might hear about the new Disney Lakeshore Lodge at Walt Disney World and the Storyliving by Disney development in North Carolina. There’s a slight chance that we might hear something new about Disney Abu Dhabi, but I don’t expect much news there. The long shot would be an announcement of the second gate at Shanghai Disneyland, but I would be surprised if Disney first announced that at an event outside China.In other sessions of special interest to Disney theme park fans, Imagineer Kim Irvine will be enshrined as a Disney Legend during Sunday evening’s Honda Center show. On Saturday at 12:30pm on the convention center’s Walt Disney Archives stage, Joe Rohde will talk about his memoir, “Floating Mountains,” which will be published soon.For more Disney and theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider’s weekend newsletter.
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