August 10, 2024, 7:55 PM ·
A new Villains land at Walt Disney World and a massive expansion of Disney California Adventure led the reveals at Disney’s D23 Disney Experiences showcase in Anaheim’s Honda Center tonight.
In front of a crowd of 12,000, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro led a three-hour presentation of news about new attractions at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and other Disney destinations around the world.”Everything we are going to share with you tonight is in active development,” D’Amaro said. “This means that plans are drawn. This means that dirt is moving,” he said. “This isn’t blue sky.” Disneyland ResortD’Amaro opened the reveals with a tribute to the late Jon Landau before announcing that Disneyland’s Avatar ride will be coming to Disney California Adventure.
All concept images courtesy The Walt Disney CompanyThis boat ride will be set in an all-new location on Pandora, inspired by the second and upcoming Avatar films. “This is going to be a dynamic, intense and emotional experience on a grand scale that we know our guests will love,” Imagineer Ali Rubinstein said. Disney’s first Coco rideErnesto De La Cruz then arrived on the stage to sing “Remember Me.” That led to the display of concept art for a new Coco boat ride, also coming to DCA. Ground will break in 2026, D’Amaro said. Walt Disney: A Magical LifeLater in the show, D’Amaro finally revealed something that he and Imagineers previously shared with me that I have had to keep secret for a while. Disney has built an Audio Animatronic of Walt Disney, It will feature in a new show that will play in rotation with Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House. The new show will be set in Walt’s office and feature Walt talking about his life and inspirations.Also at Disneyland, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open November 15, following its debut at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom this summer.EntertainmentBroadway stars Eden Espinosa and Rachel Potter announced a new nighttime parade for the Magic Kingdom, debuting in summer 2025 – Disney Starlight. Pentatonix then came on stage to sing a medley of Disney songs. A big thank you to Disney for putting an orchestra on stage tonight and providing live music to enliven the show.Disneyland ParisParis’ installation of World of Frozen will open in 2026, when the Walt Disney Studios Park will be renamed Disney Adventure World. The park also will get a new nighttime spectacular on its new Adventure Bay lake that summer.And… the park will be getting a new The Lion King attraction – a flume ride that looks a lot like a Lion King-themed version of Tiana’s/Splash Mountain.Walt Disney WorldThe orchestra playing the Indiana Jones theme means it’s time to talk about the Tropical Americans project at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The surprise? The conductor is Ke Huy Quan!Tropical Americas
Concept art courtesy DisneyD’Amaro confirms the arrival of an Indiana Jones attraction to Animal Kingdom, which he said will be “a completely new story.” Construction will begin this fall as Dinoland USA becomes the new Tropical Americas land, though Dinosaur will remain open for a while, as the project will be built in phases.Walt Disney Imagineering’s Bruce Vaughn then same on to talk about the ride, which will take place in a newly discovered Mayan temple, but it will be different than any other Indy ride, he said.The land also will include the town of Pueblo Esperanza, which will be home to a restaurant, a carousel featuring animals from Disney stories, and… Casita Madrigal, Disney’s first major attraction based on “Encanto.” The dark ride – and the rest of the land – will debut in 2027.MonstropolisBilly Crystal came on stage to announce Disney’s first Monsters, Inc. land, coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Ever the showman, he wrapped his appearance with a musical number paying tribute to Disney Parks fans, to the tune of “If I Didn’t Have You.”So what’s in the land? A suspended coaster!Construction starts in 2025. Cars in FrontierlandA “reimagined area of Frontierland” in the Magic Kingdom will feature two new Cars-themed attractions, “a thrilling off-road rally race and a family friendly attraction even the youngest racers will love.”Construction on that also begins next year. I fear for the future of my beloved Tom Sawyer Island, because this does not appear to be the much-discussed “Beyond Big Thunder” expansion. That, it seems is…Villains LandAt the show’s conclusion, D’Amaro steps aside as the Magic Mirror brings out Rita Ora for “Trust in Me.” That’s the excuse to confirm the construction of a Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom. It will feature two major new attractions and be part of the biggest expansion in the park’s history.Disney Cruise LineEarlier, D’Amaro shared concept art for the new Moana show on Disney Treasure, featuring a 15-foot-tall puppet of Te Ka.Disney Destiny’s big theater show will be Disney Hercules. After that announcement, Susan Egan came on stage to sing “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love).”Then D’Amaro announced the addition of four more ships to Disney’s cruise line, between 2027 and 2031, bringing the fleet’s size to 13 in less than a decade.FortniteD’Amaro welcome Jennifer Lee (Disney Animation), Pete Docter (Pixar), Kevin Feige (Marvel), and Dave Filoni (Star Wars) to talk about the way that their studios are bringing their characters to Fortnite, and when – Star Wars next week, Incredibles and Disney Animation this fall. Also, Marvel on Fortnite’s next season drops August 16, with Doctor Doom on the way.Filoni also dropped the news that WDI and Lucasfilm are developing a new “Mandalorian and Grogu” adventure for the Millennium Falcon ride in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.MarvelYes, Deadpool appeared at the show! (Who had 2:20 into the showcase for the jester’s arrival?) He dropped a couple jokes about a broken Yeti and flaming dragon before showing slides for various Deadpool attractions, including a Wolverine-themed “Logan’s Run” runDisney event that D’Amaro quickly rejected.Scott Trowbridge then came on with a real Marvel attraction announcement – the Spider-Man roller coaster in Shanghai.In Hong Kong, Stark Expo in Tomorrowland also is getting a new Spider-Man-themed ride.And in California, Trowbridge revealed the new Avengers ride will be Avengers Infinity Defense. Construction begins next year, so it’s real now, everyone.And that’s not all. There will be a fourth attraction in DCA’s Avengers Campus – it’s a robot-arm ride called Stark Flight Lab. It also will feature different test flight profiles with different heroes. Robert Downey Jr. will be reprising his role as Tony Stark for these new rides, too.
The expanded Avengers Campus at DCADeadpool then returned to bring Abi Carter out to sing “Like a Prayer,” which will make sense to anyone who has seen “Deadpool and Wolverine.” That’s it from Anaheim. What was your favorite announcement?* * *
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