Disney fans are getting a new Villains land: D23’s biggest parks announcements
Bye-bye, blue sky.
Disney just revealed concrete plans for whole new lands and park experiences at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California.
“We will completely, around the world, bring new stories to life in innovative ways for our fans,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, told USA TODAY.
At past D23 events, Disney had only teased the idea of a land devoted to Villains or what else may lie beyond Big Thunder Mountain.
Now we know what’s actually coming. Here are some of the biggest reveals from Saturday’s Disney Experiences Showcase.
What’s coming to Disney World
Magic Kingdom
A new Villains land is coming with two major attractions as well as shopping and dining areas.
A section of Frontierland will be reimagined with Cars. Unlike Cars Land in Disney California Adventure, this will remain part of Frontierland. The new space will have two attractions, one created especially with younger guests in mind. Construction will begin in 2025.
A new nighttime parade in the spirit of the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade is coming Summer of 2025. It will be called Disney Starlight.
Magic Kingdom's new Pirates-themed tavern will also open in 2025.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The first Montsters, Inc. land in any Disney park is coming to Hollywood Studios, with construction beginning in 2025.
“Monsters remains one of the most beloved stories that Pixar has ever told. Our fans absolutely love it, and we knew we had an opportunity to bring to life this franchise in a way that it's never been brought to life before and extend the story from the screen into real life,” D’Amaro said.
There are Monsters, Inc. attractions at other Disney parks, but not whole lands.
“We're going to be building a land and an attraction that the Imagineers have wanted to build forever, and our fans, I think, have wanted to see built forever, and that's the door coaster,” he added.
Guests will travel through Laugh Factory doors in the first suspended coaster in any Disney park.
“And of course, we'll use all the latest technology, all the latest tricks, the most immersive environment you can imagine to create an experience that I think our fans are going to love,” D'Amaro said.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s previously announced Tropical Americas-themed land will open in 2027, replacing DinoLand U.S.A. Construction will begin in phases this fall, so guests have a chance to ride Dinosaur one last time before it closes.
The new land will feature a new Indiana Jones attraction, which D’Amaro says will differ from what guests have experienced at other Disney parks.
It will also feature Disney’s first Encanto-themed attraction and a new carousel with characters from Disney stories.
A new Zootopia Better Together show will open in Winter 2025 in the Tree of Life Theater, which currently features It's Tough to be a Bug!
Asked how Disney decides when to expand versus what to reimagine, D’Amaro told USA TODAY: “We have more space and more stories to tell than anyone else, and we're always looking around our portfolio for where we want to build totally incremental capacity or where we think we have an opportunity to reinvent existing spaces so that they can deliver even more.”
“In the case of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we saw an opportunity to use an existing parcel of land to update it with more powerful intellectual property and more powerful experiences that would add more value to an experience at Animal Kingdom,” he added. “It depends on the park that we're looking at, the spaces that exist, and then we make the best decisions, ultimately, for our fans.”
EPCOT
The newly reimagined Test Track will open in 2025
A new Spaceship Earth-inspired lounge will also open in 2025.
What’s coming to Disneyland
Disneyland Park
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Disneyland on Nov. 15.
Disney's first audio-animatronic of Walt Disney will debut next year as the park celebrates its 70th anniversary.
“This one's very important to me as a cast member,” D’Amaro said. “I've been at the company now for 26 years. I started at Disneyland. This was the park that Walt created and walked through and he's still a part of today.”
“We're at a moment in time, 70 years after Disneyland opened, where we feel that the technology has caught up with our ambition to tell Walt's story and to let the newest generation of Disney fans experience what it felt like to be in a room with Walt,” he added.
Walt Disney was a pioneer in audio-animatronics. His will be part of a show called “Walt Disney – A Magical Life." After its initial run, it will play in rotation with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
“I think this is going to be incredibly special. It's going to be special for me, and I know it's going to be special for the Disney fans who just want more, who just want that emotional connection with the brand," D'Amaro said.
Disney California Adventure
Avengers Campus is getting two new attractions, which will double the size of the land. Construction will begin in 2025.
The previously announced multiverse attraction will be called Avengers Infinity Defense. A newly announced fourth attraction will be called Stark Flight Lab and allow guests to try out Stark's technology.
The first Coco ride at any Disney park is coming to Disney California Adventure, breaking ground in 2026.
Disney California Adventure is also getting the next Avatar destination. The setting will be another location on Pandora, not the same as Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It will be inspired by the second film, upcoming film and future ‘Avatar’ films.
What's coming to Disney parks abroad
A new Lion King attraction is coming to Disneyland Paris.
In January, the resort is also getting a new Disney and Pixar nighttime spectacular.
The resort's World of Frozen will open in 2026, as part of a previously announced massive reimagining of Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Adventure World.
A new Spider-Man thrill ride is coming to Shanghai Disneyland.
A Spider-Man attraction is also heading to Hong Kong Disneyland's Stark Expo.
Tokyo Disney Resort, which opened its new Fantasy Springs port earlier this year, is getting a new nighttime spectacular called "Reach for the Stars" on Sept. 20. It will be located at Tokyo Disneyland.
"Some of the things that we've seen on the international front, we'll be expanding those around the world. And equally, things that we've done domestically get to expand around the world as well," D'Amaro said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney D23 reveals: Huge changes coming to Disney World, beyond