On Saturday, August 10th, in Anaheim, California, The Walt Disney Company hosted their annual expo showcasing all the most impressive plans for the future of Disney Parks and Entertainment. From new movies to the future of the Disney Parks, D23 is one of the most highly anticipated conferences in the entertainment industry.
From Bluey and Bingo to the announcement of The Incredibles 3, D23 is a roadmap for a wide and exciting range of new offerings, emergent technology, and fan favorites that the Walt Disney Company plans to bring to life in the coming years.
This year, D23 has announced a slew of exciting new offerings across their parks and entertainment divisions.
With the event opening to a sweeping rendition of the iconic Horizons theme that has touched hearts across generations of Disney parkgoers, Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, opened the highly anticipated conference by declaring that everything announced at D23 this year is in active development, ensuring that this year’s conference will have tangible results.
“The next few years are going to bring so many characters to Disney destinations,” D’Amaro said, going on to state that the exciting new plans announced at this year’s D23 would “bring us past the horizon” into the future of Disney parks and entertainment.
With soul-moving orchestration and stunning visuals presented before an audience of thousands, the opening ceremony of D23 was truly a spectacle to behold. But more than the artistry that went into the opening sequence, the dedication of Imagineers and Cast Members at every level are what make D23 possible.
With Disneyland Resort celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2025, this year’s expo was packed with exciting new plans and offerings to help celebrate such an impressive milestone from a company that has been a beacon of imagination and creativity to generations of dreamers.
Following John Stamos performing a touching rendition of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, and Skylar Astin and Darren Criss’ original musical medley of classic Disney Parks songs with a humorous twist, John D’Amaro took the stage to announce that this D23 was about fulfilling Walt’s promise: “Our parks, they will never be complete.”
With D’Amaro and Ali Rubinstein taking the stage to announce that Pandora will be expanding its presence to California, the plans for a new Avatar-themed land within Disney California Adventure was revealed to enthusiastic crowds.
This new land at Disney California Adventure will be focusing on Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as Fire and Ash, and future films within the Avatar film franchise. Focusing on the impressive flora and fauna of Pandora, Disney Imagineers aim to show guests the beauty of this alien world. But when exploring the wilderness, it’s important to be cautious – as beauty can quickly turn dark and dangerous!
D23 also sees the announcement of the first ever Disney Parks attraction based off of the beloved film Coco – reported to be modeled after classic attractions like the Haunted Mansion, this Coco attraction is planned to be a multi-sensory experience following Miguel’s journey, filled with music, color, and culture.
Several new nighttime shows were also announced at D23 this year, including Reach for the Stars at Tokyo Disneyland, featuring characters from Big Hero 6, Up, and characters from some of the biggest, most beloved Marvel movies making their highly anticipated debut in Tokyo.
Disneyland Paris will also be seeing a new nighttime spectacular this January, featuring projection mapping across Sleeping Beauty Castle and – for the first time – down the buildings of Main Street, USA, promising that “the new nighttime spectacular coming to Disneyland Paris […] will be the latest example of how we continue bringing stories to life at this incredible destination.”
In addition to the new projection show coming to Disneyland Paris, the Company’s second European park, Disney Adventure World, will be receiving a brand-new 360 degree lagoon show featuring projections, masterfully scored music, fountains, lasers, drones, and creative lighting that will move guests of all ages. This new lagoon show will debut in 2026.
Also debuting in 2026 is a new land at Disney Adventure World centered around the beloved world of Frozen, where guests will be able to explore Arendelle, meet Anna and Elsa, and immerse themselves in the story that took the entire world by snow-storm back in 2013. Disney Adventure World Park will also be seeing a new Lion King flume ride as the crown jewel of a new land. This announcement comes as the original film celebrates its 30th anniversary, and D’Amaro states that this new immersive land will allow guests to explore the Pride Lands and follow Simba’s journey from cub to King.
The third and final new night time experience announced at D23 is slated to come to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, celebration the legacy of Disney’s nighttime spectaculars dating all the way back to the Main Street Electrical Parade. Disney Starlight, premiering in 2025, will be utilizing new technology to bring some of guests’ favorite characters to life right in the streets of the Magic Kingdom with star-dazzling characters and all new floats that celebrate the magic of the stars that every Disney fan at heart has wished upon.
Also coming to Orlando’s Animal Kingdom are two new offerings: Indiana Jones and Encanto will both be featured on the wild side of the Walt Disney World parks as Dinoland USA is transformed into a celebration of Central America – with the Indiana Jones attraction being based on a story entirely new to the beloved archaeologist’s long history of adventures. Concept photos of the ride featured a Dinosaur-styled ride system as guests follow Indiana through his latest daring adventure!
Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Creative Office of Disney Imagineering, was invited on stage to discuss the Indiana Jones attraction, stating that “it takes place in an ancient Mayan temple that Indy has recently discovered. And he’s heard rumors about a mythical creature that lives deep within this temple.” Vaughn goes on to explain that “[Indiana] wants to go see it himself,” and “is bringing us along with him” for this new attraction, which holds a special place in Vaughn’s heart, considering the first attraction he worked on in his illustrious career was the original Indiana Jones attraction at Disneyland, all the way back in 1993.
Animal Kingdom will also be seeing the inclusion of Encanto, bringing the color and culture of the Colombian Encanto to life with a rich and immersive new land featuring all of the beloved members of the Madrigal family. Guests will be able to visit Casita on the day that Antonio receives his gift. In a full-scale exploration of Casita, guests will visit Antonio’s room with him and all of his animal friends in a new story that will take guests beyond the events of the movie.
This transformation is stated to be happening in phases with the entire land being complete in 2027, giving guests plenty of time to visit the Dino Institute one last time!
The Animal Kingdom isn’t the only park undergoing major changes within the next few years! D23 also saw the announcement of a new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios, including the announcement of a Monster’s Inc coaster. This new coaster is planned to be the first suspended coaster featured at any Disney park, and will take guests on a wild ride through the Laugh Factory. Construction on this project will start next year, and will be a remarkable new high-octane addition to the Disney parks.
In perhaps the most awe-inspiring moment of the entire conference, D’Amaro took the stage around the halfway mark of the event to announce that a new attraction will be coming to the Main Street Opera House. Walt Disney: A Magical Life will be an homage to the man who started it all with a dream and a mouse, featuring – for the first time in Disney history – an audio-animatronic of Walt Disney himself, showcasing the advancement of the very technology that Walt pioneered sixty ago with the debut animatronic of Abraham Lincoln.
“This new show will bring together the past, the present, and the future of Disney storytelling,” D’Amaro told crowds, stating that the idea of a Walt Disney animatronic was floated within the Imagineering department for decades. “We just had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams, and we’re finally ready. This is a huge responsibility, and we’re grateful to share this journey with members of the Disney family.”
The attraction will bring guests into Walt’s office at the original studio, listening to Walt as he “shares his hopes for a great, big, beautiful tomorrow.”
And it’s the great, big, beautiful tomorrow of the Walt Disney family of parks that D23 celebrates, as D’Amaro looks towards the future of Frontierland at Walt Disney World. “The American West has always been about keeping your eyes on the horizon. Believing in yourself and carving your own path and striving towards success. That goes for miners in the mountains […] or a racecar in the big city.”
With Lightning McQueen and Mater featured in a new land based on the Cars franchise, two new attractions will be featured in a portion of Frontierland as the Walt Disney Company “[continues] to grow and evolve the story of what it means to explore the American wilderness.” With one of these new planned rides geared towards the younger crowd, both attractions will begin construction next year.
And with these new projects announced for the Disney theme parks worldwide, D23 left guests, viewers, and Disney hopefuls across the globe eager to see the future of Disney Parks and experiences come to fruition.
Undoubtedly, there’s a new world of entertainment on the horizon as the Walt Disney Company continues to push the boundaries of themed entertainment, innovating new stories and technologies that will bring fantasy into the real world and bring generations of dreamers to come the same wonder-struck experience so many have had growing up.
From engineering to storytelling to the personal element of the cast members in the parks that make Disney Experiences such treasured memories for so many families across the world, there is no limit to the magic that those dedicated to creating can accomplish, and D23 is a testament to that more than anything else.
