It’s not really possible to visit a Disney theme park when there’s no construction; something is always being built or renewed. But if you’re looking for what’s new—and newly refurbished—in the next few years, here are some answers for you.
The D23 Expo is like a Disney vendor show, held every two years in California with a smaller event in alternating years on the East Coast. At the panel covering Parks, Experiences, and Products, Imagineers announce new projects alongside updates on ones we already knew about. This year’s panel was last Saturday, on August 15, 2026.
As a bona fide Disney nerd, I love the bullet list. What I love more is reading the tea leaves to see something about where Disney is choosing to steer its ship. I’ve highlighted what’s interesting to me below; here’s the full slate and more details from Disney. At the end, I’ll talk a bit about those tea leaves.
Space Mountain reimaginings
Paris returns to its origins while Tokyo looks to the future. There are 5 versions of Space Mountain in Disney parks around the world, and they’re all pretty different.
The Tokyo refurb is already underway, and the Earthrise theme announcement is only an update. But the Paris announcement, a retheme back to the original Jules Verne-based De la Terre à la Lune, is new. There’s no timeline yet on a closure for work to begin, but the original version was very popular. This announcement was one of a few that had a real fan-service feel to me.
Avengers are everywhere.
There are already two Avengers-themed lands, in California and Paris. California is expanding, with two new rides on the slate; both will open in 2028. Hong Kong is also building a dedicated land. Finally, Shanghai’s Marvel outpost is dedicated to Spider-Man; it will open along with its Spidey-themed coaster in 2027.
Contractual agreements limit Disney’s use of Marvel at Disney World. But they’re leaning in everywhere else!
No height requirements
A Coco-based ride is already under construction at Disney California Adventure. The attraction is still nameless, but we now know that it will be a no-height-requirement boat ride where you join Miguel and travel through his memories of the Land of the Dead.
Over on the East Coast, work on the new Tropical Americas land at Animal Kingdom is well underway. We’ve known for a while that the headline ride is based on Encanto, with guests invited to step inside Antonio’s room and help celebrate his new gift. Three big bits of news from D23: voice actors from the movie will reprise their roles in the new ride, the name, Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, and … no height requirement.
Why this matters: omnimovers and slow-moving boats accommodate everyone from grandma to the sleeping infant. The core of Disney’s business is family-friendly attractions that everyone can ride. But in recent years, the balance of new attractions has tilted towards thrill rides a bit. Disney’s emphasis on the lack of height restriction for these two suggests they may have gotten an earful about it.
Piston Peak updates
ICYMI: Disney closed Tom Sawyer Island in the Magic Kingdom and drained the Rivers of America to make way for a new Cars-themed land. Piston Peak will pay homage to the National Parks, blending in with the surrounding Frontierland.
The rally-racers concept of the headline attraction was already known, but we got a name: Cars Ridge Run Rally. And also a brand-new reveal of the second ride. In Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, the character from Cars 3 hosts a stampeding bash at her “wildest demolition derby yet.”
I’m not particularly miffed about the death of Rivers of America. I do appreciate that—as was emphasized on Saturday night— the approach is to create a new land that fits within the Frontierland theme. Magic Kingdom’s lands align with genres from kid-lit, and Cars might be popular, but I don’t think we’re ready to call it a genre yet.
Monstropolis Partly Opening in 2027
Hollywood Studios is the least family-friendly park at Disney World. There, I said it. There are only two rides without height requirements. And many of the attractions are shows—careful scheduling is needed to avoid awkward gaps in your day.
Disney has already been working to change this in Animation Courtyard. There’s unstructured park space that has already opened, and the Magic of Disney Animation opens in September 2026 with drawing experiences, an indoor playground, Meet & Greets, and more.
On the other side of the park, they’ve been transforming the former Muppets Courtyard into Monstropolis. The land was first announced at D23 in 2024, so Disney has moved pretty fast on construction here. Most of the land, including the Glob Theater and Harryhausen’s Restaurant, will open in 2027. The signature door coaster attraction will open later.
Names Without Punctuation
Looking back to the D23 Expo in 2024, one of the most exciting announcements was a land themed to Disney’s villains. For two years, everyone has been calling it Villains Land, and on Saturday Disney announced that would be the official name.
I’m pretty sure the audience heaved a huge sigh of relief at the simplicity. We’re tired of “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind,” and other names of too many syllables and excessive punctuation. (IYKYK) The Encanto ride, Cars Ridge Run Rally— most of the names announced this year seem blessedly normal.
Details of the two attractions in the new land were also announced. The headliner is a coaster featuring Maleficent. And the second is a dark ride to the Mirror Realm which looks as though it may have … wait for it … no height requirement.
OMG Finally!
Spaceship Earth has needed a bit of TLC for a while; a reimagining was previously announced and canceled during COVID. That’s back on the table, although it’s unclear if it’s the same plan. The story is being expanded from the theme of communication to one of human connection. But Disney was very careful to emphasize their respect for the ride and its fan base.
“Disco Yeti” is going to get fixed! Don’t know what this is? The Expedition Everest coaster at Animal Kingdom has a huge Yeti animatronic that takes a swipe at you as you rocket along. Or at least, it did for about a year after the coaster opened in 2006. Then it stopped moving, and Disney left it in backup mode with a strobe light effect.
At Disneyland, there will be a Tomorrowland reimagining that moves ahead of a planned Avatar-themed land in priority. Tomorrowland has needed some TLC for quite a while, and this was pretty well-received.
And back on the East Coast, a final ride reimagining—Journey into Imagination. The original Journey into Imagination featured Dreamfinder and Figment; Dreamfinder was removed from later incarnations. Long-time fans of the ride have lamented his loss ever since, and now he will be back.
Beyond the Announcements
Parks or no parks, Disney is an entertainment company, and they put on a show. I mean, a show. The presentation was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, and kicked off with an Easter-egg-laden song and dance number. I laughed out loud when Olaf fell over; the humor did not survive my explanation of the viral moment reference to others in the room.
Harris presided from a set meant to evoke concept art of the Carousel of Progress reimagining. The showcase was divided into four parts, evoking the Carousel again. Gloria Gaynor sang her iconic hit “I Will Survive” to celebrate the death of the Disco Yeti, Glenn Close appeared as Cruella de Vil during the Villains Land segment, and other A-listers made appearances throughout.
D23 is the official fan club of Disney, so it’s not a surprise that the show would be targeted to those in the know. But for the last several years, Disney has been targeting high-spending first-time guests. It’s not a secret; in one stakeholder meeting, they infamously referred to some below-expectations results as being partly due to an “unfavorable attendance mix.” Everyone knew they meant annual passholders.
Now on its third CEO in 6 years, it feels like the tide is turning. Those first-timers might be big spenders, but they also might be one-and-done. Regular visitors may spend less on each trip, but over a lifetime, it adds up. Both demographics are important for Disney’s long-term success. And it seems like Disney may be looking to strike a better balance, realizing that those regular visitors are the fans that carry them into the next generation, and especially through economic lulls when first-timers may be waiting for fortunes to improve.
It felt to me like this was the message of several announcements. “We’re giving you back your favorite version of the ride” (Paris Space Mountain and Journey into Imagination). “We’ll be very respectful of this attraction’s history” (Spaceship Earth, Carousel of Progress). “Yes, we know that we’re not Universal” (rides without height requirements, Monstropolis). And finally, “OK, it’s popular, but it’s not our best, and we need to fix it if we want to be the best” (Disco Yeti, Tomorrowland). What I heard: “Yes, annual passholders and every 5-year visitors, we see you. We want you.”
Will Disney deliver on that? We’ll have to wait and see. But I’m excited by the plans!
