Considering that in 2024 the Disney Experiences panel at D23 delivered the news that Disney would be bringing new lands to parks across the globe, expansions on the high seas, attraction updates, and entirely new attractions, the bar was set high for D23 2026’s Horizons: A Carousel of Progress keynote.
Even more so, many of these projects already have shovels in the ground. At Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, construction is well underway for Piston Peak — a new Cars-focused area — and Villains Land. Nearby, at Hollywood Studios, there’s Monstropolis, while Animal Kingdom has Tropical Americas being built. Across the coast at Disneyland, work is underway on the expansion of Avengers Campus.
With many of these projects already in motion, the question heading into this year’s showcase wasn’t necessarily whether Disney would deliver more announcements, but what updates we’d get on the already-announced projects and whether there would be a few surprises.
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It was a wide-ranging, two-hour-plus show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and featuring many of Walt Disney Imagineering’s brass, along with Thomas Mazloum, head of Disney Experiences. Here are some of my favorites from the night.
Piston Peak will bring two new Cars attractions to Magic Kingdom
(Image credit: Disney Experiences)
I’m a pretty big fan of Cars, and it’s likely no surprise that Piston Peak was the highlight for me.
The main off-road racing attraction will be called Cars: Ridge Run Rally, and like Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure, guests will race against other ride vehicles, each with its own personality. Disney is also introducing a brand-new ride system designed to give guests a stronger sense of the bumps, dips, and other road elements as they race through Piston Peak.
It also won’t be the open road of Route 66. Since Piston Peak is a national park, guests will encounter a variety of landscapes throughout the race. At one point, you’ll race toward the top of the mountain for a snow-filled scene before heading back down through bumps and high-speed moments in the desert. Eventually, you’ll encounter geysers before reaching two familiar faces at the end of the track: Lightning McQueen and Mater.
Because it will be outdoors in Orlando, Disney says the attraction will be designed to operate in both sun and rain. Of course, lightning will likely shut it down.
There will also be a second attraction, Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, which takes its name from the character from Cars 3. Guests will board a vehicle and spin around as they make their way through the attraction, making it suitable for a wide range of ages.
There’s still no timeframe for when Piston Peak will open. If we had to guess, 2028 seems like a reasonable target, but construction is already well underway.
Monstropolis will open in 2027 with a show, food, and shops
I’ve already been behind the walls of the Monsters, Inc. land being built at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and even a few months ago, I noted that construction in the former Muppets area seemed to be moving quickly.
D23 brought confirmation that a portion of Monstropolis will open in 2027. It will include the Glob Theater show, Welcome to Monstropolis, Harryhausen’s restaurant, and a pizza eatery named Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza.
Those will be the main components when the area first opens, with the much-anticipated Door Coaster arriving later. It appears Disney wants to open the rest of the land as quickly as possible while the signature attraction continues development. At D23, Disney did tease that the suspended Door Coaster will lift you 40 feet in just four seconds right before you venture into the iconic door vault.
We’re still waiting for more details on the theater, but the concept art gives us a few hints. A laugh canister appears to jet out into the audience, while monsters can be seen on the main stage, in the crowd, and on elevated stages on either side. It also appears there will be a live monster band, potentially playing the new original song, Welcome to Monstropolis, written by Randy Newman.
Then there’s Harryhausen’s, which will likely be a dream come true for many Monsters, Inc. fans. Guests will actually be able to step inside the restaurant from the film, complete with an impressive animatronic of Roz.
While we still have plenty more to learn, Disney has now given us a much clearer picture of what will be ready when Monstropolis first opens in 2027 — and what will keep us waiting.
Tropical Americas brings Indiana Jones and Encanto to Animal Kingdom
Next up was Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, where we got new details on both the Indiana Jones and Encanto attractions.
The Indiana Jones attraction now has an official name: Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. Perhaps the biggest news here is that, for the first time, Harrison Ford himself is being used as the model for the Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic.
The ride will use the same ride system as the popular Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, but with a completely new story, scenes, and animatronics.
Disney also revealed the name of the Encanto attraction: Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto. The ride will take place on Antonio’s gift day, with you invited into Casita to celebrate his new ability.
We got to see the moment guests enter Casita, as well as the ride vehicles, which are designed to feel like pieces of furniture brought to life by the house.
One of the more interesting elements shown was how the attraction will handle elevation changes. Disney appears to be using a new ride system that makes it feel as though the vehicle is moving up or down without the track physically raising or lowering.
The ride will eventually take guests upstairs into Antonio’s room, which has been transformed into a rainforest filled with a bevy of animals including a capybara, a toucan, and a donkey.
Interestingly enough, Disney didn’t announce an opening date during the panel. The company has already announced that Tropical Americas is expected to arrive in 2027, so for now, that remains the target.
Fans of Expedition Everest will be thrilled with this news — the Yeti will finally be returning to its original form on the rollercoaster after years of the legendary creature being stuck in its B mode. Simply, the Yeti won’t be frozen for much longer.
Villains Land will bring Disney’s biggest villains together
(Image credit: Disney Expereinces)
The other active construction site in Magic Kingdom right now — or should we say just outside the current edges of the park — is Villains Land. While D23 2024 confirmed that the land was coming, we finally got more details at D23 2026.
The land will actually be named Villains Land, and Imagineering is touting it as something unlike any other land Disney has developed. The focus will be squarely on the characters, bringing together some of Disney’s most infamous villains, including Dr. Facilier, Maleficent, and Cruella de Vil.
The main attraction will be a Maleficent-themed coaster that sends guests racing around her mountain fortress before eventually coming face-to-face with the villain herself. The ride will feature tight turns, potentially some tipping-track elements, and a very energetic feel throughout.
The other attraction will be a dark ride themed around the Magic Mirror. Guests will travel into the Mirror Realm and encounter several of Disney’s villains along the way. Among those shown so far are Cruella de Vil, Ursula, Jafar, and Mufasa, but Disney is keeping the specific details of the story under wraps for now.
With two attractions on this scale, Villains Land could end up being one of the most ambitious additions ever made to Magic Kingdom.
EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth and Figment will get reimagined
Over at EPCOT, Disney also gave us a look at two projects that have been in the works for some time: the reimagining of Spaceship Earth and the return of Figment and Dreamfinder to the Imagination pavilion.
Spaceship Earth will be receiving a major update, expanding the attraction’s story while retaining the optimism and wonder that have defined it for generations.
Figment and Dreamfinder, meanwhile, are getting ready to embark on a new journey into imagination at EPCOT. Disney didn’t reveal too many details about the new experience, but just the return of Dreamfinder alongside Figment is enough to get plenty of EPCOT fans excited.
Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab will open in 2028
(Image credit: Disney Experiences)
At Disneyland, the biggest update came from Avengers Campus, which is undergoing a massive expansion that will ultimately double its size. Disney confirmed that both Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab will open in 2028.
Avengers Infinity Defense will put guests in the role of new recruits tasked with helping reassemble the Avengers to take on King Thanos. The attraction will travel across locations including Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City, blending massive physical sets with large-scale media.
Perhaps the biggest casting news is that several heroes will be portrayed by their original on-screen actors, including Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.
Downey Jr. will also appear in Stark Flight Lab, alongside Mackie and Brie Larson. Guests will board two-person pods, then be grabbed by a giant robotic arm and thrown into a simulated flight experience inspired by Iron Man and the other Avengers.
More details for Coco at Disney California Adventure
Disney also shared more about the upcoming Coco attraction, the first ride based on the Pixar film at a Disney park. The story will take place one year after the original film, beginning in a “casa museo” dedicated to Héctor’s music before guests board a boat and travel with Miguel through his memories of the Land of the Dead.
The attraction will feature Miguel, Dante, Héctor, and plenty of other familiar characters, with Disney and Pixar working together to ensure the ride celebrates both the original film and the upcoming Coco 2. There will also be no height requirement, which will make this a family-friendly option at California Adventure.
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland set for a major change
Finally, Disney announced that Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is set for a major reimagining. There aren’t many specifics yet, but Imagineering says the transformation will honor the legacy of the original land while introducing new attractions, more open spaces, and new places for guests to experience the future.
Looking at the updates coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, there’s more happening across the parks than we’ve seen in quite some time. With so many of the projects announced in 2024 now actively under construction, it’s clear that Disney wanted to use this year’s showcase to give fans a much closer look at what’s actually being built.
Could we have gotten a few more details on Tropical Americas, Coco, or even more on Avatar at Disneyland? Absolutely. But overall, Horizons: A Carousel of Progress gave us plenty to be excited about, while showing just how much detail Imagineering is putting into these new lands and attractions.
And perhaps most importantly, there was a sense that Disney is recommitting to some of its longtime fans. The return of Dreamfinder and Figment at EPCOT, the reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland, and even the return of the Yeti to Expedition Everest show that Disney isn’t only looking toward what’s next. It’s also looking back at some of what made these parks special in the first place.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
