This past weekend was D23, Disney’s fan event that previews the many, many, many projects the company is currently working on. We already covered the entertainment side of things, including the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake, Avatar 3‘s official title, and Nine Inch Nails providing the music for Tron: Ares — now it’s time for the theme parks. Here’s everything we learned about all the movie- and TV show-themed attractions coming to (and with apologies to the international parks) California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World.
Disneyland
Avatar
Disney World has an Avatar-themed land, the majestic Pandora – The World of Avatar. Soon, Disneyland will, too. “We are taking our guests to a whole new location on Pandora,” Ali Rubinstein, the vice president of Creative Development of Walt Disney Imagineering, told the D23 crowd. “As you know, our land in Florida is set in a rainforest amongst the floating mountains, which feels like we’re stepping into the first Avatar film. For our new destination we are inspired by the second movie and the upcoming Fire and Ash and future Avatar films. It will be at a scale and at a level that is worthy of these epic stories.” Give us a Tulkun walk-around character and we’ll be satisfied, although the “intense and emotional” new water ride sounds good, too.
Coco
Coco is one of Pixar’s most popular recent films, so it’s a natural fit for the parks. The attraction will take riders to the Land of the Dead and is inspired by classics like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. “We’re bringing our skeletal cast of characters to life in a big way through the latest Audio-Animatronics technology,” Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro said. “These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.”
The Mandalorian
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is getting a The Mandalorian & Grogu-themed overlay at both the Disneyland and Disney World locations of Galaxy’s Edge. Please do not crash the Falcon into Baby Yoda.
Marvel
Avengers Campus will expand with two new attractions: Avengers Infinity Defense (featuring King Thanos) and Stark Flight Lab (featuring the king of the MCU, Robert Downey Jr., reprising his role as Tony Stark / Iron Man).
Disney World
Indiana Jones and Encanto
Out goes DinoLand U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom (you will be missed, Dr. Seeker), in comes Indiana Jones and Encanto. The Indy ride will be “a completely new story from any other Indiana Jones attraction we have in the world,” said Bruce Vaughn, Disney’s head of Imagineering. It’s set in a Mayan temple, one that’s presumably full of snakes. (Dinosaur, the ride that’s going, ahem, extinct, uses the same ride system as Disneyland’s classic Indiana Jones Adventure.) Meanwhile, the Encanto ride-through attraction takes place inside the Casita, where “Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest.” Prepare to have “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” stuck in your head. Again. The renovation is expected to be completed in 2027.
Cars
The ever-popular Cars Land — in particular the meticulously themed Radiator Springs Racers — is a highlight of Disneyland’s California Adventure. If you drive 2,5000 miles to the west, possibly including a stretch along Route 66, you’ll end up at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the future home of two new Cars attractions in Frontierland. One is a “thrilling rally race through the mountains,” while the second ride is more family friendly.
Disney Villains
Be prepared… for Villains Land. “This land will be home to the villains that you know and those that you loathe, which means happily-ever-after might feel like a distant dream,” D’Amaro said about the much-anticipated addition to the Magic Kingdom. “It will have two major new attractions, dining, shopping, and so much more fiendish fun for you to explore. This is storytelling on a grand scale that only Disney can deliver, so, be prepared, you poor unfortunate souls. It’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.” It’s currently unknown what the attractions will be or even which villains will be included, but is it too much to ask for a Ratigan dark ride? (Probably! But still!)
Monsters Inc.
Here’s the good news. A Monsters Inc. land is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including a “door coaster” that will be the first suspended roller coaster in any of the Disney parks. “There is so much excitement at Imagineering for the land,” D’Amaro said. Here’s the (possibly) bad news: Disney has yet to announce where in Hollywood Studios the new land will be located, and people are rightly very worried that it could replace Muppet*Vision 3D. A Muppet-less theme park would be a sad sight to see. Mike and Sully would want both to exist. Sam Eagle could go either way.