The D23 Horizons panel has concluded with a plethora of announcements for all of its parks around the globe. Walt Disney World Resort in Florida was the star of the show tonight. Not only were new shows and attractions confirmed, but so were entirely new lands inside the park.
Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, announced changes coming to all four of Disney World’s parks. While some of these announcements have been rumored or were revealed as Bluesky projects at last year’s D23 expo, many are now confirmed to be in the works and some even have loose release dates attached to them. So, pull that seatbelt from left to right and tug on that yellow strap, friends, because we’re zooming through them all.
Animal Kingdom
Ever since the reveal of Dinoland’s coming demise at D23 last year, Disney World fans have been speculating on what could possibly replace this iconic Animal Kingdom staple. Well, wonder no more, because it has now been confirmed for certain that Dinoland will be transforming into a Latin American paradise complete with 2 brand new attractions.
The titular Dinosaur ride will be undergoing construction this fall to turn it into an ancient Mayan temple where you and Indiana Jones will undergo a dangerous quest in search of a mysterious mythical creature. The land will also feature “Pueblo Esperanza,” or the “Village of Hope,” where guests can enter the world of Encanto and get swept away on a journey through the Casita of the Madrigals.
In addition to this highly anticipated land, a new show from Zootopia will also be taking up residence within the park, and there’s no better place for a show based on a film all about animal species than inside the park’s icon itself. The new production will usher out the Bug’s Life show that currently calls the Tree of Life home.
Epcot
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After such heavy remodeling taking place within the park these past few years, no one really expected anymore major announcements in store for Epcot. While it certainly didn’t receive any groundbreaking news including new attractions or lands, many fans were pleased to hear that Test Track will be back up and running again next year. The ride is currently undergoing an extensive update, but Disney has been tight-lipped on what exactly will be changing.
Epcot will also see a new lounge coming in 2025. But not just any old lounge: this one will rest on top of the park’s icon Spaceship Earth, more commonly referred to as the Epcot ball. The concept artwork was only briefly shown on screen, but from what little we saw, guests should expect a high class experience and amazing firework views.
Hollywood Studios
Over in Galaxy’s Edge, Imagineers are already working on a brand new story for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, featuring characters from the Disney+ original The Mandolorian. This update will likely debut alongside the recently announced film The Mandolorian and Grogu, coming to theaters in May 2026.
The other announcement for Hollywood Studios came as a major surprise even for longtime Disney Parks fans: the creation of an entirely new land based on the Pixar franchise Monsters Inc. For a long while, there were whispers of a Monsters Inc. door coaster floating around amongst the media, but while many thought the coaster would be a great idea, nothing ever seemed to come of it until now. The attraction will feature a suspended coaster design, making it the first of its kind at a Disney park. Imagineers are set to start construction on the new land next year.
Magic Kingdom
The crowning jewel of Walt Disney World received no shortage of announcements this year, including the previously announced Pirates’ Lounge, which is now set to lay anchor in Adventureland in 2025. Most notably, however, two brand new lands are in the works, one featuring characters from the movie Cars and the other featuring your favorite Disney villains, respectively.
The villains’ land in particular has been a highly anticipated Bluesky project since last year, but besides the concept art, no details about new attractions or shows were revealed. Cars Land, on the other hand, will be receiving two attractions and will begin construction in an undisclosed section of Frontierland early next year.
Although these two brand new lands are confirmed and in the works, it will still be many years before they are complete. In order to tide guests over, D23 also announced a new nighttime parade coming to the kingdom next summer. Magic Kingdom has not seen a nighttime parade since 2016, after Disney pulled the plug on the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade. The new parade, titled “Disney Starlight,” will feature floats and characters from Peter Pan, Frozen, and Encanto.
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