The Walt Disney Company has more new theme park attractions in development and under construction globally right now than at any other time in its history. A significant number of those projects will open at Walt Disney World in Florida, Disney’s largest theme park property. The grand openings ahead will include major expansions and overhauls of classic rides, with many of them taking place within the worlds of Disney’s most beloved stories. Disney just announced new attractions for the first time and huge updates on previously shared projects. This follows other big Disney movie news.
Disney revealed 11 new ride announcements for Walt Disney World, including changes at all four theme parks. We have the full list of everything coming. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including 13 new ride reveals for Disney’s biggest theme park projects and 14 huge Disney movie and TV show announcements.
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Disney’s Biggest News Weekend of the Year
Everything in this story was revealed at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026. D23 is Disney’s official convention that happens every two years, and it’s the biggest showcase that the company hosts of everything it’s got in the pipeline for the future.
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We’re at D23 to hear all the breaking news, and for some of the topics below, we even spoke with Imagineers who shared exclusive insight about the exciting new theme park attractions ahead.
Below, we break down every major D23 announcement for Walt Disney World by park, going individually through Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom Announcements
Magic Kingdom has two major expansion projects under construction, one focusing on Disney Villains and the other set in the world of Pixar’s Cars.
The Disney Villains area will officially be named Villains Land! It will feature a roller coaster starring Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and a dark ride starring the Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, who conjures other Disney Villains in a who’s-who of famous foes.
Some of the Villains appearing on the dark ride include Cruella De Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Jafar from Aladdin, Scar from The Lion King, and Doctor Facilier from The Princess and the Frog. See all the details about Villains Land.
Piston Peak National Park, the Cars-themed area in Frontierland, will have a thrill ride called Cars Ridge Run Rally that will emulate the feeling of off-roading, as well as a family-friendly spinning ride called Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, starring the demolition derby school bus from Cars 3. See the scale model showing off the Piston Peak thrill ride and family ride.
READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Are Far Better Than The Ones They Replaced
EPCOT Announcements
Disney surprised fans with a huge announcement about a long-lost favorite character. Dreamfinder, a defunct character from EPCOT’s past, will officially rejoin Figment the purple dragon in an overhauled version of Journey Into Imagination With Figment! Many fans have hoped this moment would come for years. Learn more about Dreamfinder’s past and how Imagineers are approaching the character’s future with the new version of the ride.
Spaceship Earth, the Audio-Animatronics-filled ride inside EPCOT’s geodesic sphere, will be reimagined. Disney will bring this EPCOT classic into “the Internet age and beyond” in the ride’s first big overhaul since 2008. Rather than focusing on the history and future of communication, the new version will instead shift its thesis to human connection. See all the details on this ride overhaul.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Announcements
A new Monsters, Inc. land called Monstropolis is under construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The anchor of this land will be Disney’s first suspended roller coaster, which will take riders through the door factory on a thrilling chase through the door factory, just like in the movie.
Monstropolis will also have a theater named The Glob, which will host a new show called Welcome to Monstropolis. The proceedings will be hosted by Mike and Sulley as they welcome humans to the monster world on a special day.
Throughout Monstropolis, guests can observe architectural details that contribute to the idea of this being a real place, inhabited by real monsters. Visitors can eat at the table service Harryhausen’s restaurant or the quick service Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza restaurant.
All parts of Monstropolis except the roller coaster will open in 2027. See all the details about the Monstropolis attractions and dining here.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Announcements
A huge new land called Tropical Americas is under construction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
An Encanto ride in Tropical Americas will be called Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto. Guests will ride in vehicles that appear to be made from various furniture around the Madrigals’ Casita. See more from inside the Encanto ride and its development.
The reimagined Indiana Jones version of the former DINOSAUR ride coming to Tropical Americas will be titled Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. Riders will join Indy for a quest into an ancient Mayan temple, only to be sucked into a portal to the Underworld. Read about what awaits Indy and riders as they embark upon their adventure.
A new merry-go-round in the Tropical Americas land will be called El Carousel de los Animalitos. It will feature steeds meant to look like wood carvings of favorite Disney characters. Can you name all of them in the image above? The crowd in the room loved this reveal. They are all so cute.
Also at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a special effect that has not worked in decades will finally be restored. Disney is fixing the yeti on Expedition Everest! Take a look at the details of this historic announcement.
All of this Disney World news is among many Disney theme park announcements just revealed. Click here to see all the news revealed at D23 with our ongoing coverage!
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