Disneyland Resort in California is on the cusp of an unprecedented period of growth that will bring new experiences to both of the resort's theme parks, and even with new space approved for future theme park use. All of these projects are currently in active development, with a few under construction and others getting ready to debut soon.
7 new rides and attractions will open at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and beyond. Keep reading to learn details on all of these exciting additions coming to the resort. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disney's new CEO addressing ongoing changes and 9 new attractions coming to Magic Kingdom in Florida.
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Avengers Infinity Defense
Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure will expand with the opening of two new rides. One of these new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense, will be an action-packed “E-Ticket” adventure starring a team of Marvel heroes taking on a foe from the multiverse known as King Thanos. A few of the characters shown in the concept art include Iron Man, Hulk, Black Panther, and Ant-Man.
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Construction is well underway for Avengers Infinity Defense, which will be located in a massive new building within what was formerly a backstage area at Disney California Adventure. We captured the photo above in January 2026, and progress has continued rapidly since then.
The ride system for Avengers Infinity Defense remains something of a question mark. Disney revealed the ride vehicles in 2024, which somewhat resemble those of media-based indoor rides like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Orlando, Transformers: The Ride 3-D at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando, or Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure at Tokyo DisneySea.
These attractions are all capable of dynamic movement along a ride path, with their surroundings merging screen-based imagery and physical sets. However, Disney hasn't officially revealed what kind of actual ride to expect with Avengers Infinity Defense.
Disney has not announced an opening date for Avengers Infinity Defense, but Mickey Visit predicts it will open in 2027 or 2028.
Stark Flight Lab
In addition to Avengers Infinity Defense, the expansion of Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure will also include a new ride called Stark Flight Lab.
Stark Flight Lab qualifies as a flat ride, a ride that moves within a confined area usually visible in its entirety from the queue. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a classic example of a flat ride. This is opposed to a ride whose vehicles travel away from the queue and go off on an unseen journey.
Riders on Stark Flight Lab will board robotic arms as test subjects for new technology Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, is developing. The robotic arm will fling guests into the air, maneuvering through various “flight” patterns.
If you've ever ridden Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal theme parks or Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment at Universal Epic Universe, imagine that ride system, but more contained. Longtime Walt Disney World visitors might also think of Stark Flight Lab as similar to the defunct Sum of All Thrills from Innoventions at EPCOT, but without the screen component.
Disney has not announced an opening date for Stark Flight Lab.
Original Star Wars Trilogy in Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Park will expand its timeline to include characters and theming from the original trilogy of films released from 1977 to 1983: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
As part of the changes, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo will appear regularly throughout Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Darth Vader will appear in Batuu as well, searching for Luke Skywalker with Imperial Stormtroopers. Composer John Williams' classic Star Wars music will also play throughout the land's outdoor areas for the first time.
This is in contrast to the original approach of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, which took place strictly within the sequel trilogy of movies released from 2015 to 2019 and didn't include any Star Wars music outdoors. Disney has slowly relaxed its timeline rules for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge over the years, and the launch of the original trilogy into the land is its biggest leap yet.
See our previous coverage for all the details on how Disney is integrating the original trilogy into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The changes will officially take effect on April 29, 2026.
Note: These changes have only been announced for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Park in California, not Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.
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Mandalorian and Grogu in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Disneyland Park will introduce a new mission with Din Djarin, aka the Mandalorian, and Grogu, aka “baby Yoda.”
In a big change, after taking off from Batuu and going to Tatooine, riders will get to choose their destination among these locations:
- Bespin, home of Cloud City
- Endor, where the wreckage of the second Death Star is strewn about
- Coruscant, one of the galaxy's busiest cityscapes
The updated story involves riders capturing ex-Imperial officers.
These changes will be a permanent replacement of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run's current storyline, which focuses on Hondo Ohnaka, a character from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Whether the Audio-Animatronics figure of Hondo in the pre-show will still be part of the attraction remains to be seen.
This new storyline will also come with upgraded technology for this 2019 attraction. The real-time image rendering inside the Millennium Falcon windows will look smoother than ever.
Each rider on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is assigned a role within the ship’s crew: pilot, gunner, or engineer. Typically, the engineer position is lamented as the most boring assignment, with little to do other than push a button when you’re told. That will change with the new version opening, as the engineer will now be responsible for looking after Grogu!
The new version of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will open on May 22, 2026, at Disneyland Park. This is the same day the new movie The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in theaters. The ride's changes will also debut that day at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.
Coco Ride
A new boat ride based on Pixar's 2017 film Coco will open at Disney California Adventure!
Walt Disney Imagineering says its artists are taking inspiration from classics like the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to create a new, family-friendly attraction with lots of Audio-Animatronics figures.
Concept art, pictured above, depicts Miguel in his skeleton disguise singing with his great-great-grandfather Héctor in the Land of the Dead. Miguel's dog, Dante, is in his alebrije form by Miguel's side, while Pepita majestically flies overhead. Other skeletons dance and play instruments on either side of the ride pathway, and a billboard advertises a concert by Ernesto de la Cruz.
The new Coco ride will be located behind Pixar Pier and Incredicoaster, in an area previously occupied by backstage space jutting up against Katella Avenue.
Disney has not announced an opening timeframe for the new Coco ride. Construction is in very early stages at the time of this writing, with most progress related to site prep and clearing the parcel of its former functions.
Avatar Land
A new land based on the Avatar films will open at Disney California Adventure. This new area will be inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash, the second and third installments of the movie series. These movies focused on more water-based settings rather than the first movie's mountainous location.
Disney has not formally revealed specific attractions for this new Avatar land, but concept art depicts a boat ride featuring thrilling moments, like an encounter with a Tulkun, a whale-like creature, as well as serene moments, like a journey through a bioluminescent forest.
Pandora – The World of Avatar opened in 2017 at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World as Disney's first Avatar land. This new land at Disney California Adventure will be completely different from Animal Kingdom's version, rather than a copy-and-paste duplicate.
This new area at Disney California Adventure is expected to take up space currently occupied by parts of Hollywood Land, including Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, which will permanently close sometime in 2027.
Disney has not shared an opening timeframe for the new Avatar land coming to Disney California Adventure.
DisneylandForward
DisneylandForward is the name of a Disneyland Resort initiative to rezone land around the resort for theme park use in an effort to develop the property's long-term future, and it means major new attractions are on the horizon.
In 2024, Disneyland received approval for the DisneylandForward initiative. Much of the public-facing plans for DisneylandForward remain intentionally vague. In the approval process, Disney pitched possibilities for future theme park experiences rather than promising specific attractions.
While there are undoubtedly more concrete plans for DisneylandForward locked behind closed doors, as of now, we know the following details:
- Disneyland will build a new parking structure behind non-Disneyland hotels on Harbor Boulevard.
- A new skybridge over Harbor Boulevard will lead to a new entrance for Disneyland Resort on the east Harbor Boulevard side of the resort.
- Land surrounding Downtown Disney District, Disneyland Hotel, and Pixar Place Hotel is allowed to become theme park space in the future, whereas previously it was not.
See all the details on the new parking structure and changes to the Esplanade here.
We've heard from the previous Disneyland President that the rezoning approval from DisneylandForward allows the resort to plan for the next 30-40 years. We won't hear specifics about all of the new land approved for theme park use at once, and we may not hear about it at all in the next few years. However, the land is now teed up for theme park expansion and to allow Disneyland to keep growing.
Just Opened: Bluey's Best Day Ever!
Bluey's Best Day Ever! opened on March 22, 2026, in Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland Park. Guests join Bluey and Bingo live and in-person for live entertainment and games.
A Bluey-inspired menu is also available at the adjacent Troubadour Tavern, including a new Bluey sipper so popular that Disney adjusted its mobile ordering process to accommodate demand.
Coming to Walt Disney World in Florida
Across the country from Disneyland, Walt Disney World in Florida is in the middle of its own phase of ongoing expansion with major future attractions.
Opening in 2027 at Disney's Animal Kingdom is a new land called Tropical Americas. This area replaces the former DinoLand, U.S.A., with new rides based on Encanto and Indiana Jones. See more construction photos of Tropical Americas, plus our commentary on its progress in our separate coverage.
Monsters, Inc. is coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios with a new land called Monstropolis, complete with a roller coaster themed after the climactic door chase from the movie. See the latest construction progress for Monstropolis in our separate coverage.
Magic Kingdom will welcome two huge new areas: Piston Peak National Park with Cars rides and Villains Land, home to Disney Villains. This massive construction site recently reached a construction milestone.
We look forward to bringing you the latest news and construction progress on all of these exciting future attractions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World right here at Mickey Visit.
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