D23 2026 Just Dropped the Biggest Walt Disney World News in Years
Every two years, Disney fans hold their breath for one weekend, and D23 2026 delivered more than most of us could have hoped for. Held August 14 through 16 at the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is where Disney pulls back the curtain on what is coming to its parks, its streaming platforms, and its biggest movie franchises. This year’s event brought a flood of announcements for Walt Disney World specifically, with new lands, new rides, returning fan favorites, and major refreshes across all four parks. If you are planning a trip to the Orlando area anytime in the next few years, this is the roundup you need. Grab a coffee, because we are covering absolutely everything.
From a brand new Villains Land at Magic Kingdom to the long awaited return of Dreamfinder at EPCOT, this was one of the most jam packed Disney Experiences showcases in recent memory. We will walk through every major Walt Disney World reveal in detail, then round out the picture with the Disney Legends honorees and the biggest movie and TV news from the Entertainment Showcase, plus a quick look at what is coming to Disneyland and Disney’s international parks.
What Is D23 2026 and Why It Matters for Your Disney World Trip
D23 is Disney’s official fan club, and D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is its flagship gathering, held every two years for members and fans from around the world. Think of it as the place where Disney Imagineers, executives, and creative teams finally confirm the rumors that have been swirling online for months. The event includes panels, a massive show floor, exclusive merchandise, and three headline presentations at the Honda Center: the Disney Entertainment Showcase, the Disney Experiences Showcase, and the Disney Legends Award Ceremony.
Josh D’Amaro, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, kicked off the weekend by welcoming fans to what Disney called its biggest show floor in event history. But the news that matters most for anyone planning a Disney World vacation came on Saturday night, when the Disney Experiences Showcase, titled “Horizons: A Carousel of Progress” and hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, walked fans through what is coming to parks around the globe.
For families planning trips to the Orlando area, this showcase is essentially a roadmap. It tells you which lands are opening soon, which classic attractions are getting new life, and which parts of Walt Disney World are about to become the hottest tickets in the resort. Here is everything you need to know, broken down park by park.
Villains Land Is Coming to Magic Kingdom
If there was one announcement that had the entire fan base buzzing, it was Villains Land. This brand new area of Magic Kingdom centers on a story where a corrupted wishing well has attracted some of Disney’s most infamous villains, each one claiming a piece of the cursed landscape as their own lair. Rather than a simple collection of villain themed photo ops, Disney is building an entire original world where the villains have essentially taken over.
Two major attractions will anchor the new land.
The Maleficent Coaster
Guests will race through an enchanted briar surrounding Maleficent’s mountaintop fortress on this new roller coaster. Imagineers say they are incorporating elements they have never attempted on a similar attraction before, which has fans expecting something visually and technically ambitious.
The Mirror Realm Dark Ride
Hosted by the Magic Mirror itself, this dark ride takes guests through a mysterious realm beyond the mirror, where classic Disney villains come to life through physical sets and special effects. Between the coaster and the dark ride, Villains Land could end up being one of the most visually striking additions Magic Kingdom has ever seen, and it is easily one of the top attractions to watch as more details emerge.
Piston Peak National Park Roars Into Frontierland
In one of the more unexpected pairings of the weekend, Disney confirmed that the characters from Pixar’s Cars franchise are heading to Frontierland in a brand new area called Piston Peak National Park. Instead of recreating Radiator Springs, Disney is dropping Lightning McQueen, Mater, and their friends into a sweeping wilderness setting inspired by the American West and the Rocky Mountains, complete with mountains, waterfalls, rivers, geysers, trails, and a visitor lodge built in a National Park Service inspired architectural style Imagineers are calling Parkitecture.
Two attractions will bring the land to life.
- Cars Ridge Run Rally, an off road racing attraction that sends guests climbing toward a snow covered mountain, descending a camelback drop, weaving past geysers, and sprinting to the finish alongside Lightning McQueen and Mater. The ride vehicles even feature tires and suspension systems designed to physically react to the terrain.
- Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, a chaotic demolition derby style spinner hosted by a massive Audio-Animatronic version of Miss Fritter, the giant school bus from Cars 3.
Placing a Cars land inside Frontierland rather than building an entirely separate zone is one of the more interesting Imagineering decisions to come out of D23 2026, and it shows Disney is thinking hard about how new franchises can fit into the existing story of Magic Kingdom rather than sitting apart from it.
Tropical Americas Transforms Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom is getting its biggest overhaul in years with Tropical Americas, an eleven acre land replacing DinoLand U.S.A. and opening in 2027. The area will be known as Pueblo Esperanza, a fictional town surrounded by the lush environments of Central and South America. Disney says Imagineers conducted research trips to Honduras and Colombia to inform the architecture, materials, and cultural details throughout the land, and the goal is for Pueblo Esperanza to feel like a lived in community rather than just a backdrop for rides, similar in spirit to Harambe and Anandapur.
Pueblo Esperanza will include a large hacienda, a central fountain, a children’s play area, and a working animal carousel called El Carrusel de los Animalitos, featuring twenty two hand carved Disney and Pixar animal figures. The real headline news, though, is the pair of major attractions anchoring the land.
Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent
Indiana Jones is heading into a perfectly preserved Maya temple, venturing into the Maya Underworld in search of a legendary creature. Expect a massive serpent named Tsukán, giant bats, scorpions, fire, and plenty of other supernatural dangers along the way. In one of the most notable technical announcements of the weekend, Disney confirmed that Harrison Ford’s likeness will be used as the basis for an Audio-Animatronic Indiana Jones, marking the first time a Disney Parks attraction has used Ford’s likeness in this way. Imagineers say they are working alongside archaeologists, anthropologists, and Maya experts throughout development.
Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto
The second attraction brings the Madrigal family to Animal Kingdom. Set on Antonio’s special gift day, guests enter Casita and travel through newly created spaces before landing in Antonio’s rainforest themed bedroom. More than fifty species of animals will appear throughout the ride, including a capybara, a toucan, and a donkey, and the ride vehicles themselves are designed to resemble pieces of furniture brought to life by Casita. Several original Encanto cast members are returning to voice their characters, which should keep the experience feeling authentic to the film.
Together, these two attractions represent much more than a simple replacement for DinoLand. Tropical Americas is a complete reinvention of an entire corner of Animal Kingdom, and it is shaping up to be a must see addition once it opens in 2027.
EPCOT’s Dreamfinder Returns and Spaceship Earth Evolves
For longtime EPCOT fans, this might be the single most emotional announcement of the entire weekend. Dreamfinder is officially returning to EPCOT, reuniting with Figment on a brand new journey into imagination for the first time since Dreamfinder’s departure from the attraction decades ago. The announcement came during the Carousel of Progress portion of the showcase, after host Neil Patrick Harris specifically asked whether Dreamfinder might come back. Disney has not yet revealed the full storyline or a timeline for the new attraction, but the significance is hard to overstate. This is Disney acknowledging just how much fans still love the original EPCOT imagination concept, and bringing one of the park’s most beloved characters back into the spotlight after years of requests.
Spaceship Earth is also evolving. The iconic geosphere attraction will receive its first major story update in nearly two decades. Rather than scrapping the ride’s existing themes, Disney says the new version will expand its focus from human communication to human connection, keeping the core message of progress and shared achievement intact while broadening the story to reflect how people connect with each other today. It is an evolution rather than a full replacement, which is exactly the kind of careful update EPCOT’s signature attraction has needed.
Monstropolis Opens Its Doors at Hollywood Studios
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the long rumored Monsters, Inc. land finally has a name and a wave of new details. Monstropolis will begin opening in phases in 2027, welcoming guests into the world of Monsters, Inc. during what Disney is calling H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for Humans Understanding Monsters Are Nice.
The centerpiece is a previously announced suspended door coaster, but D23 2026 revealed several more pieces of the land, including:
- Glob Theater, home to a new show featuring Mike and Sulley welcoming humans into their world
- Welcome to Monstropolis, a walkthrough entry experience
- Harryhausen’s Restaurant, complete with an Audio-Animatronic sushi chef
- Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza
- Monsters University Alumni Club
- Scareporium, a themed retail space
Disney also confirmed that Disney Legend Randy Newman contributed a new original song to help bring Monstropolis to life. The overall result sounds less like a traditional movie based land and more like an entire monster city that happens to have opened its doors to human visitors, which fits perfectly with the immersive land building Disney has leaned into over the last decade.
Carousel of Progress and the Yeti Get New Life
Two of Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom’s most nostalgic attractions are getting long overdue refreshes. Carousel of Progress, one of the oldest attractions still operating at Walt Disney World, will reopen in late spring 2027 with updated scenes and new voices for the family at its center. Disney Legend Jamie Lee Curtis will voice Mom, while Bryan Cranston will voice Dad, and a new opening will feature an Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney himself. Importantly, Disney is not throwing out the attraction’s basic premise. Carousel of Progress will continue following one family as technology changes their everyday lives, preserving the optimism that has defined the ride since it debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair.
Over at Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest fans finally got the news they have been waiting nearly two decades to hear. The original Yeti Audio-Animatronic is returning to life. This legendary creature at the heart of the attraction has operated in a dramatically reduced mode for years, and while Disney has not yet announced a timeline or the technical details, the confirmation alone counts as one of the biggest pieces of fan service to come out of the entire showcase.
A New Way to Extend the Adventure: Millennium Falcon Meets Fortnite
One of the more unusual announcements connected the physical world to the digital one. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is getting a new Fortnite tie in called Smugglers Gambit, linking the ride at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios to a new Fortnite adventure set around Mersa Veta Station on the planet Ord Ryla. In the Fortnite experience, players can team up with friends, complete missions, battle pirates and Imperial remnants, encounter wildlife, and collect rewards. The idea is that the story does not have to end when guests leave the park. It can continue at home, which represents a significant experiment for Disney and builds on the Disney and Epic Games partnership first teased at the previous D23 event.
Disney Legends 2026: Honoring the People Behind the Magic
D23 2026 was not just about rides and lands. The weekend closed with the Disney Legends Award Ceremony, which recognizes individuals who have left a lasting mark on The Walt Disney Company. This year’s class spans former corporate leadership, animation, music, Broadway, sports broadcasting, blockbuster filmmaking, and Imagineering.
The 2026 Disney Legends are:
- Chris Berman, the longtime voice of ESPN
- Jerry Bruckheimer, producer behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
- Susan Egan, Broadway’s original Belle and the voice of Megara in Hercules
- Eric Goldberg, the animator who brought the Genie to life in Aladdin
- Anne Hathaway, who got her start as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries
- Bob Iger, former Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company
- Kim Irvine, a longtime leader at Walt Disney Imagineering
- Dwayne Johnson, whose Disney work spans from Maui in Moana to numerous live action roles
- The Jonas Brothers, honored as they celebrate twenty years together
- Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mind behind the music of Moana and Encanto
- Alan Tudyk, a familiar voice across countless Disney and Pixar films
This brings the total number of Disney Legends to 329 since the award began in 1987 with actor Fred MacMurray. The ceremony was hosted by Ryan Seacrest at the Honda Center, closing out the three day event on a celebratory note.
What’s New On Screen: The Entertainment Showcase Highlights
While the theme park news tends to matter most for anyone planning a Disney World vacation, the Friday night Disney Entertainment Showcase brought a wave of movie and television announcements worth knowing about, especially if you like to plan your trip around what your family has been watching.
Marvel Studios previewed footage from Avengers: Doomsday, confirmed for theaters on December 18, 2026, and debuted the trailer and poster for VisionQuest, an original Marvel Television series starring Paul Bettany and James Spader, streaming on Disney+ starting October 14, 2026. Marvel also revealed the full cast for its upcoming X-Men film, including Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Scott Summers, Christopher Abbott as Professor Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister.
Star Wars fans got a new trailer for Ahsoka Season 2, confirmed for a January 20 release on Disney+, along with an early look at the original theatrical film Star Wars: Starfighter from director Shawn Levy. Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuted its season three teaser, inspired by Titan’s Curse and coming to Disney+ on November 20, 2026, featuring Walker Scobell alongside Ming-Na Wen and Andra Day. Pixar’s newest film Gatto and a long awaited Simpsons movie sequel also drew plenty of attention on the show floor throughout the weekend.
Beyond Walt Disney World: What’s Coming to Disney’s Other Parks
Walt Disney World took home the largest share of announcements, but Disney’s parks around the world are also expanding in a big way. Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is officially being reimagined, with a goal of honoring the legacy of the original land while introducing new attractions and more open space, although a full timeline has not been announced. Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus is doubling in size by 2028 with two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab, and the park is also getting its first Pixar Coco attraction, a boat ride through the Land of the Dead with no height requirement.
Internationally, Disneyland Paris is building its first ever Lion King attraction, complete with a 52 foot flume ride drop beneath a 120 foot Pride Rock. Tokyo Disneyland is opening a brand new Space Mountain called Earthrise as part of a reimagined Tomorrowland. Shanghai Disney Resort will become home to the first Disney Parks land dedicated entirely to Spider-Man, with the coaster track already complete. Hong Kong Disneyland is expanding its Marvel offerings with a new Avengers Pavilion. Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum also noted that the company has more projects underway right now than at any point in its history, including a planned new theme park resort in Abu Dhabi and additional ships joining the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
Why This Is the Perfect Time to Start Planning Your Disney World Trip
With this much new content headed to Walt Disney World over the next couple of years, now is a great time to start thinking about when to visit. Villains Land, Piston Peak, Tropical Americas, and the Carousel of Progress refresh are all still in the pipeline rather than open today, which means families have a window to plan ahead, watch construction progress, and decide whether they want to be among the first to experience these new lands or prefer to wait until the crowds settle down after opening.
Either way, staying close to the action matters. Basing your trip in Kissimmee puts you just minutes from Walt Disney World property, with easy access to all four parks as these new expansions come online, plus far more room to spread out than a standard hotel room, all at a price that tends to be friendlier on a family budget. If you are mapping out a longer trip to catch multiple new openings over the next few years, a vacation home in the Kissimmee area gives you the flexibility of a home base without sacrificing proximity to the parks.
For more help planning around everything Disney just announced, check out our full library of Disney World planning guides, browse our resort reviews for where to stay, and take a look at our budget tips for stretching your vacation dollars as new attractions roll out. If this is your first trip since these announcements, our first time visitor resources will help you sort out where these new lands fit into your itinerary once they open.
Quick Reference: D23 2026 Walt Disney World Timeline
Here is a simple breakdown of what is coming and roughly when, based on everything Disney shared at D23 2026.
- 2027: Tropical Americas opens at Animal Kingdom, including Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent and Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto
- 2027: Monstropolis begins opening in phases at Hollywood Studios
- Late spring 2027: The refreshed Carousel of Progress reopens at Magic Kingdom
- No confirmed date yet: Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, including the Maleficent Coaster and Mirror Realm Dark Ride
- No confirmed date yet: Piston Peak National Park at Frontierland, including Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along
- No confirmed date yet: The new Dreamfinder and Figment attraction at EPCOT
- No confirmed date yet: Updated Spaceship Earth story experience
- No confirmed date yet: Restoration of the original Yeti Audio-Animatronic at Expedition Everest
As Disney releases more specific dates, we will keep this page updated so you can plan your visit around the openings that matter most to your family. D23 2026 made one thing clear. Walt Disney World is entering one of its biggest expansion periods in years, and there has never been a more exciting time to start dreaming up your next trip.
