Walt Disney World Unveils Exciting New Lands and Attractions in Ongoing Expansion, Here are the Top Ten Changes!

Work is currently underway for an unprecedented amount of expansion and new projects across Walt Disney World Resort. Guests will be able to experience the stories they love in all-new ways, including “Monsters Inc.,” “Cars,” “Encanto” and the classic Disney Villains.

On August 10, 2024, at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro unveiled new details for never-before-seen Walt Disney World additions ranging from fantastical to wicked during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase.  Here are Ten of the BIG changes coming to Disney!

• Expansion of Disney Cruise Line – Disney Cruise Line will add four new vessels to its growing fleet between 2027 and 2031. Once these ships are built, guests will have 13 different ways to experience Disney’s world-class entertainment, renowned dining, and impeccable guest service in more parts of the world.
• Monsters, Inc. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Construction begins next year on the first full land dedicated to Monsters, Inc., coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. The land will feature the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park, where guests can experience what it’s like to zoom through the door vault in the factory, just like Mike and Sulley.
• Cars at the Magic Kingdom – Pixar Animation Studios’ beloved Cars franchise is coming to a reimagined area of Frontierland with two all-new attractions taking guests into the wilderness beyond Radiator Springs – a thrilling off-road rally race and a family friendly attraction even the youngest racers will love. Construction on this area will begin early next year.
• Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom – Work is already underway on a new land dedicated to Disney Villains coming to the Magic Kingdom – complete with two attractions, dining, and shopping – where happily ever after may feel like just a distant dream. It will be a fearless new vision of what a Disney experience can be on a grand scale that only Disney can deliver.
• Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will feature two new signature attractions – a thrilling adventure following the heroic Indiana Jones into an ancient Maya temple and a journey through the Casita Madrigal from “Encanto” following Antonio’s story on the day after he received his magical gift. It will also feature a beautiful carousel featuring animals from many favorite Disney stories, perfect for young families to enjoy. Tropical Americas is set to open in 2027.
• Avatar at Disney California Adventure – An all-new Avatar experience will come to Disney California Adventure including an innovative new attraction that will bring all the action, the excitement, and the wonder of Avatar to life in a completely new and thrilling way.
• First-everAudio-Animatronics Figure of Walt Disney – Next year, a new show based on the life of Walt Disney, “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” will play at the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland park and feature the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney. After the show’s debut run, it will play in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”
• Avengers Experiences in California, Shanghai and Hong Kong – The presence of Super Heroes is expanding at Disney parks around the globe. The original Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort will double in size with the addition of two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. Shanghai Disney Resort will introduce its first major Super Hero attraction, a Spider-Man-themed, high-energy thrill coaster. At Hong Kong Disneyland, the presence of the Avengers will continue to expand with a major new attraction coming to Tomorrowland featuring Spider-Man and one of his most formidable villains.
• Lion King Area at Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris – On the heels of the highly anticipated World of Frozen, set to open in 2026, the first-ever ride through attraction themed to “The Lion King” will come next to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris in a new Lion-King themed area of the park, complete with dining, shopping and character meet & greets. This water attraction will go down into the caves beneath Pride Rock to follow Simba on his journey from cub to king, following the story from the classic Walt Disney Animation Studios film.
• Epic Games Collaboration – While livestreamed in Fortnite, D’Amaro was joined live on stage by creative leads from across The Walt Disney Company — Jennifer Lee from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pete Docter from Pixar Animation Studios, Kevin Feige from Marvel Studios, and Dave Filoni from Lucasfilm — to discuss Disney’s expansive collaboration with Epic Games and how the full power of Disney storytelling will come to this dynamic, new environment. They shared how the world’s most notable characters and stories will converge in one connected universe where fans can watch, play and even create Disney stories. The group also announced new characters and skins coming soon to Fortnite, from Disney Villains to The Incredibles and The Mandalorian, and showed a trailer for the next Marvel season featuring Doctor Doom which debuts on August 16.These experiences will give fans around the world even more to be excited about, and more ways to be captivated by the joy and magic of Disney’s iconic stories. Full details for all announcements can be found on the Disney Parks Blog.