D23 Announcements: What’s Coming Up at Disney Parks

(eap) The annual Disney fan event “Destination D23” was once again held in Anaheim over this past weekend of August 9-11, where Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared various announcements about the future of Disney Parks and Cruise Ships. “Disney Experiences is embarking on an accelerated path of ambitious growth and innovation,” said D’Amaro. “With so many great Disney stories to tell, we’re excited to bring an unprecedented number of new projects to life in the near future, whether it be in our theme parks, on our cruise ships or through our partnership with Epic Games in the digital space.”

The future innovations include four new cruise ships, which are scheduled to be added to the existing fleet between 2027 and 2031, as well as six new themed areas, 14 new attractions and five new shows at Disney parks around the world. These include the world’s first “Lion King” themed area at Disneyland Paris. Read all about the new attractions announced for the European Disney park here. Furthermore, the following new attractions have been revealed:

Rendering of Shanghai Disneyland's new Spider-Man themed attraction. © Disney

At Walt Disney World in Florida, construction on the world’s first “Monster Inc.” themed area is set to begin next year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This will be home to Disney’s first Suspended Coaster. Pixar fans can look forward to two new “Cars” attractions at Magic Kingdom. These include a family-friendly ride that even the youngest visitors will be able to use as well as an off-road rally race. Furthermore, work is already underway on a new “Villains Land” in Magic Kingdom, which will be dedicated to Disney villains and will include two attractions as well as dining and shopping options. Details about the “Tropical Americas” themed area in Disney’s Animal Kingdom were announced as well: Tropical Americas is set to open in 2027 and will feature an “Indiana Jones” and an “Encanto” themed attraction as well as a carousel with various Disney animal characters.

A new world’s first “Avatar” attraction has been announced for Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort (Anaheim). In addition, the “Avengers Campus” is to be doubled in size and two new attractions are to be added: “Avengers Infinity Defense” and the “Stark Flight Lab”. Moreover, a new show will be presented in Disneyland Park next year in the “Main Street Opera House”. The show will be called “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” and, as the name suggests, will be dedicated to the Disney founder, Walt Disney, who will be portrayed in the form of a Disney Audio-Animatronic^® figure. After the debut run, the show will be shown in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”.

New Spider-Man attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. © Disney

More space will also be given to the Marvel superheroes at Shanghai Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland. A new thrill coaster themed in the style of “Spider-Man” is to be built in the former. The attraction announced for Hong Kong Disneyland is also dedicated to the world of “Peter Park” alias Spider-Man. A major attraction themed around Spider-Man and one of his most formidable enemies is set to open in the “Tomorrowland” area.

The Walt Disney Company also recently published its third quarter results for the 2024 fiscal year, which showed an overall increase in revenue of four percent compared to the previous year. In the Experiences division, which includes the Disney theme parks, the group was able to increase its revenue by two percent compared to the same period last year. Operating income in the Experiences division fell by three percent. Disney attributes the decline to inflation, increased technology spending and new offers for visitors, among other factors. ■