Disney's annual D23 conference is taking place this weekend in Anaheim. All sorts of major announcements are coming out about Disney movies, TV shows and most notably for the purposes of this blog, parks news. I say "annual" but it's really every OTHER year, with the offsetting years being called "Destination D23" and taking place in Florida. The OG D23 is usually the "bigger" of the two events, though plenty of news is announced at both.
The last regular D23 event was a night filled with bombshell after bombshell, as Disney basically laid out their plans for the next ten years or so. That event was a commitment by Disney to spend billions of dollars in the parks, which was welcome news to fans around the world. But most of that work was backloaded, meaning that it would be years before any of these things came to fruition. Indeed, as we sit here in 2026, most of the biggest announcements from that conference are still being constructed.
Given that, Disney's hands were sort of tied going into this year's D23. Any major announcement would likely be behind all of the prior things announced, and it doesn't do them much good to talk in 2026 about things that wouldn't happen until 2032. So the expectation was that this year's event would be on a smaller scale, providing updates on the already announced projects and filling in the gaps with some smaller updates in the meantime. And that's essentially what we got here.
This year's event was the first time (that I can recall) where certain major panels were streamed live on Disney+. For our purposes, we're only talking about the parks panel, which was officially called (in typical wordy Disney fashion) Disney Horizons: A Carousel of Progress. This showcase was hosted by Thomas Mazloum, the new Chairman of Disney Experiences (most recently this was CEO Josh D'Amaro's position) and Disney superfan Neil Patrick Harris. Some of the segments here were a little awkward, but they kept the news coming all night. This blog is largely focused on Walt Disney World, so I'm only going to talk about those announcements, though there were plenty of other things announced for Disneyland, the international parks and the Disney Cruise Line. So let's begin:
Carousel of Progress Voice Actors Named:
Not that long ago, Disney announced that the Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom was closing for renovations, and would reopen with a new timeline starting in the 1960's. This would allow the attraction to continue on in the spirit of the original but might appeal to a newer generation of guests. The jury is out on this one, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
At the parks showcase, more concept art was shared, along with the announcement of voice actors for the characters of Mother and Father - Disney legend Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston, respectively. I actually really like this, especially Cranston who I can absolutely see doing the voice of the father perfectly. Hopefully this attraction is around for many years, which would cement the legacy of these actors among Disney fans who will be experiencing it for a long time. It was noted that this would reopen in "late spring 2027", whatever that means in Disney terms.
Spaceship Earth Update Coming:
Epcot's park icon is finally getting an update after twenty years, as Spaceship Earth is being reimagined. Way back in 2019, an update was announced for this attraction, with a "story light" leading the way. Then Covid happened, and this project got shelved indefinitely. We all knew it still needed a lot of work though, so it isn't at all surprising that it's finally coming.
The wording here gives me a little pause - "the ride currently tells the story of human communication, but the team is reimagining a focus on a broader theme that is still classically EPCOT - human connection." My concern is that this overhaul will be TOO big. The animatronics and set pieces have largely remained unchanged for the existence of this attraction, and I don't see any need to make big sweeping changes now.
The ride itself (track and vehicles) needs a lot of work - that's not "sexy" but will be necessary to keep it alive into the future. It could use a new voice over as well (I mean, there's nothing wrong with the current one from Dame Judi Dench, but any reimagining would surely change that anyway), and the biggest changes should come in the second half of the ride, which is largely empty space ("space" quite literally in this case) and outdated screen based interactions. That's all that really needs to be done. We'll see what they end up doing. No time frame was announced for this one.
Yeti Animatronic to be fixed:
Disney loves a good out of left field announcement and this qualifies! The yeti in Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom is finally being "fixed." For those that don't know, which this ride opened in 1998, it was touted as having one of the biggest and most advanced animatronics ever built to scare riders on their journey. This was true ... for a few months at least until it broke. It was determined that the yeti was simply too big, and was not sustainable in the ride.
Ever since, the ride has operated in permanent "b-mode", meaning you see the outline of a yeti with some strobe lights behind it to simulate movement. Disney fans have affectionately termed this the "disco yeti". Neil Patrick Harris got the audience to say this term last night, proving that Disney really does listen, and that this project is fan service. They then brought out Gloria Gaynor to perform "I Will Survive" to say goodbye(?) to the disco yeti. I guess you had to be there (or live stream it). No further details were announced here either, in terms of time frame or how exactly they're finally solving this issue, but this is obviously a big win.
Tropical Americas Update:
The next four items here all involve updates of previously announced items. I'm posting them in the order that they should open. First up is Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom. We knew that there would be three rides in this area, and all of them got names and more details at this showcase.
First is the family friendly carousel, now officially named El Carrusel de los Animalitos. The ride vehicles were revealed here as 22 hand carved animals, including Hei Hei and Heimlich. This looks super cute - this is not designed to be a "big" ride, but not everything has to be. This essentially will take the place of Tricera-top Spin from the old Dinoland.
Next came more details for the new Indiana Jones ride, now called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. This will be the first time that the "real" Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, will be used as a model for the animatronic version of the archeologist. The attraction will take you beneath an ancient Maya temple, which fits the theme of Tropical Americas perfectly. The ride at Disneyland is great, and still a big draw today. I imagine this one will be even better.
And finally came an update on the Encanto omnimover ride, announced as Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto. The voice actors from the movie are back, and the story revolves around Antonio getting his gift, which fittingly is the ability to communicate with animals (this IS Animal Kingdom after all). The concept art (above) looks fantastic, and getting to ride through the casa will be magical. Again, no further updates to the time frame have been announced for any of this, though it was previously stated that this land would open in 2027.
Monstropolis Updates:
Next up would be Monstropolis, the land that's taking over the old Muppets Courtyard in Hollywood Studios. The big attraction here will be the door coaster, but that's the furthest away from opening. In fact, the timeline on this one was 2028, but last night it was announced that parts of the land (likely everything EXCEPT the coaster) will open in 2027.
The other attraction here is at the Glob Theater, and will be called Welcome To Monstropolis, which will include an original Randy Newman song of the same name. This is rumored to be a very "tech heavy" attraction, and surely means the end of the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom, though no official word has come out on that yet.
Two dining options were officially confirmed as well - the quick serve Archie's Scare Pig Pizza and the table service Harryhausen's. These should fit right in the footprint of what was there before (Pizzerizzo and Mama Melrose, respectively). Harryhausen's in particular will be highly anticipated (and difficult to reserve), given that it's the same restaurant from the movie and will feature a Harryhausen animatronic. I like the idea of this land opening in stages, as construction is moving along nicely and it will give guests some fun new options sooner rather than waiting until the coaster is complete.
Piston Peak Updates:
Piston Peak is the mini "Cars land" that's taking over a portion of Frontierland in Magic Kingdom. It was previously announced that there would be two attractions here, but now they have been given names and descriptions, and a detailed model of the land was revealed at D23.
The major attraction will be Cars Ridge Run Rally, a race through the National Park-like setting of Piston Peak. This is NOT a clone of Radiator Springs Racers from Disneyland, though it is likely a high speed car racing attraction, a la that ride or Test Track. The landscape is the key here, as many people bemoaned losing the serene beauty of the Rivers of America. It does look lush and inviting, so I hope it delivers.
The smaller attraction had largely been kept under wraps until D23, but it was revealed as Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along. This appears to be a "flat ride", and it was an interesting choice to use Miss Fritter from Cars 3, a movie most people have forgotten, but I think it fits nicely here. Look for this to be similar to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree from Disney California Adventure. Once again (stop me if you heard this one), no further time frame was announced here, though I would expect 2029.
Villains Land Updates:
The furthest away, but most anticipated, expansion that was announced two years ago is surely Villains Land at Magic Kingdom. Any kind of expansion of the most popular theme park in the world would be cause for excitement, and the villains theme was exactly what people were hoping for. I'll cut to the end first here - no dates have been announced but 2030 is the likeliest answer. Oh, and Villains Land is now the official name of the land (keeping in line with Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, etc), which is a nice win, considering how verbose Disney can sometimes be.
There were, however, the announcement of the two attractions opening with the land, which is progress and verifies the rumors that had been going around. The first is a coaster themed to Maleficent, and while short on details, Imagineering called it "groundbreaking." I expect it will be a major one, and surely the longest wait at any park once it opens. The second ride is a Magic Mirror themed boat dark ride, which will bring iconic villains to life.
There was also more back story announced here as to the "why" of the land, including how there is a "Wishing Well torn asunder", shaped by "dark magic." It was also said that it would be of the size and scope of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge (see what I mean about the long names??) at Hollywood Studios, meaning that this will be a MASSIVE project. It's still too far away for me to get overly excited but any Villains Land updates are welcome in my book.
Figment and Dreamfinder Return to Epcot!
Disney always manages to find a way to delight and surprise at these events, and after all the updates, we finally got a new piece of information and it was a big one - Journey Into Imagination at Epcot is being rethemed, and they are bringing back Dreamfinder! The original version of this attraction ran until 1998, and featured both of these characters. Dreamfinder was removed in the renovation and though Figment was kept, most people consider any future versions of this ride to be big downgrades.
Figment has largely become the Epcot mascot, but most of the love for the character comes from the original attraction and not the current version. There's really a longer post about how Disney parks IP is incredibly valuable and there should be more original characters and concepts, but that can wait for another day.
I don't know whether they're restoring the original attraction exactly as it was, though I would guess no. Technology has improved and this ride should harken back to the original while still being a modern masterpiece. The Imagineers working on this one surely know the love for Figment and Dreamfinder, and probably have that same love for those characters. I expect this one to be a home run.
This had been long rumored, though the word was that either Journey Into Imagination OR Spaceship Earth would be reimagined. This D23 announced BOTH though without any timeframe for either, I have no idea if there will be any overlap here. It's possible that Figment won't return to his "former glory" as Neil Patrick Harris (pictured above as Dreamfinder!) said in this announcement, until 2029 or beyond. But announcing it at all is a big win for the Figment fan community, which is a large and robust one.
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