Disney’s Experiences Showcase at D23 2026 was not just about what is coming next. It was about proving that a lot of what Disney announced in 2024 is now moving from concept art to construction walls, ride names, story details, animatronics, restaurants, and opening windows.
Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, Horizons: A Carousel of Progress gave fans a packed Saturday night look at the future of Disney parks, Disney Cruise Line, and Disney Experiences around the world. The theme was progress, and Disney leaned into that idea from the beginning.
Some announcements were brand new. Others were long-awaited updates. A few were classic Disney fan wish-list items finally getting attention.
And then there was the ending.
Figment and Dreamfinder are officially getting a new journey at Epcot.
TL;DR: The Biggest Disney Parks Announcements
Here are the biggest Disney Experiences Showcase announcements from D23 2026:
- Dreamfinder is returning to Epcot with Figment in a new Journey Into Imagination.
- Spaceship Earth is being reimagined, shifting from human communication to human connection.
- The Expedition Everest Yeti is coming back to life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- Villains Land is officially named Villains Land at Magic Kingdom.
- Villains Land will include a Maleficent coaster and a Magic Mirror dark ride.
- Piston Peak National Park gets two ride names: Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along.
- Monstropolis opens in 2027, with parts of the land opening before the door coaster.
- Welcome to Monstropolis is coming to the Glob Theater with a new Randy Newman song.
- Harryhausen’s will be a real restaurant in Monstropolis.
- Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto is coming to Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent gets new story details, with Harrison Ford as the model for the Audio-Animatronic.
- El Carrusel de los Animalitos will bring Disney animal figures to Animal Kingdom.
- Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab open at Disney California Adventure in 2028.
- Disneyland Tomorrowland will be reimagined with new attractions and more open space.
- Coco gets Disney’s first Coco ride at Disney California Adventure.
- Disneyland Paris gets the first Lion King ride and a Space Mountain return to its Jules Verne roots.
- Tokyo Disneyland gets Space Mountain: Earthrise and Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue.
- Disney Believe joins Disney Cruise Line in 2027.
- A new class of Disney Cruise Line ships arrives in 2029.
- The Imagineering Story returns for a second season on Disney+.
That is a lot. So let’s break it down.
Figment and Dreamfinder Return to Epcot
Disney saved one of the biggest surprises for the very end.
Figment is staying at Epcot, and Dreamfinder is coming back with him.
Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum told the D23 crowd that Disney heard the fans, and that Epcot is getting a new journey into imagination with Figment and Dreamfinder.
For longtime Epcot fans, this is huge.
Dreamfinder was part of the original Journey Into Imagination attraction when it opened in 1983. He helped define the pavilion’s spirit of creativity, curiosity, and wonder. For years, fans have asked Disney to bring him back in a meaningful way.
Now it is finally happening.
Disney did not announce an opening date or full ride details. However, the message was clear. Journey Into Imagination is finally getting the kind of attention Epcot fans have wanted for decades.
Spaceship Earth Gets a New Chapter
Epcot also received another major update.
Spaceship Earth will be reimagined for the first time in nearly 20 years. The current story focuses on human communication, but the new version will broaden that idea into human connection.
Spaceship Earth has always been about progress. It is one of the most important attractions Disney has ever built, and it still defines Epcot from the moment guests enter the park. However, technology has changed dramatically since the attraction’s last major update.
Moving the story into the internet age and beyond gives Disney a chance to modernize the attraction while keeping its classic Epcot heart.
The key will be balance. Spaceship Earth needs new magic, but it also needs to remain Spaceship Earth.
The Expedition Everest Yeti Is Coming Back to Life
One of the loudest reactions of the night came from Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The Yeti is coming back to life inside Expedition Everest.
For years, Disney fans have joked about the “Disco Yeti,” the massive figure that once moved with dramatic force before being replaced by a strobe-light effect. At D23, Disney finally acknowledged the fan-favorite issue in the most theatrical way possible.
Gloria Gaynor even performed “I Will Survive” as a send-off to the long-dancing Yeti era.
It is also more than a joke. Expedition Everest remains one of Disney’s best modern thrill rides, and restoring the Yeti would bring back a key piece of the attraction’s original impact.
Sometimes the biggest announcement is not a new ride. Sometimes it is fixing the one fans already love.
Villains Land Is Officially Villains Land
At Magic Kingdom, Disney confirmed the official name for the long-awaited villains expansion.
It is Villains Land.
Disney also revealed the land’s backstory. Somewhere beyond the safe path, an evil wish corrupted a Wishing Well, cracking it open and spreading dark magic through the forest. That poisoned magic has drawn Disney Villains into the area, where they have shaped the land around their own lairs, palaces, and ambitions.
That story gives Villains Land a strong fairytale foundation.
It also makes sense inside Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland is the storybook heart of the park. Villains Land becomes the place where the story turns dark after you wander off the path.
Villains Land Gets Two Major Attractions
Disney also revealed more about the two headlining attractions planned for Villains Land.
The first is a Maleficent coaster. Guests will race through enchanted briar surrounding her frightening mountaintop fortress and come face-to-face with the Mistress of All Evil herself.
The second is a Magic Mirror dark ride. The Magic Mirror will host the experience from beneath the Evil Queen’s palace, pulling guests into a mysterious Mirror Realm filled with Disney Villains.
That is the attraction that may have the broadest character potential. If Disney can use the Magic Mirror to bring multiple villains into one physical and effects-heavy experience, it could become a major Magic Kingdom anchor.
Disney also compared the scale of Villains Land to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, with dining, shopping, immersive environments, and two major attractions.
That is a big promise.
Piston Peak Brings Cars Into Frontierland
Magic Kingdom’s other major expansion also received new details.
The Cars-inspired area is Piston Peak National Park, part of the larger Frontierland story. Disney is positioning the land around America’s national parks, Rocky Mountain landscapes, waterfalls, rivers, geysers, trails, ranger buildings, and “Parkitecture” inspired by National Park Service design.
The headlining attraction is Cars Ridge Run Rally.
This off-road rally ride will send guests climbing toward snowy mountain peaks, racing through rugged terrain, bouncing down camelback hills, navigating geysers, and circling “Old Tankfull,” a Cars-style twist on Old Faithful. Lightning McQueen and Mater will call the action from the Racing Sports Network.
The second attraction is Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along.
That ride brings the Cars 3 demolition derby school bus into the action as a giant animatronic host.
The big question for fans has always been how Cars fits into Frontierland. Disney’s answer is Piston Peak as a national park-style frontier. That may not win everyone over immediately, but the detail and ride technology could make the difference.
Monstropolis Opens Its Doors in 2027
Disney’s Hollywood Studios also got a major Monstropolis update.
Parts of Monstropolis will open to guests in 2027, while work continues on the door coaster. That means guests will be able to step into the Monsters, Inc. world before the land’s headline attraction is fully ready.
Disney also revealed more of what will be inside the city.
The Glob Theater will host Welcome to Monstropolis, a new show featuring Mike and Sulley. Randy Newman wrote the title song, marking the first time he has composed an original song specifically for a Disney theme park.
That is a big creative detail.
Randy Newman’s music is part of Pixar’s DNA. Bringing him into the land makes Monstropolis feel more connected to the spirit of the film.
Harryhausen’s, Archie’s, and the Scareporium Add City Life
The Monstropolis details did not stop with the show.
Harryhausen’s will become a real restaurant in the land, complete with an Audio-Animatronics sushi chef. Disney teased a menu unlike anything else currently offered at Walt Disney World.
That is exactly the kind of movie detail fans wanted.
Disney also revealed Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza, inspired by the six-legged mascot from Fear Tech, along with the Monsters University Alumni Club, the Elite Scarers Club, and the Scareporium gift shop.
That matters because Monstropolis cannot just be a coaster entrance.
It needs to feel like a city.
The theater, restaurant, pizza location, alumni club, and shop all help build out the world around Mike and Sulley. If Disney gets the humor and details right, this could become one of the most personality-filled areas of Hollywood Studios.
Tropical Americas Gets Its Attraction Names
Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas land also came into focus.
The new Encanto attraction is officially called Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto.
The story takes place on Antonio’s gift day, with guests invited into Casita as part of the celebration. The ride will have no height requirement, which makes it a true family attraction for Animal Kingdom.
The ride vehicles will be pieces of furniture brought to life by Casita, carrying guests through the house and eventually into Antonio’s rainforest room. Disney also revealed that more than 50 animal figures and animatronics will appear in the attraction.
That is exactly why Encanto belongs in Animal Kingdom.
Antonio’s gift connects directly to animals, nature, family, and the idea that all living things belong together.
Indiana Jones and the Jade Serpent
Animal Kingdom’s Tropical Americas will also include Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.
Disney revealed that Harrison Ford is serving as the model for the new Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic. Even bigger, Disney says this is the first time Ford’s face will appear as the model for a Disney attraction anywhere in the world.
The ride’s story is set around Maya culture, an ancient temple, a cenote, and a passageway to the Maya Underworld. Indy’s adventure will include bats, scorpions, fire, flame, snakes, and a massive serpent figure inspired by the Tsukán.
This is the kind of Indiana Jones story Animal Kingdom needs.
It is not just a clone of another ride. It is a new adventure designed around the park’s focus on animals, myths, culture, and nature.
Tropical Americas will also include El Carrusel de los Animalitos, a carousel featuring 22 hand-carved animal figures inspired by Disney and Pixar stories. Characters represented include Simba, Pua, Scuttle, Squirt, Pascal, Bambi, Thumper, Kevin, Meeko, Kuzco, Heimlich, and more.
Avengers Campus Doubles in 2028
Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus also got a big update.
Two new attractions are opening in 2028: Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab.
Avengers Infinity Defense will recruit guests into a multiverse battle against King Thanos. Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, will welcome guests during the pre-mission briefing. The attraction will send riders to locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City, with Marvel stars returning to their roles.
Stark Flight Lab will turn guests into trainees using Stark Industries technology. Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, and Brie Larson are part of the attraction as Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel.
Together, the two rides will double the size of Avengers Campus.
That is the kind of expansion the land has needed since opening. Avengers Campus has always had character energy, but these two attractions should finally give it the scale fans expected from a Marvel land.
Disneyland Tomorrowland Will Be Reimagined
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is finally getting a future again.
Disney announced that Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park will be reimagined with new attractions, more open spaces, and a renewed focus on optimism, innovation, and possibility.
That wording matters.
Tomorrowland has always been one of Disney’s hardest lands to maintain because the future keeps changing. But at Disneyland, the need for renewal has been obvious for years. Disney did not announce specific attractions or a timeline, but confirming that Imagineers are now working on the land is still major news.
This feels like the start of Disneyland’s next big chapter.
Coco, Classics, and More at Disneyland Resort
Disney California Adventure is also getting the first Disney ride based on Coco.
The attraction will be a family-friendly boat ride into the Land of the Dead, with no height requirement. The story takes place about one year after the original film and includes a museum dedicated to Héctor Rivera. Imagineers are also working with Pixar filmmakers to make sure the ride connects with both the original Coco and the upcoming sequel.
Disneyland Resort also confirmed several entertainment returns in 2027.
A refreshed version of Remember… Dreams Come True returns to Disneyland Park in February 2027. An updated version of the original World of Color returns to Disney California Adventure in February 2027. Then, just in time for summer 2027, Magic Happens returns to Disneyland Park.
For Disneyland fans, that combination matters. It is not just about future construction. It is also about bringing back beloved entertainment while the resort prepares for bigger changes.
International Parks Add Big Updates
Disney also shared several international park updates.
At Disneyland Paris, Hyperspace Mountain will make way for Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune, returning the attraction to its Jules Verne-inspired roots with the original musical score and a refreshed experience.
Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris is also getting the first-ever Disney ride based on The Lion King. The attraction will follow Simba’s journey from cub to king and include a new interpretation of the battle with Scar.
At Tokyo Disneyland, Space Mountain: Earthrise will launch guests into a bold new cosmic experience as part of a reimagined Tomorrowland. Tokyo Disneyland is also getting Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue, a Wreck-It Ralph attraction where guests help Ralph and Vanellope inside the world of Sugar Rush.
Hong Kong Disneyland will expand Stark Expo with a new Avengers Pavilion, Avengers Research Testing Labs, Peter Parker technology, and a Quinjet landing platform.
Shanghai Disney Resort is developing the first Disney Parks land dedicated entirely to Spider-Man, complete with a coaster, Spider-Bots, and W.E.B. storytelling.
Disney Cruise Line Keeps Growing
Disney Cruise Line also had a big night.
The Disney Believe will set sail in 2027 as the fourth ship in the Wish class. Tinker Bell will appear on the bow, while Buzz and Woody will appear on the stern. Inside the Grand Hall, Moana will be the signature statue, reflecting the ship’s theme of believing in yourself.
Disney also revealed an entirely new class of cruise ship coming in 2029.
This new class will sit between Disney’s classic ships and the larger Wish-class vessels. That smaller footprint will allow Disney Cruise Line to reach more ports around the world.
Disney also confirmed growth on the West Coast, including more sailings from Southern California through San Diego.
The cruise line has become one of Disney’s biggest expansion stories, and this showcase made it clear that growth is not slowing down.
The Imagineering Story Returns
Disney+ is also getting more Imagineering history.
Leslie Iwerks is working on a second season of The Imagineering Story, debuting in early 2028.
That timing is perfect.
Disney says the new season will have access to Imagineers as major projects move from blue sky to reality. With Villains Land, Piston Peak, Tropical Americas, Monstropolis, Tomorrowland, Avengers Campus, and cruise ships all in progress, the next season should have plenty to cover.
For fans who love how Disney builds the magic, this may be one of the most important announcements of the night.
Sam’s Disney Diary Take
The Disney Experiences Showcase felt different from a normal D23 parks presentation.
This was not just Disney throwing concept art at the wall. It felt like a progress report on one of the biggest expansion periods in Disney parks history.
That is why the night worked.
We got names. We got stories. We got restaurant details. We got attraction premises. We got returning characters. We got opening windows. We got real construction momentum.
Most importantly, Disney addressed several things fans actually care about.
Dreamfinder is coming back with Figment. The Yeti is being brought back to life. Tomorrowland is finally getting attention. Spaceship Earth is being reimagined. Villains Land is no longer just a piece of concept art. Monstropolis has restaurants, shows, shops, and a 2027 opening window. Tropical Americas now has real attraction names and story details.
That is a strong night.
The biggest takeaway is that Disney is leaning into both nostalgia and expansion. It is not one or the other. Disney is fixing legacy attractions while building new lands. It is bringing back Dreamfinder while creating Villains Land. It is restoring the Yeti while adding Indiana Jones, Encanto, Cars, Monsters, Avengers, Coco, and The Lion King to parks around the world.
That balance matters.
Disney fans want new things, but they also want the classics treated with respect. D23 2026 seemed to understand that.
Of course, the real test comes next.
Concept art is exciting. Stage reveals are fun. But now Disney has to deliver. Villains Land needs to feel worthy of Magic Kingdom. Piston Peak needs to prove Cars belongs in Frontierland. Monstropolis needs to feel like a real monster city, not just a coaster entrance. Tropical Americas needs to honor Animal Kingdom’s sense of place. Spaceship Earth needs an update that protects the soul of Epcot.
Still, this was a big night for Disney parks. The future is not just blue sky anymore, It is under construction.
