The future of Disney Parks and Experiences took center stage on Saturday at the D23 fan event, as Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro announced a number of forthcoming projects, including a new "Frozen" land in Disneyland Paris and both an "Avatar" experience and a "Coco" ride that are coming to Disney California Adventure Park.
"We are taking our guests to a whole new location on Pandora," Ali Rubinstein, the vice president of Creative Development of Walt Disney Imagineering, told the audience.
Rubinstein said "Avatar" will include the search for "new and majestic wonders that could only be found on Pandora ... Dense forests. Wide open seas." Calling it a "dynamic, intense and emotional experience," he said it will also honor the late "Avatar" producer, Jon Landau.
The announcements were just a few of the new rides, lands and digital experiences rolled out at the Disney Experiences showcase in Anaheim, California, on Saturday night.
An entirely new attraction is coming to Disney California Adventure, with the "Coco" ride expected to break ground in 2026, the executives said. The inspiration for the ride drew from classic rides, including Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, D'Amaro told the crowd.
Also taking place in 2026, a new "Frozen" Land will open in Disneyland Paris, D'Amaro announced.
Beginning next month, "Reach for the Stars" debuts at Tokyo Disneyland, sparking a new era of Disney spectaculars around the world. In January, Disneyland Paris will have a new nighttime spectacular with projections on castle.
And, next year at Disneyland, a new show called "Walt Disney: A Magical Life" will debut at the Main Street Opera House and feature for the first time an audio animatronic of Walt Disney. It will play in rotation with "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln."
MORE: 'Freaky Friday' sequel title announced at D23Executives walked Disney fans through a spate of other upcoming attractions and park upgrades, including a new "Indiana Jones" ride, which will be part of a new Tropical Americas area coming in 2027 to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando. The other attraction in Tropical Americas will be "Encanto"-themed, executives said.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland opens Nov. 15, followed by a "Zootopia" show at Animal Kingdom, “Zootopia Better Zoogether,” which is expected to bow in winter 2025.
A "Monsters Inc." land is planned for Disney Hollywood Studios. There will also be a new Spaceship Earth lounge at Epcot, along with a pirate-themed restaurant at the Magic Kingdom, both of which are scheduled to open in 2025, executives said. Epcot's Test Track refurbishment is also expected to reopen that year.
"We had to wait for innovation to catch up with our dreams. And now we're finally ready," D'Amaro told the crowd.
Scott Trowbridge, of Walt Disney Imagineering, added that Disney plans to add two attractions to the Avengers Campus, doubling its size. Stark Flight Lab, which will bring visitors inside Iron Man’s workshop, will feature Robert Downey Jr.’s voice as Tony Stark, Trowbridge said. And in Avengers Infinity Defense, the heroes will take on Thanos, he said.
And a new land based on Disney villains is planned for the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Not many details were released on Saturday, but the land will have all the Disney villains whom you "know and that you loathe," D'Amaro said.
In an interview with "Good Morning America," D'Amaro said Disney Experiences has "the most incredible future."
"We appreciate that people choose Disney as a place to come and make special memories with their families, and we know that they are going to love all of these jaw-dropping new lands, new ships -- we're building a digital universe -- and there's so much more," he said.
"We just made an unprecedented number of announcements and we know our guests around the world are going to love them," he said. "Whether it's 'Avatar' or Marvel or 'Monsters [Inc.]' -- and so much more than that -- we're bringing the world's best stories to life in a way that only Disney can. People are going to be absolutely amazed."
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