Overview
- At the D23 Disney Experiences Showcase in mid‑August 2026, Disney announced a cross‑park program that includes new themed lands, flagship rides, and major updates to legacy attractions.
- Disney confirmed specific near‑term markers: Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress will reopen in late spring 2027 with a new 1980s scene and voices by Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston, and portions of Monstropolis and the Tropical Americas land are slated to begin opening in 2027.
- New lands and headline rides were detailed: Magic Kingdom will get Villains Land with a Maleficent coaster and a Mirror Realm dark ride; Frontierland will add Piston Peak National Park with Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter’s attraction; Hollywood Studios will gain Monstropolis; Animal Kingdom will add Tropical Americas with an Indiana Jones adventure, an Encanto ride, and a handcrafted carousel.
- EPCOT will see major reworks including a Spaceship Earth revamp that reframes the story toward human connection and a top‑to‑bottom Journey Into Imagination that reunites Figment with Dreamfinder, but Disney provided few firm timelines or budgets for those projects.
- Disney framed the program as a response to long‑running fan requests and a return to nostalgic characters, yet executives stressed these legacy projects are technically complex and will be built in phases, which could mean extended closures and multi‑year construction before the largest promises are completed.