Walt Disney World got the most announcements of all six Disney resorts. It makes a lot of sense, given that it’s the biggest resort with the most attractions currently under construction. In fact, I count 9 rides currently being built or reimagined at Walt Disney World, with an additional two rides announced to be getting reimaginings in the future. With all this Walt Disney World D23 2026 news, I decided to compile all the announcements in one article while also giving my thoughts on all the news that dropped last weekend.
Let’s get into it!
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Carousel of Progress Details
Carousel of Progress was actually the first attraction that the Disney Experiences Showcase talked about, with Neil Patrick Harris revealing that Bryan Cranston will play the role of Father in the ride, with Jamie Lee Curtis playing the role of Mother. They also unveiled concept art for the brand new 1980s scene, which will take place during Halloween and will feature Mother as the Narrator.
I am so excited for this ride. I have to admit, when they announced that the Carousel of Progress would be getting an update last May, I was a bit disappointed and disheartened. I couldn’t believe they were going to gut my favorite ride in Walt Disney World. But what I’ve seen of the attraction so far gives me a lot of confidence.
I love the new scene they showed and liked that it looks and feels like the old Carousel of Progress. Bryan Cranston and Jamie Lee Curtis were also incredible choices for Father and Mother. Overall, I’m excited for this upgrade. This ride was going to get upgraded eventually and I’m glad Disney chose to update it rather than getting rid of it entirely.
Tropical Americas Details, Names, and Concept Art
Lots of details were revealed about Tropical Americas at this D23. The Encanto attraction was announced to be called Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto. The voice cast of the movie was confirmed to be returning for the ride, and it was also announced that the ride would have no height requirement, allowing all guests to experience the attraction.
They also revealed that the ride will essentially be a tour of the house during Antonio’s gift day. We’re going to see parts of the house we’ve never seen before, including a finale in Antonio’s room surrounded by over 50 audio-animatronic animals. Imagineering gave the audience a look at some of the animals that will be in the ride. The imagineering pavilion also had mockups of the ride vehicles, which were made to look like they were assembled using different pieces of furniture found around the house.
Moving over to the carousel of the land, which will be called El Carrusel de los Animalitos. It will feature 22 carvings of different animal characters from Disney movies, such as Eeyore, Bambi, and Pumba. Some of the carvings were featured in the pavilion as well.
Finally, the Indiana Jones attraction is officially titled Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. The Indiana Jones animatronics were confirmed to be using Harrison Ford’s likeness for the very first time. The ride was also revealed to be inspired by Maya culture and folklore, with Disney sharing a first look at the theming of the temple and the areas surrounding it.
The story of the ride goes that Indiana Jones is in the midst of exploring a temple near a once water-filled underground cave. The cave is supposed to be a bridge to the Maya underworld, which is protected by a large serpentine beast called a Tsukan. During their journey into the temple, riders will encounter large bats, scorpions, and of course, snakes. All of this reaches a climax where you come face to face with the Tsukan, which is going to be one of the largest animatronics made for any Disney attraction.
This land is shaping up to be one of the crown jewels of this period of expansion around the globe. The Encanto attraction seems like it’s going to be amazing. I love how the ride is essentially going to be a tour of casita coming to life. In that way it’s similar to my favorite Disney attraction of all time: Mystic Manor. If they can make it as good as that ride I will be happy. There’s still no confirmation on the ride system, but the ride vehicles look absolutely stunning and add so much to the storytelling of the ride.
The new piece of concept art looks amazing and made me even more excited for this ride. The animatronic animals look really good too, although to me they look a little more cartoony than realistic, which I guess makes sense since this is an animated world. I also love that they got the whole cast to come back for this ride. I do wonder how they’re going to incorporate the music of Encanto into this ride given that the ride takes place during one moment in the movie. But I guess we shall see eventually.
I think the carousel looks fantastic. I love that Disney gave such a detailed and layered backstory for what could have been just a simple carousel. While I think the carousel would’ve worked better as a carousel featuring different animals from Latin America over animals found in Disney movies, I like that their carvings match the vibe and theme of the land. I do agree with people who say that the Timon carving looks a bit unusual, though.
Finally, the Indiana Jones ride looks absolutely spectacular. I love how large the animatronic is. It looks so imposing and will be amazing to see in person. I also really like how close they’ve stayed to Maya culture. The fact that Harrison Ford’s likeness is going to be used is a huge win. The story of the ride is also fantastic and seems like a fresh take on an Indiana Jones attraction. Hopefully they can still do innovative things with the track even though it’s exactly the same as Dinosaur’s track. Tropical Americas opens next year!
Monstropolis Details and Opening Timeframe
Lots of details were unveiled about the upcoming Monstropolis land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Glob Theater, which is the theater that formerly housed MuppetVision 3D, is going to have a new show called Welcome to Monstropolis. The show is meant to introduce humans to Monstropolis. While Sulley works on a small show, Mike tries to make it flashier, causing some chaos. The show will include animatronic characters and a new song written by Randy Newman.
The presentation also revealed that there will be a pizzeria in the land called Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza. There will also be a shop called the Scareporium where you will be able to buy Monsters Inc. merch. The big restaurant in the land will be themed to Harryhausen’s, the sushi restaurant from the movie, complete with an animatronic octopus chef.
But of course, the biggest attraction will be the door coaster. While the door coaster is still a long way from being complete, Disney did give us a look at an animatic that shows the coaster being lifted into the air at the beginning of the ride. The vehicles will be lifted 40 feet in 4 seconds. Disney also revealed that the land will debut in 2027, with the coaster following at a later date.
I really liked all the details they revealed about Monstropolis. The show in the Glob theater seems really fun and is a good intro to the land. I’m glad that the land seems to be on the same level of thematic details as Zootopia in Shanghai Disneyland. I also am so excited about the Harryhausen’s restaurant, especially getting to see that animatronic for myself.
The door coaster also seems very exciting. That upward movement at the beginning of the ride is fantastic. I can’t wait to see this door coaster for myself when it opens. I also like that they’re having a phased opening of the land, just like Galaxy’s Edge did. I can’t wait to see Monstropolis brought to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the near future.
Piston Peak Names and Details
Disney finally revealed details of the two rides coming to Piston Peak at the Magic Kingdom. They confirmed that the flat ride in the land will be called Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin Along. It looks similar to the Cars ride in Disney Adventure World in Paris, although with a large Miss Fritter school bus animatronic and a better setting. Concept art of the ride makes it look really fun and unique.
They also revealed that the E-ticket ride in the land will be the Cars Ridge Run Rally. This off-road attraction will not simulate off-road just like what the Indiana Jones ride vehicle does, but will actually be off-road. It starts with a climb up to the snowy peaks of Piston Peak, before going down a series of Bunny hills, ending up in a geyser field. The ride will feature an off-road ride system unique to this ride. Concept art was released of several scenes, and it seems like Disney has changed the concept of the ride from a race between cars to a timed race against the clock.
I will admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Piston Peak when it was announced. I hated that it was replacing the Rivers of America. But I will admit that, after seeing the model and hearing this part of the presentation, Disney has converted me. I think the flat ride looks really well themed from what they’ve shown us. I like that they also spent money to include a huge animatronic in the ride. That’s a detail they didn’t have to include but did, so I appreciate that.
Ridge Run Rally looks incredibly fun. I can’t wait to ride this one when it opens. Having it be an off-road journey makes it different from Radiator Springs Racers at DCA, which I like as I think Disney theme parks should be as unique as possible. The concept art also makes this look so fun and exciting. Driving through snow and geysers and tunnels is going to be so unique and I can’t wait to see how Imagineering brings this to life.
Spaceship Earth Reimagining
Disney also confirmed that Spaceship Earth is going to be reimagined. They didn’t give a lot of details about this, other than it will still be a journey through history and that the focus of the ride will shift from Human Communication to Human Connection. No timeline was given as to when the ride would close to make way for this reimagining, as well as how long the reimagining would last.
I am so happy about this news. A Spaceship Earth refurb was first announced in 2019 but never pushed through. I’m glad to see that the ride is getting a much needed refurb. If it’s the same quality as the recent Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin refurbs in Magic Kingdom then the ride is in good hands. I also am glad that the ride will still be a journey through time, which hopefully means they won’t shoehorn IP into the ride. No concept art was released, but expect to see some released in the coming months.
Villains Land
This to me was the most exciting part of the presentation as far as existing announcements go. We finally got confirmation of the story of the land, the name of the land, as well as what the two rides are going to be. The name of the land will be simply Villains land to match the naming conventions of the other lands in Magic Kingdom. The backstory of the land has to do with a magic wishing well. One day, someone makes an evil wish in the wishing well, cracking it open and making the magic spill out onto the forest near it, corrupting the forest and subsequently attracting dark forces and villains who want to exploit its magic. The land will include shopping, dining, and two attractions.
The two rides in the land were also revealed by Disney. There will be a coaster themed to Maleficent. The coaster will take place partially outdoors and will include elements that have never been attempted in a coaster before. The other ride is a dark ride that has us descending into the catacombs of the Evil Queen’s castle, where we encounter the Magic Mirror, who beckons us into his realm. In the realm we’ll meet many different Disney villains. The ride will include animatronics, physical sets, and media screens, all blended together.
I think this land is shaping up to be absolutely incredible. I love the very unique and creative backstory for the land. The evil wish in the wishing well just feels so classic Disney in the best way. The two rides coming to the land also seem amazing. The dark ride in particular has the potential to be so immersive and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. The coaster also seems fun and I can’t wait to see how they’re going to represent Maleficent in the ride.
Fixing the Yeti At Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World also revealed that they’re finally fixing the yeti in Expedition Everest. While no timeline has been announced for this, construction will probably begin after Tropical Americas opens so that Animal Kingdom doesn’t lose too much capacity. I am so excited for this and the whole Honda center cheered when they announced this. How exactly they’re going to fix the structural problems plaguing the yeti remains to be seen, but I’m glad Disney is finally committing to fixing this as this has been a problem for 20 years now.
Journey into Imagination Reimagining
The final announcement of the night was that Journey into Imagination with Figment will be getting a reimagining that will reintroduce the Dreamfinder into the ride. There were no details given as apparently Imagineering is only in the early planning stages, but this was the one piece of news that made me realize that Disney is finally listening to its fans and giving them what they want. I can’t wait to learn more about this reimagining in the next couple of years.
And that’s everything that was announced for Walt Disney World! While some of my predictions were correct, there were some things I predicted that weren’t included in the presentation. Let’s go through them and speculate as to why they were left out of the Experiences Showcase.
My Other Predictions (That Didn’t Come True)
I really thought Animal Kingdom was going to debut a new nighttime spectacular. Their large amphitheater is sitting empty, and while I understand that they can’t have a show with fireworks, I was so sure they would’ve come up with something that uses things like fountains and drones instead so that they don’t irritate the animals. I’m guessing that maybe they want to debut a new nighttime spectacular with the opening of Tropical Americas, so they didn’t want to announce it yet so as not to take the spotlight off of Tropical Americas. I do think it’s coming eventually, though.
I also thought that the Wonders of Life pavilion would be restored to its former glory and that attractions themed to Inside Out and Big Hero 6 would be introduced in the pavilion. At this point, Disney, you might as well tear that building down. It’s obvious they don’t know or are indecisive on what to do with that building. I would rather they preserve the building and put something new in there, of course, but if you aren’t going to build anything new, then tear it down and start over.
Finally, I predicted that Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom would be closed and reimagined. This would include a full retracking, new ride vehicles, and on-board audio. My best guess as to why they didn’t announce it yet is because closing Space Mountain would take away a huge chunk of capacity for Magic Kingdom. They probably want Piston Peak to open first in order to up capacity before they start working on this. I still think this is coming because Space Mountain desperately needs it, but it’ll be a while before it happens.
Walt Disney World D23 2026 News Conclusion
There’s lots of reasons to be excited for Walt Disney World’s future. New attractions, entertainment, and experiences are coming, which is very exciting. The future looks very bright, and I hope it stays that way. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on my socials.
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