Yesterday, at D23 in Anaheim, CA, Disney Parks Experiences made some huge announcements and revealed major projects coming to Disney Parks around the globe — including Walt Disney World Resort® in Florida, Disneyland Resort® in California, Disneyland Paris in France, and more. Let’s dive deep into these major announcements with what we know, don’t know, and the questions that arise from the concept art and proposed projects.

Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida

Magic Kingdom

New Nighttime Parade

It has long since been rumored that Disney wanted to bring a nighttime parade to the Magic Kingdom — something similar to the jaw-dropping retired Paint the Night Parade at The Disneyland® Resort in California. Supposedly, Disney even considered relocating the parade to Walt Disney World® but the floats were two either to tall to be housed and/or were too big to make the tighter turns at The Magic Kingdom.

The good news is that it finally looks like Disney has found an amicable solution to their desire to put a new nighttime parade at The Magic Kingdom. They’ve announced Disney Starlight — a brand new nighttime parade — will debut at The Magic Kingdom during the summer of 2025.

While an exact debut date hasn’t been announced, Disney did say, “Disney Starlight will continue the nighttime spectacular legacy started by the “Main Street Electrical Parade” using the latest technology to tell new stories about the characters you love. All of this is brought to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy, in addition to beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios films “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” and more.

New “Cars” Themed Area

We already received two big things in 2024 at The Magic Kingdom® — a new and updated version of The Country Bear Jamboree along with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — but even more exciting things are coming to The Magic Kingdom in the upcoming years.

First, Disney Experiences announced a brand new area beyond Big Thunder Mountained themed to “Cars” coming to Frontierland. They were explicit in stating that this new are would not duplicate the beloved Cars Land already found at Disney California Adventure Park — but would have it’s own unique personality.

This new land will feature not one, but two “Cars” themed attractions. From the Disney Parks blog, “One attraction will invite you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes. 

But what about smaller racers? The second attraction will be geared towards them and will be fun for the whole family.”

Villain’s Themed Land

Yes, it’s officially true. Disney has promised that The Magic Kingdom will receive a brand new Villains-themed land. And it’s not longer blue-sky — meaning that the project has been approved and is getting ready to begin construction sometime in 2025.

According to Disney Parks Experiences, “The new land will encompass all your dreams- er, nightmares. The space will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale… You might have just felt a shiver run down your spine. That’s because preparation is already underway at Magic Kingdom for this new land. Maybe think twice before you indulge in that next shiny red apple…”

It’s hard to tell from the concept art exactly what Disney has in store for this Villain-themed land. But from the looks of it — one might infer the possibility of a Maleficent-themed roller coaster. But again, it’s hard to tell based on the concept art alone.

New Lounge Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean

While we might have to wait a few years for the new ‘Cars’ area and the new Villain-themed land, we won’t have to wait too long for a brand new lounge inspired by the fan-favorite Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and attraction.

While this was previously announced last year, Disney gave a few more details stating, “…this rambunctious watering hole will offer a welcoming haven for all pirate-kind, big and small, and everyone in between. Here, bandits and buccaneers-to-be from every corner of the seven seas are welcome to join together and raise a toast to the pirate life! In the newly released artwork, X marks the spot for a sea-worthy selection of grogs and grub inside this tavern location coming to Magic Kingdom Park.”

This brand new lounge in Adventureland is slated to open sometime in 2025.

Animal Kingdom

Zootopia Better Together

While the Zootopia retheme of It’s Tough to Be a Bug inside the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park has already been announced — we got the name and projected opening timeline.

The new attraction will be called Zootopia Better Together and is set to open at Animal Kingdom sometime in the Winter of 2025. To be honest, we’re not sure exactly what that means. Maybe Disney is hoping to open this attraction before the Spring Break — with an anticipation of late February or early March.

Indiana Jones and Encanto Now Confirmed

Disney also confirmed the complete re theme of Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to a Tropical Americas theme.

From Disney Parks Blog, “The space will be lush and sprawling, featuring a large fountain in the center where the villagers like to gather and tell stories. Additionally, a woodcarver has created a giant working carousel featuring his favorite animals from Disney stories. It’s a new take on a classic attraction that young families are going to love.”

This new land will also feature two brand new E-ticket attractions — one based on the iconic Indiana Jones franchise, and another bringing the story of Encanto to life for the very first time.

The Disney Parks Blog gave us a few clues of what we can expect with the new Indy attraction, stating, “In this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

If you’re a huge fan of the original Dinosaur — you’re going to want to make your way back to Walt Disney World Soon before Disney closes it to begin work on this exciting new attraction.

The first-of-it’s-kind Encanto attraction promises to be just excited, Disney also provided a few details on it, saying, “If you’re a fan of drawers, floors, and doors, let’s go! The first-ever “Encanto”-themed ride-through attraction is coming to Animal Kingdom, featuring the beloved Madrigal family from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film. Inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. It’s time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into…”

Disney has announced this new Tropical Americas Land will open sometime in 2027.

Hollywood Studios

Monsters Inc. Land

Yes, you read that subheading correctly. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going to be getting a brand new land — dedicated to the Monsters Inc. franchise.

This new land will not only feature new dining and shopping experiences as if you’re walking through Monstropolous — it will also feature a brand new E-ticket attraction — the first ever suspended roller coaster Disney has ever built.

From the Disney Parks Blog, “Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc. — and the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. But it’s not a true visit without the factory itself. You’ll be able to see the sights, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like James P. Sullivan (a.k.a. Sulley) and Mike Wazowski — via a door!

Yes, a door. If you’ve been dreaming of riding through the door vault since the movie was released in 2001, you’re not alone… The coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action. Just be sure to fill out your paperwork! Roz is always watching…”

To say we’re excited about this would be a massive understatement. And we were surprised to hear Disney state that work on this project would begin as early as 2025.

EPCOT

New Lounge Inspired by Spaceship Earth

While the major overhaul and expansion of EPCOT is largely complete — with the opening in 2024 of the brand new CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaze — it looks like we have one more thing to get excited about…

We’re getting a brand new lounge in 2025 inspired by Spaceship Earth. While not many details have been announced, we ate least have one more thing to thank the Phoenicians for.

From Disney Parks Blog, “For over 40 years, Spaceship Earth has welcomed visitors to EPCOT as a shining beacon of optimism and hope. This just-announced lounge is inspired by the stories, shapes, and enduring legacy of this timeless icon. Taking inspiration from the geometric sphere, the zen space to gather and enjoy refreshments will be draped with rich textures and warm metallic tones, giving it a mysterious and elegant intimacy.”

Test Track Re-Opening Date

If you weren’t aware, Disney previously announced that Test Track would be getting its third major overhaul since the attraction originally opened on March 19, 1999. Test Track version 2.0 debuted on December 6, 2012 and ran until June 17, 2024.

Construction has been well underway inside since then, and the attraction is set to reopen sometime in 2025. An official opening date has not yet been announced.