Saturday evening's Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23 delivered a clear signal to the theme park industry: Disney is now aggressively executing its promised $60 billion capital expenditure plan over the next decade.
For theme park operators, executives, suppliers, and creative partners, the showcase offered a masterclass in IP utilization, ride-system innovations, footprint expansion, and long-term asset lifecycle management.
In this article, we breakdown all the key project updates, technical innovations, and attraction reveals that industry professionals need to know.
1. Magic Kingdom: Footprint Expansion & High-Capacity Rides
Disney revealed some new details on the largest expansion projects in Magic Kingdom’s history, signaling a push to expand total park capacity and drive up guest dwell times.
- Villains Land: A dedicated land themed around Disney Villains featuring two major attractions. The headliner is a custom-designed Maleficent-themed coaster that demonstrates Disney’s willingness to introduce higher-thrill ride models into traditionally family-oriented parks. It will be accompanied by a Magic Mirror dark ride; set in the catacombs beneath the Evil Queen's palace, the attraction will transport park guests into the mystical Mirror Realm using a blend of physical sets and special effects.
- Piston Peak (Frontierland Expansion): This new area introduces two attractions. Cars Ridge Run Rally is an off-road racing ride featuring custom vehicles with active suspension systems that react to every bump and drop. It is joined by Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, a family ride featuring a school-bus-sized animatronic host.
2. Advanced Ride Systems and Engineering Innovations
For ride manufacturers and suppliers, the presentation highlighted several notable mechanical hardware and show-control choices:
- First Suspended Coaster in a Disney Park (Monstropolis): The new Monsters, Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will feature the company's first-ever suspended coaster. It will replicate the dynamic overhead door vault sequence from the film, showing how mechanical track design is being tightly integrated into story-driven mechanics.
- Robotics and Multi-Environment Ride Dynamics (Avengers Campus): Disney California Adventure is doubling the size of Avengers Campus with two major additions. Avengers Infinity Defense will utilize multi-environment physical-and-digital transitions, while Stark Flight Lab deploys Kuka-style robotic arm systems mounted to track platforms to deliver personalized flight motion profiles.
3. Water Attractions with Immersive Storytelling
Water-based dark rides and flume systems remain a dominant investment area across Disney’s global portfolio, offering high hourly capacity alongside deep narrative immersion:
- Pride Lands (Disney Adventure World): The ongoing transformation of the former Walt Disney Studios Park will feature a dedicated The Lion King land anchored by a major log flume ride detailing Simba’s journey with physical set drops and cutting-edge figure robotics.
- Avatar Destination (Disney California Adventure): DCA’s all-new Avatar land moves beyond the original film, taking inspiration from Pandora's ocean ecosystems as depicted in The Way of Water and future sequels, headlined by an expansive, highly immersive boat ride.
- First Coco Dark Ride (Disney California Adventure): Developed in partnership with Pixar, this boat attraction leverages advanced Audio-Animatronics and illuminated light environments to re-create Miguel's journey through the Land of the Dead.
4. Tropical Americas: New IPs for the Animal Kingdom
The 11-acre replacement of DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney's Animal Kingdom demonstrates how Disney continues to convert more box-office IPs into physical attractions:
- Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent: Set beneath ancient Maya temple ruins, this headline dark ride features a custom storyline distinct from existing versions worldwide. Harrison Ford personally served as the face model for the main character's advanced Audio-Animatronics figure.
- Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto: Marking the first major park attraction debut for Encanto, this family dark ride will use custom vehicles traveling through Casita and a rainforest populated by over 50 dynamic animatronic animals. The original film actors Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow, and Diane Guerrero reprise their vocal roles.
- The land will also host El Carrusel de los Animalitos (a hand-carved carousel featuring 22 Disney and Pixar figures) alongside an interactive Maya-themed rainforest play space.
5. Global Expansions & Modernising Classics
Beyond major land developments, Disney outlined targeted IP additions and strategic updates to protect the lifecycle of existing attractions:
- International Marvel Expansions: Beyond the Disneyland Resort, Marvel IP expands across Asia. Shanghai Disney Resort will construct an all-new Spider-Man-themed land featuring a high-speed coaster, while Hong Kong Disneyland introduces an upgraded Avengers Pavilion at Stark Expo.
- Wreck-It Ralph (Tokyo Disneyland): Ralph and Vanellope will head to Japan in Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue, an interactive attraction that puts guests inside the Sugar Rush video game to capture rogue sugar bugs.
- Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress Update: The classic attraction is receiving an updated script and a new 1980s final scene. Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston join the production as the new voices of Mum and Dad.
- Spaceship Earth Reimagining: EPCOT's iconic structure will undergo its first major update in nearly two decades, shifting its narrative focus from historical communication to the broader theme of human connection in the digital age.
- Disney confirmed that Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain at Disneyland Paris will be closing at the end of 2027 to allow for a major reimagining that will bring back the resort's iconic original attraction: Space Mountain – De la Terre à la Lune.
