At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa®, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro took the stage for an evening that thrilled Disney enthusiasts with an unforgettable musical showcase and a glimpse into the future of the brand’s parks, cruise lines, and more. The night was filled with groundbreaking announcements, surprising celebrity appearances, and captivating performances that closed out the second day of the event on a high note.
D’Amaro spoke with excitement about the ambitious plans ahead, stating, “Disney Experiences is on a fast track toward unprecedented growth and innovation. With countless Disney stories waiting to be told, we’re eager to bring an extraordinary array of new projects to life in the near future, whether in our theme parks, on our cruise ships, or through our partnership with Epic Games in the digital realm.”
The announcements covered a broad spectrum of new developments, including four new cruise ships and six fresh themed lands and areas that promise to transport guests into the heart of beloved stories. Among them are lands inspired by Monsters, Inc., Cars, Indiana Jones, Encanto, Avatar, The Lion King, and the iconic Disney Villains. D’Amaro also revealed plans for 14 brand-new attractions, including adventures featuring The Avengers, Spider-Man, and the first-ever Coco-themed ride at Disney California Adventure Park, where visitors can join Miguel on a journey through the Land of the Dead. Five new shows and nighttime spectaculars were also revealed, with the highlight being “Disney Starlight,” a new nighttime parade set to light up the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
Throughout the evening, D’Amaro was joined by Disney Imagineers and creative leaders from the company’s film studios, who unveiled these exciting developments to a crowd of eager fans. The event featured unexpected surprises, including celebrity appearances and performances that only Disney could deliver. Billy Crystal announced a new Monsters, Inc.-themed land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Meghan Trainor moved the audience with a powerful rendition of “Feed the Birds,” and D’Amaro unveiled the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history. The night ended with Shaboozey’s electrifying performance of “Life Is a Highway” to celebrate a new Cars-themed area, and Rita Ora’s captivating rendition of “Trust in Me” to introduce a Villains-themed land.
“Today, we rolled out a lineup of experiences that only Disney can create,” D’Amaro said. “These new projects are already in the works, and fans will soon start to see them come to life.”
Here are the top 10 announcements from the Disney Experiences Showcase:
Expansion of Disney Cruise Line: Disney Cruise Line is set to grow significantly with the addition of four new vessels between 2027 and 2031. Once completed, these ships will expand the fleet to 13, offering guests even more opportunities to experience Disney’s world-class entertainment, dining, and guest service across the globe.
Monsters, Inc. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Construction is slated to begin next year on a new land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, dedicated entirely to Monsters, Inc. This area will feature Disney’s first-ever suspended coaster, where guests will zoom through the door vault in the factory, just like Mike and Sulley.
Cars at the Magic Kingdom: The beloved Cars franchise is heading to a reimagined area of Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom. This new section will feature two attractions: a thrilling off-road rally race and a family-friendly experience for the youngest racers. Construction will begin early next year.
Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom: A new land dedicated to Disney Villains is already under construction at the Magic Kingdom. This area will include two attractions, dining, and shopping, offering a dark twist on the classic Disney experience, where happily ever after might seem far away.
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Set to open in 2027, Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will include two major attractions: a thrilling Indiana Jones adventure through an ancient Maya temple, and a journey through the Casita Madrigal from Encanto, following Antonio’s story. The land will also feature a carousel with animals from beloved Disney stories.
Avatar at Disney California Adventure: An all-new Avatar experience is coming to Disney California Adventure. This attraction promises to bring the action, excitement, and wonder of Avatar to life in a completely new and innovative way.
First-ever Audio-Animatronics Figure of Walt Disney: A new show titled “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will debut next year at Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House, featuring the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney. After its initial run, the show will rotate with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”
Avengers Experiences in California, Shanghai, and Hong Kong: Super Hero experiences are expanding globally at Disney parks. Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure will double in size with two new attractions: Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. Shanghai Disney Resort will introduce its first major Super Hero attraction, a Spider-Man-themed thrill coaster. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Disneyland will see a new Spider-Man attraction in Tomorrowland, featuring one of his most formidable villains.
Lion King Area at Disney Adventure World, Disneyland Paris: Following the opening of World of Frozen in 2026, Disneyland Paris will introduce the first-ever ride-through attraction themed to The Lion King in a new area of Disney Adventure World. This water-based ride will take guests through the caves beneath Pride Rock, following Simba’s journey from cub to king.
Epic Games Collaboration: Disney’s collaboration with Epic Games was highlighted in a live presentation, which was also livestreamed in Fortnite. Creative leads from across Disney, including Jennifer Lee from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pete Docter from Pixar, Kevin Feige from Marvel, and Dave Filoni from Lucasfilm, discussed how Disney storytelling will converge in a dynamic, new digital environment. They also announced new characters and skins coming to Fortnite, featuring Disney Villains, The Incredibles, and The Mandalorian, along with a trailer for the next Marvel season featuring Doctor Doom, debuting on August 16.
Highlights from earlier today at the Anaheim Convention Center included a series of thrilling announcements across five stages, offering fans extraordinary programming throughout the day. Among the exciting news, Disney Experiences revealed that Directing at Disney is transitioning from the page to an original exhibition. This new exhibit, curated by Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and author Don Peri, will open on October 17 at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Like the book, the exhibition will shine a spotlight on the legendary directors behind Walt Disney’s animated films and will showcase a rich collection of archival photographs and rare film artifacts from The Walt Disney Studios.
In an exciting update from “The Simpsons,” it was announced that the show’s 35th season will premiere on October 2 on Disney+, offering fans 18 new episodes featuring the iconic Simpson family. During a panel at the Anaheim Convention Center, series creators and key figures—including Matt Groening, Matt Selman, Al Jean, Mike Price, Brian Kelley, David Silverman, and Nancy Cartwright—revealed that four exclusive episodes would be available only to Disney+ subscribers. Among these is a special Christmas-themed double episode, “O C’mon All Ye Faithful,” premiering on December 17. The other exclusive episodes, titled “The Past and the Furious” and “Yellow Planet,” will be released in the coming months. Additionally, Disney+ will debut a new Halloween-themed short from “The Simpsons” in October.
Meanwhile, during the Marvel Animation Sneak Peek panel, Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Streaming, Television, and Animation, offered a glimpse into the future of Marvel’s animated series. He provided insights into the final season of What If…?, the upcoming second season of X-Men ’97, Eyes of Wakanda, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Winderbaum was joined by voice actors Cal Dodd (Wolverine) and Lenore Zann (Rogue) from X-Men ’97. Filmmakers Bryan Andrews, director and executive producer for What If…? and Marvel Zombies, Todd Harris, director and EP of Eyes of Wakanda, and Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther and producer of Eyes of Wakanda, also took the stage. Jeff Trammell, head writer and EP of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, announced the casting of Hudson Thames as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn, with both actors making a surprise appearance. The panel concluded with an exclusive preview of the eagerly awaited series Marvel Zombies.
At D23, the upcoming season of the Disney+ Original series Percy Jackson and the Olympians was showcased with an exciting panel on the Premiere Stage. Hosted by Juju Green, also known as Straw Hat Goofy, the panel featured key cast members including Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase), Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), along with new series regulars Charlie Bushnell (Luke Castellan) and Dior Goodjohn (Clarisse La Rue). Executive producers Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz, and Craig Silverstein also joined the event, along with surprise appearances from Toby Stephens (Poseidon), Jason Mantzoukas (Mr. D/Dionysus), and Daniel Diemer (Tyson). This panel marked the first time all six of the season-two regulars appeared together publicly, with Mantzoukas confirming his return as Camp Half-Blood’s quirky director, Mr. D.
The panel also brought exciting casting news, announcing that Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho, and Kristen Schaal will guest star as the Gray Sisters in season two. Bernhard will take on the role of Anger, the sister responsible for collecting cab fare from the heroes, while impatiently awaiting her turn to use the single eye shared between the trio. Schaal will portray Tempest, who currently holds the coveted eye and uses it to glimpse into the heroes’ futures—and to tease them about their social lives. Cho will play Wasp, the driver of the Gray Sisters Taxi, who navigates the heroes through a wild ride to Camp Half-Blood, despite being blind most of the time.
Season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is adapted from The Sea of Monsters, the second book in Rick Riordan’s bestselling series. Produced by Disney Branded Television and 20th Television, the series is currently filming in Vancouver and is slated for a 2025 debut on Disney+. More casting announcements are expected soon.
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