Last night, Disney Parks made almost 50 announcements during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at the Honda Center during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event for 2024. And these aren’t just blue sky announcements for some time, somewhere down the road. No, these are things that are reportedly being built or developed right now, and for many, you’ll start to see them come to life over the next five years. Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro said during the presentation, “At Disney Experiences, Imagineers dream, create, design and build these stories into real places. And we have Imagineers in place right now all around the world because everything we’re going to share with you is in active development. Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving. I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’ve heard here tonight.”
As such with the big reveals, many of which already further along in the process, the Walt Disney Imagineering showcase on the D23 floor opened up new areas showing off the models, art, and sculpts for many of these headlining announcements.
Avatar Experience at Disney California Adventure
Guests will venture further into Pandora with a new destination at Disney California Adventure. While Pandora—The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is based on Oscar-winner James Cameron’s Avatar film, this new destination draws inspiration from Avatar: The Way of Water and upcoming Avatar films to bring Pandora to life in a brand-new way. More information can be found at our post, here.
Villain’s Land at Magic Kingdom
For all those things hiding in the shadows, D’Amaro lifted the veil on a forthcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort. The evil ambition of all these Villains means that the possibilities are endless for the stories that can be told — and visitors to the dark and thorny land should be prepared for whatever chaos might come their way. More information about the new land can be found here.
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
A new adventure awaits at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park with the addition of a new space themed around Tropical Americas. Welcome to Pueblo Esperanza.
Work on this new 11-acre section of the park is set to begin later this year. Just like Harambe, the land feels lived in, with a long, rich history — plus there’s a large hacienda which will be one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort.
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. Two signature attractions will be featured here, with one based on Indiana Jones, and another based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Encanto. For more information about the carousel and Encanto attraction, head here. For more about the all new Indiana Jones experience, head over here.
The Lion King Experience at Disney Adventure World
Disneyland Paris’ second park, which is being re-named Disney Adventure World, has already seen a handful of recent exciting updates including the opening of Avengers Campus and Worlds of Pixar, and will continue with the opening of World of Frozen in 2026.
The Lion King — which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year — has long been a beloved Disney story. A new area of the park will be dedicated to the characters and stories from the film, including dining, shopping, and a chance to meet some favorite characters. More details can be found here.
Monsters Inc. Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
With a little help from Disney Legend Billy Crystal, plans were revealed to build a living, breathing, and not-at-all-scary Monsters, Inc. inspired area where you’ll be able to stroll the streets alongside some of your favorite monsters, and hop aboard Disney’s first-ever suspended roller coaster. Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. More details can be found here.
