By Jacob Flores, Staff Writer
On August 15, 2026, the Walt Disney Company released brand new information at D23 Expo, held in Anaheim, California, on future Disney theme park expansions around the world. This being the largest and longest theme park expansion timeline in the history of the Disney parks, new CEO Josh D’Amaro has proposed “giving what the people and fans want,” and has made impossible seeming ideas possible.
With the priority of the expansion being the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, new themed experiences and projects based off of Disney’s newer IP, such as Coco, Avatar, and the Marvel franchise, have already started ground work beginning in 2026.
The Coco themed attraction will coincide with the upcoming 2028 film Coco 2, which takes place after the events of the first Coco movie, and will follow Miguel going back to the land of the living on Dia De Los Muertos. The Coco ride will launch as Disney California Adventures first boat ride, and is set to open in 2028.
Marvel’s Avengers Campus is adding two new rides, Stark Flight Lab, and Avengers Infinity Defense, both based on the Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame movies. In Stark Flight Labs, Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Iron Man and guests get to experience a never seen before flight simulator. On Avengers Infinity Defense, guests will be able to ride and fight alongside their favorite Marvel characters as they team up to defeat Thanos and his extra-terrestrial powers.
Both Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Labs are set to open in 2028, and will be the largest and final expansion at Avengers Campus, closing off a chapter of evolution for Disney’s California Adventure in the 2020 decade.
Across the United States, in Orlando, Florida, Walt Disney World’s construction of lands based on Encanto, Indiana Jones, Cars, and an assortment of Disney Villains, have been in the works since early 2026. Disney’s Villains Land is the main attraction and priority in the expansion timeline for Walt Disney World with the 10 billion dollar project proposed to open in 2029. Guests will be able to interact with many of Disney’s original villains through a themed boat ride.
Villains Land will also be home of the future Maleficent themed roller coaster attraction, which will be Disney’s longest and most expensive roller coaster, comparable in size to Expedition Everest at Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
With regards to the Animal Kingdom, the Tropical Americas—the newest land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since the opening of Pandora: The World of Avatar in May of 2017—will be home to the newest attraction based off of Pixar’s movie Encanto. Following the events of the movie, guests will be able to experience a party hosted for Antonio, the youngest son in the Madrigal family who has the ability to connect with animals of all kinds.
Tropical Americas will also hold the fourth Indiana Jones themed ride in the Disney theme parks, replacing the beloved 1998 attraction Dinosaur. Compared to Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, guests will experience a new, immersive experience that will take explorers on a journey through preserved Mayan Temples. Both Indiana Jones Adventure and Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto are set to open in late 2027.
Over at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan, a re-imagined Space Mountain has construction underway, and is set to open in early 2027. Officially called Space Mountain: Earthrise, this brand new attraction will bring guests on an adventure through outer space, travelling across the galaxy with new technology, effects, and story.
Another new attraction is also set to open around the same time, Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue. A brand new shooting ride based on the events of the first Wreck It Ralph movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the ride has guests follow Ralph and Vanellope trying to save the world of the racing video game Sugar Rush from cyber bugs. With Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue opening on April 15, 2027, Disney may just be giving a sneak peek of what’s to come for the new Tomorrowland at Disneyland, California. As plenty of new attractions, entertainment, and future projects are underway across the Disney parks around the world, a brand new era of the theme park industry is just beginning.