D23 just wrapped (the big fan event where Disney drops a bunch of park announcements)...and I have THOUGHTS. So many thoughts. I watched all three hours of the Horizons showcase live, and now I'm here to give you the rundown—every Disney World announcement. Plus my honest, unfiltered take on each one. The good, the meh, and the OMG! Let's get into it.
The details: We knew this was coming since the closure back in July, but tonight we got the specifics. It’s reopening late spring 2027 with a full overhaul, moving through the decades—1960s, 1980s, turn-of-the-millennium, and a “possible future” finale. New voices for the characters will be coming, too: Jamie Lee Curtis will voice the mom and Bryan Cranston will voice the dad. They showed off the 1980s kitchen mockup during D23.
My take: I’m not going to lie, that 1980s kitchen was nostalgic! I’m pretty sure we had those same type of cabinets in our house. There’s going to be something about seeing decades I actually remember turned into an attraction scene that’s going to make me feel a little bit ancient (in the best way). As much as I’m looking forward to this revamp, I’m also a little sad that some of the old scenes will be gone forever.
The details: We’ve known this land was coming since 2024, but tonight we finally got the full picture. It’s replacing Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland, with two attractions confirmed:
Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along — Miss Fritter (the demolition derby school bus from Cars 3) as a larger-than-life animatronic centerpiece, putting on her “wildest demolition derby yet.”
Cars Ridge Run Rally — an off-road rally race that climbs a mountain, hits a snow-covered peak that sparkles at night, bounces you back down through a geyser field, circles the biggest geyser (nicknamed “Old Tankful”), then sprints to the finish line where Lightning McQueen and Mater give you a live play-by-play so you can find out who’s the “wildest racer in the wilderness” (loved that nod to Big Thunder Mountain!). They said this is a new type of racing experience, unlike anything in any of the other theme parks.
No timeline given on when this is all opening.
My take: I’m personally super excited for this! I realize that there are people out there who loved Tom’s Sawyer’s Island, but I’m so ready for a more usable part of the park! Let’s spread out those crowds and give them more major attractions to want to go to! Plus, my boys have always loved Cars, so this will be a fun, nostalgic thing for them. Let’s just hope they’re not 27 years old by the time it opens. 😆
The details: Officially named…drumroll pleeeease 🥁...Villains Land. Imagineers apparently didn’t overthink it, which, fair, Magic Kingdom’s other lands are just as literal. The tone will be elevated and elegant—built around a wishing well where an evil wish was made long ago. Its cursed magic is what drew villains like Cruella, the Evil Queen, and Dr. Facilier here. It’s scaled comparably to Galaxy’s Edge (so pretty big!), fully immersive, with two confirmed major attractions:
A rollercoaster that races around Maleficent’s mountaintop fortress, with elements Imagineers say have never been attempted before on a Disney coaster
A dark ride that descends into the Evil Queen’s catacombs, guided by the Magic Mirror
Now here was the confusing part…Glenn Close made a surprise appearance as Cruella during the Villains Land reveal, which had me convinced there was a third attraction coming to this area. Technically only two rides were confirmed, but MAYBE there’s a third on the way? I honestly have no clue.
ONCE AGAIN…no timeline given on when this is all opening.
My take: Something tells me we’re quite a ways away from this land becoming a reality, so it’s a “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of thing. Don’t get me wrong…I think the rides they announced will actually come, but I’m always a little hesitant about believing the details until it’s closer.
The details: This has been a long time coming—the story’s been tweaked several times since 1982, but the ride itself hasn’t physically changed in 20 years. Tonight they confirmed a new version is coming and will focus on human connection (not just communication) and will bring guests all the way up through present day and beyond. It’ll stay classically EPCOT in tone.
No timeline yet. See a pattern here?
My take: A rehaul of Spaceship Earth was announced back in 2019…then it was tabled with the pandemic in 2020. So, I knew it would come back around eventually! I’m excited to see what they have in mind. With how far technology has come, I think this ride can be really cool! Just hoping they keep some nods to the current version—like thanking the Phoenicians! I’m sure they will because I feel like they’ve done a great job with that on recent refurbs.
The details: If you don’t know the history: the original 1983 Journey Into Imagination starred Figment and his eccentric creator, Dreamfinder. The ride got gutted in the late ‘90s, Dreamfinder was erased completely, and EPCOT fans have spent decades begging for him to come home. Tonight, Disney confirmed he’s returning to the Imagination Pavilion.
And let’s say it together now…no timeline was given!
My take: Okay, this was pretty exciting for me because HOLY THROWBACK. If you grew up riding the original...this is your moment. What I’m REALLY hoping though? That they bring back the rainbow tunnel in the exit area of the ride!
The details: Monstropolis will officially be opening in 2027. Not sure when in 2027, though, so that’s quite a range! And there was also some confusion in the presentation about whether the land itself will open before the rollercoaster—it sounded like the coaster might come later than the rest of the land, but it wasn’t made totally clear. Here’s what was confirmed, though:
The new show, “Welcome to Monstropolis,” is hosted by Mike and Sulley, and the title song was written by Randy Newman—his first-ever original song written specifically for a Disney theme park.
Harryhausen’s restaurant—the sushi spot from the movie where Mike took Celia on their date—will have a menu they’re describing as “unlike anything else offered at Disney World.”
And the Monsters, Inc. “doors“ rollercoaster sounds like it will be living up to the hype! It’s going to start with riders being lifted 40 feet in 4 seconds, then launched straight into the vault.
My take: I’m glad we finally have some kind of timeframe, even if the coaster-vs-rest-of-the-land sequencing is still a little fuzzy. We’ve known about the type of attractions coming to this area for a while, so that wasn’t a surprise. But it sounds like the show will be a stage show instead of a show that consistently ran throughout the day like Muppets 3D. Not gonna lie—that’s kind of a bummer to me! Hollywood Studios has so. many. shows. with specific showtimes that it makes it hard to plan and piece together the day. Now, the Harryhausen’s restaurant? I’m SO looking forward to that! My middle guy is currently obsessed with sushi, so I can’t wait to see the menu!
The details: If you don’t know the saga: there used to be a huge (and I mean HUGE—it was 25 feet tall!) animatronic yeti on Expedition Everest. But after it broke down back in 2007ish, it’s been frozen in “Disco Yeti” mode ever since (guests nicknamed it that because the real yeti got replaced with a strobe light effect once it broke). Well, now it’s official: the Yeti is coming back.
No timeline yet (surprise, surprise).
My take: Why is this thing I’m most excited for?? 😆 I just truly never thought that it would be fixed. I was under the impression that it was too difficult and costly to fix, so I thought it was gone forever. BUT GIVE ME A DANG TIMELINE, DISNEY!
The details:
El Carrusel de los Animalitos — a carousel featuring 22 unique hand-carved animals. They showed off the full lineup.
Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto — we get to go inside Casita on Antonio’s “gift day” (his gift is communicating with animals), and we’ll be celebrating with his whole family. It will be a trackless ride, and the ride vehicles are literally living furniture (since the furniture in Casita comes to life, duh). The new concept art shows the vehicles heading upstairs to Antonio’s room, which will be filled with over 50 animals. And the best part… there will be no height requirement for this ride.
Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent — this is replacing Dinosaur. It’s set in the 1950s, and we’ll be exploring an ancient Mayan temple. Harrison Ford is literally the physical model for the Indy animatronic, so it should look very much like him. The ride pulls you through a portal (that was guarded by a giant serpent) into the Mayan underworld, and it turns into a full race-against-time chase—monstrous bats, larger-than-life scorpions, fire, snakes, and a face-to-face confrontation with the giant serpent that builds to a “jaw-dropping confrontation” finale.
No overall timeline was given for Tropical Americas…of course.
My take: I have lots of thoughts here, but I’ll keep it simple! The detail on the hand-carved animals for El Carrusel de los Animalitos looks INCREDIBLE! I already know Antonio’s Fiesta will become one of my favorite rides. And ok…why does Indiana Jones sound even MORE intense than Dinosaur?! I mean, I’ll go on it. But it might not be a ride I come back to often because I’m a baby. Either way, Animal Kingdom needs more attractions BADLY, so I hope we get a timeline soon.
It was genuinely fun getting names and details on everything tonight. But can we talk about the almost complete lack of timelines?
Almost nothing got an actual date attached to it, and that’s a real bummer when you’re trying to plan actual trips around this stuff.
And if I’m being fully honest, only a couple of these were truly brand-new announcements—most of it was “here are the details on things we already knew were coming,” not “here’s something you’ve never heard of before.” Fun night, but don’t expect it to change anything about your Disney World trip planning anytime soon.
Bottom line: nothing announced tonight should change what you book for a trip in the next year or two. Here’s the timeline picture as we know it right now:
2027: Carousel of Progress will reopen in the spring. Monstropolis is opening…sometime that year.
No timeline given (which tells me it might be a hot second): Piston Peak/Cars land, Villains Land, the Yeti fix, Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination with Dreamfinder, and Tropical Americas (although I’m still hopeful that mayyybe this can be a 2027 opening? I don’t know…maybe not. Ugh.)
So if you’re planning a trip in the next 6-12 months, tonight doesn’t change a thing about how you plan your Disney World trip—it just gives you a lot of fun things to look forward to down the road.
Ok, that’s everything on the Disney World front! Which announcement has you the most excited (or the most “wait, WHAT”)? Drop it in the comments!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.