Disney’s Horizons: A Carousel of Progress showcase at D23 2026 was packed with updates from across Disney Experiences, including new attractions, expanding lands, returning characters and some unexpectedly deep cuts from Disney Parks history.
Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the presentation built upon many of the projects first announced at D23 in 2024. We now have names and story details for the Indiana Jones and Encanto attractions coming to Animal Kingdom, the two Cars rides at Magic Kingdom and the park’s enormous Villains expansion. Disney also revealed more about Monstropolis, Avengers Campus, its first Coco attraction, international park developments and the next generation of Disney Cruise Line ships.
However, the announcements that produced some of the biggest reactions were not necessarily the largest projects. They were the ones which suggested that Disney has been listening to its most dedicated fans.
Tomorrowland at Disneyland is finally being reimagined. Dreamfinder is returning to EPCOT alongside Figment. Most remarkably of all, Disney says the long-static Yeti inside Expedition Everest will move again.
Is Disney listening to its fans?
There appears to be a recurring theme behind this year’s announcements: Disney is paying attention to conversations within the fan community.
Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum made that unusually explicit while announcing Dreamfinder’s return, telling the D23 audience: “We know how important this is to you. We’ve heard you.”
That sentiment could apply to several of the evening’s reveals.
Fans have spent years asking Disney to address the state of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. EPCOT fans have never stopped campaigning for Dreamfinder to be reunited with Figment. The malfunctioning Yeti at Animal Kingdom has become one of the most famous unfinished stories in modern Imagineering.
These are not simply new intellectual-property additions. They are responses to the history, identity and accumulated fan expectations surrounding the parks.
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland will be reimagined
The announcement I am particularly interested in is the long-awaited reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland.
Disney says the transformation will honour the original land’s legacy while introducing new attractions, more open spaces and new places in which guests can dream about the future. Imagineers are still developing the plans, so no attraction names, construction dates or opening timeframe were announced.
It is nevertheless a significant commitment. Tomorrowland should be the part of Disneyland most capable of change, yet much of the land has struggled to present a coherent vision of the future for decades. The new project is intended to restore the optimism, innovation and sense of possibility that inspired Walt Disney’s original concept.
The obvious question is: could the PeopleMover finally return to Disneyland?
Disney has made no such announcement, but it is difficult to imagine a Disneyland Tomorrowland discussion without it. The original PeopleMover opened in 1967 and closed in 1995, leaving Walt Disney World’s version to carry on the idea. It was more than a gentle ride. Its constant movement gave the entire land energy while allowing guests to preview the attractions around them — precisely the kind of kinetic, optimistic futurism Tomorrowland has been missing.
A new PeopleMover would not necessarily need to recreate the 1967 attraction exactly. Modern technology could produce something accessible, efficient and visually impressive while retaining the original idea of transportation as entertainment.
For now, its return is entirely speculation. But if Disney truly wants to preserve what guests cherish about Tomorrowland, it surely has to be part of the conversation.
Elsewhere at Disneyland Resort, the first Coco ride at a Disney park is now under construction at Disney California Adventure. The family-friendly boat ride will begin in a museum dedicated to Héctor Rivera before taking guests through Miguel’s memories of the Land of the Dead. It will have no height requirement and is drawing inspiration from classics including Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.
The two new Avengers Campus attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab, will open in 2028. Infinity Defense will send recruits across locations including Wakanda, Asgard and New York to confront King Thanos, while Stark Flight Lab will place guests in two-person pods manipulated by enormous robotic arms. Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Brie Larson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Iman Vellani are among the performers returning to their Marvel roles.
Disneyland will also welcome back several familiar entertainment offerings in 2027. Refreshed versions of Remember… Dreams Come True and the original World of Color begin in February, followed by the return of the Magic Happensparade in the summer.
Magic Kingdom names its Cars rides and Villains Land
Disney has officially named the two attractions being built within Piston Peak National Park at Magic Kingdom.
Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along will be hosted by the demolition-derby school bus from Cars 3. Disney says the attraction will feature a huge, school-bus-sized Miss Fritter animatronic presiding over her latest chaotic competition.
The larger attraction, Cars Ridge Run Rally, will send riders through mountain trails, snowy peaks, mud flats, rivers and an erupting geyser field. Its newly designed vehicles will physically drive across and react to the terrain rather than merely simulating an off-road journey. Lightning McQueen and Mater will provide commentary from the sidelines.
Piston Peak forms part of the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history, but it will eventually lead towards an even more ambitious development beyond Big Thunder Mountain.
Disney has confirmed that the official name of its villains-themed expansion is simply — and appropriately — Villains Land.
The land’s original story begins with an evil wish which shatters and corrupts a Wishing Well. Drawn by its poisoned magic, Disney’s villains arrive and build lairs, fortresses and palaces shaped by their individual personalities.
Its scale is being compared with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. One headline attraction will be a coaster racing through Maleficent’s enchanted briars and around her mountaintop fortress. The second will be a dark ride hosted by the Magic Mirror, transporting guests into a mystical realm populated by numerous Disney villains. Restaurants, shops and what Imagineers call “Conjured Architecture” will complete the land.
Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress is also receiving substantial changes. Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston will become the attraction’s new mother and father, while its scenes move into more recent decades, including the 1980s. The familiar Sherman Brothers song will remain, and the previously announced Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic will introduce the experience. The updated attraction is expected in late spring 2027.
Animal Kingdom reveals its new attraction names
Tropical Americas is taking shape at Animal Kingdom, and both of its major attractions now have official titles.
Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will tell a completely original story set around an ancient Maya temple. Riders will join Indiana Jones while exploring a passage near a cenote said to lead into the Maya Underworld.
The temple is protected by the Tsukán, a giant serpentine creature which will appear throughout the attraction. Guests will encounter bats, scorpions, fire and — inevitably — snakes after being pulled through a portal into the Underworld.
Harrison Ford is being used as the model for the attraction’s Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic. It will be the first time his likeness has appeared as Indy in a Disney Parks attraction.
The Encanto ride has been named Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto. Guests will enter Casita during Antonio’s gift day, riding on pieces of furniture brought together by the magical house. The attraction will explore rooms that were not seen in the film before arriving in Antonio’s rainforest-filled bedroom, which will contain representations of more than 50 animals.
The ride will have no height requirement, while Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow and Diane Guerrero are returning as Mirabel, Luisa and Isabela.
Tropical Americas will also include El Carrusel de los Animalitos, a carousel with 22 hand-carved animals inspired by Disney and Pixar characters, alongside a Maya-inspired play area and one of Walt Disney World’s largest quick-service restaurants.
The Yeti will move again
Perhaps the evening’s most surprising Animal Kingdom announcement was just one sentence: Disney is bringing the Yeti inside Expedition Everest back to life.
The giant figure was originally designed to lunge towards passing trains, but it has remained static under flashing lights for most of the attraction’s life. Fans consequently nicknamed it the “Disco Yeti”.
The story commonly repeated among fans is that the enormous scale and movement of the figure created structural problems, and that repairing or removing it from inside the completed mountain would be a major engineering project in itself.
The reality appears to be more complicated. Former Imagineer and Expedition Everest creator Joe Rohde previously pushed back against the specific rumour that part of the mountain would have to be dismantled. He described the situation as a complex combination of engineering, operational, financial and timing considerations, saying that solutions existed but the necessary opportunity had not.
Disney has not yet explained whether the original figure will be repaired, replaced or re-engineered, nor has it announced how long Expedition Everest might need to close. Whatever the solution, restoring one of Imagineering’s most ambitious creatures after almost two decades would be a considerable achievement — and a genuine gift to Animal Kingdom fans.
Dreamfinder returns to EPCOT
The return of Dreamfinder may be the clearest demonstration that Disney has been listening.
Dreamfinder appeared with Figment in the original Journey Into Imagination from 1983 until 1998. Although Figment eventually returned following the deeply unpopular second version of the attraction, Dreamfinder remained absent.
That is finally changing.
Disney says Dreamfinder and Figment will embark upon a new journey into imagination at EPCOT. It has not yet said whether this will be a complete replacement for the existing attraction, a major refurbishment or another kind of experience. There is also no opening date.
Those details will matter, but the decision itself is encouraging. Dreamfinder is not a character being brought back because of a current film or streaming series. He is returning because generations of EPCOT fans have continued to care about him and what the original attraction represented.
Monstropolis begins opening in 2027
Parts of Monstropolis will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2027 while work continues on the land’s headline suspended door coaster.
Mike and Sulley will host a new show called Welcome to Monstropolis at the Glob Theater, featuring the first original theme-park song composed by Disney Legend Randy Newman.
The land will also contain Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza, a Monsters University Alumni Club, the Scareporium shop and a recreation of Harryhausen’s restaurant. An Audio-Animatronic version of its many-tentacled sushi chef will prepare dishes for diners.
The story positions guests as the first humans officially welcomed into Monstropolis, following the city’s discovery that laughter is more powerful than screams.
New attractions around the world
Disneyland Paris is returning its Space Mountain to its original Jules Verne-inspired identity. Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune will restore the attraction’s classic name and musical score, accompanied by a refreshed experience.
At Disney Adventure World, construction is underway on a new Lion King area. Its headline water attraction will retell Simba’s journey from cub to king beneath a 120-foot Pride Rock, using Audio-Animatronics, special effects, three slopes and a 52-foot drop.
Tokyo Disneyland’s completely rebuilt coaster has been named Space Mountain: Earthrise. Part of Tokyo’s own reimagined Tomorrowland, it will take guests into space before presenting the Earth from a new perspective. Tokyo will also receive Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue, a Wreck-It Ralph attraction in which guests help Ralph and Vanellope deal with rogue Sugar Bugs.
Hong Kong Disneyland is building a new Avengers pavilion containing Avengers Research Testing Labs and a Quinjet landing platform, while Shanghai Disneyland is developing the world’s first land dedicated entirely to Spider-Man. Its centrepiece will be a new coaster involving Peter Parker, Spider-Bots and Shanghai’s branch of W.E.B.
Disney Experiences beyond the parks
Disney Cruise Line provided a first look at the Disney Believe, which will begin sailing in late 2027. Its Grand Hall will be inspired by Moana, with a central statue of Moana, Pua and Heihei. Tinker Bell will decorate the bow, while Woody and Buzz Lightyear will appear on the stern.
Disney also previewed an entirely new class of three ships arriving from 2029. These ships will be larger than the classic Disney Magic and Disney Wonder but smaller than the newer Wish-class vessels, giving Disney more flexibility to visit destinations its biggest ships cannot reach. The fleet is ultimately expected to grow to 13 ships.
Finally, a second season of The Imagineering Story is in production for Disney+, once again led by filmmaker Leslie Iwerks. Expected in 2027, it will follow Imagineers as this enormous collection of projects moves from concept art into physical reality.
My take
This was a showcase full of major construction projects, but its most important message may have been much simpler: Disney seems increasingly willing to engage with the history of its parks and the people who care about it.
A Tomorrowland reimagining is overdue. Bringing Dreamfinder back is an acknowledgement that EPCOT’s original ideas still matter. Reviving the Expedition Everest Yeti addresses a problem which had become so longstanding that many fans assumed Disney would simply never attempt it.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions. We do not know what will survive the Tomorrowland transformation, what form Dreamfinder’s new adventure will take or exactly how Imagineers intend to bring the Yeti back to life.
And we certainly do not know whether the PeopleMover will ever circle Disneyland’s Tomorrowland again.
But for the first time in a long while, asking that question does not feel entirely unrealistic.
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