08/16/2026
🏰✨ D23 2026: THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS! ✨
Disney dropped a LOT of news at D23 this weekend! If you haven’t been following along, here’s your Give a Little Whistle Travel recap of some of the biggest announcements — especially the ones that could impact future Disney vacations! 👀
🌎 WALT DISNEY WORLD
🏰 Magic Kingdom
• Villains Land is getting TWO major attractions — including a thrilling coaster through Maleficent’s enchanted briars and an attraction that takes guests into the mystical realm of the Magic Mirror.
• We also learned more about Piston Peak, the new Cars-themed area. Its attractions will include Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along.
• Carousel of Progress will debut its updated scenes in late spring 2027, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston joining the attraction as Mom and Dad!
🌐 EPCOT
• Journey Into Imagination is getting a major reimagining — and Dreamfinder is returning with Figment! 💜
• Spaceship Earth will receive its first major update in nearly 20 years. The attraction’s story will expand from human communication to the broader idea of human connection, while Disney says it will retain the optimism and spirit of classic EPCOT.
🌳 Animal Kingdom
• The legendary Yeti inside Expedition Everest is going to MOVE AGAIN! 😱
• The new Indiana Jones attraction coming to Tropical Americas has a name: Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.
• Harrison Ford will serve as the model for the attraction’s Indiana Jones figure.
• The Encanto attraction is officially called Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto and will take guests inside Casita on Antonio’s special gift day.
🎬 Hollywood Studios
• Monstropolis opens in 2027! The Monsters, Inc. land will include the much-anticipated door coaster, a new theater show featuring Mike and Sulley, Harryhausen’s and more.
🏰 DISNEYLAND RESORT
✨ Tomorrowland is being reimagined!
Disney says the transformation will honor the land’s original legacy while introducing new attractions, more open space and a new vision of the future.
🎆 Some old favorites are coming back in 2027:
• Remember… Dreams Come True returns in February.
• An updated version of the original World of Color begins in February.
• Magic Happens parade returns in summer 2027.
💀 The first-ever Coco attraction is coming to Disney California Adventure. It will be a boat ride through Miguel’s memories of the Land of the Dead.
🦸 Avengers Campus will DOUBLE in size when Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab open in 2028. Robert Downey Jr. is among the Marvel stars reprising their roles for the new attractions.
🚢 DISNEY CRUISE LINE
This one definitely has my attention! 👀
🚢 We got our first real look at the Disney Believe, sailing in 2027:
• Moana will be the icon of the Grand Hall.
• Tinker Bell will adorn the bow.
• Woody and Buzz will be featured on the stern.
AND…
🚢 Disney announced an entirely new class of Disney Cruise Line ships beginning in 2029!
These ships will fall in size between Disney’s classic ships and its newest ships, and Disney says the design will help the cruise line reach new destinations around the world. 🌎
🌍 AROUND THE WORLD
🇫🇷 Disneyland Paris’ The Lion King attraction will take guests through Simba’s story in the Pride Lands — including a confrontation between Simba and Scar.
🚀 Disneyland Paris’ Hyperspace Mountain will eventually return to its Jules Verne roots as Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune.
🇯🇵 Tokyo Disneyland is getting the new Space Mountain: Earthrise and its first Wreck-It Ralph attraction, Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue.
🇨🇳 Shanghai Disney Resort is getting the first Disney Parks land devoted entirely to Spider-Man.
🇭🇰 Hong Kong Disneyland is getting a new Avengers Pavilion.
🎬 AND A FEW ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES…
❄️ Frozen 3 — November 24, 2027, with Anna and Kristoff’s wedding among the storylines!
🐰 Zootopia 3 is officially in development.
👑 Anne Hathaway confirmed work is underway on The Princess Diaries 3.
💙 The Bluey Movie arrives August 6, 2027.
🏠 Live-action Tangled is coming March 31, 2028.
🔥 Incredibles 3 arrives summer 2028.
💀 Coco 2 is planned for November 2029.
🌺 Lilo & Stitch 2 arrives May 28, 2028 — and Angel is joining Stitch!
⭐ Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, arrives May 28, 2027.
And that’s STILL not everything announced! 🤯
For my fellow Disney travelers, I think some of the biggest news is Dreamfinder returning to EPCOT, the Yeti finally moving again, more details about Villains Land, Disneyland’s Tomorrowland overhaul and that new class of Disney Cruise Line ships.
👇 What D23 announcement are YOU most excited about?
🏰🚢✨ Give a Little Whistle Travel
