Disney World and Disneyland expansion plans: New land for villains coming

A slate of villains and monsters are getting ready to move into Disney theme parks.

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida, home to Cinderella Castle, roller coasters and kiddie rides, is making space for the darker side of fairy tales with a long-hoped-for “Villains Land.” And Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida will add a land devoted to the Pixar franchise Monsters, Inc.

The company announced the additions, part of a $60 billion expansion over the next 10 years, to a cheering crowd of roughly 12,000 at the D23 fan convention in Southern California.

Also coming soonish to the company’s global parks: destinations or attractions themed after Marvel’s Avengers, Avatar, Cars, Coco, Encanto, Indiana Jones and the Lion King.

Disney Cruise Line, which sails five ships and is awaiting four more, will add another four to bring its fleet to 13.

Unlike previous “blue-sky” conversations that merely hinted at what could be possible in new developments, executives have vowed that the projects they revealed at D23 were “in active development.”

“This means that plans are drawn; this means that dirt is moving,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said during the three-hour event late Saturday. “I just want to be clear to all the fans out there: This isn’t blue sky. We are going to do all of this.”

That was welcome news to fans who have expressed frustration with the lack of details about rides in development from Disney, even as rival Universal Studios is preparing to open a major new park in Orlando next year.

“We’ve known investment was coming,” said Benji Breitbart, assignment editor for the fan site Laughing Place. “For about a year we’ve known that money’s coming, but I don’t think it was real until they heard what it’s going to be and that shovels are digging as we speak.”

The announcements came just days after Disney executives said they had seen a “moderation of consumer demand” domestically in the previous few months that they expected to continue for the next few quarters. Rival Comcast has also seen softer business at domestic parks.

Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services, said theme parks have “hit the pricing wall” with visitors, especially after demand roared back as pandemic restrictions eased.

Despite the hesitation on the part of visitors, Speigel said Disney needs to keep delivering new experiences to get its fans to return - and return and return.

“They have to keep the new product and the new ideas coming,” he said. “We live on repeat visitation, and repeat visitation is driven by the new product. They’re doing the right thing.”

Here’s what Disney has said about the new projects.

Villains Land at Magic Kingdom

The company provided a brief hint in 2022 about the concept of a land built around the villains of Disney lore. Anticipation has been building ever since.

“The crowd went absolutely wild; people were on their feet cheering for Villains Land,” said Quincy Stanford, project manager for the Disney fan site AllEars, who attended the weekend event.

Villains Land, located beyond the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride in the Magic Kingdom, will feature shopping, dining and two major new attractions. The company did not release a timeline for construction.

The Disney Parks blog post announcing the land does not include specifics, but the language invokes some iconic baddies: “poison apples” a la “Snow White” and “poor unfortunate souls,” a reference to Ursula in “The Little Mermaid.”

An Instagram post from the Disney Parks account featured ominous music and a compilation of villains from classic Disney films, like “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty,” along with newer villains from “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000) and “The Princess and the Frog” (2009).

Combined with a Cars-themed area, the expansion will be the largest at Magic Kingdom, the company said.

Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios

Actor Billy Crystal, who voiced one of the lead characters in the 2001 Pixar film “Monsters Inc.,” appeared at D23 to announce that a new land modeled on the film will be built in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Described as “not-at-all-scary,” the land will let humans visit the world where the Monsters live, one that’s powered by laughter.

The area will include a roller coaster inspired by a scene from the movie where characters ride around on hanging doors; it will be the first “suspended” roller coaster in a Disney park. Renderings show guests seated under the ride track. Construction is set to begin in 2025.

Stanford said the Monsters news was the biggest surprise of the night - especially because Hollywood Studios has already had two major expansions with Toy Story Land in 2018 and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.

“It is the talk of the town,” she said. “Everyone’s high on the doors coaster.”

There is one big question that Disney hasn’t answered yet: What the new land might replace.

“Everybody is really wondering where Monsters, Inc. is going to go,” Stanford said.

Avatar sequels at California Adventure

Executives have discussed plans to bring an attraction inspired by the Avatar movies to California since last year.

This weekend, they said a new destination modeled on Pandora, the moon depicted in the films, would open at Disney California Adventure. Unlike the Avatar land in Florida, which is based on the original movie, this one will be inspired by “Avatar: The Way of Water” and future sequels.

Renderings show otherworldly terrain and a boat that encounters native marine creatures, but the announcement did not specify what the ride would be or when it would open.

Disney described the new attraction as a “thrilling excursion” and a “dynamic, intense and emotional experience on a grand scale.”

Avengers expansion at California Adventure

Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus is doubling in size with two new attractions set to begin construction next year.

Avengers Infinity Defense was announced as “a multi-world adventure experience” and major attraction that includes visits to the fictional realm of Asgard, the Kingdom of Wakanda and New York City and an encounter with King Thanos. The ride had been announced previously, but without many details.

Stark Flight Lab, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, will put people in two-person pods and whirl them around in a flight simulation.

Cars ride for families at Frontierland

At Magic Kingdom in Florida, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland will be replaced with a new area built around the Cars characters from Pixar, including Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. Two attractions are coming: a “thrilling rally race through the mountains” and a second family ride appropriate for smaller fans.

Work will start on the area early next year.

At the fan event Saturday, the announcement took the crowd by surprise. Stanford said reactions so far seem “cautiously positive” or negative. Breitbart said people seem skeptical about how Disney will pull off the addition, given Frontierland’s original theming around the historic Wild West.

In a blog post Monday, Disney appeared to acknowledge those potential concerns.

“Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward,” an executive said in the post. “Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests.”

‘Encanto’ house at Tropical Americas

Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida is set to say goodbye to DinoLand U.S.A. and will welcome Tropical Americas instead. The company teased the change last year but announced more details for the 11-acre area over the weekend.

The magical casita that comes to life in the 2021 film, “Encanto” will serve as a new attraction for park goers who can explore the enchanted house. A new carousel featuring animals from Disney movies will be nearby. Also in Tropical Americas: an Indiana Jones-themed ride that will explore an ancient Mayan temple.

Tropical Americas is expected to open in 2027 after construction begins this fall.

‘Coco’ ride at California adventure

The first ride in any Disney park based on the Pixar film “Coco,” in which a boy travels to the land of the dead, will open at Disney California Adventure. Imagineers - the ride developers at Disney - are taking a cue from rides like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean for the attraction.

Work is starting on the ride in 2026.

Additions to parks in Paris and Shanghai

A new attraction based on “The Lion King” is coming to Disneyland Paris, though the timeline wasn’t specified. The themed area will include characters, dining, shopping and a water ride inspired by the movie.

New Avengers-themed attractions featuring Spider-Man are heading to Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland. Dates for their opening were not provided.