14 Big Announcements for Disney World We’re Predicting at 2026 D23 Expo.

This weekend will be huge for Walt Disney World news. Saturday night, in particular, should be the single biggest news event in two years as “turbocharged” growth meets “singles & doubles” strategy. Here are my predictions as to what’ll be revealed at the blockbuster “Horizons” Disney Parks Panel and on the show floor at the 2026 D23 Expo.

As previously discussed in 12 Things Disney Will (and Won’t) Announce for Disneyland, D23 Expo is cyclical. The 2024 D23 Expo was the biggest and best since 2017, with Disney pulling out all the stops and making major announcements that set the slate for the next 5 years. We’re out to the 2030s with the expansion projects, so it stands to reason that Disney won’t add blockbuster new lands and attractions for even more distant dates.

Accordingly, it’s our expectation that the announcements for Walt Disney World at the 2026 D23 Expo will mostly be backfill. This is the “fill in the blanks” detail-oriented D23 Expo, with Disney pulling back the curtain on Monstropolis, Piston Peak, Villains Land, Tropical Americas, and more. All of that is a given. We’re also expecting announcements of mostly smaller scale projects. The kind that can be started and opened between now and the 2028 D23 Expo. Think ride reimaginings, enhancements, entertainment, seasonal overlays, and other offerings.

With that said, there will be surprises! Not wanting a list of D23 Expo predictions that plays it too safe, I’ve thrown out some zany ones to see what sticks. Even so, I fully expect a couple of curveballs–completely out of left field announcements that nobody saw coming, and amaze everyone.

But the thing is, they wouldn’t be surprises if we knew they were coming, making them impossible to predict. I’m also uncertain just how much Disney will pull back the curtain, especially given current construction timelines and fact that they could just as easily save some big news for the 2027 Destination D23 in Orlando or the 2028 D23 Expo. Suffice to say, we’ve got a long time before some of this stuff opens!

On with the list of 2026 D23 Expo announcement predictions for Walt Disney World…

Singles & Doubles Doubledown

As before, the problem with the bombshell announcements from the last D23 Expo is that they’re several years into the future. Most of the major new attractions and lands announced two years ago will not open until the second half of 2027 to 2031.

Between that and the fact that Walt Disney World and Imagineering have already had tremendous success with the ‘singles & doubles’ strategy, we expect to see much more of it. This is a good way of putting together marketable summer slates, and enticing fans to take trips. It’s a winning blueprint.

As for specific predictions, there’s plenty in the former Future World at EPCOT that could use help. Disney will likewise want to improve everything in Magic Kingdom that needs attention before the onslaught of Piston Peak and Villains Land crowds. We already predicted upgrades to Fantasyland classics in our Disneyland version of this list, and the same makes sense for Magic Kingdom. And of course, there are about a half-dozen options in Tomorrowland. Speaking of which…

‘Around the World of Tomorrow’

As mentioned in other predictions posts for Disneyland and the international parks, I fully expect one of the extended segments of the Parks Panel to be something along the lines of ‘Around the World of Tomorrow.’ This would touch upon all of the Tomorrowlands around the globe and updates coming to them.

When it comes to Walt Disney World, a full reveal of the Carousel of Progress reimagining and timeline shift is a foregone conclusion. I attended a media briefing over the summer where a lot more was shared and shown, and at minimum, I’d expect a repeat of that presentation with concept art and behind the scenes photos and added details for each scene. It’ll assuage a lot of fan fears.

Then there’s the rumored Space Mountain reimagining. This announcement feels inevitable, especially as I just spent a week at Walt Disney World with the attraction having considerable downtime every single day, and operating only at half-capacity. The only question is whether Disney will really want it in the same presentation with the blockbuster Space Mountain rebuild at Tokyo Disneyland, since the two projects are not of the same scale or budget. That might invite unfavorable comparisons, even as Walt Disney World fans are (for once) getting so much more than TDR fans.

There are many more wildcards, as we covered recently in Walt Disney World’s Stealth Tomorrowland Transformation. While it seems like a good time to finally do something about Stitch’s Great Escape given the venue is sitting empty and that character is enjoying a popularity resurgence, I’ll nevertheless go with a Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor replacement as my predicted wildcard here. After all, that’ll be redundant in 2027. Speaking of which…

Monstropolis Moves Forward

As covered in Is Monstropolis On Track To Open Early in 2027 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?!, it’s our belief that Monstropolis moves forward and debuts its first phase in 2027. If that’s going to happen, it opens the door for Disney to spotlight the land itself, where storefronts line the streets, industries hum alongside everyday life, and every corner reflects the quirky, lived-in world that reminds us of Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland.

Along with that, there are two specific venues that should receive attention. The first is Harryhausen’s, the legendary restaurant monsters line up for. The second is the Glob Theater, which will feature a stage show that replaces MuppetVision 3D. During our hard hat tour, Disney shared that the show would be tech-heavy, and we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something wow-worthy that Imagineers want to highlight.

If Monstropolis is opening in phases–and that’s still very much an “if” at this point–Walt Disney World is confident that the upside outweighs the downside. That means they believe fans will love the land and want to spend time (and money) there, Harryhausen’s restaurant will be a huge hit, and the stage show is something special. Expect a big reveal of all of this, and not so much on the Door Coaster that’ll eventually anchor the land.

New DHS Stage Show

While we’re on the topic of stage shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, my out of left field prediction is that one of the existing ones gets replaced or reimagined. Walt Disney World recently reimagined or replaced most of the live entertainment productions at DHS, with only two legacy ones remaining.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is still going strong nearly four decades after it debuted, but there’s the new Indiana Jones Adventure and associated area under construction at Animal Kingdom, replacing DINOSAUR. Not only that, but Epic Stunt Spectacular has had a long run, is now the oldest attraction at DHS, and arguably past its prime.

The stunt show has been modified on several occasions, most recently after a viral incident when a Cast Member was injured stopping the boulder when it came off its track and careened towards the crowd. That boulder still has not returned, and it wouldn’t surprise us if it never does. I watched recently, and while that scene was awkward, the rest of the show holds up. It could use a refresh, but should not be replaced outright.

Then there’s Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage. I still enjoy this, but it just feels old. Everything about Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage gives off 1990s vibes. It’s the totality of it all, and how it contrasts with newer adaptations of animated movies that give it away. So many more modern productions have come and gone at Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line that could be plugged into DHS and would be a breath of fresh air, comparatively speaking.

I’d probably replace this one entirely with something new. As a make-good for Beauty and the Beast fans, I guess we could clone Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast from Tokyo Disneyland. That only feels fair.

Villains Land Details

Officially, very little has been revealed since Villains Land was first announced. Since the last D23 Expo, all we’ve learned is that Villains Land will feature “Conjured Architecture,” which is basically a cursed twist on Art Nouveau. Disney also revealed the 13 classic villains who will be featured in Villains Land. But that’s really about it.

The original announcement indicated that Villains Land at Magic Kingdom will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. It’s widely believed that Villains Land will include an outdoor “story coaster” and an indoor family-friendly dark ride. This is based on a mixture of concept art, informed speculation, permits & documents filed with Florida, show building sizes, and a dash of credible rumors.

What we expect to learn is the nature of the family-friendly attraction, which characters are connected to each location, and some of the storytelling details about the land. Beyond the rides, our guess is that Hades as part of a dinner show, and perhaps the Emperor’s New Groove has a prominent presence–but not as a standalone attraction. The big wildcard for us, though, is the dark ride. We hope the rumor about it using the Shanghai Pirates ride system are correct, but that strikes us as highly unlikely. Fingers crossed!

One thing I do not expect is a Villains Land model on the show floor. Everything else is fair game, but this one will be saved for 2028 given timelines.

Villains Land Name

As part of the Villains Land reveal, we expect a name to be announced for the land. Normally, that’s more of Destination D23 level news, but I could see it happening here. The name for Villains Land does not deserve a lengthy entry, but it’s getting one anyway as a last-ditch effort in case someone important within the Walt Disney Company makes the mistake of reading this blog.

I fear that “Disney’s Committee to Activate Names: A Strategic Disney Naming, Branding, Attractions & Activations Committee ~ Turbocharged!” has been workshopping names for Villains Land the last two years. They are possibly on the precipice of absolutely overthinking the decision and giving us an 8 word gem with multiple punctuation marks.

Descriptive names aren’t a bad thing, and have become iconic thanks to their simplicity, not in spite of it. Space Mountain (a mountain in space), Haunted Mansion (a mansion that is haunted), and so on. The name Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is simply known as Star Wars Land by everyone who isn’t a dork, is never going to enter the pop culture vernacular. And do you want to know why people actually call Toy Story Land and Cars Land by their correct names?!

As for Villains Land, I would humbly propose (wait for it): Villains Land. Or perhaps Disney Villains Land, if you’re concerned people might think the land in Magic Kingdom (Park) is actually at SeaWorld. Your challenge, Disney, should you choose to accept it, is returning to concise 2-4 word names with zero punctuation marks. Please, stop trying to make fetch happen with the contrived names that no one will use. Challenge level: impossible.

Since a simple and clean name will never happen, my Villains Land name prediction is: “Disney Villains Lair: Beyond the Mist & Into the Shadow Realm – MISSION: Escape the Dark Kingdom! ~ Presented by Babybel Cheese (a Bel Group Company) in Partnership with Scentsy.”

New Bar Materializing at Magic Kingdom

I am convinced that one unannounced addition coming to Villains Land is a lounge behind Haunted Mansion. Land has been cleared back there, and it shows up as a structure on public permits and filings. The boring explanation is that this is going to be indoor extended queue.

The exciting explanation is that it’s for the Haunted Mansion Parlor. We previously named this Disney’s Best Bar and the #1 Highlight of the Disney Treasure. Given the popularity of that plus that of Beak & Barrel in Magic Kingdom, it only makes sense to add a new Haunted Mansion Parlor.

That’s the obvious answer, but I’m not so sure. Disney has been more reticent to clone liberally, and internal politics might keep Haunted Mansion Parlor a DCL exclusive. There also might be the desire for a clearer Villains Land connection, with a lounge featuring a popular character. Maybe instead of cloning Haunted Mansion Parlor, they take a different concept that was tested on the Disney Destiny, and have this be a piano bar by Cruella de Vil.

Star Wars Land Soft Reboot

I’ve advocated for this many times, so I’m not going to rehash all of that. (See Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Needs to Break the Rules for my take on all of that.) The bottom line is that I’d like to see Star Wars Land break the sacred timeline and use the setting of the land as a jumping off point for new adventures.

This already started to happen at Disneyland with the introduction of Darth Vader, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker. Hopefully that’s been a success, and Disney is ready to double-down on this for the 50th Anniversary of Star Wars in 2027.

A soft reboot of the Star Wars land would be an opportunity to introduce beloved characters, use the catwalks in the land for mini-shows, and make the land more lived-in thanks to droids and additional performers. They could also finally build out the restaurant and finally add the dinner show. In fact, recycling a lot of stuff from the failed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would make a lot of sense. All of this would breathe new life into the land and help it finally realize its full potential.

Major Peek at Piston Peak

We fully expect the Imagineering booth on the show floor at the 2026 D23 Expo to be model mania, punctuated by Piston Peak. That should quiet a lot (but not all) of the criticism for this project. It’s safe to also expect more on the Cars Rally Racers ride, which is the unofficial name of the land’s E-Ticket. New concept art featuring a show scene, along with footage of something other than a dirt test track with ATVs would be ideal.

Then there’s the second ride, which we know nothing about. When Walt Disney World released the Piston Peak Fun Map last summer, the second ride was a conspicuous omission. In the center of this is Ranger Headquarters building that will be the queue for the family fun attraction. This is what we’re assuming is a flat ride, given space constraints.

The second ride was also blurred out in the model and fly-through we saw during a media preview last summer. At the time, we noted that it was interesting that Disney was being so secretive about what was likely just a flat ride. We assumed it was because they hadn’t settled on a ride system yet. That wasn’t the point of any of the Piston Peak stuff, so we didn’t really dwell on it.

Then came the release of Disney’s Filing for an Innovative Arm Ride System Patent. That offered an alternative explanation: Disney did not want to inadvertently reveal the subject of a pending patent application, so out of an abundance of caution, they both blurred out the ride in the fly-through video and kept it off the Fun Map.

It’s a foregone conclusion that the second ride is going to be revealed. If it’s just an ordinary flat ride that’s a twist on Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree or the Happy Ride with Baymax, I doubt there’s much fanfare in the announcement. But if it does use this articulating arm patent, I could see Imagineering hyping it up as ushering in the next generation of compact all ages attractions.

Emotional Entertainment

Entertainment being a focus on the Parks Panel for the near-term makes sense at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond. I’ve previously laid out the case for a return of Summer Nightastic, with the animating idea of turning 2027 into a summer/season of spectaculars, anchored around new and reimagined entertainment on both coasts. With Murphy 2.0 hopefully coming to Fantasmic at Disneyland, that revival makes even more sense now than it did before.

I’ve droned on endlessly about a drone show coming to Animal Kingdom and I’m going to double-down on that again. “Disney Dreams That Soar” is just too good to be the final culmination of drone shows at Walt Disney World and Animal Kingdom needs to keep guests later in the day too badly. Now is the time with Tropical Americas starting to debut.

My wildcard pick here is a replacement for Luminous at EPCOT. My gut is that it’d use the same flexible foundation as the current show, which is easy to swap out. The argument against this prediction, and why you haven’t seen it on any other lists, is because Luminous is the newest nighttime spectacular at Walt Disney World. And while I enjoy it just fine, that sees to be the consensus–that it’s “just fine” at best. Luminous lacks the fan following of other shows, and having a new nighttime spectacular gives EPCOT something marketable for Summer 2027.

Tropical Americas Ride Reveal

Tropical Americas is the project at Walt Disney World that’s furthest along, and the only one for which we’ve already seen a large-scale model. It’s also the only expansion for either coast with a confirmed opening before the next D23 Expo, and possibly even Destination D23.

This should mean Tropical Americas gets the “deep dive” treatment, with new concept art and details about the show scenes, model ride vehicles, story specifics for each attraction, and proper names. Footage of Audio Animatronics and effects being tested by Imagineers would be sure to impress the D23 audience.

As discussed in When Will Tropical Americas Open at Animal Kingdom?, our big prediction here is that the expansion gets an opening timeline. Walt Disney World will want to start setting its 2027 slate to convert excitement into bookings, and revealing when Tropical Americas will start to debut checks that box.

Lion King Ride

In the lead up to the last D23 Expo, rumors swirled that two Lion King attractions were on the way: one at Disney Adventure World and another at Animal Kingdom, between the Port of Harambe and Pandora.

Obviously, only one of those attractions was announced. I have heard absolutely nothing since, but the fact remains that Animal Kingdom will still need more after Tropical Americas. Much like Disney Adventure World relaunched with an “and we’re just getting started!” message thanks to the Lion King Pride Lands just commencing construction, the same should happen at Animal Kingdom.

This one seems unlikely to be announced at the 2026 D23 Expo given Walt Disney World stressing that it’s detail-oriented. I could also see Disneyland Paris wanting an exclusive on the Lion King, especially since everything else that park has gotten has been clones. So this one seems pretty far-fetched. But taking the AAs and tech from that log flume ride and creating a unique Lion King dark ride at DAK is a good idea, and one that should happen.

EPCOT 50th Foundation

This will be the second consecutive D23 Expo with EPCOT feeling overlooked. I’m on record predicting that a Spaceship Earth reimagining will finally happen, and that could pave the road to the 50th with concrete announcement. (Here’s hoping that by neglecting to mention the purple dragon in the room, we’re ensuring that announcement does happen. That’s how reverse psychology works, right?!)

It might be smart for Disney to acknowledge the absence of EPCOT among the major projects, and ensure D23 attendees that they haven’t forgotten about the fan-favorite park. Teasing big plans for EPCOT’s 50th Anniversary in 2032 that they’ll pull back the curtain on at a later date might be smart, albeit unsatisfying.

Of course, there is one very obvious way to make make such a tease immensely satisfying and absolutely bring down the house. But I just wrote that I wasn’t going to mention it, for fear of jinxing it. (I swear I’m only circumstantially superstitious!) There’s only one way to top the Villains Land “one more thing” from the last D23 Expo in the minds of fans, and we all know what that is.

Mystic Manor Goes Global

The last original attraction created by Walt Disney Imagineering, Mystic Manor, has developed an ardent fan following for its own dynamic duo of original characters. Earlier this year, new walkaround characters for Lord Henry Mystic and his mischievous monkey, Albert (above), debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland. As did a brand-new original character named Charlotte (also above), who is an adventurous zoologist who admires Lord Henry and dreams of joining S.E.A.

These are the best original Disney theme park characters of the last decade-plus and Mystic Manor is arguably the #1 overall attraction in the world. And now, Mystic Manor and this dynamic duo has pulled what some (me) are calling a “Reverse Journey into Imagination,” expanding their presence instead of shrinking it!

How does any of this tie into Walt Disney World? Your guess is as good as mine. But these predictions feel way too safe, so my off-the-wall one is that Lord Henry, Albert, and Charlotte start appearing at Animal Kingdom. Imagineering loves its S.E.A. connections, and weaving this into the story of Pueblo Esperanza in Tropical Americas wouldn’t be the craziest thing ever. Anything to not just do the simple thing and bring back that other, original dynamic duo!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

Care to make it interesting by placing your own predictions about what will be announced for Walt Disney World at the 2026 D23 Expo? Do you think it will be a time for big attraction announcements, or will mostly focus on details about projects that are already underway? Any surprise announcement predictions? Obviously, none of us know what the future holds, but it’s fun to take some guesses and see who ‘wins’ just the same. We’ll revisit this post in a week or so and whoever got the most right will win…bragging rights!