Disney Reveals Disneyland Expansion Plan: Locations for Coco & Avatar at DCA

Disney has finally revealed where Pandora – World of Avatar and the Coco boat ride will be located at Disneyland Resort, along with when construction will begin and closures necessary to make way for this new land and attraction. This post shares details, concept art, and everything we know about the plan–plus commentary and our take on this addition for the park.

By way of recap, Pandora – World of Avatar and the Coco-themed boat ride were both announced last year during the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” or Parks Panel presentation at the D23 Expo. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for future expansion plans at Disneyland. Or more accurately, at Disney California Adventure.

These were just two of several blockbuster announcements for Parks & Resorts at the D23 Expo, during which D’Amaro revealed several ‘shovel to soil’ projects that will come online in the next 5 years, including over a half-dozen additions that will debut before the end of 2025. He and head Imagineer Bruce Vaughn delivered on their promise to showcase concrete details and stop teasing ‘Blue Sky’ possibilities.

Honestly, the Coco boat ride and Pandora – World of Avatar are two of the projects that felt “least real” to me. Disney CEO Bob Iger had been teasing an “Avatar Experience” for over a year at that point, and there were multiple pieces of concept art, a lengthy on-stage discussion about Pandora, and even a partial model on the show floor.

Nevertheless, there was no opening year given nor was there even a start date for construction. That plus the practical reality that there was no convenient location for a massive Avatar expansion in DCA called into question just when it would commence construction. Or rather, if it would. After all, this is clearly a pet project of Bob Iger, and his tenure is soon coming to an end.

Then there’s the Coco-themed boat ride. Although that sounded very promising to me and did have a start date for construction, it also had the fewest details of any major project announced at the D23 Expo. Not only that, but the start date was simply 2026. It was entirely possible that another D23 Expo would arrive before construction even began–again, if it even began.

Thankfully, we now have some answers to questions about both Pandora – World of Avatar and the Coco boat ride at Disney California Adventure…

As Disneyland Resort continues to add new experiences to Disney California Adventure, the company is excited to share that the upcoming attraction themed to Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco” will be built near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier, in areas that are predominantly backstage today. Construction on this Coco attraction is set to begin backstage in Fall 2025!

A couple of things to note about the Coco boat ride. First and foremost, it seems that this project is being fast-tracked, with construction now beginning in 2025 as opposed to 2026.

While it’s entirely possible that this will be moving back-of-house facilities and other prep-work, that counts when it comes to Disney timelines. We’ve seen other projects announced at D23 get off to a slow start as this phase of work unfolded.

The other thing that’s interesting here is that the announcement suggests two different locations. Near Paradise Gardens Park would seem to indicate that it’s replacing Goofy’s Sky School, a repurposed wild mouse roller coaster that you can find at ordinary amusement parks. The former Mulholland Madness was given a new lease on life during the 2012 Disney California Adventure redo, but even then, the assumption was that it was a stop-gap measure. Over a decade later, its time may have finally come.

This area has long been rife for redevelopment, and this corner of the park, which is an odd mix of old school Paradise Pier and newer Pixar Pier, could be repurposed into a Coco miniland. Jumpin’ Jellyfish and Golden Zephyr could both also be reimagined or replaced completely. The only questions concern the parade route and whether this is actually enough space for a show building for a modern boat ride. Honestly, I’m skeptical.

The other cause for skepticism here is that Disney indicated that the Coco boat ride would replace “that are predominantly backstage today.” Nothing over here is backstage. Disneyland Drive and Grand Californian Hotel are immediately behind the guest-facing areas at Paradise Gardens Park, which is also why the show building size is limited.

It’s possible to put the entrance across from Silly Symphony Swings and route the queue and show building backstage behind Incredicoaster, this would create a promenade along what is currently backstage parade route today and could be quite lovely.

This is actually what the above concept art seems to suggest. The problem with that should be evident in the above description–it conflicts with the parade route, and it’s difficult to imagine DCA ditching or re-routing that. (Google Street View of this perspective pictured above.)

With that said, this interpretation is really the only way you reconcile the concept art with Disney’s stated location for the Coco boat ride. It matches the concept art and description of how the show building will be built primarily backstage. It just doesn’t make complete sense as to why they go this route instead of building the entrance here:

The most logical alternative is behind the Incredicoaster, Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, and the boardwalk games. There’s ample space backstage behind the Incredicoaster, and nothing of value would need to be lost to build the Coco boat ride here. This is the same spot the show building would go in scenario #2, so really no difference there.

The biggest change would be the entrance, which makes more sense (IMO) where the Pixar Promenade band shell is currently located. This is the most logical location, and one that would make it a pure win from a capacity perspective.

The only issue here is that behind Incredicoaster is not near Paradise Garden Park and it doesn’t match the concept art. Regardless, either scenarios #2 or #3 would further explain the pausing of runDisney races in California.

If you’re wondering what to expect from the Coco boat ride, the attraction will be filled with the characters and music from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead.

Walt Disney Imagineering will draw inspiration for the attraction from beloved classics, like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. “We’re bringing our skeletal cast of characters to life in a big way through the latest Audio-Animatronics technology,” D’Amaro said at D23 Expo. “These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.”

I’m totally on board with a Coco attraction. It’s easily one of the best–and arguably the very best–animated film in recent memory, rivaling Moana, Inside Out, Frozen, and Zootopia. Coco has stunning visuals and beautiful music–scenery and sounds that seem tailor-made for a theme park attraction. The concept is tantalizing. Describing it as a spiritual successor to Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion definitely captured my attention and imagination.

Honestly, Coco absolutely would lend itself to such a ride, which is a big part of why this is so exciting–because you can just imagine what a Pirates plus Haunted Mansion inspired Coco ride could be like. My real hope is that this is one of those “good ideas that won’t die” in Imagineering, and they finally found a home for it after trying to make space in EPCOT.

Then there’s Pandora – World of Avatar. Here’s what Disneyland had to share about that:

“Additionally, we’re looking forward to transforming a portion of the current Hollywood Backlot area into our Avatar destination in Disney California Adventure. This project is still in the early stages of development, and additional details will be shared later, including construction timeframes.”

To make way for the new Avatar expansion, Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will close in early 2026.

The first thing to understand about the Avatar expansion is that the Eastern Gateway transportation hub is a necessary prerequisite to Pandora.

In order to have sufficient room for the show building and everything that a fully-fledged Avatar land entails, Disney needs to demolish the old bus loops and build into that space. But as you can imagine, that can’t happen until the new Eastern Gateway transportation hub is up and running.

The new Eastern Gateway transportation hub doesn’t commence construction until Fall 2026, so it’s going to be a while–probably until 2028–before that will open and free up the space needed for Pandora – World of Avatar. That should explain why Disney isn’t really sharing much about the timeline for Pandora–because it’s so remote.

However, that does make us wonder why Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will close in early 2026. Does it really need to close then, or is it a matter of cost-savings to help partially offset construction. I cannot imagine a scenario where that Monsters, Inc. dark ride is necessarily in the earliest stage of work on Avatar land.

Instead, this strikes me as akin to what’s happening with MuppetVision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s especially egregious here given the lack of all-ages attractions at DCA. I really want to be wrong about this, and I hope details come out that make my cynicism misplaced.

For whatever it’s worth, there are existing (unused) soundstages and areas within the existing boundaries of the park that could be utilized. Disney cleared out Stage 17 in Hollywood Land, which is an enormous venue in a part of the park that really needs new life injected into it. Maybe work will begin in, on or around those soundstages in early 2026!

It’s also possible that Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue is closing earlier than necessary for this project because its assets are needed for Monstropolis at Walt Disney World. While I don’t doubt for a second that figures and scenery from this attraction will find its way to Florida, I’m skeptical that would cause an earlier closing. Regardless, Superstar Limo lives on!

Other questions remain about Pandora – World of Avatar, such as why is Disney referring to it as a “destination” as opposed to a land? Our hope is that this is meaningless, and not an actual distinction–but it nevertheless seems like an odd word choice.

My best guess here is because the land will necessarily be smaller than Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom. No matter how you slice it–even if this “destination” takes over the entirety of the bus loops in the Esplanade and pushes as far out as possible, the parcel is still smaller. And that’s assuming it uses the entire space and not just “a portion of” the Hollywood Backlot as Disney announced. (This probably just means that Award Wieners and Schmoozies are staying since they have UNESCO World Heritage Site status.)

Given that, I can understand Disney wanting to be careful in setting guest expectations. Lots of fans bemoan the single-ride land trend, and Disneyland diehards in particular hold the California parks to higher standards. So trying to keep hype in check is probably the smart move here. Still, I think fans are going to go crazy for the landscape and marquee attraction if it’s executed at a high level.

Also unknown is which ride system its marquee attraction will utilize. The innovative attraction is rumored to use the same ride system as Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland. This would make it substantially different from Na’vi River Journey in Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom, even if the description–minus the “danger” part–sounds somewhat similar.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure is an excellent attraction, arguably top 10 in the entire world, and a big part of that is its innovative ride system. From a technological perspective, I can’t think of many attractions that approach Shanghai Pirates–probably Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and now Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. Not much else, though.

It’s actually a shame that it’s taken so long for another attraction to use the Shanghai Pirates ride system, because it’s that good. A superlative use of technology that melds physical show scenes with screens and can turn a leisurely boat ride into an action sequence, going from on the water to the sky or wherever. It’s actually the perfect ride system for combining the vibe of Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage!

Even with the “destination” designation, our assumption is that Disney is going to bet big on Pandora West. For one thing, the concept art suggests as much. It looks like a land that’ll rival the Animal Kingdom version, just with different twists.

For another thing, the approval of DisneylandForward comes with a requirement that Disney invest at least $1.9 to $2.5 billion over the course of the next decade. Beyond that, there’s the reality that investing in Disneyland pays dividends, as the parks have been busier than ever and consistently crowded since reopening. Even more so than Walt Disney World. Part of that is obviously demographics, but Disneyland clearly has room to grow as a bona fide tourist destination.

Not only that, but as part of the recent earnings call, Disney shared a slideshow indicating that Pandora – World of Avatar is the #1 ranked land at Walt Disney World in terms of guest satisfaction. (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is #1 at Disneyland.) From that perspective alone, it makes sense that Disney would want to build a lavish version of Pandora – World of Avatar in DCA, and not just a smaller scale “destination.”

There’s also the simple reality that you never bet against James Cameron. There are at least 3 more Avatar movies (that we know about!), and there will probably be even more released between now and the end of eternity if the next 3 even make half as much as the first two. Everyone’s always saying that Avatar is a “forgettable” franchise, and yet, everyone also goes to see the movies and the rides have long lines, so it kinda seems like it’s also popular.

It’s also worth pointing out that Bruce Vaughn has returned to head Imagineering since Bob Iger first began teasing an Avatar experience at Disneyland. Vaughn was the co-head of Imagineering during development of the original Pandora – World of Avatar, and could be returning for his project management expertise on that.

Between his involvement and that of James Cameron, who is a perfectionist, we feel pretty good about the prospects for Pandora at DCA. Even without producer Jon Landau, who passed away last year, and legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde, who retired but now is doing something for Imagineering (my guess is that he’s consulting on Pandora, at minimum), it seems like the franchise is in good hands.

Back when Pandora took so long to get off the ground at Animal Kingdom, rumors suggested that Cameron and his insistence on high-quality attractions played a role. We don’t anticipate this being a problem this time–as Cameron and Iger appear to have a good relationship and trust in one another, and the same is presumably true with Vaughn.

Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see how Pandora West plays out. The concept art for the new Avatar area looks breathtaking, and an attraction based on Shanghai Pirates sounds perfect for Pandora. This ride system deserves to be experienced by guests outside of China, and I’m confident that if this is even 75% as good as Shanghai Pirates, it’ll become a top 5 attraction at Disney California Adventure. I could even see it surpassing Radiator Springs Racers and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

In actuality, there’s a decent chance chance the Avatar attraction is even better. Just as Flight of Passage iterated on and improved Soarin, the same could happen with this ride system. Shanghai Pirates isn’t actually that great. It’s fantastic–don’t get me wrong–but the ride system really carries it, and helps overcome some shortcomings in terms of storytelling, emotion and atmosphere. That’s exactly where Avatar Flight of Passage excels, which is why I’m really excited for this boat ride in Pandora West at Disney California Adventure.

That is, assuming rumors about the ride system are true in the first place. It’s also assuming the ride ever gets built. There’s still no timeline almost a year later, and the Eastern Gateway project isn’t getting started until Fall 2026. Given that, it’s entirely plausible–if not probable–that Pandora won’t open at Disney California Adventure until sometime in the 2030s.

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of the Coco boat ride and Pandora – World of Avatar coming to Disney California Adventure? Thoughts on these locations for the land and ride? Disappointed that the Monsters, Inc. dark ride is closing in early 2026? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!