D23 2026 Special: EVERY Walt Disney World Reveal – Villains Land, Piston Peak, Monstropolis, Tropical Americas & More

This episode runs through everything Disney confirmed at D23 2026 for Walt Disney World, park by park. The marquee reveal is Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, home to a new Maleficent coaster and a Mirror Realm dark ride, though it comes with a long wait: there's no official date, with 2032 given as the earliest. Plenty is landing sooner. Tropical Americas opens at Animal Kingdom in 2027 with two headline rides, one built around Indiana Jones and one based on Encanto. Piston Peak brings a Cars land to Frontierland, and the Carousel of Progress reopens in late spring 2027 with new voices and a fresh opening scene.

Tropical Americas is the new land taking over from DinoLand U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom, due to open in 2027. D23 confirmed it's set in a fictional town called Pueblo Esperanza, with a hacienda, a central fountain, a children's play area, and a working animal carousel called El Carrusel de los Animalitos that features 22 hand-carved figures.

One of the two headline attractions in Tropical Americas sends guests into a Maya temple in search of a legendary serpent creature called Tsukán, with giant bats, scorpions and fire along the way. Disney confirmed Harrison Ford's actual likeness is being used to create an Audio-Animatronic Indiana Jones, the first time they've done this with his likeness.

The second headline ride in Tropical Americas is based on the film Encanto. Guests travel through the Madrigal family's magical house and into a rainforest setting with more than fifty species of animals, in ride vehicles designed to look like pieces of furniture brought to life. Several original cast members are returning to voice their characters.

Disney confirmed the original full-strength Yeti Audio-Animatronic at Expedition Everest is being restored. For years it's been running in a reduced strobe-light mode rather than the full animatronic effect. No date has been given yet for when it'll be back.

Magic Kingdom is getting two major attractions in Villains Land. The Maleficent Coaster races guests through the enchanted briar surrounding Maleficent's mountaintop fortress, with Imagineers saying they're using coaster elements they haven't attempted before. The Mirror Realm Dark Ride is hosted by the Magic Mirror and takes guests through a realm beyond the mirror where villains are brought to life with physical sets and special effects. The land's story centres on a corrupted wishing well whose dark magic has drawn villains in, each claiming their own lair in a cursed landscape. If you're hoping to visit soon, be prepared to wait: there's no official date, and 2032 is the earliest we're expecting. Plenty of other new rides will open before then. Your Orlando Guru can keep you posted as dates firm up.

Disney confirmed Piston Peak National Park, a Cars-themed land coming to Frontierland. Rather than recreating Radiator Springs, it drops Lightning McQueen and friends into a wilderness setting inspired by the American West and the Rocky Mountains, with mountains, waterfalls, geysers and a visitor lodge. Two attractions anchor the land: Cars Ridge Run Rally, an off-road racing ride with vehicles that physically react to the terrain, and Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along, a demolition derby ride hosted by a giant Audio-Animatronic Miss Fritter from Cars 3.

The Carousel of Progress is getting a refresh and reopens in late spring 2027. Disney confirmed Jamie Lee Curtis will voice Mom and Bryan Cranston will voice Dad, plus a new opening scene featuring an Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney.

Disney confirmed Dreamfinder is returning to EPCOT, joining Figment for the first time since Dreamfinder's original departure. The full storyline and timeline haven't been revealed yet, but the announcement drew one of the biggest reactions of the entire showcase.

Spaceship Earth is getting its first major story update in nearly two decades. Disney confirmed the focus is shifting from human communication to human connection, broadening the story while keeping the core themes of human progress intact.

Disney gave the fullest look yet at Monstropolis, the Monsters, Inc.-themed land at Hollywood Studios. The story is set during H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for "Humans Understanding Monsters Are Nice," and Disney confirmed several new experiences: the Glob Theater hosting a new Mike and Sulley show called "Welcome to Monstropolis," Harryhausen's Restaurant with an Audio-Animatronic sushi chef, Archie's Scare Pig Pizza, the Monsters University Alumni Club, a shop called Scareporium, and a new original song written by Randy Newman. The land's centrepiece remains the previously announced suspended door coaster. The whole thing opens in phases starting in 2027, though Disney clarified the rollercoaster itself won't open in 2027, while other parts of the land will.

Here's all the latest Disney World updates from D23, presented by Orlando Insider travel agents. Tropical Americas, the land replacing DinoLand U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom, is due to open in 2027. D23 confirmed the fictional town it's set in is called Pueblo Esperanza, along with new details on the layout: a hacienda, a central fountain, a children's play area, and a working animal carousel called El Carrusel de los Animalitos, featuring 22 hand-carved figures. The two headline attractions also got proper reveals. The first is Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, sending guests into a Maya temple in search of a legendary serpent creature called Tsukán, with giant bats, scorpions and fire along the way. Disney confirmed Harrison Ford's actual likeness is being used to create an Audio-Animatronic Indiana Jones, the first time Disney have done this with his likeness. The second is Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto, based on the film Encanto. Guests travel through the Madrigal family's magical house and into a rainforest setting with more than fifty species of animals, with ride vehicles designed to look like pieces of furniture brought to life. Several original cast members are returning to voice their characters. Separately, Disney confirmed the original full-strength Yeti Audio-Animatronic at Expedition Everest is being restored. It's been running in a reduced strobe-light mode for years rather than the full animatronic effect. No date given yet for when it'll be back. Your Orlando Insider guru can keep you updated as firmer dates come through. Head to orlandoinsider.co.uk to find out more. Disney confirmed two major attractions coming to Villains Land at Magic Kingdom. The first is the Maleficent Coaster, sending guests racing through the enchanted briar surrounding Maleficent's mountaintop fortress, with Imagineers saying they're using coaster elements they haven't attempted before. The second is the Mirror Realm Dark Ride, hosted by the Magic Mirror, taking guests through a realm beyond the mirror where Disney villains are brought to life through physical sets and special effects. The land's story centres on a corrupted wishing well whose dark magic has drawn villains in, each claiming their own lair within a cursed landscape. Now, if you're waiting for your Villains Land to open for your next trip to Orlando, you're in for a long wait. There's no official word yet, but we're thinking 2032 at the very earliest. Luckily, there's a ton of new rides that'll be opening before that. Disney also confirmed Piston Peak National Park, a new Cars-themed land coming to Frontierland. Rather than recreating Radiator Springs, it drops Lightning McQueen and friends into a wilderness setting inspired by the American West and the Rocky Mountains, complete with mountains, waterfalls, geysers and a visitor lodge. Two attractions anchor the land: Cars Ridge Run Rally, an off-road racing ride with vehicles that physically react to the terrain, and Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along, a demolition derby ride hosted by a giant Audio-Animatronic Miss Fritter from Cars 3. And Carousel of Progress is getting a proper refresh. Disney confirmed it reopens in late spring 2027 with Jamie Lee Curtis voicing Mom and Bryan Cranston voicing Dad, plus a new opening scene featuring an Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney. Your Orlando Insider guru can keep you updated as firmer dates come through. Head to orlandoinsider.co.uk to find out more. Disney confirmed Dreamfinder is returning to EPCOT, joining Figment for the first time since Dreamfinder's original departure from the park. Disney haven't revealed the full storyline or a timeline yet, but the announcement got one of the biggest reactions of the entire showcase. Spaceship Earth is also getting its first major story update in nearly two decades. Disney confirmed the attraction's focus is shifting from human communication to human connection, broadening its story while keeping the core themes of human progress intact. And lastly, over to Hollywood Studios, where Disney gave the fullest look yet at Monstropolis, the Monsters, Inc.-themed land. The story is set during H.U.M.A.N. Day, "Humans Understanding Monsters Are Nice," and Disney confirmed several new experiences: the Glob Theater, hosting a new Mike and Sulley show called "Welcome to Monstropolis"; Harryhausen's Restaurant, featuring an Audio-Animatronic sushi chef; Archie's Scare Pig Pizza; the Monsters University Alumni Club; a shop called Scareporium; and a new original song written by Randy Newman. The land's centrepiece remains the previously announced suspended door coaster, and Disney confirmed the whole thing will open in phases starting in 2027. So, just to clarify, the rollercoaster will NOT open in 2027, but other parts of the land will. Disney also confirmed a new Fortnite tie-in for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, called Smugglers Gambit. It's set on the planet Ord Ryla near Mersa Veta Station and links the physical ride at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios to a digital Fortnite adventure, building on the wider Disney-Epic Games partnership first announced back at D23 2024. Your Orlando Insider guru can keep you updated as firmer dates come through. Head to orlandoinsider.co.uk to find out more.