Fans of Disney theme parks have been told they can expect some exciting new projects, as the company announced a variety of upcoming ventures over the next several years.
The announcement comes on the back of slow visitor numbers at its parks, despite recording first-time profits for its streaming service earlier this month.
At a D23 presentation in Anaheim, California, on Aug. 10, the company told attendees that it will spend around $60 billion on parks and cruises over the next decade.
These projects will include a villains-themed land, an “Encanto” ride, an ability to take flight like Iron Man, and a new level of audio-animatronic technology that will bring Walt Disney to life in front of guests.
According to Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the company’s future focus will put much more emphasis on technology than in previous years.
“What we’re doing, I think more aggressively than we ever have before, is taking advantage of technology; not for technology’s sake but to create magical, almost mind-bending, experiences,” he told CNN in an interview.
The newly announced projects will consist of a major expansion of the company’s existing “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” ride, which will feature one land themed to villains, as well as one land themed to Pixar’s “Cars” movie, both of which are planned for 2025.
In addition, a new nighttime parade called “Disney Starlight” will be added to the Magic Kingdom next summer.
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disney’s Hollywood Studios park will have a new “Monstropolis” land, which is based on the “Monsters Inc.” franchise.
Both of the above theme parks will also see new additions to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, involving storylines featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu, set in the Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run.
Disney also confirmed the 2027 opening of the previously announced Tropical Americas area at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, which will feature its first-ever “Encanto” ride based on the highly successful movie by the same name, as well as an “Indiana Jones” ride within the former Dinosaur ride building.
Disney said the ride will be distinctly different from the current “Indiana Jones” rides at Disneyland in California or at Tokyo DisneySea.
Additionally, Disney is set to build a central “town” within Tropical Americas, called Pueblo Esperanza. The setting will be built with Spanish-style architecture, surrounded by lush foliage and a carousel with wood-carved characters.
A previously announced “Zootopia” show will be hitting the Animal Kingdom by early 2026.
70th Anniversary
To mark its upcoming 70th anniversary in 2025, the original Disneyland park will be featuring the first-ever audio-animatronic version of Walt Disney.
The technology will include state-of-the-art complexity never before seen in a Disney park, with guests being able to view and hear stories of a life-like animated version of Walt Disney himself, in a project endorsed by the Disney family, according to D’Amaro.
A massive expansion is also in the works for Disney’s California Adventure park, which will see Avenger’s Campus more than double in size. Construction is set to start next year, with attractions including rides called “Avengers Infinity Defense” and “Stark Flight Lab.”
The former will offer interactive experiences for guests to battle alongside the Avengers in defending New York City, Thor’s Asgard, and Black Panther’s Wakanda, while the latter offers a test flight like Iron Man, in a two-person pod picked up by a robot arm that makes the pod fly.
Other attractions will include a new ride themed to Pixar’s “Coco” and an all-new Avatar land, while Disney Cruise Line will be adding four more ships by 2031 to its current fleet of five. No further details on the cruise ships, including their locations, have been announced.
Meanwhile, Shanghai and Hong Kong Disney parks will see the addition of two Spider-man-themed Marvel rides. It’s the first time Marvel will feature at the Shanghai park location.
New additions are also coming to Disneyland Paris’ original park and Tokyo Disneyland, which will both be featuring new nighttime shows. Paris will also see its first addition of a theme park attraction based on “The Lion King.”
According to D’Amaro, the upcoming projects are representative of Disney’s “accelerated path of ambitious growth and innovation.”
“Today we unveiled an extensive slate of new experiences that only Disney can deliver. Work is well underway on all of the new projects we announced, and fans will start to see them come to life in the near future,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.