13 new Disney World attractions, lands, dates announced at Destination D23

Telling a crowd at Destination D23 that the Disney Parks are entering a new era of boundless growth and innovation, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro emceed a presentation offering a look at what’s coming to the parks, resorts, cruise line and more.

Over next decade more attractions, more shows, more characters more lands and “more things that you can’t even imagine” will be coming across all Disney properties, D’Amaro said.

After a lukewarm reception from D23 Expo 2022, where Disney World was relegated to talk of just “Blue Sky” ideas (Zootopia and Moana in place of DinoLand, U.S.A., and Coco, Encanto and a Villans Land that are Beyond Thunder Mountain) there was hope that some more concrete announcements would be made on what’s coming next for Walt Disney World. While the fuzzy Blue Sky ideas are starting to crystalize, concrete is not going to be poured for some time.

The Blue Sky ideas continues at today’s event with Bruce Vaughn, the Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, saying there are big ideas similar to the scale of Star Wars and Pandora, but tempered it with how everything is “fluid and changing.”

At Magic Kingdom, Imagineers are looking at new attractions, restaurants and show.

“We are about to go into overdrive in the Magic Kingdom and we ckeep refining these ideas,” D’Amaro said.

While more talk about future ideas were mentioned, (see below at Disney’s Animal Kingdom), there were some more concrete ideas announced.

Here’s what to look for the next few years at Walt Disney World.

MAGIC KINGDOM

1. A new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge is coming to Adventureland. This first-of-its-kind experience will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean. Imagineers are in the design process now.

2. The Country Bear Jamboree is getting new songs and the bears will be performing a new act in 2024.

Disney Imagineer Chris Beatty said when the show debuts, the bears will be reinterpreting favorite Disney songs in different genres of country music. Imagineers are envisioning the new experience as a homage to the classic musical revues in Nashville and they’re working with Nashville musicians to get the authentic country sound. The Country Bear Jamboree will still have the fun and friendly tone fans enjoy with the same famous characters like the loveable Trixie, Big Al and others. \

3. Hatbox Ghost is coming to the Haunted Mansion attraction in Florida in late November. He will materialize in the Haunted Mansion as you pass the attraction’s Endless Hallway.

EPCOT

4. Figment will begin meeting guests inside the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT beginning Sept. 10.

5. The title and debut date for the nighttime spectacular at EPCOT was announced. It is being called “Luminous The Symphony of Us” and will debut on Dec. 5, 2023. The show will feature fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects and music. 

 6. Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will open on Oct. 16, 2023. It is currently open for special previews.

Journey of Water is a new walk-through experience located within World Nature – the EPCOT neighborhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty and balance of the natural world.  For more details on the experience..

7. Also, on Oct. 16 – Moana will arrive in World Nature and make her first appearance in her own dedicated space near Journey of Water. 

8. At EPCOT, the World Celebration neighborhood will begin welcoming guests this December. World Celebration will unite the front of the park, tying together the other two new EPCOT neighborhoods, World Discovery and World Nature. 

The completion of the last of the park’s three neighborhoods will be the latest major milestone multi-year transformation of EPCOT.

9. Test Track will be reimagined. Imagineers along with teams from Chevrolet are reaching back into history for inspiration – from the original World of Motion – and bringing that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of the Test Track attraction.

10. Asha, from the new Disney animated film “Wish” will also soon be coming to EPCOT.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

11. A new show based on “Zootopia” is being created for the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

The current concept for the new “Zootopia” experience has guests visiting the different biomes you only glimpse in the film, traveling along with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and other characters.

12. Vaughn, the Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman D’Amaro announced major changes coming down the line for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 

As part of a Blue Sky concept, changes were also announced for the DinoLand area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The area, which has been in need of change for a few years after Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama roller coaster was dismantled, will be changed to the tropical zone of the Americas, which is one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. “We are imagining a land filled with authentic experiences,” Vaughn said. 

New experiences inspired by “Encanto” – the Academy Award winning Walt Disney Animation Studios film – and the fan-favorite adventurer Indiana Jones are being considered for the reimagined lan.

Imagineers are currently finalizing the concept and more details will be coming in the future.

Hollywood Studios

13. Ahsoka will become part of our popular Star Tours attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios beginning next spring.