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I have to be honest, after the extreme disappointment D23 2022 was, I was fully prepared to be let down once again this year. However, with Universal Studios Florida expanding with their third theme park, Epic Universe, and the city of Anaheim recently approving Disney’s DisneylandForward requests, I had a glimmer of hope that Disney would bring their A game. Long story short…they did.

Walt Disney World received the vast majority of the new additions, with Animal Kingdom getting a new land with three new attractions based on Indiana Jones and Encanto, Hollywood Studios getting a Monsters Inc-themed land and attraction, and Magic Kingdom receiving an original Cars-themed land and a Villains-themed land. All of this is in direct response to Universal’s Epic Universe expansion.

As amazing as all of that sounds, this post is going to focus on the announcements made for the Disneyland Resort. While we didn’t get nearly as many as I was hoping for (still no People Mover), we did receive a few golden nuggets. So what were they? When can we expect them? Where are the new rides going? I’ll discuss all this and more below. Let’s get it into it.

Opening Date Revealed for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

For months, Disney fans and bloggers alike have speculated as to when the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction would open. Most were calling for September or October, while others (myself included) felt November or December was more likely given how far behind Disneyland was to Walt Disney World (theirs opened a few months ago).

Well, if you had November 15 on your bingo card, you hit the nail on the head. That is the date Disney gave for TBA’s debut. Additionally, it was also announced that the former Critter Country would be (more fittingly) renamed to Bayou Country. If you recall, I discussed my desire for Disney to rename this area, The Bayou, in the post I made about Critter Country closing a few months back.

On top of that, we also recently learned that the Hungry Bear restaurant would be getting a new name and theme after the beloved Country Bears. Going forward, it’ll be known as Hungry Bear BBQ Jamboree, a nod to the former Country Bear Jamboree attraction. No word yet as to when it’ll reopen, but I anticipate it’ll do so long before November. In the meantime, go here to see Hungry Bear’s new menu.

A Brief Mention of Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration

In 2025, Disneyland Park will celebrate its 70th birthday. Nothing much else was mentioned, other than additional details will be announced in the coming months. One thing we know for sure is there will be no new rides (we’ll discuss this further into the post), as nothing beyond Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is actively being built.

Disney has a lot to live up to, as their 60th anniversary in 2015 (their diamond celebration) was a smash hit. While we don’t yet know what they’re planning, we can speculate. A new nighttime fireworks show is likely in the works, as well as a foodie guide with 70th anniversary-themed food, treats and beverages.

My biggest hope is we’ll see the return of a nighttime parade. The millennial child in me would love to see the Main Street Electrical Parade make its grand return. Though if anything, it’ll likely be its spiritual successor, Paint the Night. Either way, it would be great to see a nighttime parade in the park again.

A New Mission Based on Mandalorian and Grogu Coming to the Millennium Falcon Attraction

One piece of unexpected news that came out of D23 Horizons was the announcement that the Millennium Falcon attraction at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World will be getting a new mission based on the upcoming 2026 Star Wars film centered around Madalorian and Grogu.

This is great news. Don’t get me wrong, Millennium Falcon is a great ride but if you go to the parks often and experience the same mission time after time, it quickly becomes stale, despite its amazing theming and detail.

The new mission is set to debut in 2026, along with the film. So if you’ve had your heart set on experiencing the original mission, you still have time. The film’s release date is in late May of 2026, so expect to see Millennium Falcon go down for a refurb in March 2026 (or sooner) to prepare.

New Coco-Themed Boat Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

That’s right. Disney California Adventure will be the first Disney theme park to host an attraction based on the beloved Pixar film, Coco. Additionally, this will be the first boat ride in California Adventure’s history (no, Grizzly River Run doesn’t count).

With that announcement came the news that Imagineers will break ground on this new attraction in 2026. As to where it’ll be going, well, that’s up for debate. Many assume that it’ll actually be its own land and will be part of the DisneylandForward expansion, but I have another idea.

I believe it’s going to become the fifth Pixar Pier attraction, and built behind Incredicoaster. If you look at the concept back when Pixar Pier was first conceived, what is now known as the Pixar Pier Band Shell was being billed as the Pixar Pier Theatre. The concept art illustrates guests going into and out of it. Clearly, this was going to be something guest-facing.

If you look at the backstage area behind the facade on Google Earth and measure the acreage, there’s roughly 2.5 acres of space back there. Do the same test for the Little Mermaid attraction, which is the largest dark ride in the resort, and it comes out to just 0.8 acres. Clearly, there’s more than enough room for Disney to construct a substantial show building.

Regardless of where it’s going to go, whether it’ll be part of a Coco-themed land (which would be fantastic) or a singular attraction as part of Pixar Pier, it’s great to see Coco (and hispanic culture in general) receive recognition and representation through a proper Disneyland attraction.

A Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic is Coming to the Main Street Opera House

Months ago, the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction closed for what was initially believed to be a brief, routine refurb. When Disney internet sleuths discovered the work permit for this project, it had an estimated valuation of five million dollars. This peaked everyone’s interest because usually, routine maintenance never amounts to this much money.

Then, rumors began to swirl that this was anything but routine, and Disney was actually (secretly) constructing an audio-animatronic of Walt Disney himself to possibly become part of the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show. Needless to say, people were losing their collective minds over this, and waited in agonizing anticipation for confirmation.

Finally, at D23 Horizons, Josh D’Amaro revealed the news - the Main Street Opera House will soon host a new show called, “Walt Disney - A Magical Life”, featuring an advanced audio-animatronic of Disneyland’s founder. Even better, the show will be in rotation with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, instead of replacing it. This new show is expected to debut in time for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration.

Understandably, there are people who feel this is disrespectful of Disney to be doing this. I’m of the belief that this is no different than Walt himself conceptualizing the original Abraham Lincoln animatronic all those years ago. To him, he was honoring a man he greatly admired. While the Disney company itself may or may not admire Walt, there are many of us Disney fans who do. I feel it’s only right (and frankly, long overdue) for Walt to be honored in the park that wouldn’t exist without his creative vision.

Avengers Campus E-Ticket Attraction (FINALLY) Coming - Along with a FOURTH Attraction

Ever since the opening of Avengers Campus in 2021, we’ve been promised an Avengers e-ticket level attraction. Exactly what that looked like was unknown. At the infamous 2022 D23 event, all we were given was some inauspicious concept art and the reveal of King Thanos as the big baddie of the attraction. After that, it was mostly crickets.

At this year’s D23, we were finally given confirmation that the Avengers e-ticket was indeed on the way. Also, the name was revealed as Avengers Infinity Defense (doesn’t quite roll of the tongue, does it?). Additionally, a model of the ride vehicle was on display at the event, revealing that the attraction will definitely be screen-based and in the same vein as the new Peter Pan attraction at Tokyo DisneySea.

On top of that, we were surprised with the news that a fourth Avengers Campus attraction is also on the way. It’ll be called Stark Flight Lab and is likely going in the space formally occupied by the now-canceled Doctor Strange show. As you can see in the concept art above, this attraction will use a robotic arm to lift your ride vehicle, making you flip, spin, and otherwise have a great time. It was said that it’ll feature multiple “test flights”, meaning your experience could differ with each ride.

Josh D’Amaro stated that would work would begin in early 2025. Likely meaning sometime between January and March. It’s safe to assume that Stark Flight Lab will be the first attraction to open, as it seems to be closer to a flat-style ride and Avengers Infinity Defense appears to be more complex in design and function.

New Avatar Experience Land Confirmed to be in Disney California Adventure

Shortly after returning to the company as CEO, Bob Iger let slip during an earnings call with investors that they were planning to bring an Avatar “experience” to the Disneyland Resort and that it would be (I’m paraphrasing) as amazing as Pandora - The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom in Florida.

Speculation immediately began as to what Iger meant by “experience”, and whether or not that meant we would be getting a “cheap” version of Pandora, which clearly wouldn’t impress anybody. And if it was an actual land, where would it go? Disneyland isn’t exactly flush with space. After that brief mentioning, we would only get teasers and bits of information. Then, a few months ago, we would get the first piece of concept art.

Disney dropped this concept art shortly before the City of Anaheim was set to vote on their DisneylandForward proposition and as you can see, this is exceptionally more than just an “experience”. This is an entire land with an e-ticket-level attraction to boot.

The timing of the drop was a clear message from Disney to Anaheim officials - “don’t approve our proposition, and this is what Anaheim will be missing out on”. Whether or not this actually swayed the city is up for debate but regardless, their plans were approved.

Then, fast forward to D23 Horizons, the big news was dropped that an Avatar-themed LAND is for sure coming to Disney California Adventure. Additional concept art pieces, including those of the now-confirmed e-ticket boat ride, were also released.

While we don’t know for sure, the Avatar boat ride is expected to the same ride system used for the amazing Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Shanghai. If that’s the case, then there will no be no arguments from me as that ride is a show-stopper. It uses practical effects and sets in conjunction with screens. In addition, it’s not your typical boat ride as this system is multi-directional.

So where in the park is Avatar going to go? That’s currently the hot-button topic. Considering the park’s current space constraints, it’ll either need to take the place of a currently occupied space or be a part of the Disneyland Forward expansion. The only two locations in the park-proper where it could go are Hollywood Land and Grizzly Peak.

If they go with either of those, Disney would have to bulldoze and completely flatten both spaces, as there’s no way to re-skin either of them into anything remotely resembling what we see in the concept art. Additionally, that would defeat the purpose of their current plan, which is to increase capacity. Not spend multi-millions of dollars for it to remain the same.

If you ask me, my money’s on Avatar Land (or whatever it’ll be called) being the first IP Disney will use in their Disneyland Forward expansion of DCA. For something of Avatar’s caliber, one of the most financially successful franchises of all time, you’ll need a blank canvas to work with and it doesn’t get much more “blank” than a parking lot.

In the concept art above, the three structures you see in the middle of the piece is the Pixar Place Hotel. To the left, you’ll see a bridge crossing over what is now Disneyland Drive, through a tunnel of greenery and into a highly-themed area. This space is currently the Simba Lot and that is where I believe Avatar will go.

As far as when it’ll happen, it’s likely still many years away. While it is in actual development, if the current pace of Disney projects is any indication, we’re looking at between 2028 and 2030 at the earliest.

To compare, the announcement for Star Wars - Galaxy’s Edge came during the 2015 D23 in August. Then, construction didn’t begin until April 2016 and finally, the then-new land wouldn’t open until summer 2019. If Disney followed this same timeline for Avatar and broke ground in April 2025, then summer 2028 is what we would be looking at. This is best-case, though, and honestly, I just don’t see it happening that soon.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? If so, see my tips for spending one day at Disneyland. Also, if you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Downtown Disney, read about my experience at Centrico. Attending Oogie Boogie Bash? See my 12 tips for a better experience. Lastly, for deals on Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line vacation packages, visit Get Away Today.