Disney’s Ultimate Experience Show: D23
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Watching the opening scene of Tinkerbell flying around Sleeping Beauty’s castle as you settle down on the blanketed couch is a sense of nostalgia you cannot beat. This is exactly the wistfulness that Disney brought back in its biggest convention of the year, D23.
D23 is a giant convention for Disney lovers in the heart of Disney, Anaheim.
First, they started the exhibition with a fan-favorite flight attendant, Patrick. Patrick has been Disneyland’s Soarin’ Around The World flight attendant for 13 years. His iconic phrase, “Oh yeah, have a nice flight,” was replaced with “Oh yeah, have a nice D23.” The inductive Disney experience video ended with clips of the iconic castle, and this is where all the fun began.
The two-hour and 30-minute show hosted by Josh D’Amaro, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks, began with a performance of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” by “Full House” star John Stamos. Following this tear-jerking performance, D’Amaro made the first announcement of the night: a new ride, Avatar’s Pandora, is coming to Disney’s California Adventure Park. Then came a “Remember Me” performance to prelude announcing the first “Coco” themed ride to the amusement park.
They didn't stop there. D’Amaro announced new parades and shows coming to the United States parks, such as “Disney Starlight,” a parade in Orlando’s Magic Kingdom, and “Zootopia: Better Zoogether,” a new show coming to Orlando’s Animal Kingdom. D’Amaro also announced four new lands coming to Disney Parks: Magic Kingdom Park has Villains Land with two major attractions and dining, and Car’s Frontierland with two new attractions. Hollywood Studios will introduce Monsters, Inc. Land in 2025, featuring Disney’s first-ever suspended roller coaster, to imitate the movie’s feeling of flying through the door vaults.
Some new rides will be added to already existing lands as well. The most anticipated park update of the Avengers Campus will be introducing “Avengers Infinity Defense” and “Stark Flight Lab” within the next few years. Epcot, a DisneyWorld Park, may not be introducing any new rides in the future, but they have announced that the reimagined Test Track will be opening in 2025 with the latest technology. The other two new rides include a new Indiana Jones adventure and the first Encanto-themed ride, which explores Antonio’s rainforest room in Animal Kingdom Park.
The D23 Disney experience didn’t stop with park attraction announcements. Many new projects that will be appearing in theaters in 2025 were announced, such as “Toy Story 5,” “Freakier Friday,” “Incredibles 3,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Frozen 3,” and “Zootopia 2.” Along with the fan-favorite Disney sequel that came out earlier this year, “Inside Out” will be coming out with a spin-off series about the dream productions in protagonist Riley’s mind, which will become available on the Disney+ app in 2025.
Other movie releases have been announced, such as “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” coming to theaters in May 2026, and the next live-action remake of Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch” in the summer of 2025. Brand new movies include Disney-Pixar original “Elio,” in theaters in June of 2025, and “Hoppers, which will be in Spring 2026. For all the Marvel fanatics, D’Amaro announced the release date for “Captain America: Brave New World,” coming to theaters Feb. 14, 2025, a “Daredevil” reboot coming March 2025 to Disney+, and a new series of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” coming to theaters sometime next year.
This year’s D23 Expo was something to be remembered, with new movies to park expansion announcements. Disney fans can rest assured that the next few years are teeming with exciting new developments.
