Disney used D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, held August 14 through 16 in Anaheim, to provide its clearest look yet at the company’s next several years.

There were new movies, television series, games, attractions, restaurants, shows, and updates to some of Disney’s most beloved experiences. However, the announcements that may have the greatest long-term impact involve Disney Cruise Line and the continued transformation of the U.S. theme parks.

Here is what Disney officially announced at D23 2026, beginning with the news that matters most to cruise travelers.

Disney Cruise Line is preparing for its next major phase of growth

We received our first detailed look at the Disney Believe

The Disney Believe will begin sailing in late 2027 as the fourth ship in the Disney Wish class, joining the Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny.

Disney previously announced the ship’s name and overall theme, but D23 gave us the first substantial look at its design.

The ship will celebrate belief in magic, family, nature, and oneself. Disney says its spaces and entertainment will draw from stories including Encanto, Frozen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Moana, and The Little Mermaid. 

The Grand Hall will draw inspiration from Moana and the culture and landscapes of the South Pacific. A bronze statue of Moana, accompanied by Pua and Heihei, will serve as the room’s centerpiece. Disney’s concept art also shows Polynesian finishes and design elements intended to reflect the traditions of the region. 

The outside of the ship will continue several Disney Cruise Line traditions, although with a few playful changes.

Tinker Bell will appear in the artwork on the bow, surrounded by silhouettes of Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, and other characters from Peter Pan. On the stern, Buzz Lightyear and Woody will appear to write the ship’s name with large yellow crayons. Instead of the traditional Disney Cruise Line script, the name will resemble the familiar block lettering associated with Toy Story. 

Those details suggest that the Disney Believe will not simply duplicate the Disney Wish experience. The ship will share the same general platform, but Disney appears to be developing a distinct identity around optimism, personal courage, and the decision to pursue something extraordinary.

What Disney has not announced about the Disney Believe

Several important questions remain unanswered.

Disney has not announced the ship’s home port, inaugural itinerary, maiden voyage date, booking schedule, restaurant lineup, adult venues, children’s areas, or Broadway-style productions.

We now know much more about the ship’s visual identity, but travelers cannot yet make meaningful itinerary or booking decisions.

Three ships in an entirely new class will begin arriving in 2029

The biggest Disney Cruise Line announcement may not have been the Disney Believe.

Disney confirmed that three additional vessels will belong to an entirely new class of ships, with the first scheduled to arrive in 2029.

These ships will be larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder but smaller than the Disney Wish-class vessels. Disney believes that middle position will create more flexibility to enter additional ports, develop new itineraries, and introduce Disney cruising to new destinations and travelers. 

This is significant because ship size directly affects where a cruise line can operate. Larger ships require appropriate port facilities, turning basins, channel depth, and shoreside infrastructure. A moderately sized ship can potentially visit ports that would be difficult for the largest vessels while still offering more space and amenities than Disney’s original ships.

Disney has not revealed the names, designs, home ports, or itineraries for the new class. However, the company has now confirmed that these will not be additional copies of the Wish-class design. They represent a separate generation of Disney ships.

Disney Cruise Line currently operates eight ships and plans to grow to 13. The Disney Believe and the three ships in the new class account for the next four additions to the fleet. 

What the cruise announcements mean for travelers

Disney is no longer developing its cruise line as a small extension of the theme parks. It is building a global cruise business with ships of different sizes, operating models, and likely geographic purposes.

The Disney Adventure already serves Southeast Asia from Singapore. The Disney Believe will continue the Wish-class series in 2027. The new class arriving from 2029 should give Disney additional options for destinations that may not be suitable for its largest vessels.

For travelers, this could eventually mean more home ports, more international itineraries, and more choices beyond the traditional Florida and Caribbean cruise model.

For now, however, the correct approach is to watch for official itinerary and booking announcements rather than trying to predict where the ships will sail.

Major changes are coming to Walt Disney World

D23 included new details about previously announced projects, updates to classic attractions, and several announcements that Disney had managed to keep quiet.

Magic Kingdom

Piston Peak will include two Cars attractions

Disney revealed the names and stories for two attractions coming to the new Piston Peak National Park area in Frontierland.

Cars Ridge Run Rally will send guests across mountain trails, snowy peaks, rivers, mud flats, and geyser fields. Disney says the attraction’s ride vehicles will use tires and suspension systems that physically react to the terrain rather than merely simulating an off-road experience. Lightning McQueen and Mater will provide commentary as guests race toward the finish. 

The second attraction will be Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along. The experience will feature Miss Fritter from Cars 3as a school-bus-sized Audio-Animatronics figure presiding over a demolition derby. 

Disney is designing Piston Peak to resemble a fictional American national park, with a visitor lodge, ranger headquarters, trails, waterfalls, mountains, and buildings inspired by National Park Service architecture.

Construction is underway, but Disney did not announce an opening date.

Villains Land received an official name and storyline

Disney confirmed that the area beyond Big Thunder Mountain will officially be called Villains Land.

The land’s story begins with an evil wish that corrupts and destroys a wishing well, spreading dark magic throughout the surrounding forest. The area will draw from classic Disney Animation villains while placing them within a new, original story. 

Disney previously confirmed that the land will include two major attractions, dining, and shopping. At D23, Disney described one attraction as a race through Maleficent’s enchanted briars and another as an encounter with the mystical realm of the Magic Mirror. 

Disney did not announce an opening date for Villains Land.

Carousel of Progress will enter a new era

Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston will become the new voices of the mother and father in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.

Disney also showed a newly updated 1980s scene. The refreshed attraction will move the family into new time periods while preserving “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” and the attraction’s focus on progress, technology, and family life. The update is expected to debut in late spring 2027. 

EPCOT

Spaceship Earth will receive its first major update in nearly 20 years

Spaceship Earth will expand its story beyond the history of human communication and explore the broader idea of human connection.

Disney says the attraction will move into the internet age and beyond while maintaining the optimism and sense of possibility associated with EPCOT. 

Disney did not provide a construction timeline, closure date, or reopening date.

Dreamfinder will return to Journey Into Imagination

Disney announced a new Journey Into Imagination experience featuring both Figment and Dreamfinder.

Dreamfinder has not served as the central host of the attraction since the original version closed in 1998. His return is one of the clearest examples of Disney responding to long-standing fan requests while updating a pavilion that has remained largely unchanged for years. 

Disney did not reveal the attraction’s complete storyline or opening timeline.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The Yeti will move again

Disney announced that the enormous Yeti Audio-Animatronics figure inside Expedition Everest will be brought back to life.

The figure has operated in a limited show mode for many years. Disney did not explain how the restoration will be completed or when guests will see the fully functioning figure.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent

The new Indiana Jones attraction in Tropical Americas will officially be called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.

The attraction will take guests into an ancient Maya temple and combine Indiana Jones storytelling with Maya mythology, legendary creatures, and themes involving the relationship between culture and nature.

Harrison Ford will serve as the physical model for the attraction’s Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronics figure. Disney says this will be the first attraction in which Ford’s likeness appears as Indiana Jones. 

Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto

The second headlining attraction in Tropical Americas will be called Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto.

Guests will enter Casita on the day Antonio receives his magical gift and explore rooms created specifically for the attraction. Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow, and Diane Guerrero will return as Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabela.

The attraction will have no height requirement, making it accessible to families with younger children.

Tropical Americas, including the Indiana Jones and Encanto attractions, is scheduled to open in 2027. 

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Monstropolis will begin welcoming humans in 2027

Disney provided a much clearer picture of the new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Parts of Monstropolis will open in 2027. Mike and Sulley will host a new theater production called Welcome to Monstropolis at the Glob Theater. Disney Legend Randy Newman wrote an original song with the same name for the land. 

The land will also include:

• Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza
• The Monsters University Alumni Club
• The Scareporium merchandise location
• Harryhausen’s restaurant, featuring a tentacled sushi-chef Audio-Animatronics figure

Disney continues to build the door-themed coaster that will eventually send guests through the Monsters, Inc. door vault. Disney did not provide a separate opening date for the coaster. ⁠

Major changes are also coming to Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Park

Tomorrowland will be reimagined

Disney announced that it is developing a broad reimagining of Tomorrowland.

The project will honor the land’s original themes of optimism and innovation while introducing new attractions, more open space, and additional places focused on the future. 

This was an early-stage announcement. Disney did not reveal which attractions will remain, what will be replaced, when construction will begin, or when the updated land will open.

Classic nighttime entertainment will return in 2027

A refreshed version of Remember… Dreams Come True will return to Disneyland Park in February 2027.

The Magic Happens parade will return to Main Street, U.S.A. in summer 2027. 

Disney California Adventure

Avengers Campus will double in size

Two new Avengers attractions will open in 2028.

Avengers Infinity Defense will recruit guests to help reassemble the Avengers and confront King Thanos. The attraction will combine large physical sets with major media scenes.

Stark Flight Lab will offer a Stark Industries training experience. Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, and Brie Larson will reprise their Marvel roles for the attraction. 

The expansion will double the size of Avengers Campus and create a connection between the land and Cars Land.

Disney revealed new details about the first Coco attraction

Disney’s first attraction based on Coco will be a family-friendly boat ride with no height requirement.

The story will take place one year after the original film. Guests will enter through a museum-style house dedicated to Héctor Rivera’s music before traveling through Miguel’s memories of the Land of the Dead.

Imagineers are drawing inspiration from attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion while using new Audio-Animatronics technology to bring the skeletal characters to life. Construction is underway near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier. 

Disney has not announced an opening date.

The original World of Color will return in an updated form

An updated version of the original World of Color will debut at Disney California Adventure in February 2027.

Disney also announced international park projects

Although the U.S. parks received much of the attention, Disney also provided updates from around the world.

Disneyland Paris will restore its Jules Verne-inspired version of Space Mountain as Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune. Disney Adventure World in Paris is also receiving the first major attraction based on The Lion King.

Tokyo Disneyland is developing Space Mountain: Earthrise and the new Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue attraction based on Wreck-It Ralph.

Hong Kong Disneyland will add an Avengers Pavilion and Quinjet platform, while Shanghai Disney Resort is developing the first Disney Parks land dedicated entirely to Spider-Man. 

Disney’s entertainment announcements

The Entertainment Showcase covered Disney live action, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Animation, television, streaming, games, National Geographic, and stage productions.

There was too much announced to examine every title in depth, but these were the major reveals.

Disney and general entertainment

The Simpsons will return to theaters with a new film on September 3, 2027. 

Lilo & Stitch 2 will begin production in Hawaiʻi later this year. Chris Sanders, who co-created and directed the original animated film and voiced Stitch, will direct. The sequel will arrive in theaters May 26, 2028. 

The Bluey Movie will open in theaters August 6, 2027. The story follows Bluey and her family through an eventful day when a major surprise changes everything. 

Ice Age: Boiling Point will arrive in theaters February 5, 2027. The story will take the herd into a dinosaur and lava-filled portion of the Lost World. 

Disney also shared an update on its live-action Tangled, which is currently filming in Spain with Teagan Croft as Rapunzel, Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider, and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. 

Oswald, a new live-action and animation hybrid series from Jon Favreau, will premiere on Disney+ on February 17, 2027. The story begins when an earthquake releases Oswald the Lucky Rabbit into the modern world after he has remained hidden since the 1920s. 

Pixar

Incredibles 3 will open in theaters June 16, 2028. Peter Sohn will direct, with Dana Murray and Brad Bird producing. 

Coco 2 will follow a teenage Miguel on another journey to the Land of the Dead. Benjamin Bratt will return as Ernesto de la Cruz. The film is scheduled for November 2029. 

Pixar also announced a new original movie called Ghost Market. Set around a small plate-lunch shop on Oʻahu’s North Shore, the restaurant serves spirits caught between life and death until a living child unexpectedly enters. The film is scheduled for March 2028. 

Gatto, set in Venice and centered on a black cat named Nero, will open March 5, 2027. Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne will provide voices for the film. 

Marvel

VisionQuest will premiere on Disney+ on October 14, 2026. The series concludes the story that began with WandaVisionand continued through Agatha All Along. Paul Bettany returns as Vision, with James Spader returning as Ultron. 

Disney released a special look at Avengers: Doomsday, opening December 18, 2026. The film will bring together heroes from three separate universes against Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. 

Marvel also revealed the cast of its new X-Men film. Sadie Sink will play Jean Grey, Kit Connor will play Scott Summers, Christopher Abbott will play Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving will play Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette will play Rogue, and Maya Boyd will play Storm. Adam Driver will play Nathaniel Milbury.

The untitled film will open May 5, 2028.

Star Wars

Season two of Ahsoka will premiere on Disney+ on January 20, 2027. The new season will continue Ahsoka and Sabine’s journey while Grand Admiral Thrawn threatens the New Republic.

Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, will open in theaters May 28, 2027. The film follows a cynical rogue whose mysterious past pulls him into a new galactic conflict.

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Zootopia 3 is officially in early development. Disney did not announce a release date. 

Frozen 3 will arrive in theaters November 24, 2027. Disney showed new animation featuring Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, along with a new villain whose powers may rival Elsa’s. 

Television, streaming, and National Geographic

Season three of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on The Titan’s Curse, will premiere on Disney+ on November 20, 2026. 

Disney has greenlit an original Kingdom Hearts anime series for Disney Channel and Disney+. The series will tell a new story developed in collaboration with Square Enix and franchise creator Tetsuya Nomura. 

National Geographic’s LION follows a real pride in Kenya’s Maasai Mara and a cub named Kio. It premieres August 19 on National Geographic and begins streaming August 20 on Disney+ and Hulu.

Romy & Michele 2 will premiere on Hulu in 2027, with Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow returning.

Games and interactive entertainment

Kingdom Hearts IV is targeting a late 2027 release. The game will include a world inspired by Coco, with Miguel and Héctor joining Sora’s adventure. 

Disney and Epic Games also launched a connected experience that extends Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run into Fortnite. The project links the physical attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World with a digital Star Wars mission called Smugglers Gambit.

A new trailer debuted for Marvel’s Wolverine, which will launch exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15. 

Disney on stage

A stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman will open at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London’s West End in spring 2027.

The production includes songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a book by Tim Federle, and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw. 

Disney also announced that the immersive Mundo Pixar Experience will begin its first U.S. tour in 2027. Tour cities and dates have not yet been released. 

What was the biggest announcement?

The answer depends on how you experience Disney.

For longtime EPCOT fans, the return of Dreamfinder may be the emotional headline. For Disneyland guests, a complete reimagining of Tomorrowland has enormous potential. For Walt Disney World visitors, the combination of Villains Land, Piston Peak, Tropical Americas, and Monstropolis represents a substantial transformation of all four parks.

For cruise travelers, however, the most important news is Disney’s decision to create an entirely new class of ships.

The Disney Believe will be beautiful, but it remains part of an established family of vessels. The ships arriving beginning in 2029 could change where Disney Cruise Line sails and how the company designs cruises for different regions of the world.

D23 2026 did not answer every question. In several cases, Disney announced a concept without providing an opening date. Cruise itineraries, home ports, construction schedules, and booking dates will come later.

What Disney did provide was a clear direction. The company is investing heavily in its cruise fleet, modernizing classic attractions, developing major new lands in Florida and California, and building a steady pipeline of entertainment through the end of the decade.

For Disney travelers, the next several years will require more careful planning than ever. There will be construction, temporary closures, phased openings, new ships, and entirely new reasons to reconsider when and where to take the next Disney vacation.

This article reflects official Disney announcements available as of August 17, 2026. Project details and opening timelines may change as development continues.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the views, positions, or policies of The Walt Disney Company or any of its affiliates. I am sharing this information in my personal capacity, based solely on publicly available information