Walt Disney once predicted that Disneyland would “never be completed” and would continue growing “as long as there is imagination left in the world.” The theme park in Anaheim, California, is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, and there’s a lot of new growth on the way — both at Disneyland and at its 53-year-old counterpart in Florida, Walt Disney World.
From new rides to new lands to huge park expansions, here’s everything new coming to Disney Parks and the Disney Cruise Line in 2025 and beyond.
Disneyland’s 70th birthday celebration
Kicking off in mid-May is Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration. The original Disney park opened on July 17, 1955, but the birthday celebration begins two months early, on May 16, and continues for more than a year, running through summer 2026.
“Celebrate happy” is the theme, and new events will include a Mickey and Friends cavalcade, projection shows at It’s a Small World and Carthay Circle, outfits for Mickey and friends, the World of Color Happiness show and the first ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney himself, as part of the Walt Disney: A Magical Life show inside the Main Street Opera House. The Paint the Night parade, Pixar Pals parade and Wondrous Journeys fireworks show will also be returning.
California Adventure is getting 2 more Avengers rides
The Avengers Infinity Defense ride.
Disney’s California Adventure, already home to the Spider-Man Web Slingers and Guardians of the Galaxy attractions in the Avengers Campus area of the park, will be getting two more Marvel attractions.
Avengers Campus will double in size to make room for Avengers Infinity Defense — a King Thanos ride where you’ll travel the multiverse between Asgard, Wakanda and New York City to fight him — and Stark Flight Lab, where you’ll sit in a two-person pod and go on a flight with Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Iron Man.
Construction begins this year on the Avengers Campus additions.
Coco attraction at California Adventure
Concept art for the new Coco ride.
Disney’s California Adventure is also getting more Pixar rides.
A Coco attraction will be built in a yet-to-be-announced area of the park, but it sounds like it’ll be a dark ride like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, populated by Audio-Animatronics.
“The attraction will be filled with the characters — and music! — you know and love from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead,” Disney says.
Work begins on the Coco ride in 2026, so its launch is still a while away.
Bluey is coming to Disneyland and Disney World
Meet and greets with Bluey and her family will be coming to Disneyland and Disney World, as well as to Disney cruises, starting at an unspecified time in 2025. Disney announced this news after revealing that a Bluey movie will be hitting screens in 2027.
“Bluey has become a household name for families around the world, and we are thrilled to bring her story to life in new ways,” said Disney Experiences Chair Josh D’Amaro. “We can’t wait to watch our youngest guests and their families make memories with Bluey in our parks and on our cruises.”
The hugely popular Australian TV series about a family of dogs is a worldwide hit, with Disney to release the movie in two years’ time. (In the meantime, you can watch Bluey episodes and minisodes on Disney Plus.)
Avatar is coming to Anaheim
An aerial shot of the Avatar-themed area coming to Disneyland Resort.
The world of Pandora is expanding from Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando to California Adventure in Anaheim. The area in California will take its design inspiration from the second Avatar film, The Way of Water, as well as the upcoming Avatar sequels.
It’ll likely be part of the enormous Disneyland expansion coming to the theme parks that will push the boundaries past Downtown Disney and into the nearby parking lots. While Disney was short on details and dates, the Avatar experience will be “dynamic, intense and emotional,” with a dark boat ride much like Pirates of the Caribbean “taking guests all the way to the wide-open seas of Pandora.”
Magic Kingdom: Villains Land
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is getting a Villains Land.
Villains Land, which will celebrate all the classic baddies from Disney films, is coming to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, and it will be “dark and thorny,” according to the Horizons Disney Experiences Showcase (part of Disney’s D23 expo in August) and info that Disney has released since.
Villains Land was first teased during D23 2022. It’ll be positioned on the other side of Big Thunder Mountain — aka, the top left edge of the current Magic Kingdom map — and will stretch around to where the Haunted Mansion is.
Two major attractions will be built in Villains Land, as well as dining and shopping “on an incredibly twisted grand scale.” The land is already being constructed, but no word yet on when it’ll open.
A chilling trailer for the chaotic land on Instagram hints at elements in the land representing Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, Ursula, Gaston, Yzma, Queen of Hearts, Hades, the Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine, Captain Hook, Jafar, Kaa, Madam Mim, Cruella, Scar, King Magnifico and Mother Gothel.
Pixar’s Cars is taking over the Rivers of America
The new Cars rally race ride.
The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom are being repurposed to add an area themed around Pixar’s Cars movies. This expansion of Frontierland, which currently encompasses Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, will see it get a Route 66 companion.
“To make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world’s most iconic racers,” Disney said in a blog post Monday.
The rally race ride will take you through mountains, past geysers and along trails, Disney said, adding that there will be a second Cars-themed attraction, too. Cars Land, which was added to Disney’s California Adventure back in 2012, remains popular in the west, so it was only a matter of time before it was added to the east. Work is set to begin this year.
Hollywood Studios gets Monsters Inc. Land
Disney’s first suspended roller coaster will take you on a ride through the Monsters Inc. factory.
Another new addition coming to Disney World at its Hollywood Studios theme park is a Monsters Inc.-themed area, to replace the current Muppets area (with the Muppets to replace Aerosmith theming in the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster).
Revealed by the voice of Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), the land will let you stroll through Monstropolis from the Pixar movies and shorts. A new ride will also take you through the Monsters Inc. laugh factory aboard one of the doors to the human world — aka a suspended roller coaster.
“The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley,” D’Amaro said at D23 in August. “You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”
Work on the Monsters Inc. land will begin later in 2025.
Watch this: Disney Parks Announcements at D23
Animal Kingdom: Tropical Americas
Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World is replacing its DinoLand USA area with Tropical Americas. Though this had been previously announced, Disney confirmed a few more details in August: Pueblo Esperanza will feel like you’re walking through a real village and will have a huge quick-service dining location, a fountain and a carousel.
Tropical Americas will also have a new Indiana Jones ride through a Maya temple and an Encanto-themed attraction where you’ll explore Antonio’s rainforest room inside the Casita.
Construction began in fall 2024, but DinoLand USA is closing down in stages. The Dinosaur ride (which will become the Indiana Jones ride) remains open, but TriceraTop Spin and the midway area closed down on Jan. 13.
Tropical Americas is planned to open in 2027.
The Tropical Americas area will replace DinoLand USA and feature an Encanto ride, an Indiana Jones ride and a carousel.
Disney Cruise Line is getting 4 more ships
In addition to the Disney Wish, which launched in July 2022, the Disney Treasure, which set sail in December 2024, and the Disney Destiny, which is set to embark later this year, Disney is adding four more cruise ships to its ocean vacation lineup.
The ship names and destinations have yet to be revealed, but the ships will be setting sail between 2027 and 2031.
Everything else coming to Disney World and Disneyland
Mando and Grogu are joining in the Millennium Falcon fun.
Here’s what else is new and coming to the theme parks:
- Disneyland’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened on Nov. 15, with Critter Country rethemed to Bayou Country. The area still includes the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride and Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, as well as Pooh Corner and the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. Two merchandise stores, called Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club, are also now open.
- Disneyland and Hollywood Studios will be getting Mandalorian and Grogu missions added to the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2026, to tie in with the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas.
- Epcot will be opening a Reimagined Test Track (now sponsored by GM) in 2025, which will celebrate “the past, present and future of automation.”
- Animal Kingdom will be replacing its old It’s Tough to be a Bug show inside the Tree of Life with a Zootopia-themed show. Zootopia: Better Zoogether will feature Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde taking you through several different areas from the city, and it’ll open next winter.
- Magic Kingdom and Epcot are getting two new lounges: a Pirates Lounge and a Spaceship Earth lounge, respectively. They’ll open in 2025.
- Magic Kingdom will be getting a new nighttime parade called Disney Starlight in the summer.
- Magic Kingdom is also getting a new show: Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After.