Walt Disney Imagineering

Walt Disney World – October 25, 2026 -- Parts of Monstropolis, the Monsters, Inc. land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, will open to guests in 2027, even as work continues on the door coaster. Disney revealed the first details during "Horizons: A Carousel of Progress" at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa.

Host Neil Patrick Harris welcomed Michael Hundgen, Vice President Creative, and Chris Beatty, Vice President at Walt Disney Imagineering, who walked through the new locations. The land is a collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios.

Randy Newman writes his first theme park song

"Welcome to Monstropolis" is the first song Disney Legend Randy Newman has composed for a Disney theme park. Guests will hear it when the land opens.

United States – October 25, 2026 -- A second season of The Imagineering Story is officially in production and will debut on Disney+ in 2028, giving fans a new look at how Disney's theme park creators work. Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks and Walt Disney Imagineering President and Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn announced it at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa.

Season 2 follows Imagineers from concept to construction

The first season arrived in 2019 and chronicled decades of Disney history. Season 2 takes a different approach: it follows Imagineers as they shape what the source describes as one of the most ambitious periods in Disney Experiences history.

Vaughn said Iwerks has been present as projects moved from blue-sky concept to the "dirt is moving!" stage. She has been granted unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the creative process, so viewers can see not only what Imagineers are building but how they think.

Walt Disney World – October 22, 2026 -- The Encanto attraction coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom is officially called Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto, and it will have no height requirement, so the whole family can ride. Disney revealed the name and new details at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, where Jared Bush, Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation Studios and writer and director of Encanto, presented the project.

Antonio's gift day drives the story

Guests are invited to Casita to celebrate Antonio's new gift, the ability to communicate with animals. The attraction's message is that we are all part of the familia of living things, regardless of our special gifts or abilities.

Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow and Diane Guerrero return to voice Mirabel, Luisa and Isabella. Darrow called the film "a perfect film" for taking colors and excitement into a real-world experience.

California – October 22, 2026 -- Disney California Adventure is getting the first Coco ride at any Disney park, and it will have no height requirement, so the whole family can board together.

Walt Disney Imagineers shared new details at D23: The Ultimate Fan Event presented by Visa, on the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress stage. Ali Rubinstein, Senior Vice President of Global Creative & Development Studios, and Emily O'Brien, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer for Disneyland Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort, took the stage after Los Lobos performed La Llorona. Neil Patrick Harris hosted the showcase. The attraction was first announced at D23 2024.

The story picks up one year after the original film

The queue starts in Pixar Pier, next to Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. Guests enter a "casa museo" dedicated to the music of Héctor Rivera, Miguel's great-great grandfather.

Walt Disney World – October 22, 2026 -- Magic Kingdom's villain-themed expansion now has an official name, Villains Land, and two headline attractions: a Maleficent coaster and a Magic Mirror dark ride. Disney revealed the details during the Disney Experiences showcase, Horizons: A Carousel of Progress, at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

A Magic Mirror appeared onstage and introduced Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum. Walt Disney Imagineering's Bruce Vaughn, President & Chief Creative Officer, and Caroline May, Executive Creative Director, then took over the presentation.

Villains Land is named to match the rest of Magic Kingdom

Vaughn and May said they chose the name because several areas in the park, such as Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, already end in "land." The team compared the size and scale of the new area to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. It will include shops, restaurants and the two major attractions.