If you’ve been on any Disney-related social media at all this last weekend, you probably saw a lot of commentary on D23! D23 is a bi-annual convention held just down the road from Disneyland, where Disney shares all kinds of news on what’s coming – to the parks, to theaters, to cruise lines…basically the whole slate across the company. While some of the announcements were INCREDIBLE and I want to go on and on about them (Monstropolis coming to Disney World!!!!), in this post I’ll share just the announcements related to the Disneyland Resort stemming from the event.
AVENGERS CAMPUS EXPANSION
California Adventure got the bulk of the “love” at the event. First, Disney confirmed the long-awaited second attraction is coming to Avengers Campus…along with a surprise third attraction! From the concept art, it looks like both new attractions will go toward the rear of the campus over by Cars Land (quite close to Luigi – hopefully that ride won’t close to make room).
Source: Disney Parks Blog
First: Avengers Infinity Defense. Here’s the official description on this attraction:
Technology that allows the Avengers to jump between worlds has gone missing, and King Thanos is using it to wreak havoc everywhere. Recruits will travel to iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City alongside the likes of big, and small, heroes. You also just might find yourself face-to-face with King Thanos, too.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
And then, Stark Flight Lab. Here’s the teaser from the Parks Blog:
With the just announced Stark Flight Lab, you’re going to sit in two-person pods and deploy to a test station. Then a robot arm grabs your pod and starts whirling you around in a simulated flight. And, a familiar face will join you at the Stark Flight Lab — Mr. Stark himself. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark for the attractions in the land.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
In terms of details, we didn’t get much. Construction is slated to begin “sometime next year”, so I would expect we’ll get more details in the next few months.
A NEW LAND
Beyond existing lands, California Adventure is growing to make room for new lands as well. A new version of Pandora (the world from Avatar) will be joining the land lineup sometime in the future (again, no specific date). Unlike the Disney World version, this one will draw inspiration from The Way of Water and showcase different parts of Pandora than its Florida counterpart.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Given that this space will be a distinct land, I anticipate it will have several attractions, and at least one dining option or shop within. But for now, we just have a teaser of one attraction that appears to be a boat ride of some kind.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Like with the Avengers Campus expansion, I assume we’ll get more details in the coming months. I’ll be sure to report on any updates as they come in.
NEW ATTRACTIONS
During the event, we also learned that California Adventure will the the first park to feature a Coco attraction. No word on where in the park this will go, but if I had to guess – I think they might place it somewhere between Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens Park (that’s where they do the Miguel meet and greet during Halloween season), maybe dipping a little into the current backstage area to fit it. But I truly don’t know how much real estate they have back there – so I could be totally wrong!
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro teased during the event:
We’re bringing our skeletal cast of characters to life in a big way through the latest Audio-Animatronics technology. These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.
Construction on the new ride is not scheduled to begin until 2026, so it will likely be a while before we have a lot more detail. But over in Disneyland, we did get news of a much sooner opening.
To mark Disneyland’s 70th anniversary next year, the Main Street Opera House will debut a new show: “Walt Disney – A Magical Life”. Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln fans need not worry; after the anniversary concludes that show will rotate back into the theater alongside the new one.
The past, present and future are coming together, giving visitors the chance to imagine what it would be like to stop by Walt’s office. Who knows what he might be dreaming up inside? Only time will tell with Walt.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
EXISTING STRUCTURE UPDATES
And finally, we got two smaller updates on existing structures within the resort. First, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure FINALLY has an opening date: November 15. And as part of that opening, Critter Country will formally change its name to Bayou Country. A few shops have been refreshed (along with Hungry Bear), but Winnie the Pooh and the Canoes will remain untouched despite the re-theming.
Bayou Country is situated on the edge of New Orleans Square with shady trees, mesmerizing music and a vast collection of enchanting surprises. Guests will discover a land filled with friendly woodland animals, from a trumpet-playing gator and an adorable bear who craves honey to a musical cast of bears, frogs, and other critters.
In addition to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Bayou Country will be the home to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, as well as the newly reimagined Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, which has one of the most scenic dining areas in all of Disneyland park. And don’t forget to grab your favorite merchandise from Ray’s Berets, and Louis’ Critter Club, and sweet treats from Pooh Corner.
And last but not least, Smuggler’s Run will be getting some new scenes. When The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters in 2026, riders will also have the chance to fly within some of the locations and battles from the film.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
While I was personally disappointed to see Tomorrowland not included in the list of Disneyland projects, I’m thrilled to see the resort is working to expand California Adventure’s offerings. Right now if you look at the lineup, Disneyland has a lot more attractions than California Adventure, and I think this expansion will help balance the parks much better. Plus – I think it’s likely some of these projects will be part of DisneylandForward, so I’ll be curious to see how they unfold.
I am glad that Avengers Campus will be expanded upon. It’s so small and crowded at the moment!
With Coco, I expect they will remove Goofy’s Sky School, Corn Dog Castle, and what is it…Seaside Souvenirs (?) to make room. I doubt they want to remove the area where Plaza de la Familia and Lunar New Year take place since those have cultural significance, and Luna New Year draws in crowds during what is typically viewed as an “off season” time.
The retheming of Critter to Bayou is so exciting! I would love for more trees and Spanish moss, akin to the old Magnolia fountain area, to be put in and make it lush. While I love Winnie the Pooh, it feels out of place, and I won’t be surprised if it ends up being removed eventually. While at D23 some friends and I were trying to think of other southern concepts, and someone mentioned The Rescuers, but I don’t think that has a lot of appeal. I would love to see more original park content, not just IP from films and TV.
I think you might be right about the Coco location! And yes – I’m curious to see how Bayou Country evolves over time. I can’t imagine it’ll stay the way it is for long.