It’s been a MASSIVE weekend, friends!
Overview of Pueblo Esperanza coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom
At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event this past weekend, we got to see tons of new merchandise (lots of which has hit the online Disney Store already), see loads of Disney Imagineers and icons, and of course, we heard TONS of HUGE news about what’s coming to Disney parks in the next few years. In case you missed it, here are the SEVEN (!!!) new rides coming to Disney World!
Magic Kingdom
One of the biggest announcements that fans are THRILLED about is that a Villains land is finally coming to Disney World! This land will be placed beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is currently unused land (don’t worry, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad isn’t going anywhere — it’ll be BEHIND it!).
Villains Land Concept Art ©Disney
We don’t know much about this new land just yet, but we DO know that it will house not one, but TWO new attractions for guests to enjoy! There are so many great Disney Villains to choose from, we can’t wait to see how the theming of these rides will pan out.
©Disney
But that’s not all that was announced for Magic Kingdom! A new Cars land (aka Radiator Springs) will be added to Frontierland, which will take the place of where Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America currently is (yes, this means that Tom Sawyer Island is 100% going away, and it’s extremely likely the Liberty Square Riverboat will also be going away, as it does travel in that waterway).
©Disney
This new area will also house 2 new rides! The first is described as a “thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes.”
Cars is coming to Magic Kingdom! ©Disney
The other ride is described as being tuned more toward the whole family so that “smaller racers” can enjoy it as well! This likely means that this ride will not have a height requirement, or that it’ll be pretty low.
Map of where the new Cars area will be
We see you Magic Kingdom! Coming in HOT with these new ride announcements — we’re totally here for it.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
A whole new LAND was announced for Disney’s Hollywood Studios — Monsters Inc. land! It’s unclear where this new land is going at the moment, but two of the top assumptions based on the concept art are Muppets Courtyard/Star Tours (which would mean the end of MuppetVision 3D) OR where Animation Courtyard/Star Wars Launch Bay currently is.
Monsters Inc. Land Concept Art ©Disney
Nothing has been guaranteed right now, as construction won’t begin until 2026, but we do know that there will be a huge new attraction coming to this new land! It’ll be Disney’s first-ever suspended coaster that will take you through the Laugh Factory — yes, you’ll get to soar just like the doors do in the film! In fact, you ARE one of the doors, practically!
You can even ride on a door like Mike and Sully in the iconic scene from the film with Disney’s first-ever suspended coaster. ©Disney
We’re so excited for this new land and attraction!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
And the announcement we were all waiting for — we got more confirmation about what’s coming to the Tropical Americas, now called Pueblo Esperanza, which will be replacing DinoLand U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom. We now know that Dinosaur WILL be replaced by an Indiana Jones attraction, but it will be DIFFERENT than the Disneyland version! This new ride will take guests inside a Mayan Temple — sounds intriguing!
The new Tropical Americas land coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom lets guests explore a preserved Maya temple – and the ensuing adventure – alongside Indiana Jones. ©Disney
We also know that an Encanto-themed attraction will also be in Pueblo Esperanza! This attraction will take guests through the Casita and allow them to see members of the Madrigal family. We don’t have any other details at this time, but we’re looking forward to hearing more!
A new attraction themed after the Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Encanto” follows Antonio the day after he received his magical gift – the ability to communicate with animals and is situated in the new Tropical Americas land coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. ©Disney
And finally, a carousel was announced for this new land!
A carousel featuring the resident wood carver’s favorite animals.
©Disney
This carousel’s back story is that the resident wood carver of Pueblo Esperanza carved his favorite animals to make the ride. We got a sneak peek of the kind of detail we can expect on the ride, and this is going to be gorgeous!
A carousel model on display at the d23 Ultimate Fan Convention
We can’t wait to hear more about these attractions as they start to break ground and get started over the next few years!
More D23 News!
- Stay Alert! Disney Could Make Some Major Announcements This Weekend
- The SNEAKY REASON We Think Another Magic Kingdom Expansion Might Be in the Works
- NEWS! Close-Up Look At Disney’s NEW Coco Ride
- When Is the Coco Ride Opening in Disney California Adventure?
- Disney Reveals NEW Song From ‘Moana 2’ and Fans Are Freaking Out!
Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news!
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That Kevin carousel seat is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Totally against what they are doing to the beauty of Frontierland. Don’t see how the new stuff slated for Animal Kingdom fits in at all. Disney seems to be doing everything in its power to de-theme everything.
Again, MK is the absolute last Disney park in need of more attractions. Stop messing with it so much, it’s great. Remember when you went to the old west and there were modern style car-people driving around everywhere? Dear Disney, don’t ruin what you’ve got! Studios is probably second least in need of more attractions, but….fine. What Disney World really needs is more AK attractions and another gate. Instead we’re getting a re-themeing and added attractions to the two parks that already have the most attractions.
I’ll believe it when they actually build them. Didn’t they announce a Mary Poppins ride for Epcot?