Disney World New and Upcoming Rides and Shows

Welcome to our breakdown of what rides, shows, and attractions are new and upcoming at Walt Disney World!

While this list focuses on things that are debuting, I’ll also include major closures. It makes sense that if I’m going to tell you the “new” thing you’re getting, you should also understand when something is being lost in the process. This list generally doesn’t include refurbishments, even long ones, except for the most exceptional reimaginings. We’ve got two related calendars:

2025 ScheduleD Debuts and Closures

Let’s start with the most straightforward group—these are things that are locked into the calendar for 2025 already:

2025 Unspecified Dates

Now, these are things that are either set to happen at some unspecified time in 2025 or things that Disney has confirmed will happen, but has not set a timeline for, and that we think could happen in 2025.

Summer 2025 - Disney Starlight Debuts

The new Disney Starlight nighttime parade is set to debut sometime in summer 2025 at Magic Kingdom. When the May 27 opening date for the new shows at Hollywood Studios was announced, Disney specified that Starlight would debut sometime “later” in the summer.

Rumors and other evidence suggest a mid-July opening, but nothing has been confirmed by Disney.

“Late Summmer” 2025 - Test Track 3.0 Debuts

This isn’t strictly a new ride, but Test Track will reopen from its extensive reimagining in “Late Summer 2025.”

“Winter” 2025 - Zootopia: Better Zoogether Debuts

The only timeframe Disney has ever given for the Zootopia-themed replacement to It’s Tough To Be A Bug at Animal Kingdom is “Winter 2025.” Well, it didn’t debut early in 2025, and the next “winter” season is December 21, 2025 to March 20, 2026.

While mid-December launches have happened in the past, it’s reasonable to expect Disney would like this one open by late November. So, this one will probably debut…sometime in October through December 2025.

Unknown 2025 / 2026 - Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Re-Theme

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is going to be re-themed from “Starring Aerosmith” to something Muppets-themed. Disney has not said when this will happen, but with MuppetVision 3D closing June 7, we expect the ride to at least close sometime in 2025.

Unknown 2025 / 2026 - Rivers of America Closure

At Magic Kingdom, Rivers of America, including Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat will permanently close to make room for the Cars-themed area. This project appears to have cleared initial permitting hurdles. While no closure date has been announced, we expect a closure could be imminent, and we don’t expect much advance notice for it.

2026 and Beyond

Expected Early 2026 - Bye Bye Dinoland USA

Dino-Rama closed in January 2025, leaving DINOSAUR, The Boneyard, and Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland USA. Disney has confirmed those will close sometime after 2025. It stands to reason, since they have given no assurances beyond that, that these final pieces of Dinoland USA will close early in 2026, probably just after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (so, around January 20, 2026).

May 22, 2026 - New Smugglers Run Missions Debut

I’m not sure this really qualifies for this calendar, but we’re just so grateful to Dsiney for announcing a specific date over a year in advance that we had to include it. On May 22, 2026, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will debut new storylines, including Mandalorian and Grogu content. The single rider Engineer will also have new responsibilities relating to Grogu. It’s unclear whether the ride will close in advance of this debut, and if so, for how long (check the refurbishment calendar for that).

The next remaining projects are significant enough to have their own posts where we talk in much more detail about the projects. Here, I’ll give very quick overviews and only the most general timeline expectations (in general, I tend to intentionally stay a few steps behind the rumor mill on these things—if you want more specific speculation, it’s out there).

2027 - Pueblo Esperanza Opens at Animal Kingdom

The Dinoland USA replacement land, Pueblo Esperanza is scheduled to open in 2027. This is the only one of the four major ongoing Disney World projects that has a specific opening timeframe. This land will include:

  • A brand new Casita-themed ride

  • A brand new carousel

  • An Indiana Jones ride replacing DINOSAUR

  • and a restaurant.

I don’t think it pays to speculate on when in 2027 this debut will occur. It might not even be a single debut. The land closed in phases. Galaxy’s Edge opened in phases. It’s possible Pueblo Esperanza will open in phases too. That adds a layer of complexity that should put dates beyond any reasonable speculation as I write this in 2025.

Unknown - Monstropolis Opens at Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios will be getting a new land, too, themed to Monstropolis. Little is known about this land except that it will features a doors-themed coaster that (apparently) some fans have been demanding for years.

While no opening date has been set, this one will likely debut between Pueblo Esperanza and anything at Magic Kingdom. Why? Well, Pueblo Esperanza has been given a specific opening year, and work is already ongoing. Monstropolis is unspecified and only just moving into the de/construction phase. So, it won’t beat Pueblo Esperanza.

It probably will beat anything at Magic Kingdom, and that makes 2028 a pretty reasonable target for this project. To understand why the Magic Kingdom projects will take longer, lets move onto those.

Unknown - Cars-themed Area Opens at Magic Kingdom

Replacing the Rivers of America, between Haunted Mansion and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, will be a new Cars area. This mini-land or whatever will have two brand new rides—one for taller riders and one for shorter rides.

Two rides is not itself super ambitious, but this project is likely going to take some time because, you know, there’s a bunch of water still there as of May 2025. Disney has to deal with the existing infrastructure related to the water, riverboat, and Tom Sawyer Island before building can begin. Since we’ve got 2027 and 2028 already booked above, let’s plug this one in at 2029.

Now, I’m still assuming this will get done before the “flagship” future project—Villains Land.

Unknown - Villains Land Opens at Magic Kingdom

Villains Land will be a full new land, not a mere “area” like the Cars area. It will have two brand new “major” rides, along with dining and shopping.

Fans have been begging for Villains Land for years. While, unlike the Cars area, this one will seemingly be on existing land, I still think it’s going to follow sometime after the Cars area. Simply put, this land is positioned to be the next Galaxy’s Edge or Pandora in a way the other lands on this ride are not. Disney is going to need to do a lot of things perfectly.

This is the thing we’re all looking forward to now. I expect Disney to do it well and to make it worth the wait, but I’m not expecting it until 2030, after the other projects on this list are done.

All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered

Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.

Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.

When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!

Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.

Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.

Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.