WHAT’S NEW?

WHAT’S NEW AT WALT DISNEY WORLD?

Updated on 5/30/25

As much as Disney fans bemoan change, can you honestly imagine a year without ANYTHING new? Theme parks aren’t monuments. New stuff is why we go back again and again, right?

While nothing in the Disneyverse is guaranteed, here is a list of what’s NEW, what’s been announced, and what blue sky ideas are out there in the great big beyond.

2025 OPENINGS

GEO-82 (EPCOT)

JUNE 4, 2025

Thank The Phoenicians! GEO-82 will be THE PLACE TO BE in 2025. The lounge for guests 21 and up will be tucked inside the park icon, Spaceship Earth. The menu includes: Funghi Flatbread, Jumbo Lump Crap Gateau, Truffled Ahi Tuna, and a dozen specialty cocktails. (*Advance reservations are a must!) Décor is based on the attraction’s geometric sphere, and the number 82 refers to EPCOT and Spaceship Earth’s opening year – 1982.

Views of the World Celebration Gardens and EPCOT’s nighttime fireworks will be part of the draw to the new Spaceship Earth lounge. (Image Courtesy of Disney)

Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After (Hollywood Studios)

OPEN NOW!!!

Character Takeover! On May 27, Disney’s worst villains invaded Hollywood Studios and took over the space at the end of Sunset Boulevard previously occupied by Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. Unfairly Ever After uses the stage to tell the story of Disney’s “unfairly” treated characters like Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent.

Deep in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard, inside Sunset Showcase, the all-new stage show “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” debuted on May 27, 2025, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort. (Image Courtesy of Disney, Omark Reyes, photographer)

Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away (Magic Kingdom)

JULY 20, 2025

Main Street Electric Parade Replacement! The newest Magic Kingdom nighttime parade, “Disney Starlight,” travels down Main Street this summer. The entourage will feature the Blue Fairy, classic and new characters, a Mary Blair-inspired princess float, Easter eggs, and innovative light technology to make sure guests don’t miss a bit of the magic.

Disney Starlight debuts this summer! (Image Courtesy of Disney)

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure (Hollywood Studios)

OPEN NOW!!!

Ariel and Friends returned to the Animation Courtyard Theater on May 27 in The Little Mermaid—A Musical Adventure, which features live performances and puppets based on the animated film.

Dive under the sea with “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure,” a new live stage show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Image Courtesy of Disney, Steven A. Diaz, photographer)

Better Zoogether! (Animal Kingdom)

Winter 2025

Zootopia Takeover! A new show, Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, debuts in the Tree of Life theater on Discovery Island. Guests will visit the different biomes featured in the animated film.

Better Zoogether! is a 4D movie experience. Image Courtesy of Disney

Test Track 3.0 (EPCOT)

Summer 2025

In Tribute To Motion! In 2025, Test Track will add “edutainment” back to EPCOT with a reimagined inside that celebrates the evolution of mobility. Don’t worry, though, the thrilling part of Test Track remains.

General Motors will sponsor the updated Test Track attraction. (Image Courtesy of Disney)

The Beak and Barrel (Magic Kingdom)

Late 2025

Yo, Ho, Ho! The Beak and Barrel, a new spot to grab grog and grub, is slated to arrive in Adventureland this year. The tavern will be located next to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and will feature a pleasant mix of new Magic Kingdom food choices and beloved nostalgic touches. *Advanced reservations for the tavern will be a must. Stay tuned for details on the menu and opening date. It should be revealed soon!

We are hearing that, unlike EPCOT’s new lounge, The Beak and Barrel will be for pirates of all ages. Image Courtesy of Disney

2026 & Beyond

Level99 (Disney Springs)

TBA

Returning to its Roots! NBA Experience, which closed in March 2020, will be replaced with Level99, an indoor playground (mainly for adults) that specializes in competitive experiences like challenge rooms, arena duels, and what sounds like a scavenger hunt of local art. Fans of the old DisneyQuest (which used to occupy the building Level99 will take over) may approve. To learn more about what current Level99 locations are like, go to https://www.level99.com/faqs.

An example of a Level99 physical challenge. Image courtesy of Level99.

Smugglers Run Update (Hollywood Studios)

2026

Fly With Grogu! Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run embarks on a new mission featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu.

Image Courtesy of Disney

Tropical Americas Land (Animal Kingdom)

2027

Goodbye DinoLand USA! The new land that was announced last year is moving forward at the Animal Kingdom theme park. The 11-acre Tropical Americas will include the town of Pueblo Esperanza, an Indiana Jones attraction, an Encanto-themed attraction, and a carousel featuring carved animals from Disney stories.

You have all of 2025 to visit Dinoland. After that, the land will be closed to construct the new Tropical Americas Land. (Image Courtesy of Disney)

Villains Land (Magic Kingdom)

TBD

A Villains Domain! Imagineers will begin fulfilling the wishes of millions of fans when they conjure up a new land for the Magic Kingdom dedicated to Disney Villains. The space will spawn behind the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction and include two new attractions, dining, and shopping.

Image Courtesy of Disney

Cars Attraction (Magic Kingdom)

TBD

Cars Are Comin’! Hitch up the horses and make way for Cars in Frontierland. Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, and friends are taking over Frontierland’s Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America. The area will be reimagined with rugged racing terrains. Once complete, the spot that connects Frontierland and Liberty Square will house two new Cars-themed attractions.

Image Courtesy of Disney

World of Monsters, Inc. (Hollywood Studios)

TBD

Laughter, Not Screams! Work begins this summer on a new Monstropolis-themed land inside of Hollywood Studios. The land’s main attraction will be a “suspended-door” coaster – Disney’s first-ever suspended rollercoaster. Sadly, the new land will replace the current Muppets Courtyard at Hollywood Studios, but the Muppets will not disappear completely. See our next blurb on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

Fans have until May 10, 2025, to experience Grand Avenue and dine at Mama Melrose’s and until June 7, 2025, to enjoy Muppet*Vision 3D and Pizza Rizzo before Muppets Courtyard closes for good to make way for a new land based on the Monsters Inc. stories.
(Image Courtesy of Disney)

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios)

TBD

Time To Light The Lights! Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster says goodbye to Aerosmith and hello to the Muppets. When Muppet Courtyard closes, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal, Dr. Teeth, and the rest of the band will move from Grand Avenue to Sunset Boulevard as part of a re-theming of the popular indoor attraction, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Disney promises that the gang will be “teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival.” Fans can also expect to see a refresh of the attraction’s gift shop and more Muppets merchandise on Sunset Boulevard.

2024 UPDATES

If you missed any of 2024’s new stuff, here’s a quick list:

  • April 5, 2024 – Star Tours (Hollywood Studios attraction), the existing attraction was updated with the addition of new characters
  • June 10, 2024 – CommuniCore Hall and Plaza (EPCOT gathering place), a place for relaxing, music, and festival activity
  • June 28, 2024 – Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Magic Kingdom rethemed attraction) added to Frontierland
  • July 1, 2024 – Ft. Wilderness Cabins (Luxury Resort) added to the campground near the Magic Kingdom
  • July 17, 2024 – Country Bear Musical Jamboree (updated Magic Kingdom attraction) added to Frontierland
  • October 25, 2024 – The Cake Bake Shop (restaurant and bakery), added to Disney’s BoardWalk, which is within walking distance of EPCOT and Hollywood Studios
  • December 17, 2024 – Island Tower (luxury resort) added to the Polynesian Resort near the Magic Kingdom

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