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First Looks at Disneyland Expansion and Disney World’s ‘Piston Peak’ Cars Land

Disney this week unveiled a sneak peek of what its flagship theme park’s expansion will look like. Plus, everything you need to know about Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.

It’s been 70 years since Disneyland opened its gates, and the original Disney park is now celebrating its anniversary. As Walt Disney himself predicted, Disneyland will “never be completed,” as long as imagination remains in the world — and it’s continuing to grow with new rides, experiences and entertainment planned for 2025 and beyond. 

This week, Disney announced new details for its big expansion, including a new esplanade entry experience, where the Coco ride will be, and what old attraction will be closing down so the Avatar attraction can open.

And over in the 53-year-old Walt Disney World in Florida, new lands are being built right now (not to mention the brand-new Disney theme park announced for Abu Dhabi). Disney Parks has revealed how its new Cars Land at Magic Kingdom will look — check out the map below.

We’ve got all the details on the park expansions and the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration. Here’s everything coming to the Disney Parks and the Disney Cruise Line in 2025 and beyond.

Disneyland expansion

This week, Disney Parks unveiled concept art and details of what its expansion will look like. The first phase of the project is a new parking structure to the east of Disneyland, along with a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard. A new esplanade entry “experience” will replace the current walkway entry. Construction is planned to begin in fall 2026.

New Coco attraction at Disney’s California Adventure

Disney’s California Adventure is also getting more Pixar rides, with a Coco attraction being built in the area near Pixar Pier and Parade Gardens, in what is currently mostly backstage areas for cast members. Construction is set to begin this fall, Disney announced in June.

We don’t have many details yet, but it sounds like it’ll be a dark ride like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, populated by audio-animatronics. 

“The attraction will be filled with the characters — and music! — you know and love from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead,” Disney says.

Avatar area to replace Monsters, Inc. ride at California Adventure

The world of Pandora is expanding from Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando to California Adventure in Anaheim. The area in California will take its design inspiration from the second Avatar film, The Way of Water, as well as the upcoming Avatar sequels.

This is part of the enormous Disneyland expansion coming to the theme parks, which will push the boundaries past Downtown Disney and into the nearby parking lots. Disney said in June that it is “transforming a portion of the current Hollywood Backlot area into our Avatar destination in Disney California Adventure.” This will include removing the Monsters Inc. attraction, which will close permanently in early 2026.

Disney says the project is still in early development, so it’s still short on details and dates. However, it has previously said the Avatar experience will be “dynamic, intense and emotional,” with a dark boat ride much like Pirates of the Caribbean “taking guests all the way to the wide-open seas of Pandora.”

Disney World Cars Land: First look at Piston Peak

The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom are being repurposed to add an area themed around Pixar’s Cars movies. This expansion of Frontierland, which currently encompasses Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, will get a Route 66 companion, whose look is inspired by the Rocky Mountain area and the “American Frontier and its national parks.”

“Imagine an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers,” Disney Parks Blog wrote on June 3.

Disney says Imagineers are “using a style of architecture called ‘Parkitecture,’ which was developed by the National Park Service to create structures that harmonize with the natural environment.”

On the map, you can see a running river surrounding the Piston Peak area, with geysers spitting water. “Trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square. Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway,” Disney Parks said. You can see Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the top of the map (though those rides are farther east in the park, so this map of Cars Land is rotated 90 degrees).

There will be a visitor’s lodge, a Ranger HQ and walking trails in the Piston Peak area, so don’t fear that all exploration is being removed with the loss of Tom Sawyer Island. 

During SXSW in March, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michel Hundgen spoke about the new ride vehicle for the Cars attraction. You can watch a TikTok video of Disney Imagineers testing out off-road vehicles in the Arizona desert to create what the ride will feel like.

“These are all things Lightning McQueen and Mater haven’t experienced before, like racing over rocky terrain, ascending to mountain peaks, and dodging around geysers — how do you take these real-world elements and put a Cars spin on it?” Disney Parks said in another blog post. Docter added that each rally car will have its own personality, name and racing number. 

Disney last year said there would be a second Cars-themed attraction, too. Cars Land, which was added to Disney’s California Adventure back in 2012, remains popular in the west, so it was only a matter of time before it was added to the eastern outpost. 

Work is set to begin this year, and the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat will close on July 7.

What to know about Disneyland’s 70th celebration

Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration kicked off on May 16. (The original Disney park opened on July 17, 1955, but the celebration began two months early.) You have plenty of time to get there, though — the celebration will continue for more than a year, running through summer 2026.

“Celebrate happy” is the theme of the anniversary celebration, and Disneyland has an entirely new theme song, performed by the Jonas Brothers.

New events include a Mickey and Friends cavalcade (including Duffy and ShellieMay), a projection show at It’s a Small World called Tapestry of Happiness (as well as Miguel and Dante being added to the ride), a projection show at Carthay Circle, 70 new food and drink items and new outfits for Mickey and friends. 

The new World of Color show is hosted by Joy from Inside Out. The other Emotions manifest movie moments from Pixar and Disney films, including The Incredibles, Turning Red, A Goofy Movie, Encanto and Tangled. It also has a new preshow starring The Muppets.

The esplanade between Disneyland and California Adventure now has a 50-foot sculpture of Sleeping Beauty Castle, with more decorations sprinkled throughout Downtown Disney and Main Street USA, as well as inside Disney’s hotels. There’s even 70th anniversary decor inside the Toy Story Midway Mania ride.

The Paint the Night parade, Pixar Pals parade and the Wondrous Journeys fireworks show have also returned for the celebration.

On the official anniversary day of July 17, Disneyland will debut a new verse for It’s A Small World, as well as a 3-minute film called The Last Verse in the Main Street Cinema. The movie celebrates the Sherman Brothers, who wrote the music for the ride. There will also be a new gallery exhibition in the Opera House on Main Street USA, featuring never-before-seen images, art and artifacts from the development, opening and evolution of Disneyland. These include the original rocking chair, lamp and table from Walt Disney’s private apartment above the Fire Station on Main Street, Walt’s 1955 Emmy award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom he received in 1964. There will be a second exhibit on the history of animatronics. 

The first-ever audio-animatronic figure of Walt Disney himself will also debut on July 17 as a part of the Walt Disney: A Magical Life show inside the Main Street Opera House.

Ticket pricing for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration

Another big drawing card for the 70th anniversary celebrations: ticket pricing deals that make it slightly cheaper than usual to visit (as long as you go for at least three days).

If you’re visiting Disneyland between May 16 and Aug. 14, 2025, you can buy tickets that are part of the Disneyland Anniversary Ticket Offer. These cost $360 for a three-day, one-park-per-day ticket, or $400 for a four-day, one-park-per-day ticket.

Avengers Campus is getting two more rides at California Adventure

Looking beyond 2025, Disney’s California Adventure, which is already home to the Spider-Man Web Slingers and Guardians of the Galaxy attractions in the Avengers Campus area of the park, will be getting two more Marvel attractions. 

During SXSW, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Imagineering Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn and Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., revealed more details about these two new rides. Avengers Infinity Defense will see you assemble alongside the Avengers battling King Thanos, featuring appearances by Black Panther, Ant-Man and Hulk. Stark Flight Lab, the second ride, will see you help test Tony Stark’s latest tech.

“In Stark Flight Lab, guests will sit in ‘gyro-kinetic pods’ and roll along a track before stopping in front of a giant robot arm,” Disney explains on its Parks Blog. “This robot arm will hoist you into the air where you’ll make several high-speed maneuvers inspired by Iron Man and some other Avengers.”

Construction begins this year on the Avengers Campus additions. 

Updates to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Over in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will close in August for a total overhaul. Announced on March 26, the Tomorrowland attraction will get new ride vehicles with video monitors. 

It’s also getting a new scene at the start starring a new character, Buddy the friendly robot. Each star cruiser will have two handheld blasters with always-on lasers that come in two different colors so you can see which laser is yours. The static Z targets will also now “react and light up when hit.”

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will reopen sometime in 2026.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Monsters, Inc. land

If you’re going to miss the Monsters, Inc. ride at Disneyland, you’ll be relieved to know that a new addition coming to Disney World’s Hollywood Studios theme park is a Monsters, Inc.-themed area, to replace the current Muppets area (with the Muppets to replace Aerosmith theming in the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster).

Revealed by the voice of Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), the land will let you stroll through Monstropolis from the Pixar movies and shorts. A new ride will also take you through the Monsters Inc. laugh factory aboard one of the doors to the human world — aka a suspended roller coaster. 

“The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley,” Disney Experiences Chair Josh D’Amaro said at D23 last August. “You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that too. And you’re going along for the ride.”

Docter and Hundgen were also on-hand to talk about the new Monsters, Inc. ride during SXSW. Here’s the TikTok showing the design concept for the Monsters Inc. ride.

Your last day to enjoy MuppetVision 3D is June 7, as it’ll close permanently on June 8. Work on the Monsters, Inc. land will then begin later in 2025. There’s no closing date yet for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

Disney World and Disneyland get Bluey meet and greets

Meet and greets with Bluey and her family will be coming to Disneyland and Disney World, as well as to Disney cruises, starting at an unspecified time in 2025. Disney announced this news after revealing that a Bluey movie will hit screens in 2027.

“Bluey has become a household name for families around the world, and we are thrilled to bring her story to life in new ways,” said D’Amaro. “We can’t wait to watch our youngest guests and their families make memories with Bluey in our parks and on our cruises.”

The hugely popular Australian TV series about a family of dogs is a worldwide hit, and Disney will release the movie in two years. (In the meantime, you can watch Bluey episodes and minisodes on Disney Plus.)

Disney World’s Magic Kingdom: New Villains Land

Villains Land, which will celebrate all the classic baddies from Disney films, is coming to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, and it will be “dark and thorny,” according to the Horizons Disney Experiences Showcase (part of Disney’s D23 expo in August) and info that Disney has released since. 

Villains Land was first teased during D23 2022. It’ll be positioned on the other side of Big Thunder Mountain — aka, the top left edge of the current Magic Kingdom map — and will stretch around to where the Haunted Mansion is.

Two major attractions will be built in Villains Land, as well as dining and shopping “on an incredibly twisted, grand scale.” The land is already being constructed, but no word yet on when it’ll open.

A chilling trailer for the chaotic land on Instagram hints at elements in the land representing Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, Ursula, Gaston, Yzma, Queen of Hearts, Hades, the Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine, Captain Hook, Jafar, Kaa, Madam Mim, Cruella, Scar, King Magnifico and Mother Gothel.

Tropical Americas land at Animal Kingdom 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World is replacing its DinoLand USA area with Tropical Americas. Though this had been previously announced, Disney confirmed a few more details in August: Pueblo Esperanza will feel like you’re walking through a real village and will have a huge quick-service dining location, a fountain and a carousel.

Tropical Americas will also have a new Indiana Jones ride through a Maya temple and an Encanto-themed attraction where you’ll explore Antonio’s rainforest room inside the Casita.

Construction began in fall 2024, but DinoLand USA is closing down in stages. The Dinosaur ride (which will become the Indiana Jones ride) remains open, but TriceraTop Spin and the midway area closed down on Jan. 13.

Tropical Americas is planned to open in 2027.

Disney Cruise Line: Four more ships

In addition to the Disney Wish, which launched in July 2022, the Disney Treasure, which set sail in December 2024, and the Disney Destiny, which is set to embark later this year, Disney is adding four more cruise ships to its ocean vacation lineup.

The ship names and destinations have yet to be revealed, but the ships will set sail between 2027 and 2031.

Everything else coming to Disneyland and Disney World

Here’s what else is new and coming soon to the theme parks:

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Technologies

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

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Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

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Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”

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