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What’s Coming to Disney World and Disneyland? New Rides, Lands and Attractions in 2025

The Tron: Ares overlay has arrived at Disney World, and Halloween celebrations are in full swing.

As Walt Disney once predicted, Disneyland will “never be completed” as long as there is imagination in the world. Both Disney theme parks in the US are continuing to grow, with new rides, experiences and entertainment planned for 2025 and beyond. 

The latest at Walt Disney World involves a ride overlay celebrating the release of Tron: Ares in theaters on Oct. 10. The overlay on Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom turns the high-speed ride red and orange (replacing its usual blue and orange), along with a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack.

Over at Disneyland, the original park is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary as it prepares to add new rides, experiences and lands starting next year, including a new entryway, a Coco ride for the beloved Pixar movie and a new Avatar area. 

Entire new lands are being constructed right now at Disney World, too — not to mention the brand-new Disney theme park announced for Abu Dhabi.

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 Disney Cruise Line in 2025 and beyond.

Villains Land at Disney World

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 2024) 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.

During Destination D23 in August 2025, Disney revealed that Imagineers have been drawing inspiration from architectural structures in Paris and Barcelona — like GaudĂ­’s buildings in the latter city — to design Villains Land. 

“Paris is a city full of classic Art Nouveau examples — the team highlighted the way natural motifs and swirling designs there make nature appear to be ‘cursed,’ like magic has frozen it into place,” Disney said on its Parks Blog. “Barcelona’s art style is Modernisme, which has less natural patterns but gives the architecture an otherworldly, unnerving appearance.”

Animal Kingdom’s new Tropical Americas land 

Animal Kingdom is replacing its DinoLand USA area with Tropical Americas land. 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 the fall of 2024, but DinoLand USA is closing down in stages. The Dinosaur ride (which will become the Indiana Jones ride — a relatively easy overlay, since Disneyland’s Indiana Jones reportedly follows almost exactly the same ride track as Disney World’s Dinosaur) remains open until Feb. 1, 2026, but TriceraTop Spin and the midway area closed down on Jan. 13.

Tropical Americas is planned to open in 2027.

First look at Piston Peak, Disney World’s Cars Land

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 seems to be 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, after the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat closed on July 7.

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.

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.

The last day of MuppetVision 3D was June 7, as it closed permanently on June 8. Work on the Monsters, Inc. land is beginning later in 2025. 

But the Muppets aren’t disappearing entirely from the park — they’ll be replacing the Aerosmith theming on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. While there’s no closing date yet for the thrill ride, “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets” will open in 2026.

“Thanks to new management under legendary Muppets tycoon and owner of The Muppet Theatre, J. P. Grosse, groovy vibes will take over the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Courtyard including a new psychedelic wrap on the giant guitar marquee,” Disney revealed on Aug. 21. In the ride, you’ll have to help get the band from the recording studio to the concert on time. “With the help of Muppet Labs and a really fast limousine, guests will take a screamingly fun trip across town while the sounds of Electric Mayhem playing iconic hits to keep the music and adrenaline pumping.”

Disneyland’s expansion and ticket price hike

Disneyland, which is now celebrating Halloween, will be expanded in the next couple of years. Disney Parks unveiled concept art and details in June 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 the fall of 2026.

Disneyland this week also announced it’s increasing the price of most tickets again, with some single-day tickets costing $224 during peak times, and the two top-tier Magic Key annual passes increasing by $150 for the Inspire Key (now $1,899 annually) and $100 for the Believe Key (now $1,474 annually). 

Disney did say it’s bringing back California resident tickets for a limited time for a more affordable way for locals to visit the park for $83 per day (on a three-day Park Hopper ticket). Those resident tickets will go on sale on Dec. 3, and can be used between Jan. 1 and May 21, 2026.

Disneyland’s 70th anniversary

Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration kicked off on May 16. You have plenty of time to get there, though — the celebration will continue for more than a year, running through summer 2026.

The anniversary celebration theme is “Celebrate Happy,” 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. Currently, though, Mickey and his friends will be making appearances in their Halloween costumes from Aug. 22 until Oct. 31 as Disneyland celebrates Halloween, and will likely be dressed in their outfits for the Holidays from Nov. 14 until the end of the year.

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, and lets you vote online for which Emotions you’ll see in the show.

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 debuted 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. 

The first-ever audio-animatronic figure of Walt Disney himself also debuted on July 17 as a part of the Walt Disney: A Magical Life show inside the Opera House on Main Street USA. There’s also a new gallery exhibition in the Opera House, 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. 

New Coco ride at 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.

New Avatar area will replace Monsters, Inc. ride

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 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.”

California Adventure gets two more Avengers rides

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 began this year on the Avengers Campus additions. 

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin updates

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.

Bluey meet and greets at Disney World and Disneyland

Meet and greets with Bluey and her family were announced at the end of 2024 for Disneyland, Disney World and Disney cruises. They were supposed to start sometime during 2025, but as of August, they still aren’t happening, and there’s been no further details provided on when they might.  

“Bluey has become a household name for families around the world, and we are thrilled to bring her story to life in new ways,” D’Amaro said in 2024. “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 a Bluey movie in 2027. (In the meantime, you can watch Bluey episodes and minisodes on Disney Plus.)

Four more Disney Cruise Line 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 soon, 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.

What else is new at Disneyland and Disney World?

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

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Technologies

G10’s ‘surprise’ currency star could stumble as peers hike interest rates

The British pound has benefited from a resilient economy and rate hike expectations, but the BOE looks increasingly dovish while a crucial budget lies ahead.

The British pound has largely shrugged off another change of government and geopolitical shocks to outperform many of its peers this year, but the currency’s recent weakness could be set to deepen.

Sterling has gained around 1.6% against the euro

It is near-flat against the U.S. dollar

The resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer on July 20 left Britain facing its seventh leader in 10 years, with markets watching closely whether a new administration would hold to the “fiscal rules” repeatedly emphasized by former Finance Minister Rachel Reeves.

U.K. borrowing costs have risen under Starmer’s quickly appointed successor Andy Burnham, also of the center-left Labour Party, but that has occurred in lockstep with a global government bond sell-off.

Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at financial services firm Ebury, said that a “clean and orderly transition of power” had “removed a potential banana skin and eased the perceived political risk premium attached to the pound.”

Britain’s long-term borrowing costs are the highest since 1998

In a Friday note, Ryan said sterling had been “the surprise outperformer” among the G10 group of wealthy nations over the past three months, tying this to an unexpectedly resilient U.K. economy.

Gross domestic product grew by 0.4% in the second quarter, following 0.6% expansion in the first quarter — one of the strongest performances among advanced economies. Sunny weather and excitement around the FIFA World Cup boosted consumer spending, while business activity remained surprisingly resilient despite the volatile geopolitical backdrop.

The pound also drew support at the start of the Iran conflict in April on outsized market expectations for a monetary policy response to inflation fears from the Bank of England, Jane Foley, senior FX strategist at Rabobank, told CNBC.

The U.K. is highly vulnerable to higher oil and gas costs, both of which have spiked this year, helping push headline inflation near 3%.

Sterling weakness ahead?

Despite the resurgence of price pressures, the Bank of England has held its key interest rate at 3.75% throughout this year.

Current market pricing suggests low odds of a rate hike at its September meeting. In contrast, there are high expectations for a hike by the European Central Bank on Wednesday and, increasingly, the Federal Reserve later this month.

Central bank rate hikes typically boost their home currency.

Dovish messaging by the BOE on Sept. 17 would “further expose the pound” just before markets get anxious for the first annual budget announcement of Burnham’s administration on Oct. 28, Foley of Rabobank noted.

New U.K. Finance Minister John Healey said in a Monday speech that he would remain committed to fiscal discipline, while targeting a more even distribution of economic growth around the country — in contrast to the concentration of growth in powerhouse London.

JP Morgan U.K. economist Allan Monks said his remarks suggested a cautious approach to tax and spending changes given the backdrop of higher borrowing costs. The budget is likely to retain a focus on devolution, greater public control of public services and more private sector partnerships, but contain little to change the macro outlook, Monks said in a note Monday.

Ebury’s Matthew Ryan said the budget contained a high level of political risk, and was likely to contain “a combination of higher ancillary tax rates and an increase in debt issuance in order to fund Burnham’s spending ambitions.”

These could include changes to taxes on property purchases and local council duties, an introduction of a “mansion tax” and tighter pension and personal investment account relief, he said, adding that markets would be jumpy over anything that looked likely to dampen growth and squeeze the private sector, while simultaneously requiring more borrowing.

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Technologies

Hit TV show ‘South Park’ becomes ‘South America’ in apparent reference to Trump’s geographic name changes

Show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said in a statement that they were “inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google.”

Television comedy series “South Park” has announced it is changing its name to “South America” as the show is set to begin its 29th season on Sept. 16.

The show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said, “Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.”

Parker and Stone’s statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America amid a trade spat with Canada. Canadian officials said they will not recognize the new name.

Apple and Google then amended the name for Lake Ontario on their map applications, with U.S. users seeing “Lake America,” while Canadian users saw “Lake Ontario.”

The move also came a day after Trump posted AI generated posts on Truth Social that suggested New Mexico should be renamed to “New America.”

Last year, the president used an executive order to change the name for the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, drawing international opposition.

“South Park” won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for the “Sermon on the Mount” episode which premiered last year and parodies Trump’s presidency.

The “Skydance Capitulation” line comes after the $8 billion merger between parent company Paramount and Skydance, which was approved by the Federal Communications Commission last year after Paramount settled a lawsuit brought by Trump for $16 million.

Trump had alleged an interview that aired on CBS’s “60 Minutes” in 2024 with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, was deceptively edited.

Paramount subsidiary CBS News in July 2025 said it was canceling comedian Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” citing financial reasons, just days after Colbert accused Paramount of paying Trump a “big fat bribe.” The final episode of the show aired in May.

Paramount and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Trump Claims No Regret Over Initiating Iran Conflict Amid Rising U.S. Economic Sanctions

Trump insists he has no regrets about initiating the Iran conflict, warning that a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten Israel and U.S. cities, while the administration ramps up economic sanctions. He predicts the war will end after the midterms, even as markets brace for a prolonged standoff.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no regrets about starting the Iran war and added that “If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did.” Speaking to Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham on Thursday stateside, Trump said that he would have attacked Iran despite the impact on the midterm elections. “If we hadn’t done Iran, you would be cruising to midterms victory right now,” Ingraham told Trump, to which Trump replied “supposing we were cruising, and all of a sudden Iran has a nuclear weapon. They would use it.” He added that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, the Islamic Republic would “wipe out” Israel and the Middle East, and start hitting U.S. cities.

His comments come as markets brace for a longer Iran war, after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that top White House advisors had discussed with Trump the possibility that the Iran war could drag on beyond his current term. Trump has said that the war will end immediately after the midterm elections and oil and gas prices will also fall, adding to his months-long claims that the conflict will end soon.

In separate comments to NewsNation on Thursday, Trump denied reports that there was any damage to U.S. assets, after Iran claimed it had hit multiple U.S. fighter aircraft at a base in Jordan. “No damage. No nothing,” Trump said, when asked if there was any truth to the reports.

Economic pressure: Washington is continuing efforts to isolate Iran from its economic network, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flagging sanctions against “a large bank” next week. “We’re going to do it on Monday because we want to honor the memory of our fallen citizens on 9/11. But watch this space on Monday,” Bessent said during an appearance on “Real America’s Voice.” Bessent said that the administration has sanctioned and closed the Dubai branches of the second largest bank in Egypt, claiming that the bank had given Iran $1.8 billion dollars. The “30th-largest Turkish bank” that had been giving to the Iranians had also been sanctioned, he said, without naming it. The U.S. had sanctioned Turkey-based Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi (Golden Global Bank) and its subsidiaries last week.

Trump, in the NewsNation interview, was also asked how Iran could continue holding out under the current economic pressure. “I don’t know that they’re gonna be able to hold out,” Trump said. “But it’ll get settled after the elections. Or maybe sooner. But it’ll get settled right after the election.”

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Bessent said the 30th largest Turkish bank had been sanctioned. An earlier version misstated the bank’s ranking.

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