Technologies

What’s Coming to Disney World and Disneyland? New Rides, Lands and Attractions in 2026

How close are we to new Avengers rides, Avatar theming and Cars and Monsters lands? Here’s what to expect and when for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Disneyland had a huge 2025 with its 70th anniversary, and 2026 will see the original Disney theme park continue to celebrate the milestone — all this while building three new rides at California Adventure and a whole new Disneyland entrance and Avatar area.

Meanwhile, at Walt Disney World in Florida, four entirely new lands are being built right now, themed around villains, Pixar characters and more.

Disney isn’t slowing down its expansion plans, with four more cruise liners also on the way.

Here’s everything you need to know about Disneyland, Disney World and Disney Cruise Line and about what’s coming in 2026 and beyond.

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A Bluey show at Disneyland

Good news for fans (both parents and kids) of the hugely popular Australian TV series: Bluey is getting its own stage show at Disneyland. Debuting on March 22, 2026, Bluey’s Best Day Ever will be held at the Fantasyland Theatre.

Disney is describing the show as immersive, with the theater to be transformed into Bluey’s school classroom and grounds, including a gnome village and fairy garden. Bluey and her sister, Bingo, will appear live on stage several times each day, along with actors and musicians, to “bring to life the popular music and games emblematic of beloved Bluey episodes.” Those games will include Keepy Uppy and the Grannies, as well as appearances by Chattermax and Unicorse.

The Australian cartoon 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.) Disneyland will also be serving up Bluey-themed foods at Troubadour Tavern.

Soarin’ Across America from coast to coast

At both Disney’s California Adventure and Disney World’s Epcot, the Soarin’ Around the World attraction is getting a US-themed makeover. Soarin’ Across America will arrive on July 2, 2026, and will feature scenes, sounds and scents from more than a dozen cityscapes and scenic areas.

Disney released a trailer starring Patrick Warburton, the original Soarin’ narrator and pilot, where he says we’ll soon “sail across spacious skies” where we may see “amber waves of grain” and “purple mountain majesties.” It’s part of Disney’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

Disneyland’s 70th anniversary continues

Disneyland is continuing to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year, following its kick-off in May 2025. You’ll have plenty of time to get there as its last day is Aug. 9, 2026 — after which it’ll transition back to Halloween on Aug. 21 and then the Holidays on Nov. 18 before fully returning to its natural state in early 2027.

While many of the 70th anniversary shows were paused for Halloween and the Holidays in 2025, they’ll be making a comeback soon: The Paint the Night parade will be back on Jan. 30, the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade returns on Jan. 9 and the Wondrous Journeys fireworks and projection show on the castle are coming back on Jan. 8. Mickey and friends will also be back in their 70th celebration outfits on Jan. 8.

You can catch 70th anniversary-themed merchandise, food and drink items as well as a projection show at Carthay Circle and a 50-foot sculpture of Sleeping Beauty Castle on the esplanade between Disneyland and California Adventure; you can also find decorations sprinkled throughout Downtown Disney, Main Street USA, Disney’s hotels and even inside the Toy Story Midway Mania ride.

Discounted Disneyland tickets and a new Magic Key

California residents can currently get a three-day Park Hopper ticket for $249, a 50% discount. You can visit between Jan. 1 and May 21, 2026, using this ticket.

A new Kids’ Summer Ticket is also being added, with a one-day Park Hopper ticket on sale for $50 per child, ages 3 through 9. You can purchase it from Jan. 21, 2026, and it can be used between May 22 and Sept. 7.

Disneyland is also adding (and removing) a Magic Key option: The Explore Key will replace the current Enchant Key. All California residents will be able to purchase it — not only Southern California residents. It will allow access on weekdays in June and July, which are currently blocked out for Enchant Key holders.

The Explore Key goes on sale Jan. 13, 2026, at 9 a.m. PT. It costs $999, with a $99 down payment and 0% APR on repayments for 12 months. Disney said its “full value” can be unlocked in just four visits to the parks, thanks to Park Hopper admission, 25% off parking and Lightning Lane Multi Passes and 10% off merchandise and dining.

One year closer to Villains Land

While it won’t be ready in time for 2026, construction is well underway for Disney’s first villains-themed area. Villains Land, which will celebrate all the classic baddies from Disney films, is coming to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida.

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

“Paris is a city full of classic Art Nouveau … 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.”

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

Two major attractions are planned, along with dining and shopping. Still no word yet on when it’ll open.

Tropical Americas Land construction: Dinosaur ride prepares to close

Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand USA area is continuing to shut down in phases as Disney slowly builds out the new Tropical Americas Land. While construction began in the fall of 2024 and TriceraTop Spin and the midway area closed down almost a year ago on Jan. 13, 2025, the Dinosaur ride remains open until Feb. 1, 2026. Then it’ll be transformed into a new Indiana Jones ride through a Maya temple (a relatively easy overlay, since Disneyland’s Indiana Jones reportedly follows almost exactly the same ride track as Disney World’s Dinosaur).

The Pueblo Esperanza area will be themed like a South American village, with an Encanto-themed attraction, where you get to explore Antonio’s rainforest room inside the Casita, as well as a huge quick-service dining location, a fountain and a carousel.

Tropical Americas is planned to open in 2027.

Take a peek at Piston Peak

The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom have been closed down and removed from the online map completely as Disney works to construct a new land themed after Pixar’s Cars movies. Cars Land, which was added to Disney’s California Adventure back in 2012, remains extremely popular in the west, so it was only a matter of time before it was added to the eastern outpost.

In an expansion of Frontierland — which also includes Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — Route 66 will include a look inspired by the Rocky Mountain area and the “American Frontier and its national parks.”

The Disney Parks Blog described the new area as “an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers.” Disney 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.”

There will be two attractions, one of which is a rally race. Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen spoke about the new ride vehicle for this, and you can see a TikTok of Imagineers testing out off-road vehicles in the Arizona desert to create what the ride will feel like. Each rally car will have its own personality, name and racing number, Docter said.

“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 a previous blog post.

While construction has begun and Disney has even released a map showing what the land may look like (geysers shooting water, a running river, an off-road rally track, mountains, a visitor’s lodge, a Ranger HQ and walking trails), we don’t expect Piston Peak to open until at least 2027 or 2028.

Disneyland’s yearslong expansion begins as Avatar 2 area is built

Disneyland will finally kick off its expansion soon after unveiling plans almost five years ago. It’s expected to take a couple of years to complete and will push the current boundaries of the parks past Downtown Disney and into the nearby parking lots. It’ll also transform “a portion of the current Hollywood Backlot area,” which will result in the Monsters Inc. attraction closing permanently in early 2026.

The biggest part of the expansion will be adding an Avatar-themed land, based on the second film, The Way of Water, as well as Avatar: Fire and Ash. It will include a dark boat ride much like Pirates of the Caribbean, “taking guests all the way to the wide-open seas of Pandora.”

It follows the success of the world of Pandora, based on the original Avatar film, in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Disney has no dates or details yet on when it’ll be complete.

Coming sooner than the Avatar land, however, is a new esplanade entry “experience” to replace the current walkway entry at the east side of Disneyland as well as a new parking structure and pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard. Construction on this begins in the fall.

Coco ride construction begins

It won’t be launching this year, but construction is beginning backstage at California Adventure to build a new dark ride. It’ll be themed for the beloved Pixar movie Coco and populated by audio-animatronics.

The Coco ride will be located in the area near Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens, in what is primarily backstage areas for cast members currently. It’ll have characters and music from the movies as you travel through the land of the dead with Miguel.

Monsters Inc. Land building continues; Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets coming soon

While the Monsters, Inc. ride is being removed from California Adventure, its animatronics and props will hopefully be repurposed in Disney World as an entire land themed around the Pixar movies is being built at Hollywood Studios.

Replacing the Muppets area of the theme park, Monstropolis — home of the Monsters, Inc. movies, shorts and Disney Plus streaming series — will feature Disney’s first-ever suspended roller coaster inside the city’s laugh/scream factory.

“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 in 2024. “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.”

A TikTok shows the design concept for the Monsters Inc. ride.

MuppetVision 3D closed permanently on June 8, 2025, but we don’t expect Monstropolis to be complete for another year or two.

On the bright side, the Muppets are being moved to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and that overlay apparently won’t take long. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will have its last day of operation on March 1, and the Muppets-themed version will open in summer.

“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 said in August 2025.

Avengers rides in California Adventure

Avengers Campus already has two rides: Spider-Man Web Slingers and Guardians of the Galaxy. Soon, this will double as Disney builds two more Marvel attractions at California Adventure.

Avengers Infinity Defense will see you assemble alongside the Avengers, battling King Thanos — set in a multiverse — 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 said. “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 in 2025, but no launch dates have been revealed yet.

More Disney Cruise Line ships

Disney has been all in on launching cruise ships over the last few years, including the Disney Wish in 2022, the Disney Treasure in 2024 and the Disney Destiny in 2025.

The Disney Adventure is next up in 2026, part of the next four ships embarking soon. The other ship names and destinations have yet to be revealed, but they’ll set sail between 2027 and 2031.

Everything else

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

Animal Kingdom replaced the long-running show It’s Tough to Be a Bug inside the Tree of Life with a Zootopia-themed show. Zootopia: Better Zoogether features Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and new character Heidi Howler and will take you through several different areas of the city as they celebrate a holiday. It recently opened in November, so you can experience it throughout 2026.
Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom will be repainted in its original theme colors: gray, cream, blue and gold. Painting reportedly begins in January 2026, with the moat to be drained.
A 3D-printed prop canoe will be added to the Jungle Cruise ride in early 2026.
Disneyland and Hollywood Studios are adding Mandalorian and Grogu missions to the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, tying in with the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas. The new missions will debut on May 22, 2026.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which closed at the Magic Kingdom in August, will get new ride vehicles with video monitors and two handheld blasters with always-on lasers that come in two different colors (so you can see which laser is yours). It’s also getting a new scene at the start, starring Buddy the friendly robot, and static Z targets will now light up when you hit them. The ride reopens in spring 2026.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen in spring 2026 at Magic Kingdom after a long refurbishment. It will include “a journey through the spectacular natural phenomena of the Rainbow Caverns.”
Following the release of the Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland, Disney announced that a similar animatronic will be added to Disney World’s Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom in a new introductory scene to the ride.

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.

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.

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.”