There’s a ton on the horizon in the next 5 years at Walt Disney World with new lands and attractions themed to Villains, Cars, Monsters, Indiana Jones, Encanto & more. There are also reimagined rides, new entertainment, dining, and more. This shares construction and opening timelines for all of the major projects coming to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
The good news is that future Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro emphasized this in his opening remarks to the Parks Panel at the last D23 Expo: “Everything we’re going to share with you is in active development. Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving. I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’re going to hear tonight. This isn’t Blue Sky—we’re going to do all of this.” Phew.
D’Amaro and head Imagineer Bruce Vaughn were very clear about this, and showed off nearer term projects that’ll come online sooner. They also shared construction timelines for almost every single project, so we have fairly concrete ideas of when work will start for each of these new lands, attractions, etc. However, there’s still some confusion…
Josh D’Amaro said during D23 that the time horizon is not remote–everything discussed will “start to come to life over the next five years.” At first blush, this suggests opening dates no later than 2029. In addition, media was separately advised the announced projects would all open within the next 5 years, which would mean by 2029. Given that, it seems like an open and closed case, right?
There’s probably more wiggle room than that. For one, it’s not clear if the clock on that 5 years started ticking from the moment of announcement, or once construction commences. Moreover, projects that start to come to life in the next 5 years is not the same as construction that will finish by 2029. The lack of a definitive public-facing statement that these projects will all open by 2029 suggests that perhaps they won’t.
Note that this 5-year plan is part of a bigger picture development cycle that will invest $17 billion into Walt Disney World and $60 billion into Parks & Resorts (including Disney Cruise Line) as a whole. The company has already indicated that more of this investment will be backloaded, meaning that even bigger projects will debut in the first half of the 2030s!
From my perspective, there are also two distinct questions: whether all of these projects can open by 2029 and whether Walt Disney World wants to open everything by 2029? I’ve seen a lot of fans focus on the first while ignoring the second. The second question is the far bigger one.
The reason there’s so much skepticism is because Walt Disney World’s recent track record isn’t exactly sterling. The Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit became a punchline on this blog, and it took the company longer to build CommuniCore Hall than the original EPCOT Center (the entire park). It’s a similar story with TRON Lightcycle Run, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Moana’s Journey of Water, or–insert any project from the last few years that isn’t Disney Vacation Club.
The good news is that when work begins in earnest on all of these projects at Walt Disney World, there will be a lot of non-factors that caused delays during the last development cycle. Epic Universe has opened, pandemic-era delays and disruptions have largely been resolved, as have labor shortages. All of that has freed up resources, on both the creative and construction side.
This isn’t to say all work at Universal Orlando and other projects around Central Florida will end, but they won’t consume resources to nearly the same degree. It’s also entirely possible that labor issues will reemerge or the cost of supplies could skyrocket based on new real world factors…but that’s all beyond the scope of this post.
For now, it appears that the dynamic during this development cycle will be more like normal years pre-2019. Walt Disney World construction was arguably too slow then (at least for us impatient fans), but still nothing like the last few years. What exactly does that mean? Here are a few projects for mileposting:
- Pandora – World of Avatar: Announced 2011, Construction 2013, Opened 2017
- Toy Story Land: Announced 2015, Construction 2016, Opened 2018
- Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Announced 2015, Construction 2016, Opened 2019
- Disney Skyliner: Announced 2017, Construction 2017, Opened 2019
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: Announced 2017, Construction 2017, Opened 2020
How we long for those halcyon days when construction began a couple of months after D23 announcements and projects–even major ones–opened 2-3 years later. I remember grumbling about ‘work being purposefully spread out over multiple fiscal years’ at the time, but I would happily return to that era.
And maybe we will! In light of the above timelines, there’s no reason to believe all of the projects on this list can’t be finished by 2029 if Walt Disney World so desires. Most began last year, meaning 4 years to finish them. That’s a lot of time, even in an era where delays are increasingly common.
This is why the better question is whether Walt Disney World will want to open all of these additions by 2029?
We think the answer is yes. During the post-reopening era, Walt Disney World purposefully staggering new attractions and experiences for maximum impact. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure could’ve opened a full year before it did. Cosmic Rewind and TRON were likewise deliberately slow-rolled.
The difference between then and now is the real world backdrop. Travel was ground to a halt during COVID in 2020-2021, and then business was booming for Walt Disney World in 2022-2024. It was arguably a mistake to open Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure so early, when travel was still limited, and it wasn’t nearly as “necessary” to debut marketable new additions during revenge travel. Business was booming regardless.
The difference now is that travel dynamics have normalized, and Walt Disney World is experiencing an attendance slowdown. Not a major one, all things considered, more like a plateau. The type of thing that could be remedied by opening a blockbuster new land or attraction.
In fact, our biggest concern is that the earliest new land to open will be Tropical Americas in 2027. And that’s likely coming in late 2027 for the reasons discussed below. That’s not soon enough. Walt Disney World needs more in the next couple of years. Fortunately, smaller scale help is on the horizon via the following additions:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Reopens (TBD Date in Spring 2026)
- Bluey & Bingo at Rafiki’s Planet Watch (TBD Date in Summer 2026)
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Reopens (TBD Date in Spring 2026)
- Carousel of Progress Enhancements (TBD Dates in 2026 and/or 2027)
- Frozen Ever After Adds New Audio Animatronics (February 12, 2026)
- Soarin’ Across America Debuts (TBD Date by Memorial Day 2026)
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Adds Baby Yoda & Mandalorian (May 22, 2026)
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith Closes (March 2, 2026)
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets Debuts (TBD Date in Summer 2026)
- The Walt Disney Studios Lot Opens (TBD Date in Summer 2026)
- The Magic of Disney Animation Debuts (TBD Date in Late Summer 2026)
Anyway, here are the construction and opening timelines for everything on the horizon at Walt Disney World…
TROPICAL AMERICAS AT ANIMAL KINGDOM
Tropical Americas will come to Disney’s Animal Kingdom featuring Indiana Jones and the magical casita from Encanto. (We have separate posts for the Encanto Magical Madrigal Casita Dark Ride and Indiana Jones Adventure.)
- Construction Began: January 17, 2025
- Opening: Late 2027 (Probably?)
Walt Disney Imagineering held the groundbreaking for Tropical Americas last year on January 17th, but the multi-phase project actually began earlier backstage where work started the previous fall.
If this land is opening all at once instead of in phases, there’s more work to be done on Encanto–a brand new build–than there is on Indiana Jones Adventure, which will reuse the existing ride system from Dinosaur. This is why Dino-Rama closed in early last year, but Dinosaur didn’t close until February 2026.
That makes for a really tight timeframe, and our expectation is now that Tropical Americas will open in late 2027 as opposed to earlier in the year. Walt Disney World hasn’t announced a season or anything else beyond that.
Honestly, Tropical Americas slipping into 2028 and flip-flopping with the next project also wouldn’t completely surprise us. Although the show building for the Encanto dark ride is now vertical and moving fast, there’s still a lot of work that remains to be completed. That’s an elaborate attraction that won’t be quick to construct.
On top of that, the conversion of DINOSAUR into Indiana Jones Adventure will take time–probably at least 18 months–even though the two share the same ride system and track layout. Even though Imagineering is moving quickly, having Tropical Americas ready by 2027 is going to require a really aggressive construction plan.
Our expectation is that Tropical Americas opens on October 1, 2027 at the earliest. It’s possible the critter carousel debuts earlier; this is the one project where we would not bet against a phased opening just because Animal Kingdom needs ride capacity so badly. More likely, Tropical Americas debuts around December 4, 2027, pulling a page from the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance playbook.
MONSTROPOLIS AT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
It’s laughter they’re after when Sulley, Mike, and the rest of the crew from Pixar Animation Studios’ “Monsters, Inc.” move into Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and let humans inside the factory for the first time.
- Construction Began: Summer 2025
- Opening: 2028 (Probably)
Monstropolis will replace Muppets Courtyard. Work started last summer, beginning backstage with the closure of the Cast Member parking lot with preparation for construction of the gravity building for the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster. Muppets Courtyard closed shortly thereafter last summer.
That was much earlier than we expected for the closure of Muppets Courtyard, by roughly a full year (contrast the closing of Dinosaur with MuppetVision). In all likelihood, Disney closed Muppets Courtyard to cut costs at a time when Disney’s Hollywood Studios was not that busy (and opened two new stage shows). But what’s done is done.
The good news is that Monstropolis is the simplest project of the major new lands, and the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster (largely a roller coaster in the dark) will be much simpler to construct than an elaborate dark ride. Our expectation is that Monstropolis opens by Summer 2028.
One possibility is that Monstropolis ends up opening in late 2027 if Tropical Americas slips into 2028. That would maintain Walt Disney World’s annual opening cadence. Regardless of the order, these will almost assuredly be the first two lands to debut and they will open less than a full year apart.
PISTON PEAK CARS LAND AT MAGIC KINGDOM
Start your engines, fan favorite stories and characters from Pixar’s “Cars” race into Magic Kingdom with two new attractions and fun for the whole family.
- Construction Began: Spring 2025
- Opening: 2029 (Probably?)
The Cars area, officially known as Piston Peak National Park, is replacing the Rivers of America. Consequently, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat have permanently closed. Imagineering finally got approval for the project from the South Florida Water Management District early last year, and put pedal to the metal in accelerating the project.
It’s incredibly difficult to say when Piston Peak will open since we’re now talking over 2 years into the future. Walt Disney World kicked this project into high gear, and the demolition phase was accomplished fast. Groundwork is now being laid, but the project is unlikely to go vertical until late 2026 or early 2027.
Fans will bemoan the lengthy timeline, but this debuting in 2029 actually seems fairly aggressive given the scale and scope of work. A late 2028 opening is also within the realm of possibility if Walt Disney World wants to increase the project cadence, but honestly, there are probably smaller scale additions that have yet to be announced that would be easier to accomplish in a couple years.
VILLAINS LAND AT MAGIC KINGDOM
This is no happily ever after. Get ready to see a darker side of your favorite fairytales when the Villains cast a spell over Magic Kingdom. Villains Land will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale.
- Construction Began: Spring 2025
- Opening: 2030 (Maybe?)
The safe bet is that Villains Land will debut in 2030 or 2031, and that this is actually not part of the 5-year plan, but rather, the bigger slice of the $17 billion investment over the next decade.
Not because it’ll necessarily take that long to build, but because it appears to be phase 2 of the Magic Kingdom expansion, coming online after the Piston Peak Cars land. And that land could be delayed into 2030 given how things go with the staging sites and construction on the land itself.
Then there’s the issue of phase 2s, which infamously do not happen. Regardless of how you feel about the current economy, there are decent odds of a recession between now and 2030. The silver lining here, though, is that all of the site prep and groundwork is occurring simultaneously for Piston Peak and Villains Land, so both of the lands are already well underway (see aerial photo below via bioreconstruct). That alone makes it atypical among ambitious phase 2 projects.
Personally, I think that Villains Land is a fantastic idea and one that will be huge for Magic Kingdom. If I were in charge, I’d absolutely be fast-tracking this addition and try to open it simultaneous with Cars land for a truly blockbuster expansion of Magic Kingdom and relaunch of the park on par with Disney California Adventure 2.0, which debuted with both Cars Land and Buena Vista Street.
Apples to oranges comparison, but there’s nothing stopping Walt Disney World from opening both in 2029 except appetite to do so. It’s entirely possible that could happen, as both Piston Peak and Villains Land are currently at roughly the same point in construction as of 2026. Still, we think roughly one year after Piston Peak in 2030 is the safer bet.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you expect all of these upcoming Walt Disney World projects to open by 2029? Think any of them will slip into 2030-2031, or possibly be cancelled completely? What has you most and least excited? Anything you’re hoping does not end up coming to fruition? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!