Disney Parks' D23 keynote was packed — here's everything new coming to Disney World and Disneyland, including Piston Peak,…

Considering that in 2024 the Disney Experiences panel at D23 delivered the news that Disney would be bringing new lands to parks across the globe, expansions on the high seas, attraction updates, and entirely new attractions, the bar was set high for D23 2026's Horizons: A Carousel of Progress keynote.

Even more so, many of these projects already have shovels in the ground. At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom , construction is well underway for Piston Peak — a new Cars-focused area — and Villains Land. Nearby, at Hollywood Studios, there's Monstropolis , while Animal Kingdom has Tropical Americas being built. Across the coast at Disneyland, work is underway on the expansion of Avengers Campus.

With many of these projects already in motion, the question heading into this year's showcase wasn't necessarily whether Disney would deliver more announcements, but what updates we'd get on the already-announced projects and whether there would be a few surprises.

It was a wide-ranging, two-hour-plus show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and featuring many of Walt Disney Imagineering's brass, along with Thomas Mazloum , head of Disney Experiences. Here are some of my favorites from the night.

Piston Peak will bring two new Cars attractions to Magic Kingdom

Disney Experiences

Disney Experiences

Disney Experiences

Disney Experiences

I'm a pretty big fan of Cars, and it's likely no surprise that Piston Peak was the highlight for me.

The main off-road racing attraction will be called Cars: Ridge Run Rally, and like Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure, guests will race against other ride vehicles, each with its own personality. Disney is also introducing a brand-new ride system designed to give guests a stronger sense of the bumps, dips, and other road elements as they race through Piston Peak.

It also won't be the open road of Route 66. Since Piston Peak is a national park, guests will encounter a variety of landscapes throughout the race. At one point, you'll race toward the top of the mountain for a snow-filled scene before heading back down through bumps and high-speed moments in the desert. Eventually, you'll encounter geysers before reaching two familiar faces at the end of the track: Lightning McQueen and Mater.

Because it will be outdoors in Orlando, Disney says the attraction will be designed to operate in both sun and rain. Of course, lightning will likely shut it down.

There will also be a second attraction, Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along, which takes its name from the character from Cars 3. Guests will board a vehicle and spin around as they make their way through the attraction, making it suitable for a wide range of ages.

There's still no timeframe for when Piston Peak will open. If we had to guess, 2028 seems like a reasonable target, but construction is already well underway.

Monstropolis will open in 2027 with a show, food, and shops

(Image credit: Disney Experiences)

I've already been behind the walls of the Monsters, Inc. land being built at Disney's Hollywood Studios , and even a few months ago, I noted that construction in the former Muppets area seemed to be moving quickly.

D23 brought confirmation that a portion of Monstropolis will open in 2027. It will include the Glob Theater show, Welcome to Monstropolis, Harryhausen's restaurant, and a pizza eatery named Archie's Scare Pig Pizza.

Those will be the main components when the area first opens, with the much-anticipated Door Coaster arriving later. It appears Disney wants to open the rest of the land as quickly as possible while the signature attraction continues development. At D23, Disney did tease that the suspended Door Coaster will lift you 40 feet in just four seconds right before you venture into the iconic door vault.

We're still waiting for more details on the theater, but the concept art gives us a few hints. A laugh canister appears to jet out into the audience, while monsters can be seen on the main stage, in the crowd, and on elevated stages on either side. It also appears there will be a live monster band, potentially playing the new original song, Welcome to Monstropolis, written by Randy Newman.

Then there's Harryhausen's, which will likely be a dream come true for many Monsters, Inc. fans. Guests will actually be able to step inside the restaurant from the film, complete with an impressive animatronic of Roz.

(Image credit: Disney Experiences)

While we still have plenty more to learn, Disney has now given us a much clearer picture of what will be ready when Monstropolis first opens in 2027 — and what will keep us waiting.

Tropical Americas brings Indiana Jones and Encanto to Animal Kingdom

(Image credit: Disney Expereinces)

Next up was Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, where we got new details on both the Indiana Jones and Encanto attractions.

The Indiana Jones attraction now has an official name: Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. Perhaps the biggest news here is that, for the first time, Harrison Ford himself is being used as the model for the Indiana Jones Audio-Animatronic.

The ride will use the same ride system as the popular Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, but with a completely new story, scenes, and animatronics.

(Image credit: Disney Expereinces)

Disney also revealed the name of the Encanto attraction: Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto. The ride will take place on Antonio's gift day, with you invited into Casita to celebrate his new ability.

We got to see the moment guests enter Casita, as well as the ride vehicles, which are designed to feel like pieces of furniture brought to life by the house.

One of the more interesting elements shown was how the attraction will handle elevation changes. Disney appears to be using a new ride system that makes it feel as though the vehicle is moving up or down without the track physically raising or lowering.

The ride will eventually take guests upstairs into Antonio's room, which has been trans...

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