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What's Coming to Disneyland and Disney World? Here's Everything New in 2025 and Beyond

Here's what's new in both resorts as Disneyland gets ready to kick off its 70th anniversary celebration in 2025.

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Headshot of Corinne Reichert
Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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  • I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Corinne Reichert
8 min read
A photo of Mickey and Minnie Mouse standing in front of the Disneyland castle

Disneyland kicks off its 70th birthday celebration in May.

Disney Parks

Walt Disney once predicted that Disneyland will "never be completed," and will continue growing "as long as there is imagination left in the world." The original Disney theme park in Anaheim, California, is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, and there's a lot of new rides, experiences and shows on the horizon -- both at Disneyland and at the 53-year-old Walt Disney World in Florida.

From new rides to new lands to huge park expansions, here's everything new coming to Disney Parks and the Disney Cruise Line in 2025 and beyond.

Disneyland's 70th birthday

Concept art of the Disneyland castle during Disneyland's 70th anniversary
(Artist Concept/Disneyland Resort)

Kicking off in mid-May is Disneyland's 70th birthday celebration. The original Disney park opened on July 17, 1955, but the birthday celebration begins two months early, on May 16, and continues for more than a year, running through summer 2026.

"Celebrate happy" is the theme, and new events will 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!) and a projection show at Carthay Circle; new outfits for Mickey and friends; and the World of Color Happiness show. The new World of Color show will be hosted by Joy from Inside Out, with the other Emotions manifesting movie moments from Pixar and Disney films including The Incredibles, Turning Red, A Goofy Movie, Encanto and Tangled.

The esplanade between Disneyland and California Adventure will be getting 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 will even be 70th anniversary decor included in the Toy Story Midway Mania ride.

Concept art of the Disneyland ride Toy Story Mania during Disneyland's 70th anniversary
(Artist Concept/Disneyland Resort)

The Paint the Night parade, Pixar Pals parade and Wondrous Journeys fireworks show will also be returning 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 three-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 his Presidential Medal of Freedom from 1964. There will be a second exhibit on the history of animatronics. 

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

How much do Disneyland tickets cost for the 70th anniversary?

Another big drawcard for the 70th anniversary celebrations: ticket pricing. 

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 will cost $360 for a three-day, one-park-per-day ticket, or $400 for a four-day, one-park-per-day ticket.

Avengers gets two more rides at California Adventure

Disneyland Avengers Campus Attraction

The Avengers Infinity Defense ride.

Disney

Disney's California Adventure, 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

Avengers Campus will double in size to make room for Avengers Infinity Defense — a King Thanos ride where you'll travel the multiverse between Asgard, Wakanda and New York City to fight him — and Stark Flight Lab, where you'll sit in a two-person pod and go on a flight with Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Iron Man.

Construction begins this year on the Avengers Campus additions. 

Coco attraction at California Adventure

Disneyland Coco Attraction

Concept art for the new Coco ride.

Disney/Pixar

Disney's California Adventure is also getting more Pixar rides. 

Coco attraction will be built in a yet-to-be-announced area of the park, 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.

Work begins on the Coco ride in 2026, so its launch is still a while away.

Say hello to Bluey at Disneyland and Disney World

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 be hitting 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 Disney Experiences Chair Josh 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, with Disney to release the movie in two years' time. (In the meantime, you can watch Bluey episodes and minisodes on Disney Plus.)

Disneyland gets an Avatar area

Disneyland Avatar Experience Aerial Shot

An aerial shot of the Avatar-themed area coming to Disneyland Resort.

Disney

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.

It'll likely be part of the enormous Disneyland expansion coming to the theme parks that will push the boundaries past Downtown Disney and into the nearby parking lots. While Disney was short on details and dates, 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."

Villains Land at Disney World's Magic Kingdom

Disney World Villains Land

Disney World's Magic Kingdom is getting a Villains Land.

Disney

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.

Pixar's Cars is taking over Rivers of America

Disney World Cars Attraction Rally Race

The new Cars rally race ride.

Disney

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 see it get a Route 66 companion.

"To make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world's most iconic racers," Disney said in a blog post Monday. 

The rally race ride will take you through mountains, past geysers and along trails, Disney said, adding that there will 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 east. Work is set to begin this year, though there's no closing date yet for Tom Sawyer Island or the Liberty Square Riverboat.

Hollywood Studios is getting Monsters Inc. Land 

Disney World Monsters Door Coaster

Disney's first suspended roller coaster will take you on a ride through the Monsters Inc. factory.

Disney/Pixar

Another new addition coming to Disney World at its 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," D'Amaro said at D23 in 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."

Your last day to enjoy MuppetVision 3D is June 7. 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.

Watch this: Disney Parks Announcements at D23

Animal Kingdom's new Tropical Americas land

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 World Tropical Americas Coco Indiana Jones

The Tropical Americas area will replace DinoLand USA and feature an Encanto ride, an Indiana Jones ride and a carousel.

Disney

Disney Cruise Line gets 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 be setting sail between 2027 and 2031.

Everything else coming to Disney World and Disneyland

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Millennium Falcon Mandalorian Grogu Baby Yoda

Mando and Grogu are joining in the Millennium Falcon fun.

Disney

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

  • Disneyland's Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened on Nov. 15, with Critter Country rethemed to Bayou Country. The area still includes the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride and Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, as well as Pooh Corner and the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. Two merchandise stores, called Ray's Berets and Louis' Critter Club, are also now open.
  • Disneyland and Hollywood Studios will be getting Mandalorian and Grogu missions added to the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run ride in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in 2026, to tie in with the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas.
  • Epcot will be opening a Reimagined Test Track (now sponsored by GM) in 2025, which will celebrate "the past, present and future of automation." No word yet on when the attraction will be reopened.
  • Animal Kingdom will be replacing its old It's Tough to be a Bug show inside the Tree of Life with a Zootopia-themed show. Zootopia: Better Zoogether will feature Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde taking you through several different areas from the city, and it'll open next winter.
  • Magic Kingdom and Epcot are getting two new lounges: a Pirates Lounge and a Spaceship Earth lounge, respectively. They'll open in 2025.
  • Magic Kingdom will be getting a new nighttime parade called Disney Starlight in the summer.
  • Magic Kingdom is also getting a new show: Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After, also coming in the summer.