Disney's parks panel at the 2024 D23 Expo revealed everything we learned about villains and Indiana Jones.

• On Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Disney provided a sneak peek of what's to come in the near future through their experience showcase.
• Disney's theme parks, part of the experiences division, have consistently been a top-performing segment for the company.
• In the most recent quarter, Disney's domestic parks in California and Florida experienced decreased consumer demand and rising inflation.

The time of villains has come.

The Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida is now featuring its own theme park land dedicated to classic baddies.

At the last D23 Expo in 2022, the company hinted at the possibility of a sinister takeover as part of a list of "blue sky" projects, although it was uncertain if they would actually happen.

Disney's lack of tangibility regarding what lies beyond Big Thunder Mountain left many wondering what they were doing to compete with the upcoming opening of Epic Universe.

The experience showcase at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday night revealed the answer.

"Josh D'Amaro announced to a cheering crowd at the Honda Center that Imagineers are actively working on everything they have to share with us. "This means dirt is moving," he emphasized, "and this isn't just blue sky.""

Disney's theme parks, part of the experiences division, have consistently been a top-performing segment for the company, particularly during a period of decline for linear television networks and slumping cable advertising revenue. Despite recent changes in consumer habits due to the pandemic, parks have remained stable for Disney as the company adapts its entertainment business to meet these new demands.

In the most recent quarter, Disney's domestic parks in California and Florida experienced decreased consumer demand and rising inflation. The company anticipates that this trend will continue in the upcoming quarters.

Disney remains optimistic about its experiences division, which includes theme parks, cruise lines, and hotels. The company has committed to investing $60 billion in experiences over the next decade as part of its strategy to maintain the parks' appeal in a competitive market.

The remaining 30% of the money will be allocated to technology and infrastructure, including the maintenance of existing attractions, while approximately 70% will be used for new experiences in both domestic and international parks, as well as cruise lines.

On Saturday, Disney unveiled where its investment was going with the help of prominent figures.

Walt Disney World

At Magic Kingdom, a new villains land is being developed, featuring two major attractions, shopping, and dining. Rita Ora performed "Trust in Me" from "The Jungle Book" to announce the arrival of this new area.

"So be prepared, you poor unfortunate souls," D'Amaro teased

The Honda Center was electrified by Shaboozey's performance of "Life Is a Highway" during the unveiling of the new theme for parts of Frontier Land, inspired by the movie "Cars."

The Disney theme park in Florida will have a different area than the one in California, with an off-road rally race and a family-friendly ride. Construction will start in early 2025.

These expansions at Magic Kingdom are the largest in the park's history, according to D'Amaro.

Disney is planning to construct a land at Hollywood Studios that will be themed around "Monsters Inc." During a recent event, Billy Crystal, who voices the character of Mike Wazowski, revealed the upcoming addition to the audience.

Crystal performed "If I Didn't Have You" and was given a standing ovation.

A major attraction will be added to this land, taking guests on a thrilling tour of the Laugh Factory via a suspended coaster. D'Amaro announced that construction will begin next year, and audiences cheered for the new ride.

In 2027, Animal Kingdom's Tropical America will feature an Indiana Jones attraction set inside a Mayan Temple. Ke Huy Quan, who starred in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," appeared on stage with D'Amaro to promote the new ride and share memories of his first acting role.

Quan joked and asked Josh, "Will there be any snakes?"

The construction of the new story for the Orlando-based ride will begin in the fall, and guests will have to wait to see what it has in store.

Disney is creating Puebla Esperanza, a village of hope, as part of its Tropical America's land. The company is building the Casita Madrigal from "Encanto" and will have an attraction centered on the character Antonio, who has the magical gift to talk to animals. The Casita has animated house furniture to give guests a tour of the home and they will venture into Antonio's jungle room.

An all-new carousel featuring wood-carved animals from classic Disney stories will be part of this area.

Disneyland

Disney's California Adventure will feature a new attraction inspired by the second film "The Way of Water" in the world of "Avatar," as shared by D'Amaro on Saturday.

"Ali Rubinstein, executive global management of creative development at Walt Disney Imagineering, stated during Saturday's showcase that the new destination's inspiration comes from the second movie 'The Way of Water' as well as the upcoming 'Fire and Ash' and future avatar films. He added that the scale and level of the new destination will be commensurate with the epic stories it aims to tell."

The park is planning to launch a "Coco" attraction that will mirror Miguel's journey through the afterlife. The ride will incorporate cutting-edge audio animatronics, similar to those used in Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Additionally, the attraction will draw inspiration from the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean rides. Construction is set to begin in 2026.

On stage, Deadpool made fun of the parks, particularly the animatronic dragon that caught fire at Disneyland last year and D'Amaro.

The company announced that the Avengers Campus land will nearly double in size with the addition of two new attractions. The first, called Avengers Infinity Defense, will take guests on an adventure to stop King Thanos from using stolen portal technology. Riders will help defend iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City.

Stark Flight Lab, where guests can learn to fly like a superhero, will begin construction next year.

The Walt Disney World Resort version of Splash Mountain, now known as Tiana's Bayou Adventure, will open on November 15.

International parks

Disneyland Paris' Adventure World theme park will soon have a new area inspired by "The Lion King," featuring a log flume attraction based on the Pride Lands. In addition, the previously announced Frozen-themed land is set to open in 2026.

Shanghai is getting a new thrill attraction coaster featuring Spider-Man.

Walt Disney Imagineering's senior creative executive, Scott Trowbridge, stated that the ride would be a high-energy thrill coaster.

The Stark Expo area in Hong Kong's park will feature a Spider-Man thrill attraction.

In September, Tokyo will introduce a new nighttime show called "Reach for the Stars," which includes characters from "Big Hero Six," "Up," and Marvel superheroes.

Disney Cruises

Disney's cruise line is undergoing a significant expansion with plans to add four more ships to the fleet between 2027 and 2031, in addition to the five ships currently sailing and the four ships already in production.

All-4-One sang "This I Swear" to announce the four new ships that D'Amaro brought out. Disney will soon have 13 different destinations for its cruise ships.

"Disney Cruise Line is highly rated by families because it caters to all ages. Expanding our fleet allows more individuals to enjoy a unique sea experience that only Disney can provide in various locations worldwide."

An 'Epic' partnership

Epic Games received a $1.5 billion investment from Disney, which was announced during a presentation on Saturday.

Several creative leads from across the company, including Jennifer Lee from Walt Disney Animation, Pete Doctor from Pixar, Kevin Feige from Marvel, and Dave Filoni from Lucasfilm, joined D'Amaro on stage to reveal upcoming collaborations with Epic Games and Fortnite.

Over one million people watched the Disney segment streamed on Fortnite, according to D'Amaro.

Disney Animation and Pixar characters will be featured in the game this fall, including Cruella, Hook, Maleficent, Frozone, ElastaGirl, and Mr. Incredible, according to Lee and Doctor.

Filoni announced that new Star Wars characters, including IG-11 and Grogu back bling, will be introduced next week. He also revealed that he and Jon Favreau are working on a Mandalorian and Grogu story for the Star Wars Smugglers Run ride in Galaxy's Edge.

Marvel has been collaborating with Epic since 2018, and the partnership is set to continue. Feige stated that many fans discover Marvel characters through Fortnite and then go on to read comics and watch Marvel Cinematic Universe content. In the upcoming week, a new event centered on Doctor Doom will be introduced in the game. During D23, audiences were shown a teaser that included new special weapons, including Captain America's shield and a Peely version of Wolverine.