D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is just a few weeks away.
That’s why we assembled writers from Boardwalk Times and beyond to share their predictions on what’s going to happen at Disney’s biggest event of the year.
Kyle Silagyi — Columnist at Boardwalk Times
Villains Land E-Ticket
I think the Space Mountain refurbishment will be the marquee Magic Kingdom announcement, but in the interest of fun, I’ll predict that we get confirmation of at least one of the attractions in development for Villains Land. Scared money don’t make money, so I’ll say it will borrow the ride technology from the innovative Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure attraction at Shanghai Disneyland.
A Disney Parks Film Adaptation Is Announced
Sticking with the Pirates theme, I’ll say that we get news on at least one Disney Parks adaptation during the Entertainment panel. Perhaps it’s confirmation of the sixth Pirates film (series producer Jerry Bruckheimer is becoming a Disney Legend this year, and there’s been a lot of recent smoke around the project). Maybe it’s something about the long-gestating Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Club 33, or Figment projects. This is a fun predictions piece, after all, so I’ll forecast that Ryan Reynolds will take the Honda Center stage to announce that his Society of Explorers and Adventurers movie is moving forward. A man can dream.
Indiana Jones Mythical Creature Revealed
I think we’ll get confirmation of Camazotz as the “mythical creature” at the center of the new Indiana Jones attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and I think we’ll see concept art of an ambitious animatronic.
Bonus: Kyle’s Manifestation
This isn’t a prediction as much as it is a manifestation: this is the year that a worthwhile Journey into Imagination re-imagining (see what I did there?) will be announced. Please manifest with me.
Drew Smith — Drew the Disney Dude
Large-scale models for upcoming projects at Imagineering’s pavilion on the show floor
I expect to see models at Imagineering’s D23 pavilion to officially showcase what is happening with these upcoming new lands.
New details and final plans for expansions at Walt Disney World and what’s actually happening with Villains Land
Walt Disney World’s expansions are full steam ahead, so I expect to see the final plans for the four new lands on the way. This is when to reveal what’s coming to eliminate further speculation from fans.
New concept art and story details for Avengers Infinity Defense and Coco attraction
I expect we will learn the specifics of the Avengers Campus expansion alongside new details for the Coco attraction, such as concept art and story details.
Tharin White — Founder of Everything You Need To Know (EYNTK)
Carousel of Progress concept art and new set piece
Carousel of Progress deep-dive showcasing new concept art, but specifically a new set piece will be on-site at the convention for guests to see up close. If they aren’t using AI or sound-alikes, they will also reveal the new narration voice actors.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi confirmation
Disneyland Abu Dhabi reveals new details, such as the official name or confirmation of a major land/icon, perhaps the confirmation of a hotel on property. This will be a minor chat, just something to make sure fans know it is still a thing. Disneyland Abu Dhabi executive will be on stage with a Disney executive to double down on its future.
Villains Land E-Ticket confirmation
Cars Land and Tropical Americas is a given, I expect tons of new details for them and basically a full storyline for Tropical Americas. But I expect the “one more thing” will be official confirmation of “Disney’s most ambitious roller coaster ever for Magic Kingdom!” I don’t know if that will mean fastest, but the villains’ main ride will have something unique to Walt Disney World to add one more big thrill to the park.
Savannah Sanders — Probably at Disney
Journey into Imagination Finally Gets Its Overhaul
I’m predicting an overhaul of Epcot’s Journey Into Imagination with Figment and the Imagination pavilion due to the social media videos of Figment visiting Imagineering and Josh D’Amaro answering two Imagination pavilion-related questions during his first earnings call as CEO (especially since those questions are reportedly screened ahead of time). Also, that Horizons Honda Center pin for D23 features Figment and the fact that Neil Patrick Harris, who narrated the “How NOT to Draw Figment” short, just happens to be this year’s host for the panel.
Space Mountain and Carousel of Progress give Tomorrowland a new cohesive narrative
I’m predicting a redo of Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain, which will also include a connection to Carousel of Progress‘ new distant future scene, and really give Tomorrowland a new cohesive narrative.
Disney Cruise Line gains a new destination
For a big swing prediction, I’m going with a new island/destination for Disney Cruise Line due to the expansion of the fleet and the industry’s growing preference for safe and exclusive, company-owned destinations.
Josh Martin-Jones — Founder of Popped
Disney Adventure World’s Lion King Expansion
Naturally, with Disneyland Paris being my home resort and the closest Disney destination to me, I am always hopeful that D23 will include at least one meaningful announcement relating to the parks.
With construction now well underway on the upcoming The Lion King expansion at the rear of Disney Adventure World, and the project having originally been announced at D23 in 2024, it feels like a natural time for Disney to provide a substantial update. That could include a new look at the land’s model, further concept art, or even the first reveal of one of the Audio-Animatronics being developed for the attraction.
I would also hope that any new artwork more accurately reflects the characters and visual style of Disney’s 1994 animated film, rather than the photorealistic designs associated with the 2019 remake, which appeared to influence some of the imagery shown previously. I could definitely see Disney provide more information or, again, some concept art about the land’s dining and retail offerings.
My most recent visit to Disneyland Paris also left me feeling that the expansion of Disney Adventure World remains too narrow in scope. The resort has an enormous amount of available land, yet the current additions still feel relatively contained when compared with the scale of the wider development area: one ride, one shop, one dining location – it’s too small.
I would also like to see Disney finally provide a name and opening date for the upcoming Up-themed attraction. Construction was rampant during my visit, and I do think we could be seeing this open by this time next year for sure.
My bigger prediction, therefore, is that Disney will go one step further and announce what will eventually occupy the next expansion pad on the opposite side of Adventure Bay from The Lion King. A new land based on Zootopia or Avatar would immediately give the park a stronger sense of scale and provide a clearer indication that Disney Adventure World’s transformation will continue to lift the park.
A substantial look at VisionQuest
I expect Marvel Television to provide the first substantial look at VisionQuest, with Paul Bettany and James Spader appearing onstage during the Disney Entertainment Showcase, to the thunderous applause of everyone in the Honda Center.
The series is currently scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on October 14, just two months after D23, making the event the most obvious place to debut its first full trailer, with the trailer later going online.
Bettany previously appeared at New York Comic Con to introduce the series, but bringing both him and Spader onto the Honda Center stage would give the presentation a much bigger moment. Appearances from cast members Ruaridh Mollica and T’Nia Miller could also create some real motion too…
Pixar provides some newsworthy moments
Although Incredibles 3 was announced at D23 back in 2024, very little has been revealed about the film itself. With Peter Sohn directing and Brad Bird writing the screenplay, this year feels like a good opportunity to give us an idea of what to expect from the film, the setting/time framing of the sequel, and get some small plot details. I would not necessarily expect a full trailer or even a teaser this early, but an early sequence, title treatment, or piece of animation would be a strong highlight for Pixar’s discussions.
Alongside Incredibles, I predict Pixar will properly unveil Ono Ghost Market – giving the film a title treatment and release date. Bonus points if we get news on Domee Shi’s upcoming musical too.
Ryan Cortero — Social Media Director & Senior Writer at Agents of Fandom
The first Disney world in Kingdom Hearts 4 will be revealed.
With D23 having a panel to celebrate the Kingdom Hearts franchise, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we could finally learn one of Disney worlds featured in the highly-anticipated Kingdom Hearts 4. During D23 in 2017, they revealed that Toy Story was getting its own world (the first Pixar property featured in the franchise) and showed off gameplay footage. D23 in 2018 also revealed that Monsters, Inc. was getting a world. While Kingdom Hearts 3 didn’t get any Marvel or Star Wars representation, Kingdom Hearts 4 might be the time for one of those iconic franchises to be featured.
New details on the Indiana Jones attraction in Animal Kingdom
While we sadly said goodbye to Dinosaur and all of Dinoland earlier this year, it does bring us closer to Tropical Americas opening up. It’s been about two years since they broke ground on the new Animal Kingdom area, which means we’re due to hear about the attractions. While it’s been a long, ongoing rumor that Dinosaur would be replaced by a copy of Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, we are getting a new, distinct Indiana Jones attraction in Tropical Americas. Wildcard theory: they bring back Ke Huy Quan as Short Round, whether it’s in the pre-show or to share the screen with Harrison Ford again. Quan has been in the Disney family lately across Loki Season 2, American Born Chinese, and Zootopia 2. Since Disney is probably done with Indiana Jones movies, this is a great way to bring the Oscar-winning actor back into the fold as one of his beloved characters.
Figment movie from Seth Rogen confirmed
Back in 2022, Deadline reported that Disney was working on a Figment movie with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (Pokemon Detective Pikachu) attached to write and Seth Rogen producing. There hasn’t been any other official news on the project since then, but with Rogen working with Disney lately on The Muppet Show and Mufasa, maybe there have been more talks on what to do with the EPCOT icon. Enough to share that it’s finally moving forward at Disney. I could see a director being announced, which could help determine what tone the movie will be.
Zehra Naqvi — Founder of Lore
Disney Animation announces its next princess
Why: Four of the last five original Walt Disney Animation Studios films — 80% — failed to earn back their production and marketing costs:
• Moana (2016) $687M ✅ hit
• Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) ~$130M ❌
• Encanto (2021) ~$256M ❌ (majorly rescued by streaming)
• Strange World (2022) ~$73M ❌ (one of Disney’s biggest bombs ever)
• Wish (2023) ~$255M ❌
Hexed arrives this fall, but it’s not the classic Disney formula, and it’s not what people picture when they think of Disney Animation: princesses.
TL;DR: Animation needs a new princess. The last one to take off was Moana, and that was nearly a decade ago. Disney Animation is in a similar “dark ages” era to the early 2000s; it just doesn’t feel like it because sequels are saving the day.
And as Bob Iger put it so eloquently in his memoir: “As animation goes, so goes the company.” Therefore, I firmly believe we’re going to get an announcement: our next potential Disney princess (maybe the untitled film for 2028).
Disneyland Abu Dhabi announces a signature attraction
A unique net new attraction at Disneyland Abu Dhabi is announced. Yes, this could be extraordinarily early, but since Bob described it as “distinctly Emirati” I feel that we’ll get a new attraction pulling from Disney’s legacy IP that is uniquely West Asian (a la Aladdin).
Star Wars announces new live-action Disney+ series
Star Wars has suffered when it comes to its relationship with the silver screen. Given that The Mandalorian and Grogu underperformed, I believe we’ll get an announcement of a new live-action Star Wars Disney+ show since there has been more consistent success in that format.
OrangeGrove55 — YouTube Content Creator
New entertainment announcements for Disneyland
Fantasmic Dragon, new fireworks show, and potentially more.
More details on the Pandora boat ride at Disney California Adventure
There’s been a lot of noise surrounding this project, hopefully Imagineering gives us concrete details.
More of Hollywoodland going away than previously thought for Pandora
Maybe we see Mickey’s PhilharMagic go away to make even more room for Pandora?
Giovanni Delgadillo — Columnist at Boardwalk Times
Ahsoka Season 2 details
Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau take the stage to give an update on the state of Star Wars for the rest of the year going into Celebration next year. Ahsoka is the next live-action project on the docket, and they may show a teaser related to the show and have Rosario Dawson and Hayden Christensen take the stage!
VisionQuest details
After a packed San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios may want to bring more attention to their upcoming Disney+ series. A surprise appearance from Paul Bettany and James Spader could be expected.
Star Wars: Starfighter trailer
I highly believe this will be their big ticket item for next year at the show. Dave Filoni, Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy, alongside Flynn Gray, take the stage to show the teaser, which could go unseen outside of D23. Other than that, I’m expecting Infinity Vision to be heavily included in the marketing for this movie.
Joaquin Fernandez — Columnist at Boardwalk Times
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3
Official first look and footage for the upcoming season. Appearances of new cast members like Mike Colter, Finn Jones, Krysten Ritter, and Elodie Yung. Possible first look at Daredevil’s new suit along with Bullseye’s as well. PS: I hope some footage leaks because I need to see the Defenders and Dex in action again.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2 trailer
I expect to see a first official trailer and exclusive footage of the upcoming season. It’s expected to release sometime this year (potentially Fall 2026), so a trailer is long overdue. I hope to see a first look at Venom, Gwen Stacy, Daredevil, and possibly Green Goblin since Norman appeared last season pre-serum.
Next Marvel Television Series: Heroes for Hire
After Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 and the long-awaited return of the Defenders from the Netflix era, I believe a series focused on Luke Cage and Danny Rand makes so much sense. It could either start as a special presentation or mini-series ala the past MCU shows. I would expect just an announcement with a possible 2028 or 2029 release date post-Secret Wars.
Josh M. Shepherd — Family Entertainment Critic
The Muppet Show announced as regular “event” programming for Disney+
Muppet fans are used to the Jim Henson-created characters being a forgotten stepchild among Disney franchises, with last summer’s closure of Muppet*Vision at Walt Disney World still difficult for many to accept. And who can forget when the Disney Fab 50 Character Statues went up around Disney World in 2021, with not a single Muppet among them? Ridiculous.
Disney has been trying to reassure Muppet fans over the past year. Rock ‘n Roller Coaster was rethemed to the Muppets, in a widely praised update. More importantly, in January, a half-hour 50th anniversary special of The Muppet Show starring guest Sabrina Carpenter premiered on Disney+ worldwide. It turned out far better than it has any right to be.
With a Muppets panel set for D23, fans trust it means The Muppet Show revival will continue. Here’s hoping producer Seth Rogen and director Alex Timbers come on-stage to tell us Disney+ will premiere 3 or 4 Muppets specials per year, featuring character-driven skits, over-the-top musical numbers, and hippie vibes we love. Fans are getting into the act, with lists of potential guests.
Bluey: The Movie Trailer Premiere Plus Related Bluey Content Announced
The #1 most-streamed series for two years running, global phenomenon Bluey is not only a milestone in kids animation. It’s a sharply written celebration of family life moments – Seinfeld for kids, you might say – that delights littles (and adults) with hilarious comedy, richly orchestrated music, colorful animation, and unexpected stories of friendship and connection.
Australia-based Ludo Studio and creator Joe Brumm have produced 153 episodes (including one Disney+ banned, available online), plus a couple dozen “minisodes.” In April 2024, a special episode, Bluey: The Sign, tested out what a longer-form version of the blue-heeler family antics could look like. In December 2024, Brumm announced that Bluey: The Movie would be his “finale” in writing the characters, while implying the show may continue apart from him.
Slated by BBC and Disney for an August 2027 release, with any luck Bluey: The Movie rolls out a trailer at D23. Perhaps long-rumored Halloween and Christmas Bluey specials will also be announced. As a longtime fan, my hope is Ludo Studio and the powers that be announce a full-length behind-the-scenes Disney+ documentary revealing what makes Bluey so special.
Muska Olumi — Columnist at Boardwalk Times
The new Cheetah Girls film will have a remix of “Strut”
Disney+ will come up with another reboot of a classic Disney Channel movie, potentially Cadet Kelly?
Percy Jackson’s new season will spark dating rumors
Gillian Blum — Writer at The Direct
Rumored Walt Disney World Space Mountain refurb
Likely no timeline beyond maybe a vague closing season for the current iteration, one or two pieces of concept art.
The Muppet Show single season greenlight
10 or so episodes, one special guest star will be announced. The Muppets would come onstage for the announcement.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 3 at D23
They will show the same first three minutes of the Season 3 footage they revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, as well as a full trailer for Season 3, to be released publicly sometime soon after. MAYBE a Season 4 renewal announcement.
Justin Hermes (The Mickey Wiki) — Columnist at Boardwalk Times
This Is the Year We Get Our Figment Announcement
Surveying the landscape of Walt Disney World, it is clear that EPCOT is falling behind its theme park brethren. If we’re being honest with ourselves, the park’s massive overhaul was largely disappointing. While the new central spine looks nice, CommuniCore Hall was a far cry from the original vision. Similarly, Test Track 3.0 is clearly an upgrade over its predecessor. I’m not convinced, however, that it really moves the needle. After more than a decade of construction, EPCOT has little more than Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and the perfectly fine Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana to show for it. Left on the cutting room floor were plans for the Play! Pavilion, new attractions for the United Kingdom pavilion, and the massive refurbishment of Spaceship Earth.
With that in mind, I think this is finally the year we get the Journey Into Imagination overhaul we’ve been waiting for. If Josh D’Amaro really wants to inject new life into EPCOT, he essentially has four realistic options. First, he could announce a new World Showcase pavilion. For years, it has seemed like EPCOT was on the precipice of adding Brazil, but that idea may have lost some of its appeal now that Tropical Americas is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Second, D’Amaro could try to revitalize The Seas pavilion. Given the pavilion’s unique layout, its role in Disney’s conservation efforts, and the enduring popularity of its aquarium exhibits, however, that seems unlikely.
Another possibility would be replacing Mission: SPACE. At this point, though, any meaningful change to that pavilion would likely require a complete demolition. There’s no simple fix that will turn the attraction into a major draw. That leaves Journey Into Imagination With Figment, the Magic Eye Theater, and the rest of the Imagination! pavilion. With a 4D theater that few guests visit, the infrastructure for what could once again be a great dark ride, and an expansive second floor just waiting to be utilized (could the DVC Lounge permanently relocate to Morocco?), the Imagination! pavilion is prime real estate waiting to be transformed.
Disney Shares a Liberty Belle Update
The last time Josh D’Amaro took the stage at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, he showed that he is keenly aware of where Disney fans’ hearts lie. When announcing that Monstropolis was coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, he deftly omitted the fact that it would replace the beloved Muppet Courtyard. Similarly, he left it to the Disney Parks Blog to inform fans that the creation of Piston Peak would spell the end of Tom Sawyer Island, the Rivers of America, and Frontierland as they had known them for more than 50 years.
Make no mistake, D’Amaro knows what Disney’s biggest fans want.
What easier way is there to earn some goodwill than by providing an update on the Liberty Belle? The ship has now been sitting backstage for a year, and it’s clear Disney has some kind of plan for the vessel. Whether that means a new home at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, Disney Villains Land, or Piston Peak, I don’t know. But I think D’Amaro will have Neil Patrick Harris throw fans a bone and finally provide an update.
Pixar Announces a New Monsters, Inc. Sequel
My last prediction is easily the safest. I feel very confident that Pixar will announce the next Monsters, Inc. film. Over the last several years, it has become clear that Pixar sequels are where the money is. With Toy Story 5 on the horizon, Inside Out 2 still fresh in audiences’ minds, and new installments in both The Incredibles and Coco franchises in development, Monsters, Inc. feels like the natural choice for Pixar’s next big sequel. Add to that the fact that Pete Docter has already insinuated that Pixar has kicked around ideas for another Monsters, Inc. film, and that Monstropolis is set to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios next year, and the timing seems perfect.
Brett Ellison — Ride Creator
EPCOT Gets Some Pavilion Love
A pavilion redo for Epcot. Imagination Pavilion will get a full refresh with a new Journey Into Imagination and 4D Theater show. Or Wonders of Life will become a Wakanda Pavilion or Inside Out Pavilion.
Tokyo Disneyland teases its Space Mountain
The new Space Mountain coming to Tokyo Disneyland will get a name, animatic trailer, and story.
Disney announces Impossible Creatures in front of a crowd, Pixar shares new info on upcoming films
Impossible Creatures movie is announced in front of a crowd. Pixar shows off scenes from Gatto, still images and story details for Incredibles 3, and concept art for Ono Ghost Market.
Elizabeth Pfeiffer — Senior Editor at Boardwalk Times
Cheetah Girls: Next Gen cast performance
Based on the photos the cast shared, I think they’re ready to show us what they’re working on! Plus, Leah Sava Jeffries should already be there for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 3 panel.
A classic Dick Van Dyke appearance
The man turned 100 this year; do you think Disney really won’t have him in some capacity? My guess: He’ll be a special guest at Walt Disney: 125 Years of Inspiration on the Premiere Stage.
Star Wars: Starfighter teaser trailer
Jury’s out whether or not the internet will see it (I sure hope so, considering it’s set to premiere in less than a year), but there HAS to be a teaser trailer ready. Bonus guess: Ryland Grace—I mean, Ryan Gosling takes the stage! Who wouldn’t have him appear after the success of Project Hail Mary?
Kelly McCubbin — Columnist at Boardwalk Times
A Big Pile of Nuthin’
My number one prediction, honestly, is that not much new is going to be announced. They’re not going to use the platform to admit a course correction (“Well, okay, maybe NOT more Avatar?”) and the map is mostly laid out for the next several years.
The Children of the Atom Rise!
If they do announce anything significant, I think it’ll be Marvel-stuff. It seems like the future, post-Doomsday, is a little hazy. Something codifying the X-Men’s role in the current MCU might happen.
DisneylandForward Creeps into the Resorts
Anaheim DisneySky! No, seriously, as you know, I think DisneylandForward is really misunderstood. There will be no third gate. The “maybe it’s still Avatar?” land is probably on hold. Mostly we’re going to see parking lots built and destroyed for a while. But they’re going to want to show something that the public will get excited about. I think they might announce some themed experiences and, maybe even, attractions in the resort areas. They’ve been eyeing this for a long time, a way to liven up the resort itself and bring the weirdly disparate hotels together as a unified whole. Some of it will be environmental design (a lot of it, probably), but D’Amaro is going to want to focus on any experiences they might build. Someone said recently that Disney luxury resorts were really just “luxury themed.” D’Amaro may be looking at making the California resorts truly special again.
Zach Perilstein — Boardwalk Times Editor-in-Chief
Villains Land gets an official name
There’s a lot of worst-kept secrets floating around the Disney Parks sphere. One of them is that Villains Land isn’t the true name for Villains Land. Disney, in its official wording in posts, has always referred to it as a Villains-themed land. Despite Villains Land fitting the naming convention of the likes of Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland, it seems like we are going to get an official and different name. I’m expecting something that ties into the lore of the land. Although the funniest twist at this rate would be just calling Villains Land what it is… Villains Land.
Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., and the Doomsday cast make the Honda Center go nuts
I made this prediction back in 2024, but I’m going to double down on it this time. Disney has the opportunity to send the Honda Center into a complete frenzy if it can get the cast of Avengers: Doomsday on stage. My ideal scenario would be them using the Honda Center as an opportunity to announce Spider-Man’s involvement in either Doomsday or Secret Wars. Then having a jokingly mock staredown between Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. would be an iconic but full-circle moment for everyone involved. Disney needs to take advantage of the fact that they are one of the only studios that could probably sell out a sports stadium for news and announcements. They need to utilize that setting for big, splashy marketing moments. Spider-Man staring down Doctor Doom? Come on, that’s big.
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro makes a splashy announcement at the Honda Center
I think Josh D’Amaro knows what brought him to the dance. His performance at the Honda Center in 2024 definitely played a factor into Disney’s succession process. I would not be shocked if D’Amaro takes the stage at some point during the weekend to deliver a dynamic speech and announce something pivotal. Could it be the official launch date of the Disney Epic Games Digital Universe? Could it be an acquisition of some kind? What about a potential relaunch of Disney+ as the digital centerpiece of The Walt Disney Company? I think there are a lot of different options here, but D’Amaro will take the stage and deliver something. He’s too charismatic to sit out of all the presentations.
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