Everything we learned from the 2024 Disney Parks panel at D23 Expo

The time of the wicked has come.

Disney The Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, is getting a theme park dedicated to classic villains.

The company first hinted at a possible bad-faith takeover at the last D23 expo in 2022, as part of a series of “Blue Sky” projects it was considering but was unclear whether they would come to fruition.

The prospect of exploring what’s beyond Big Thunder Mountain intrigued fans, but the lack of specifics left many wondering what on earth Disney is planning to do to compete with the soon-to-open Big Thunder Mountain. Universal A vast universe.

The answer was revealed Saturday night at the company’s Experience Showcase at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

“Even as we sit here together here at the Honda Center, Imagineers are hard at work,” Josh D’Amaro told a cheering crowd. “Everything I want to tell you about is in development right now. And that means dirt is moving. This is not blue sky.”

The revelation sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Disney’s theme parks are part of a broader division called Experiences, which has long been the company’s best-performing division, especially at a time when traditional TV networks have been volatile and cable advertising revenues have been sluggish. The theme parks have provided stability in recent quarters as Disney moves to adapt its entertainment business to changing consumer habits in the wake of the pandemic.

But Disney’s domestic theme parks in California and Florida saw slowing consumer demand and rising inflation in the most recent quarter, and the company expects attendance to remain flat for the next few quarters.

Still, Disney is bullish on its experiences division, which includes theme parks, cruise lines, and hotels: The company has pledged to invest $60 billion in experiences over the next decade, a key part of its strategy to keep its theme parks fresh and relevant in a crowded field.

About 70% of the funding will go towards new experiences at domestic and international theme parks and cruise lines, while the remaining 30% will go towards technology and infrastructure, including maintenance of existing attractions.

On Saturday, Disney fans got a glimpse of where that investment is headed, with some big names helping out.

Rita Ora took to the stage to perform “Trust in Me” from “The Jungle Book” and announce the arrival of a new Villains Land at the Magic Kingdom. The new area of ​​the park will include two major attractions, as well as shopping and dining.

“So get ready, you pathetic people,” D’Amaro teased.

Shaboozie wowed the Honda Center with a performance of “Life is a Highway” as part of the announcement that parts of Florida’s Frontierland would be rethemed with elements from the film “Cars.”

D’Amaro told the audience that the area will be different from the one at Disney California Adventure and take place in a natural setting. It will have one e-ticket attraction, a thrilling off-road rally race and a second ride for families. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2025.

D’Amaro noted that the Magic Kingdom expansion is the largest in the park’s history.

At Hollywood Studios, Disney will be building an area centered around “Monsters, Inc.” Billy Crystal, the voice of the one-eyed green monster Mike Wazowski, took to the stage to give attendees a sneak peek at the new area.

Crystal sang “If I Didn’t Have You” and received a standing ovation.

The area will be home to the main attraction, a suspended coaster that will take guests on a thrilling tour of the Laugh Factory. Crowds cheered for the new ride, which D’Amaro said will begin construction next year.

An Indiana Jones attraction set in a Mayan temple will be featured in Animal Kingdom’s Tropical America area, scheduled to open in 2027. Ke Huy Quang appeared onstage with D’Amaro to preview the new attraction and reminisce about his first performance in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”

“Josh, listen, are there any snakes?” Quan joked.

D’Amaro said construction is expected to begin in the fall, and visitors will just have to wait and see what the Orlando-based ride’s new story will bring.

As part of the Tropical America area, Disney is building Pueblo Esperanza (Village of Hope). The company is building “Encanto” Casita Madrigal there and will feature an attraction centered around Antonio, a character with the magical power to talk to animals. In the casita, the furniture in the house will move, giving guests a tour of the house and a chance to step into Antonio’s jungle room.

Part of the area will also feature an all-new merry-go-round featuring carved wooden animals from classic Disney tales.

D’Amaro revealed on Saturday that the world of “Avatar” is coming to Disney California Adventure, a theme park that will feature new attractions inspired by the second movie’s “Avatar Water Way.”

“Our new destinations are inspired by the second ‘Water Way,’ the upcoming ‘Fire and Ash,’ and the upcoming Avatar films,” Ari Rubinstein, global executive management of creative development at Walt Disney Imagineering, said at the expo Saturday, “and their scale and level will be worthy of these epic stories.”

The park will also feature a “Coco” attraction that follows Miguel on a journey through the Land of the Dead. The attraction will feature state-of-the-art audio-animatronics, similar to those seen in the recently renovated Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and will take inspiration from the iconic Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. The company plans to break ground in 2026.

Deadpool appeared on stage and made fun of the park, including D’Amaro, the animatronic dragon that burned at Disneyland last year.

The company later revealed that Avengers Campus Land will nearly double in size with the addition of two new attractions: The first will be called “Avengers Infinity Defense” and will take guests on an adventure to stop King Thanos’ stolen portal technology, with riders helping to defend iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City.

The second attraction, Stark Flight Lab, where guests will be able to learn how to fly like a superhero, is scheduled to begin construction next year.

The company also announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a revamped version of Splash Mountain, will open on Nov. 15. The Walt Disney World Resort version of the attraction opened in June.

Disneyland Paris’ Adventure World theme park will have a new “Lion King” themed area, including a Pride Lands-themed log slide attraction, while the previously announced “Frozen” themed area is scheduled to open in 2026.

A new thrilling coaster featuring Spider-Man is coming to Shanghai.

“This is going to be a high-energy, thrill-packed coaster,” said Scott Trowbridge, senior creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Hong Kong park will also add a thrilling Spider-Man attraction to its Stark Expo area.

Tokyo will debut a new nighttime spectacular called “Reach for the Stars” in September, featuring characters from “Big Hero 6” and “Up” as well as Marvel superheroes.

Disney Cruise Line is planning a major expansion: In addition to the five ships already sailing the world and the four currently under construction, Disney plans to add four more ships to its fleet between 2027 and 2031.

D’Amaro summoned All For One to sing “This I Swear” and announced four new cruise ships, which will soon bring Disney’s cruise destinations to 13.

“Disney Cruise Line has always been the number one cruise line for families because there is something for everyone to enjoy,” said D’Amaro. “Expanding our fleet will give more people, in more parts of the world, the opportunity to experience the seas that only Disney can deliver.”

Disney also updated fans and shareholders on its $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games during a presentation on Saturday.

D’Amaro was joined onstage by creative leaders from across the company, including Walt Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee, Pixar’s Pete Docter, Marvel’s Kevin Feige, and Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni, to announce several upcoming collaborations with Epic Games and Fortnite.

Disney streamed this portion of the show on Fortnite, and more than 1 million people watched the livestream, D’Amaro said.

Lee said that Disney Animation characters such as Cruella, Hook and Maleficent will appear in the game this fall, while Docter added that Pixar’s Incredibles, including Frozone, Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible, will also be joining the game.

Lucasfilm’s Filoni said new Star Wars characters will be introduced next week, including IG-11 and a Grogu back bling. Filoni also hinted that he’s working with Jon Favreau on a Mandalorian/Grogu story for the Star Wars Smugglers Run ride at Galaxy’s Edge.

Marvel has partnered with Epic since 2018 and plans to continue expanding the partnership. Feige said many fans discover Marvel characters through Fortnite, then go on to read comics and watch Marvel Cinematic Universe content. Next week, the game will feature a new event centered around Doctor Doom. D23 audiences saw a teaser on Saturday night that included several new special weapons, including Captain America’s shield and a Peely version of Wolverine.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.