Everything New Coming to Disney World in 2025 and Beyond

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Here are all of the new rides, shows, and restaurants coming to Disney World.

Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland (and Disney World) was that they would be constantly evolving and never be “finished”.

That means we always have a lot to look forward to at the Disney theme parks! Here is everything we know that is coming to the Disney World theme parks in 2025 and beyond. 

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is getting a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed “tavern” in Adventureland. 

The Beak and Barrel opened on August 29th, 2025, so you can now be immersed in the world of Pirates. 

A nighttime parade returned to Magic Kingdom in summer 2025. If you have been missing the Main Street Electrical Parade like I have, then you are likely very excited about this news!

The new parade, titled “Disney Starlight,” features characters from Peter Pan, Frozen, Encanto, and other beloved Disney stories. 

Disney Starlight premiered on July 20th, 2025 – check the Disney site for current showtimes. 

The fireworks show also takes place nightly. Times are adjusted earlier during the fall and winter months. 

Also note that the parade will not take place on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party nights.

Also the parade route will be “backwards” compared to most Magic Kingdom parades – it will begin on Main Street USA and end in Frontierland. 

For years we have known that Disney had plans for “beyond Big Thunder Mountain” but now we know with certainty what is being done there. 

A “Cars” themed area is coming to this part of Frontierland with two new attractions. One we expect to be similar to Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure park which is one of my favorite attractions. Guests ride in cars in a rally-style race through a desert landscape. 

The other ride will be for the whole family (meaning likely a low or non-existent height requirement) but we don’t know more about that yet. 

Current attractions Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America will be replaced by this new land, so we have had to say goodbye to those. Work has already begun on this area and we don’t know when it will open. 

The other big expansion at Magic Kingdom is a villains-themed land, which has been teased for years. We don’t know much at this point except that it will include two attractions, shopping, and dining.

We don’t have an opening date but work is already underway on this new area at Magic Kingdom. 

EPCOT

Over at Epcot, Test Track closed for refurbishment in June 2024. It is being “reimagined” and will includes nods to the original attraction on that site, World of Motion. 

Test Track reopened on  July 22nd, 2025!

Test Track has become a Tier 1 Lightning Lane attraction and bumped Soarin’ down to Tier 2. Click here for all of the details on the Lightning Lane tiers at Disney World. 

Do you want continually updated touring plans for each park so you don’t have to keep up with all of these changes? Click here to check out my one-and-done Disney World Visual Guidebook!

There’s a new adults-only lounge adjacent to Spaceship Earth called GEO-82. It opened on June 4th, 2025 but you’ll definitely need a reservation in order to take a load off and enjoy the air conditioning in Epcot. 

This space looks out over World Celebration and is a viewing location for the nighttime show. Click here for the menu and to snag a reservation (if you can – they go quickly!)

Hollywood Studios

Two new stage shows have arrived at Hollywood Studios in 2025. 

Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is a brand new show at Hollywood Studios. Villains like Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent took the stage May 27th, 2025. Get all of the details on the new show such as showtimes and location here. 

Also a brand new version of The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure also opened on May 27th, 2025. I hope they have vastly improved the show because the previous version was hard to sit through. I am hopeful!

Disney has announced that on September 25th, 2025, Animation Courtyard (which includes Star Wars Launch Bay) and Disney Jr. Play will close to make way for another new attraction.

“The Magic of Disney Animation” will occupy the space previously held by these two attractions. It is scheduled to open sometime in 2026 and will feature an interactive studio tour, character drawing lessons, and an Alice in Wonderland-themed playground. 

There will also be dining (so far it looks like snacks only) plus character meet-and-greets in this new land, which are always popular. 

The other big news at Hollywood Studios is a new land that will immerse you in the story of Disney and Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.”

The setting is the city of “Monstropolis” and will include character meet and greets with the popular monsters from these movies. 

Disney’s first suspended coaster will be the main attraction in the new land. I love coasters and am very excited about the potential for this ride!

Work on this new land is scheduled to begin in 2025 in the space previously occupied by Muppet’s Courtyard. 

Though not a new attraction, a new storyline is coming to the popular attraction Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run at Hollywood Studios.

It will include characters from The Mandalorian but you’ll have to wait until May 22, 2026 for the new version of this ride. 

Animal Kingdom

We’ve know for a while that Dinoland USA was going to get reimagined, but now we know exactly what is going on there. 

The area will be themed to the Tropical Americas and will include three new attractions. 

We know there will be an Encanto ride through the family’s casita, as well as a new carousel. 

There will also be a large quick-service dining location in this land. 

The DINOSAUR ride will be rethemed to Indiana Jones, which shouldn’t be difficult since the ride track is indentical to the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland!

This new land is scheduled to open in 2027. 

And last, “It’s Tough To Be A Bug” had it’s last showing in March 2025 and will be replaced by a Zootopia-themed show inside the Tree of Life. 

We now know that Zootopia: Better Zoogether will debut on November 7th, 2025! I can’t wait to check out the new show. 

What do you think of the new rides coming to Disney World in 2025 and beyond? Please leave a comment below!