From Star Wars, to Avatar, to Cars, and everyhting in between, some big changes are coming to Disney's US parks and we're here to keep you up to date with everything you need to know. 

Disneyland

Galaxy's Edge

Last week it was announced that Disneyland's "Galaxy's Edge," the land's dedicated Star Wars section, will be getting an update to reflect the characters of the franchise's original trilogy. Beginning on April 29, 2026 Darth Vader, Imperial Stormtroopers, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and of course R2-D2 will be seen roaming around the Star Wars section of the theme park.

Changes are also coming to Black Spire Outpost, the land's dedicated shops, to include merchandise inspired by the original trilogy. That's not all though. For the first time, the park will also feature Joh Williams' iconic Star Wars scores at different locations, upping the immersion factor even more. 

"We knew Vader had to arrive," explains Michael Serna, executive creative director for Disney Live Entertainment. "He’s the iconic villain – the best villain ever, in my opinion."

@thisisdisneycountry One of my favorite views in Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios. #maythefourth #maythefourthbewithyou ♬ sonido original

In addition to characters from the original trilogy, The Mandalorian and Grogu will also make appearances, both Disney-era additions to the Star Wars mythology whose story takes place during the original trilogy's timeline. It was announced last year that the duo would appear in an all-new mission for the ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, but outside of this update, no other announcements have been made about updating other rides at the park, most notably Rise of the Resistance.

As of now, these changes only affect Disneyland in California. Galaxy's Edge in Orlando's Walt Disney World, will continue as usual but it would not be surprising if this land follows suit at some point after a trial run. 

A change like this seemed inevitable. When the park was initially announced in 2015, it was right before any of Disney's sequel-era trilogy films hit theaters. Star Wars excitement was at an all-time high and, at the time, it made sense to theme the parks around Disney's own new characters and locations. Unfortunately fan-sentiment has not been kind to these sequel movies over the years, and an entire section of a theme park has been dedicated to characters that failed to resonate with fans. This update feels like Disney is course correcting. It's better late than never!

Avengers Campus Expansion

New rides assemble! "Avengers Campus" is getting an upgrade with two new rides, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. These new rides will double the current Avengers Campus in size, which seems to be what this part of the park needs. With only two rides currently, many guests feel Avengers Campus is somewhat lackluster.

Avengers infinity Defense will an immersive ride, pitting you alongside the avengers as you battle Thanos across different worlds in the Avengers universe. Stark Flight Lab will be a simulated flight experience. As of now, no official word has been given about the ride's opening but construciton is underway. Speculation is that these will be open to the public in 2027 or potentially even 2028.

Avatar Land

Much like WDW, guests at Disneyland will soon be able to visit Pandora with the upcoming "Avatar Land" set to go under construction soon. Whereas Pandora in WDW is based on the first Avatar movie, this new land is set to be inspired by the water worlds seen in the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. Outside of this, not too much is known about this new area or rides, but based on some concept art, it looks like there may be a river ride around the world Pandora at the very least. 

Walt Disney World

Villains Land

Disneyland isn't the only park undergoing changes though. Walt Disney World is currently constructing their newest addition to Magic Kingdom, "Villains Land." This land was announced back in 2024, but we have new intel from the Wall Street Journal, that this new land is expected to be a real showstopper.

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Bruce Vaughn, president of Imagineering said that the project is "by far the most ambitious period" in Disney Imagineering’s history. "We’re going to ramp up and reignite Imagineering culturally, and we’ve got a tremendous amount of investment coming through," he told WSJ.

Imagineers operating at full capacity with plenty of investments to make their ideas a reality sounds like a winning recipe for an exciting theme park. Unlike other sections of Disney, the land isn't beholden to one particular IP, instead leaning into various villains from Disney's storied history. This flexibility "makes it the closest thing to an original land in Disney’s US parks in 25 years," as noted by the outlet. As of now, there isn't a definitive open date but fans are speculating a 2029 or 2030 opening. 

It's not confirmed but this addition feels like Disney's response to the newly opened "Universal Monsters" section of Epic Universe just a few miles away. "Villains Land" will (hopefully) give Disney World more chills and thrills, that guests are seeking elsewhere. Whatever inspired this new addition, we're guaranteed a devilishly good time in the near future.

Monsters Inc. Land

Mike and Sully are taking over WDW in a big way. "Monsters Inc. Land" is currently under construction in Hollywood Studios, which will transport guests to Monstropolis, the bustling city of monsters from the Monsters Inc. movies.

Of course there will be new dining options and character appearances, but the most exciting part of this update is it will be the home of Disney's first suspended roller coaster. The ride will be modeled after the door vault from Monster's Inc., putting you in movie yourself.  As of now there is no definitive open date for the new land, but there is speculation that this will be an early 2027 opening. 

Piston Peak National Park

Soon WDW will get its own "Cars-themed land" much like Radiator Springs in Disneyland. Piston Peak National Park is a new Cars-themed area currently under construction at WDW's Magic Kingdom. This park will fit into Frontierland and be modeled after the "Rocky Mountain area and the history and iconic sights of the American Frontier and its national parks."

The story around Piston Peak Nation Park is inspired by parts of the Cars universe that Lightning McQueen hasn't been able to tackle like off road racing. In order to blend the Cars universe into the wilderness, Imagineers are utilizing “Parkitecture,” which was developed by the National Park Service to "create structures that harmonize with the natural environment. "   There are two rides confirmed for this area including a new rally car downhill thrill ride and a more family-friendly attraction for "smaller racers." In theory, this is a clever way to integrate the Cars universe into the already built Frontierland at Disney, but also a little ironic that an area inspired by national parks is tied to cars.