Travel Beat Special: 2024 D23 Expo News for Disneyland

Disney World might have been the big winner in last night’s D23 Expo Announcements, but Disneyland was hot on its heels with plenty of exciting additions announced. See what’s coming along in this week’s special Travel Beat covering the news from the Parks and Experiences Panel. One thing to know: Josh D’Amaro was explicit that all of these projects are in active development, with construction either already underway or planned to begin within the next year. While everything can always change, it feels like there’s a higher level of confidence in this year’s announcements.

• Details of Avatar Experience at Disney California Adventure
• Coco-themed Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure
• Walt Disney in New Attraction at Disneyland Park
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opening Date
• New Mission for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
• Two Attractions Announced for Avengers Campus

Details of Avatar Experience at Disney California Adventure

We’ve known for a while that some kind of Avatar experience was coming to Disney California Adventure. First it was just “an experience” – which could have been a Meet & Greet backdrop. Then it was clear that it was a ride. And now we know that it’s an entire area within Disney California Adventure. The new area will be different from the East Coast land and is based on Pandora as depicted in the second film, Avatar: the Way of Water. And what about the ride?

The ride will be a water ride that takes guests “in search of majestic natural wonders that can only be found on Pandora”. It’s a thrilling excursion (read: not just a float-along like Na’vi River Journey) that takes guests along the seas of Pandora. Speculation is rampant that this will be kind of like a cross between Na’vi River Journey and Flight of Passage.

Coco-themed Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

Also coming to Disney California Adventure, with construction beginning in 2026, an attraction filled with the characters and music from Coco. You’ll join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead, with a ride that takes cues from classics like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. We read that statement as a clear sign that this will be a family-friendly dark ride that leans on the latest in Audio-Animatronics for a great experience.

Walt Disney in New Attraction at Disneyland Park

Sit in a theater, watch the stage, and get a taste of what it might be like to stop by and visit with Walt in his office. The brand-new attraction Walt Disney – A Magical Life will let guests see Walt Disney in an attraction for the first time. The Walt Disney Audio Animatronic will use the very latest in AA innovations and features, of course. The new attraction will debut in the Main Street Opera House in 2025, and will rotate with the current inhabitant Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln after an initial solo run.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opening Date

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Disneyland Park just in time for the holidays on November 15, 2024. More than just the ride will be involved in this debut, as Critter Country will be renamed Bayou Country, featuring shady trees, music, and a musical cast of bears, frogs, and other critters. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes will join Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as Bayou Country attractions, along with shopping at Ray’s Berets, Louis’ Critter Club, and Pooh Corner. And don’t forget the newly reimagined Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree with its scenic open-air dining.

New Mission for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

ICYMI: a Mandalorian and Grogu movie was announced at the media panel on Friday night. In a partner announcement at the parks panel, a new Mandalorian and Grogu mission was announced for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, presumably at both Disney World and Disneyland. The new mission will touch down in the attraction at the same time as the movie is released in theaters, currently slated as 2026.

Two Attractions Announced for Avengers Campus

Not one, but two new attractions were announced for Avengers Campus. The land will be expanded to almost double its current size to make space for the new rides, with construction beginning next year.

Avengers Infinity Defense

We’ve got a full storyline for this attraction: world-jumping tech has gone missing and King Thanos is using it, creating chaos everywhere. Recruits will travel to various locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City alongside all variety and sizes of heroes.

Stark Flight Lab

Stark Industries is always developing and Tony Stark is always inventing. In Stark Flight Lab, you’ll sit in two-person pods and deploy to a test station to be whirled around by a robot arm in a simulated flight. It’s not clear from the description just exactly what is being tested here, the arm, the vehicle, or the cast iron nature of your stomach. Maybe all three! But you can guarantee to hear (or see) about it from a familiar face; Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark for the attraction.

What are you looking forward to the most? Are you excited for an expansion to Avengers Campus? Let us know in the comments!