If you have been following the Disney Parks community heading into this year’s D23, you have probably seen some ambitious predictions for “Horizons: A Carousel of Progress.” Dreaming big is half the fun, but I think fans should set realistic expectations.
I fully expect exciting news, especially updates on projects already announced, including Piston Peak and Villains Land, plus attraction details, opening windows, concept art and perhaps a few surprises. What I would not necessarily expect is a fifth Walt Disney World theme park, a major new phase of Disneyland Forward, or an entirely new, massive land expansion that Disney has never previously announced.
D23 has big years and quieter years. Disney has shown that D23 can vary dramatically from one event to another. The 2024 Horizons presentation was an unusually huge year, with Disney touting a long list of announcements, including Villains Land, a Cars area, a Monsters, Inc. Land, and Tropical Americas and major Disneyland projects.
That is important context because D23 does not always operate at that scale. The 2022 event was much more of a mix of updates, attraction details and previously discussed projects, rather than another 2024-style flood of major new park expansions.
That’s the distinction I’m making this year. I’m not saying Avatar at Disney California Adventure or more details on Villains Land aren’t major news, they absolutely are. I’m talking about something completely new: another Galaxy’s Edge-scale land, a fifth park at Disney World, or a huge Disneyland Forward project that hasn’t already been announced. Those would be the true bombshells.
And honestly, 2026 feels more like a year to flesh out the existing pipeline than introduce another enormous slate of projects.
Disney already has an enormous amount of construction and development underway across its resorts. The company spent 2024 announcing a huge pipeline of projects, and many of those projects are now reaching the stage where fans are going to want to know the specifics: What will the attractions actually be? When will they open? What will the lands look like? What characters will appear? What is happening with construction?
Those are exactly the kinds of questions a D23 presentation can answer without Disney needing to announce another billion-dollar expansion.
So if you are expecting a fifth park, a massive Disneyland Forward announcement or another completely new mega-expansion, I would lower those expectations. If Disney announces one anyway, fantastic. But I wouldn’t consider it the most likely outcome.
Lower expectations for the scale of the announcements does not mean lower expectations for the quality. More details on Villains Land, Piston Peak, Monsters, Inc., Tropical Americas and Disneyland’s announced projects could make for a fantastic presentation.
After the enormous wave of announcements in 2024, 2026 may simply be the year Disney starts showing us what those promises actually look like in the real world.
