Where We Think the New Disney World Lands and Rides Announced at D23 Will Go

The D23 parks presentation on Saturday night was, without a doubt, a blockbuster event, fitting for the massive arena in which it was held. TONS of new worlds, rides, shows, and even cruise ships were announced, all with the assurance that they were in the works and much more tangible than some of the “blue sky” announcements of past Disney fan events.

Now that the euphoria over all the new shiny things Disney is giving us has subsided a bit, many in the Disney community are wondering where everything is going and what beloved (to varying degrees) attractions are facing extinction. Let’s explore this a bit, focusing on the Walt Disney World D23 announcements. The following is a blend of what Disney has said, along with some speculation on my part about where everything is going. For all of this, I will be clear on what is known and what is an educated guess. I hope you find this entertaining and (somewhat) informative…

New Cars attraction s coming to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom.

New Cars Rides in Magic Kingdom (Announced Location)

This was one of the announcements that generated the most speculation when it was made. Chairman of Disney Experiences Josh D’Amaro announced that the new Cars rides will be located in Frontierland, causing a ton of head-scratching since Frontierland is pretty much a thin strip of walkway, a couple of restaurants, and two massive attractions.

To figure out where these new attractions will go, you need to think bigger and bolder and understand that Disney is not against removing a Day One attraction and a land feature that dates back to the early days of the resort. Disney announced earlier today that the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed to accommodate the large footprint the new attractions require.

This is a bittersweet change. On the one hand, you have an area that dates back to the earliest days of Walt Disney World and has become an iconic component of the park’s landscape. On the other, it is painfully clear that this area was underutilized, and the popularity of the attractions has dipped considerably over the years.

Looking at the concept art for one of the Cars rides, it looks like there is a river of some sort, but it will certainly be much narrower than the Rivers of America, and we won’t be seeing a massive riverboat floating around Radiator Springs anytime soon. So be sure to get a final ride on the Liberty Belle the next time you’re in Magic Kingdom. Then, take a raft ride over to the island and pay your respects to Fort Longhorn and Aunt Polly’s.

The new Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom.

Villains Land in Magic Kingdom (Kind Of Announced Location)

This land has been referred to as “Beyond Thunder Mountain,” dating back to the Destination D23 announcements last year, so we can assume this will go on the land on the other side of the roller coaster. This makes more sense now that we know the Rivers of America is being transformed because when you look at a map, there is actually quite a bit of land back there when the river is filled in, and the area is connected to Tom Sawyer Island.

Of course, the location of this new land is dangerously close to the Walt Disney World Railroad, making one wonder if we’re going to see the train go down for a period of time. We all know how that worked out last time…

Pirates Tavern in Magic Kingdom (Rumored Location)

The location of this tavern has not been announced yet, but it is almost certainly going where The Pirate League used to be. This was the pirate dress-up experience that closed in 2020 and was wedged between the entrance to The Pirates of the Caribbean and its exit/gift shop. The concept art looks very similar to the space, and we recently saw the gift shop relocate to Tortuga Tavern across the way, and the entire space is currently under construction/refurbishment. So it’s not a leap to assume the tavern is going there.

Spaceship Earth Lounge in Epcot (Announced Location)

The location of this one is probably the most self-explanatory of all the new attractions, but I wanted to note that it will be located specifically in the old Siemens lounge in Spaceship Earth. For those who don’t know, when Epcot opened, and for the first decade or so, all of the pavilions in the old Future World were sponsored by a major corporation, and each had a lounge where the sponsor company could entertain. Spaceship Earth was originally sponsored by the Bell System and most recently by Siemens until 2017. The lounge has sat empty for years, so making it into a revenue-generating space is a no-brainer.

New Indiana Jones ride coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Tropical Americas Land/Indiana Jones Ride/Encanto Ride in Animal Kingdom (Announced Location)

The location of this one was somewhat announced last year at Destination D23 and confirmed this weekend. Dinoland U.S.A. is making way for Tropical Americas Land, with the Encanto ride prominently placed in the new space. Indiana Jones will replace Dinosaur, which wasn’t specifically announced last year, but given that the ride system of Dinosaur is the same as the Disneyland Indiana Jones ride, there was no question once we knew the archaeologist was coming to Animal Kingdom that we’d be counting down to Dinosaur’s extinction.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether Show in Animal Kingdom (Announced Location)

Zootopia: Better Zoogether is replacing It’s Tough to be a Bug in the Tree of Life theater. We knew that from last year. We just got more info about the show at D23.

New Monsters, Inc. land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Monsters Inc Land in Hollywood Studios (Your Guess is as Good as Mine)

This is the one that we do not know about yet, and there is TONS of speculation/fear about where this one is going. There is a large contingent of Disney World fandom that fears this is going in the Grand Avenue area of Hollywood Studios, replacing stuff like MuppetVision 3D, PizzeRizzo, and Mama Melrose’s. From a Disney point of view, the pro of this location is the age of the attraction and the underutilized space. The con of this location is the lack of space behind the facades. The space is actually very narrow, wedged directly between the massive Star Tours building and Galaxy’s Edge, and there is an access road directly behind it.

There is another school of thought that Monsters Inc Land will replace the current Animation Courtyard area. This makes wayyyy more sense to me as it is a massively underutilized area of the park, and the animation building, which housed Star Wars Launch Bay, is actually a massive building that could be renovated or removed. This area is currently no man’s land in a park that has been adding excitement at every turn. This is the theory I buy into most.

That’s all I’ve got for now. As always, keep an eye on this site as I will be covering future announcements as these projects develop.

Extra: Random thought – With a massive quasi-racing car ride being built in Magic Kingdom, it leads one to wonder what the future holds for an unpopular, dated massive racing car ride that is located in prime real estate directly in front of the park’s new marquee attraction. Hmmm…