The Biggest Disney Parks, Resorts and Cruise Line News Revealed at 2022 D23 Expo

Nearly 7,000 Disney fans filled Hall D23 at the D23 Expo 2022 yesterday and countless others tuned in via Livestream to see Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D'Amaro share a closer look at the future of Disney's theme parks, resorts and Disney Cruise Line during the panel "A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experience and Products." Announcements included the return of beloved entertainment to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, details and opening seasons for new attractions, plans for Disney's 100th anniversary, big reveals about Disney Cruise Line's growing fleet and more. Here's a recap of all of the biggest Disney parks and travel news to come out of D23 Expo.

The Walt Disney Company reaches a major milestone next year - the company's 100th anniversary on Oct. 16, 2023. The celebration - called Disney 100 Years of Wonder (aka Disney100), begins in late January 2023 and will include limited-time entertainment, merchandise, specialty food and drinks and more throughout the year.

"Each of our destinations around the world - on land and at sea will showcase the anniversary in their own way," D'Amaro said.

When it came to domestic parks, Disneyland Resort received the greatest focus during the panel. As the home to Disney's original theme park, Disneyland Park, Disneyland will also be the main focal point for the company's 100th anniversary.

"The heart of this entire celebration will be right here in California at Disneyland," D'Amaro said.

In late January 2023, both of Disneyland's parks will debut new nighttime shows in celebration of Disney's 100th anniversary. At Disneyland Park, "Wondrous Journeys" will be a new fireworks and projection show that will include nods to all 60 Walt Disney Animation Studios films to date.

Across the esplanade at Disney California Adventure park, "World of Color - One" will tell a new story celebrating the company's storytelling legacy through the lens of memorable Disney characters and moments.

Not long before Disneyland was forced to close as a result of the pandemic, Disneyland Park launched a spectacular new parade - "Magic Happens." The parade has been on hiatus since the pandemic-induced closure but will finally return in spring 2023.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took the stage next, elaborating on an announcement by Disney CEO Bob Chapek during the Disney Legends panel that the Disneyland Resort's Avengers Campus will be getting a third attraction. According to Chapek and Feige, Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure will introduce the Multiverse to the park through a third attraction.

The new attraction will let guests team up with heroes "from anywhere and anywhen" to battle villains including a newly introduced villain, "King Thanos," a Thanos variant created specifically for the attraction. An expected opening timeline was not shared.

Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Mark Ruffalo appeared remotely via screen to suggest some "more green" be added to Avengers Campus. This was followed by a massive Hulk taking the stage in his Quantum Suit and the announcement that Hulk would begin appearing next week for a limited time at Avengers Campus.

The Pacific Wharf area of DCA will be reimagined as the fictional city of San Fransokyo from "Big Hero 6" and will include new shops, restaurants and a Baymax meet-and-greet.

Disney revealed the new name for the upcoming Pixar retheming of Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. The Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland will feature artwork and decor celebrating the creative journey of Pixar Artists.

The Pixar Place Hotel will also feature a "Finding Nemo"-themed splash pad and a new restaurant, Great Maple, which will open a flagship restaurant on the hotel's first floor and will also operate other food and beverage locations within the hotel.

Executive producer and Disney Legend Jon Favreau took the stage to share a first look at The Mandalorian and Grogu, who will begin encountering guests at Disneyland Park's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in mid-November.

Disneyland's Downtown Disney District is undergoing a substantial update that will introduce new dining, shopping and entertainment. During the presentation, D'Amaro shared a first look at concept art for Din Tai Fung, the world-famous restaurant chain that originated in Taiwan.

D'Amaro also announced another new restaurant coming to Downtown Disney District - Porto's Bakery & Café, which serves pastries, desserts and California-Cuban-inspired dishes.

West Coast runDisney fans rejoiced at the news that Disneyland's popular runDisney races would finally return in 2024. Details on dates, races and registration will be shared at a later date.

Disneyland's Mickey's Toontown has been closed for an extensive reimagining along with the construction of a new ride, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (Walt Disney World's version of the attraction opened in March of 2020). Extensive concept art and models were on display at the Expo for guests to get a closer look at both the ride and the land.

Disneyland's version of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway will feature a different exterior, queue and storyline. Set in the El CapiTOON Theater, the Toontown Hysterical Society celebrates Mickey Mouse with props and costumes from the "toon world," including items from "Steamboat Willie", "Plane Crazy", and "Mickey's Christmas Carol".

The reimagining of Splash Mountain into Tiana's Bayou Adventure at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World was a major focus of D23 Expo's Disney Parks and Experiences Wonderful World of Dreams Pavilion, where a model and screen displaying concept art and backstory gave fans a closer look at the development of the new attraction, which will open in late 2024. During the panel, it was announced that four of the original voice actors from The Princess and the Frog, Anika Noni Rose, Jenifer Lewis, Michael Leon Wooley and Bruno Campos, will reprise their roles for the new ride.

Eudora's Chic Boutique Featuring Tiana's Secrets will open in Disneyland Park's New Orleans Square on Sept. 20, 2022. The shop, which, per the backstory was developed in response to the success of Tiana's Palace restaurant, will feature accessories, kitchen items, spices and more.

Walt Disney World wasn't treated to as many imminent openings and updates as its West Coast sibling, but there's still a lot to look forward to at the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Magic Kingdom's beloved nighttime spectacular, Happily Ever After, was retired to make way for a new nighttime fireworks show to celebrate Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary. Fans have been calling for its return and Jordan Fisher, the singer-songwriter of the show's eponymous anthem, had even seemingly been teasing it on social media. Fisher opened the panel with the song, to the delight of nearly 7,000 fans, before D'Amaro announced that an updated nighttime spectacular featuring "Happily Ever After" will replace Disney Enchantment in 2023.

Fans of Figment, the beloved purple dragon and star of EPCOT's Journey Into Imagination With Figment, were over the moon at the news that guests will be able to meet Figment at EPCOT by the end of 2023.

Construction is well underway for the interactive, walk-through Moana attraction Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, which D'Amaro announced would open in late 2023. On display in the Wonderful World of Dreams pavilion at D23 Expo, a beautiful scale model of Te Fiti, developed as a design tool, gave guests a sneak peek at what the real 16-foot-tall version will look like when the attraction is complete.

As part of the Disney100 Celebration, a new nighttime spectacular will replace Harmonious in World Showcase Lagoon in EPCOT. The new show will debut in late 2023.

Magic Kingdom's new thrill ride, TRON Lightcycle / Run is so far along in construction that D'Amaro revealed that he's already ridden it and showed a video during the presentation. The ride will open for guests in spring 2023.

One of The Haunted Mansion's Most popular characters at Disneyland, the Hatbox Ghost, will be added to the ride at Walt Disney World, D'Amaro announced. This wasn't the only attention the character got during D23 Expo. During a Walt Disney Studios panel presentation Friday, it was confirmed that Jared Leto will be playing the Hatbox Ghost in an upcoming live-action version of the film.

Imagineering Portfolio Creative Executive Chris Beatty and Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios Jennifer Lee joined D'Amaro onstage to discuss "blue sky" projects in development at Walt Disney World. They teased a potential expansion "beyond Big Thunder Mountain" that could include a Coco-themed area with the town of Santa Cecilia celebrating Dia de Lost Muertos and a ride on an alebrije, an Encanto-themed area where guest could visit the Casa de Madrigal, and a Disney Villains-themed area. D'Amaro did stress that any execution on these concepts would be well into the future.

Lee, Beatty and D'Amaro also presented "blue sky" ideas for an eventual Dinoland, USA overhaul. They teased an updated land that would include both Zootopia and Moana theming.

Hot off the heels of the launch of Disney Cruise Line's fifth ship, the Disney Wish, DCL has shared details, concept art and a name for the fleet's sixth ship, the Disney Treasure. The ship will have an "adventure theme" and its Grand Hall will pull real-world inspiration from Asia and Africa and will pay homage to Agrabah. The Grand Hall's iconic statue was revealed to be of Aladdin, Jasmine and Abu. The Disney Treasure will set sail in 2024.

Beginning in late October 2023, the Disney Wonder will sail to Australia and New Zealand for the first time ever during limited-time cruises that will feature Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars stories. Repositioning cruises will Disney Cruise Line's first voyages to the South Pacific, taking guests to destinations like Fiji and Samoa.

As Disneyland Paris moves toward the conclusion of its 30th-anniversary celebration, a new stage show, "Pixar: We Belong Together," will debut in Walt Disney Studios park as part of the anniversary's grand finale.

Gardens are being added to the central promenade at Disneyland Paris' Walt Disney Studios park, with one garden featuring a new Tangled-themed all-ages attraction.

The Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Paris is currently undergoing renovation and will reopen in 2024 with new Frozen-themed rooms which will complement Walt Disney Studios park's new Frozen-themed land that is currently under construction.

Hong Kong Disneyland will be the first of three international parks to unveil a new Frozen-themed land. World of Frozen will open in the second half of 2023.

As part of the Disney100 Celebration, Hong Kong Disneyland is getting a stunning new statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, which will be positioned near Cinderella's Carousel.

Duffy & Friend, fan-favorite characters in Disney's Asia parks, are getting their own show on Disney+. The six-episode series will feature stop-motion animation and will premiere next year.