We are officially entering that fun and slightly dangerous part of being a Disney fan where practically every conversation starts with the same question: “Do you think they’ll announce it at D23?” D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event returns to Anaheim, California, from August 14–16, 2026, bringing together Disney Parks, movies, television, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Imagineering, Disney history, merchandise and just about every other corner of the company under one massive roof.
There is already plenty confirmed for D23 2026, but there are also several projects where Disney fans are still waiting for that next big piece of information. Rather than throwing every rumor imaginable at the wall, here is what CoasterMedia will actually be tracking as D23 2026 gets underway.
First Up: The Disney Entertainment Showcase
Friday night, August 14, belongs to the Disney Entertainment Showcase at the Honda Center. Disney has promised upcoming movies, television projects, games, live-stage productions, first looks, announcements, performances and a few surprises along the way.
For CoasterMedia, this is where our attention turns heavily toward Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and the larger Disney entertainment slate. Friday could give us a clearer picture of where several major franchises are heading before the focus shifts toward Disney Experiences on Saturday.
Star Wars
Star Wars sits at the top of my Screen watch list.
There are theatrical projects, Disney+ series, animation, games and the continued presence of Star Wars throughout Disney Parks, which means there are plenty of directions Lucasfilm could take during D23. The biggest thing I want is a clearer roadmap for what comes next and which projects Disney and Lucasfilm really want fans to focus on over the next few years.
New footage, release dates, casting announcements or completely new projects would all be welcome. I would also love to see D23 give us a stronger sense of how the theatrical and streaming sides of Star Wars are going to work together going forward. There are always plenty of rumors around Star Wars, so this is one area where I’ll be paying close attention to what Lucasfilm actually confirms.
Star Wars also has that interesting connection between Screen and the theme parks. Something revealed Friday night could potentially become relevant again during Saturday’s Disney Experiences presentation, especially with Galaxy’s Edge and other Star Wars experiences remaining such a major part of Disney Parks.
Marvel Studios
Marvel is another big D23 wild card.
There are projects we already know are coming, projects somewhere in development and inevitably a long list of things fans are convinced Disney is about to reveal. What I am most interested in is whether D23 gives us a clearer picture of where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading next.
New footage, casting confirmations, release updates and additional details about upcoming films and series could all help fill in the roadmap. Marvel has become such a large part of Disney’s overall entertainment business that it would be surprising if the studio didn’t have at least a few things ready for the D23 crowd.
Marvel is also increasingly connected to Disney Experiences, especially at Disneyland Resort. That makes Friday and Saturday worth watching together because an entertainment announcement could easily set up additional theme park news later in the weekend.
Pixar
Pixar is especially interesting because its stories now move between the screen and the parks more than ever.
D23 2026 will feature Pixar experiences on the show floor, but naturally we will also be watching for movie news. New film details, first looks and unexpected announcements are always possible during the Entertainment Showcase.
Pixar is also one of those studios where a successful movie can quickly become part of a larger Disney Experiences conversation. With Pixar already represented throughout Disney Parks around the world, anything announced on Friday night is worth keeping in the back of our minds when Saturday’s theme park presentation begins.
Saturday Is the Big One for Theme Park Fans
For CoasterMedia, Saturday, August 15, will probably be the biggest night of the weekend.
That is when Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase takes over the Honda Center. Disney has indicated that the presentation will build on projects announced during previous D23 events while taking fans deeper into the creative vision behind what is coming next.
That wording has my attention because Disney already has a huge amount under construction or in development. The biggest question is how much of Saturday night will focus on providing new details for existing projects and how much time Disney will leave for completely new announcements.
Villains Land at Magic Kingdom
Villains Land is definitely near the top of the list.
Disney officially announced the new land for Magic Kingdom during D23 2024 and confirmed that the project would feature two major attractions along with dining and shopping. Since then, Villains Land has remained one of the most talked-about future Disney projects because there are still so many unanswered questions.
Which villains will actually be represented? What kind of attractions are Disney Imagineers designing? How large will the land feel? What will the architecture and atmosphere look like when we finally step inside it?
D23 2026 feels like a natural opportunity for Disney to move beyond the broad concept and start showing fans what Villains Land will actually become. Even a few attraction details, new concept art or a physical model could generate one of the biggest reactions of the weekend.
Cars at Magic Kingdom
The upcoming Cars area at Magic Kingdom is another project where I am hoping to see the next level of detail.
We already understand the general concept, but there are still plenty of questions surrounding the attractions themselves. Ride names, vehicle designs, storyline details, construction updates and new concept artwork could all help fans better understand what Disney is building.
This feels like one of those projects where D23 could shift the conversation from “Disney is building a Cars area” to something people can actually start picturing themselves experiencing.
Monsters, Inc. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
I am also extremely interested in what Disney has to show from the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The big headline here for coaster fans is Disney’s first suspended coaster, which will recreate the feeling of racing through the famous door vault from Monsters, Inc. That alone puts the project directly on the CoasterMedia radar.
Now I want to know how the ride system works, what the vehicles look like, how much of the attraction takes place inside the door vault and what the rest of Monstropolis will feel like around it. A detailed model or ride vehicle demonstration at D23 would immediately become one of the highlights of the weekend for me.
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Tropical Americas is already moving closer to reality at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, bringing Indiana Jones and Encanto into the park.
Because this project is further along than some of Disney’s other major announcements, I am less focused on whether Disney reveals something completely unexpected here. Instead, I want more specifics about the attractions that are already coming.
This could include new attraction footage, Audio-Animatronic reveals, additional details about the Indiana Jones storyline, more information about the Encanto attraction and perhaps a better sense of when guests can expect everything to open.
Disneyland’s Avatar Destination
Disney California Adventure also has some major changes coming, and the planned Avatar destination is one of the biggest.
Disney has already confirmed that this will not simply be a copy of Pandora from Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Instead, the project will draw inspiration from Avatar: The Way of Water and other parts of the franchise.
That immediately raises plenty of questions. What exactly are we building? What kind of attraction system will Disney use? How immersive will the new area be, and how different will it feel from the existing Pandora experience in Florida?
D23 feels like the perfect place to start answering some of those questions.
The Coco Attraction
Disney’s first attraction based on Coco is another project I am keeping a close eye on.
Disney previously described the attraction as taking inspiration from classic experiences such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion while using modern Audio-Animatronics to bring the world of Coco to life.
That description already has my attention. Now I want to see ride vehicles, characters, environments and perhaps an early look at how Disney plans to recreate the Land of the Dead.
This could quietly become one of the most visually impressive projects Disney has announced if Imagineering gets it right.
Avengers Campus Expansion
We also haven’t forgotten about Avengers Campus.
Disneyland Resort has already confirmed that Avengers Campus will expand with additional attractions, effectively making the area significantly larger than it is today. With Marvel potentially making news during Friday night’s Entertainment Showcase, there is always a chance that some of that momentum carries directly into Saturday night.
That crossover is one of the fun things about D23. A movie or character announcement on Friday could suddenly have theme park implications less than 24 hours later.
What About Disney Cruise Line?
Theme parks understandably receive most of our attention during Disney Experiences presentations, but Disney Experiences stretches far beyond the parks.
Disney Cruise Line is in the middle of a major expansion, with several ships and new experiences either already launched or still on the way. That means Cruise Horizon will definitely be keeping an eye on D23 too.
New ship details, destinations, onboard entertainment, attraction-style experiences or updates to vessels already under development could all appear during the weekend.
Disney Cruise Line has become too large a piece of the Disney Experiences portfolio to treat as a small side note anymore.
And Then There Are the Surprises
This is where things can get tricky because every Disney fan has a wish list going into D23.
I certainly do.
But there is an important difference between tracking possibilities and presenting speculation as fact. Going into D23 2026, CoasterMedia will keep that line clear. If Disney has announced something, we will call it confirmed. If Disney has teased a project but still has major details left to reveal, we will explain what remains unknown. If something is simply something fans would love to see, we will treat it as a wish rather than a guarantee.
That does not make speculation any less fun. It simply keeps the speculation from becoming the headline.
The Imagineering Pavilion Could Be Just as Important
One area I do not want to overlook is the Walt Disney Imagineering presence on the show floor.
The giant presentations usually receive most of the headlines, but some of my favorite D23 details often come afterward when fans begin studying models, attraction vehicles, Audio-Animatronics and pieces of concept artwork displayed inside the convention center.
Sometimes a presentation gives us a quick look at a project, then a detailed model reveals dozens of things nobody noticed during the announcement. Those smaller details can completely change how we understand what Disney is actually building.
Models, ride vehicles, animatronic demonstrations, architectural details and attraction technology are all high on my watch list this year.
Don’t Forget the Rest of D23
It would also be a mistake to treat D23 as nothing more than two giant announcement presentations.
The weekend includes panels, Disney history, entertainment programming, shopping, exhibits, cosplay, fan experiences and opportunities to hear directly from the creative people working across the company.
The Walt Disney Archives is another area worth watching because D23 provides a rare opportunity to see props, costumes, artwork and other pieces of Disney history that fans might not normally get to experience.
Sometimes the most memorable thing you discover at D23 has absolutely nothing to do with a giant new attraction announcement.
Sunday Celebrates the Disney Legends
D23 traditionally balances all that talk about Disney’s future by also celebrating the people who helped shape its past and present.
The Disney Legends ceremony recognizes performers, creators, Imagineers and other individuals who have made significant contributions to The Walt Disney Company.
After a weekend filled with announcements about what Disney plans to build next, ending the event by looking back at the people responsible for generations of Disney entertainment feels like an appropriate way to close things out.
Our D23 2026 Watch List
For Disney Experiences, I will be watching Villains Land, Cars at Magic Kingdom, Monsters, Inc., Tropical Americas, Disneyland’s Avatar destination, Coco, Avengers Campus, Disney Cruise Line and whatever additional surprises Imagineering may have waiting.
For Screen, Star Wars comes first for me, followed closely by Marvel, Pixar, Disney Animation and anything else that helps paint a clearer picture of Disney’s upcoming movie and television slate.
I will also be watching the Imagineering displays for physical models, ride technology, Audio-Animatronics and smaller details that may not receive much attention during the main presentations.
Then there is always that final category: the completely unexpected announcement nobody had on their bingo card.
D23 usually finds a way to give us at least one.
The Countdown Is On
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event officially begins Friday, August 14, and then we get three packed days of Disney fandom, announcements, presentations and surprises.
Some announcements will probably confirm things we have been expecting. Others may answer questions fans have been asking for the past couple of years. Hopefully a few genuinely unexpected reveals are mixed in as well.
Either way, CoasterMedia will be following along and keeping an eye on the projects that matter most across Disney Parks, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney Cruise Line and the wider Disney universe.
The speculation window is almost over.
Soon, we get to see what Disney actually has to say.
