Walt Disney Imagineering this weekend revealed the two headline attractions for Magic Kingdom's hotly anticipated Villains Land
With one of the biggest headlines of the D23 event, Disney Imagineers revealed details of the first attraction.
It's a coaster, and it belongs to Maleficent.
Guests will race through the enchanted briar surrounding her frightening mountaintop fortress, coming face to face with the Mistress of All Evil herself; assuming, as Disney put it, you're brave enough to answer her invitation.
The most eye-catching claim came from the Imagineering team, who teased that the coaster will include elements they have never attempted before on similar attractions, describing it as a genuinely groundbreaking project. No specifics were offered on ride system, layout, or what those elements actually are. But it is a strong statement at this stage in the project.
Villains Land's second headline attraction is a dark ride hosted by the Magic Mirror, who the Evil Queen keeps in the catacombs beneath her pristine palace. Once you reach him, he magically transports you into his mystical Mirror Realm to see what lies on the other side of the glass.
There, a combination of special effects and physical set pieces conjures a parade of Disney Villains in ways only the Mirror can manage. Between the two attractions, Villains Land covers both ends of the thrill spectrum; a coaster for the brave, a dark ride for everyone else.
The land it sits in
Villains Land's story is entirely original rather than lifted from any of the Disney movies directly.
Guests can stray from the safe path into a vast, foreboding forest, and you'll find a Wishing Well torn asunder; corrupted long ago by a wish so evil it broke the stone open, and spread poisoned magic through the trees. One by one, villains have come to claim what remains of that power, using it to conjure fortresses and gleaming palaces that reflect their personalities and house shops and dining.
Imagineers coined the term "Conjured Architecture" to describe the aesthetic, drawn from research trips to Paris and Barcelona where the team became absorbed in Art Nouveau and Modernisme. The inspiration is rich colour palettes, swirling natural forms and ominous proportions that make buildings look magically summoned rather than built. The land's overall scale is being compared to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
What else is changing at Magic Kingdom
Carousel of Progress returns in late spring 2027
Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress returns in late spring 2027 with Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston joining as Sarah and John, and every scene reset to a new decade. Act one puts the family around the television for the July 1969 moon landing. Act two lands on Halloween night 1985, with Sarah taking centre stage for the first time while John hands out sweets on the porch and Uncle Orville complains about the lack of privacy. Act three is New Year's Eve 1999 as the internet arrives. Act four imagines a far-future home, built partly from Disney Legend John Hench's original concept sketches.
The previously announced Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic still opens the show, in a scene inspired by the 1964 "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair" special — complete with replica props including the prototype Tiki bird and the Tower of the Four Winds model. "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" continues to play between scenes. The attraction is currently unavailable and returns late spring 2027.
Piston Peak's attractions are named
Piston Peak's attractions now have names: Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along. Cars Ridge Run Rally sends racers climbing mountain trails, through snowy peaks, past erupting geysers and bouncing back down toward the finish line, with Lightning McQueen and Mater providing commentary from the sidelines.
Alongside it, Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along puts the Cars 3 demolition derby champion front and centre as host of her wildest competition yet.
Elsewhere at Walt Disney World
Spaceship Earth is being reimagined for the first time in nearly two decades, with the story broadening from human communication to human connection, and no date confirmed.
Dreamfinder and Figment are returning to EPCOT. Thomas Mazloum announced a new journey into imagination starring both characters, reuniting them for the first time since Dreamfinder's 1998 departure.
Tropical Americas is nearly fully revealed at Animal Kingdom. Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto brings the Madrigals to Casita with Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow and Diane Guerrero returning, and features more than 50 animal species.
Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent sends riders into the Maya Underworld against the serpent Tsukán, with an Audio-Animatronic modelled on Harrison Ford himself, the first time his face will appear on a Disney attraction anywhere.
El Carrusel de los Animalitos adds a carousel of 22 hand-carved Disney and Pixar animals.
The Expedition Everest Yeti is coming back to life, confirmed from the main stage and marked with a Gloria Gaynor performance of "I Will Survive."
Monstropolis opens at Hollywood Studios in 2027, with a Mike and Sulley theatre show, Harryhausen's, Archie's Scare Pig Pizza and an original Randy Newman song.
