DISNEYLAND UPDATE: Ghosts of Theme Park Past, Progress Present & DisneylandFuture

If you’ve been waiting for Disneyland to show signs of life beyond seasonal overlays and souvenir popcorn buckets, this week helps. 2026 is coming into focus with returning 70th anniversary entertainment, the next wave of festivals, and the first real steps toward what DisneylandForward is supposed to deliver.

In the meantime, we’ve got an on-the-ground look at where things stand right now. Downtown Disney has a major project that finally looks real, Disney California Adventure’s future keeps getting clearer, and the refurbishment calendar just dropped two big notes (Haunted Mansion’s return timing and a first-ever Rise of the Resistance refurb). Add in Viva Navidad weekends, a nostalgic holiday character meal, and a few smaller park details worth clocking, and you’ve got a full update.

Before we jump in, we’d like to wish everyone who celebrates a very happy Hanukkah.

And now, let’s take a look at what’s going on across the Disneyland Resort!

DisneylandForward Update

On May 7, 2024, Disneyland got official approval from the city of Anaheim to move ahead with its ambitious $1.9 billion multi-year DisneylandForward project. As 2025 winds to a close, we still haven’t seen a whole lot of progress (even though Disney was allowed to begin work on June 7, 2024), so it seems like a good time to refresh our memories about what’s in the Disneyland Forward pipeline… and, more importantly, what we can expect to see in 2026.

Although it only took Imagineers one year to build Disneyland Park in 1955, building a new theme park in the middle of orange groves was a lot less complicated than expanding a 500-acre resort surrounded by established residential neighborhoods and a busy business district, so speedy construction isn’t a realistic expectation these days.

That being said, in the short run, we have been promised a new entrance plaza, east side parking structure & transportation center, as well as a new Coco-themed attraction and an Avatar-themed land in California Adventure (and that’s in addition to the substantial Avengers Campus expansion that is already underway). 

New Entrance Plaza

Construction is scheduled to begin next year on the new entrance plaza at the east side of the resort (currently the Manchester cast member parking lot). 

The multi-year project will include a new parking structure with about 6,000 spaces, shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening, and dedicated resort access for traffic from Disney Way. The new entrance and transportation hub will also feature a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard, leading to an all-new esplanade arrival experience. 

New Coco Attraction

We know Disney’s first-ever “Coco” ride will be built near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier, in areas that are currently backstage. According to Disneyland, construction on this attraction is set to begin in fall 2026. 

New Pandora Land and Attraction

The current Hollywood Backlot area will become a new Avatar-themed destination based on “Avatar: The Way of Water” (not a clone of The World of Avatar at Walt Disney World), with an all-new water-based attraction.

To make way for this project, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will close in early 2026, but no start date has been officially announced for the Avatar project.

Avengers Campus Expansion

The one very active construction site at the resort is Avengers Campus, which will approximately double in size with the addition of two new attractions: Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab (both featuring Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark).

Avengers Infinity Defense: Technology that allows the Avengers to jump between worlds has gone missing, and King Thanos is using it to wreak havoc everywhere. Recruits will travel to iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City alongside the likes of big, and small, heroes. You also just might find yourself face-to-face with King Thanos, too.

Stark Flight Lab: If you’re up for another mission, Tony Stark has one for you. You know Tony, he always wants to try something new and exciting, and it’s going to make you feel like a Super Hero yourself. You’re going to sit in two-person pods and deploy to a test station. Then a robot arm grabs your pod and starts whirling you around in a simulated flight.

No opening dates have been announced, but the show buildings are already taking shape behind the construction walls.

Constructionland

After a bit of a lull, construction crews are back at work, including one major project that’s been three+ years in the making.

Downtown Disney

Yes, it’s true. Construction has finally begun on the new Porto’s Bakery and Cafe, which will be located at the east end of Downtown Disney (the former location of La Brea Bakery and Earl of Sandwich). The project was first announced at D23 Expo in 2022, but as we’ve reported, it’s stalled several times since then.

The construction walls extend all the way from the former Earl building to the esplanade, including ticket booths that will be removed to accommodate the new restaurant.

The Porto’s in neighboring Buena Park (just over a mile from Knott’s Berry Farm) is nearly 25,000 square feet, and from the concept artwork, it looks like the Downtown Disney location (which will include a bakery, quick service cafe, sit-down table service restaurant, full bar) may be just as massive.

Another new addition to Downtown Disney, the popular athleisure brand lululemon has installed its signage. In 2024, lululemon partnered with Disney for a successful collab, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the collection will be available in the new store.

We’ve also learned that construction on the new steakhouse and barbecue restaurants at the former Tortilla Jo’s location has not stalled (as we had feared), but rather is in the thick of the permitting process with the city. Permitting is one of the main reasons why things don’t move as quickly as we’d all like to see. But we’re hoping to see activity resume at the construction site soon.

Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar 

Still no refurbishments in December, but two big items were just added to the calendar: a return window for the classic version of Haunted Mansion… and (for the first time ever) a scheduled refurbishment for Rise of the Resistance. Here’s hoping it brings back a few missing effects and a little more reliability to one of the resort’s most breakdown-prone headliners.

Upcoming Refurbishments

• Grizzly River Run: January 5 – TBA
• Incredicoaster: January 5 – TBA
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: January 5 – TBA
• Haunted Mansion Holiday Overlay Removal: January 12 – 22
• Mark Twain Riverboat: January 12 – 15
• Lamplight Lounge: January 12 – 15
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: January 20 – TBA

This & That

There’s still a bit more for you. A little bit of this a little of that.  

Disneyland Live

In this week’s Disneyland Live (every Thursday at 5pm Pacific), we are joined by Disney author, Julie Tremaine, on a journey through the parks for a holiday stroll. You’ll want to follow along on this fun journey…

Viva Navidad

The Viva Navidad street party in California Adventure is back again this holiday season, but it’s only performed on weekends, so plan your park visits accordingly if you want to see this wonderful show.

The six remaining dates are:

• December 20 and 21
• December 27 and 28
• January 3 and 4

Performances are at 12:10 p.m., 1:10 p.m., 2:10 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 5:45 p.m.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast 

Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian is offering a limited-time holiday character buffet inspired by Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Available on select dates through January 6, 2026, the experience features Mickey, Minnie, Scrooge McDuck, Goofy as Jacob Marley, and additional characters appearing in themed costumes.

At nearly $80 per adult, the meal isn’t inexpensive, but it does offer extended time with characters and plenty of interaction. Reservations, however, are extremely difficult to come by. As of now, all remaining dates appear to be fully booked, though cancellations do happen, so checking back may still pay off.

What A View!

The trees on Grizzly Mountain have been trimmed, offering better views of Grizzly Peak.

Do you know the legend of Grizzly Peak?

Long ago, a coyote named Ah-ha-le met a powerful grizzly bear called Oo-soo-ma-te on top of the mountain. Coyote asked the bear to watch over and protect the land. One day people came and tried to chase Oo-soo-ma-te from the mountain, but the grizzly stood his ground. Seeing the bear’s strength, Ah-ha-le used his magic to turn Oo-soo-ma-te into stone so he could never be driven away. To this day, some say you can hear the great bear spirit in the wind that roars through the caverns and trees of Grizzly Peak.

Of course, we took this opportunity to walk the trail near the back of the queue along the waterfall to take in the refreshed view. It’s worth taking a look for yourselves…

Pre-Holiday Discounts

We spotted a few pre-holiday discounts on bubbly gifts… some up to 50% off. Disney suggests they make great stocking stuffers… they wouldn’t leave much room for anything else, but it is a pretty good deal. 

The 70th Anniversary bubble wands are clever. You can swap out the topper to change the character inspiration. The lights and sounds change to match the character accessory you choose. 

You’ll also find other Disneyland 70th items on sale in various stores. 

Have You Seen This Sign?

Disneyland has started using electronic signs to guide crowd flow. We spotted this directional sign on Main Street, U.S.A. They are easy to see at night. And while we like the idea better than cast members screaming directions at the top of their lungs at confused guests… we don’t think these are making much difference in the late night crowd chaos (mostly just before and after fireworks and parades). 

Thanks to the Jungle Cruise skippers, we saw a few other signs in the park this week as well. We love the whimsy the cast of this attraction bring to all of Adventureland. 

Travel Deal

Have you heard about the new Disneyland California resident tickets, offered from $249? We have some amazing news for you… Our ticket partners at Get Away Today have the same tickets for only $204. That’s a huge savings. 

Plus, for a limited time, you can get an extra $20 off any ticket with a 3- night hotel stay. That makes the California resident deal as low as $184.

You can find even more deals here:

MiceDeals: Limited-Time SoCal Theme Park Offers to Save You Money!

Step Inside Walt’s Storybook Mansion This Holiday Season🎄

Looking for a meaningful gift for the Disney fan in your life? Holiday History Tours return to Walt Disney’s 1930s Hollywood Hills home — fully decorated for the season, including a towering 12-foot tree that sets the backdrop for a charming story from the Disney family’s own Christmas traditions.

Join house historian Dusty Sage for an intimate guided walkthrough of the beautifully restored residence, filled with history, quiet details, and a warm dose of holiday atmosphere.

🎅 New: One-Time Santa Tour — December 26 at 3:30 PM
A special surprise tour has been added for for one date and time only. 
On this tour only, guests will:

• Explore the downstairs of the Disney Mansion
• Hear a heartwarming story about a memorable Christmas morning the Disney girls shared in the home
• Watch a vintage Christmas Silly Symphony in Walt’s private screening room
• Meet Santa inside the mansion (photos welcome)

🗓️ Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Holiday Tours

Charming Holiday History Tours are also available in December — each offering an inside look at Walt’s home, its seasonal decorations, and its remarkable history. 

⭐️ Hurry – space is limited!

🔴 Reserve a Spot for Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Tours HERE 🔴

MiceShots

Before we say farewell, let’s enjoy some of our photos of the Disneyland Resort. 

We spotted a long line at the Fantasyland popcorn cart. This cute, and generally sold out, popcorn bucket was in stock, and crowds flocked to pick one up. 

In Downtown Disney, be sure to look for the (not so hidden) character ornaments in the Christmas trees. 

They are part of a scavenger hunt. Search for ornaments along Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail in the Downtown Disney District from November 14, 2025 through January 7, 2026. You can buy a map with stickers to prove you found the ornaments from a variety of stores and kiosks throughout Downtown Disney… or… just keep your eyes open and find them without the $12 map. 

Be sure to take your time when walking through the parks to enjoy the ornaments and details you’ll only find this time of year. 

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