In a surprise announcement at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026’s Disney Experiences Showcase, Disney revealed that an all-new Tomorrowland is in development for Disneyland! The thrilling announcement came as part of the big Disney Horizons: A Carousel of Progress Disney Experiences Showcase at the Honda Center. Here’s what was announced and what we know:
D23: THE ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EVENT — DISNEY EXPERIENCES SHOWCASE
It’s official! A brand new Tomorrowland is on the horizon at Disneyland!
As Saturday night’s Disney Experiences Showcase drew to a close, Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum surprised the Honda Center’s audience of 12,000 fans with one word: TOMORROWLAND. The announcement has been long-rumored and hotly anticipated by fans for years, with hopes that a major Tomorrowland overhaul would be announced at just about every D23 event since they began in 2009.
Well, the time has finally come and fans erupted with cheers and applause Saturday night as Thomas Mazloum made the announcement. But what can we expect? No details were released in Saturday night’s announcement, as the project is just getting off the ground — but the audience was reassured that Disney is fully committed to launching the aging land into the future.
What we do know is that the Tomorrowland project is officially being overseen by Imagineer Emily “Emo” O’Brien. Emily is Walt Disney Imagineering’s Portfolio Executive Creative Producer for Disneyland Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort. Yes, Tokyo Disneyland — the park that is currently getting a brand new, state-of-the-art Space Mountain. And yes, Emily is currently overseeing that massive update to Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. That project saw the complete demolition of Tokyo’s original Space Mountain and the construction of the brand new Space Mountain Earthrise over the last couple years. With that project nearing completion and set to open in 2027, Emily is setting her sights now on transforming Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is an opening-day land, featuring classic attractions such as Space Mountain, Autopia, the Disneyland Monorail, and the Submarine Voyage. Tomorrowland and its classic rides have all been updated over the years, with Tomorrowland getting major transformations in 1967 and 1998. Space Mountain received a brand new show and a completely rebuilt track in 2005 with Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters opened the same year, both as part of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary celebration. The Submarine Voyage reopened in 2007 as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage after being shuttered for nearly a decade. Autopia has received several updates over the years, including the most recent in 2016. Brand new electric vehicles are expected to debut at Autopia in 2027 (but that return may be impacted by this new news). Additional attractions include Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, the Astro Orbitor, and a Disneyland Railroad station.
But what will remain, what will head to Yesterland, and what will be transformed as Tomrorowland heads into the future? Only time will tell, as our great big, beautiful tomorrow is still being planned.
The Tomorrowland news may be bad news for AVATAR fans. Disney is prioritizing the new Tomorrowland project over the AVATAR project at Disney Califonria Advenutre. As of now, AVATAR is still officially planned but will be delayed, so that Tomorrowland can become the focus. With AVATAR on the back burner, that means work on Tomorrowland can get started as soon as the Avengers Campus expansion and Coco attraction opens at Disney California Adventure. With the focus shifting dramatically to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, anything could happen and the possibilties are endless… in both theme parks! Stay tuned to MiceChat for the latest on this exciting news!
D23 2026: Walt Disney Imagineering shows off new Horizons for the parks
The first time since 2018 that I didn’t even let myself hope for Tomorrowland news because it never happens and I’m always left heartbroken, and they actually go and do it!
Specifics can wait, we’ve got the commitment on paper in a very public venue and that’s what counts.
You are exactly right, and it’s what I’ve been writing for weeks. Time to commit to a new Tomorrowland, even if the plans aren’t ready to share. Turnover in Imagineering and executive ranks at the parks ensures that things are constantly being rethought… but this commitment makes it much more likely to happen. Especially with Disneyland’s former President now in charge of the Experiences half of Disney.
Dusty Sage you have been asking for a new Tommorowland in Disneyland for years and the powers that be are finally listening. Thank you for being a persistent voice for all of us and making things happen.
I’m certainly not the only one asking for a new Tomorrowland… but very happy that Disney is listening to their fans in general.
You should note that this WDI leader already also has Pandora at DCA. So, it really is about the people a few steps below to bring the ideas forward.
Considering the entire eastern entry / transit area has to be at least well underway just to create room for Avatar, announcing a no-details TL update actually makes perfect sense. So much for the “never in our lifetimes” and “two hundred billion per square foot—it’s impossible” crowd. Will it all follow the now well-establish trend of Fewer Rides and Lower Capacities Are What Our Guests Want™?
It will be interesting to see how Disney tackles this. Do they shut the land down completely or do they do this somewhat in phases to keep the land operating? I can’t recall another time a land has been shutdown so feel like that would have broad ramifications on things like park reservations and crowds. In any event, can’t wait to see what becomes of this land
Finally! And it’s interesting that the Avatar experience seems to have been pushed behind the Tomorrowland makeover. Granted, I believe Tomorrowland is the priority, but it does make me wonder if there’s more behind the delay. Parks are Disney’s money maker, and Disneyland is largely a locals park. They also seem to be listening to the fans more these days. A lot of the timeline could have been affected by the pandemic, local politics, rising costs and just the sheer amount of money these projects require. But I keep wondering about Avatar. Is it because Avatar can’t really move forward until the new eastern gateway project, Coco and Avengers are completed because of the backstage access needed between Disneyland and DCA? Or did Disney hear more fan feedback than they were expecting, with a lot of Disneyland fans not really wanting Avatar there or at all? Maybe they’re realizing that, to do Avatar properly, it needs to be somewhere else, possibly as part of Disneyland Forward. Looking at the model (online) with the monorail, it almost makes Avatar look more like a ride with some theming around it rather than a truly immersive land like Pandora at Animal Kingdom. Imagineering has done incredible work with Radiator Springs Racers and Galaxy’s Edge when it comes to creating immersive environments. If we get anything less than Pandora, I think a lot of us are going to be disappointed.
And then there’s Tomorrowland. I’m especially curious about what’s really in store there. They’ve delayed the electrification of Autopia for so long that it makes me wonder if they’re hesitant to spend the money on something they might tear out or completely rework in the near future. My other concern is the Matterhorn how long is it going to last and how will a full refurb for SEA or replacement work with a new Tomorrowland. Either way, it’s an exciting time for Disney Parks around the world. There seems to be so much happening and so much more on the horizon. I’ll admit, though, it makes me a little sad that I moved out of California after going to Disneyland at least once a year for the last 40 years. Thankfully, I’m only a flight away, so I’ll still be watching everything very closely on Mice Chat!
Jumped off the couch at this news! If they stay true to what they said on stage, this is the most exciting news for Disneyland in years in my opinion. Can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Finally!!! Will Carousel of Progress be back, too? It fits so well. I’m hoping for a drone or two…or three…ha. I’m so excited! Thanks, Disney!
Makes sense to me, they are redoing the WDW one we still have a carousel just need to be refurbed. Plus seeming to be going for the retro theme, bring it back to Disneyland and let a generation that grew up with America SIngs and the garbage that followed see it for the first time (well the new version).
I missed the part about TL prioritized over Avatar. That’s great news to me. Was there absolutely nothing said about Autopia? That has a deadline soon or (minor) fees start. Maybe closing it is the start of a new Tomorrowland. It has long seemed to me that once you get rid of the drop-off zone, you have huge open access to the rear of TL and Hollywood Backlot areas. It would make some sense to think of this as one giant construction site for both projects…even integrated to some degree. There are a few backstage buildings to replace and remove, then start scrapping Pizza Planet, Launch Bay and Autopia out through the back. Subs become a lagoon. Can’t happen soon enough. I’d be DELIGHTED if the replacement is the new Space Mountain complex from Tokyo.
Two of the local TV affiliates (not Disney owned KABC) here In Los Angeles said today that Avatar may never be built at DCA. It does kind of sound like it’s much lower on the project list now.
And kind of a mystery why Disney would make a Tomorrowland announcement but then give zero details.
Ok, so I guess the only question now is what IP will the New Tomorrowland be tied to?
Happy for this change but disappointed it delays Avatar. By the time there is a new Tomorrowland, if there are no more Avatar movies, how could they justify that project so many years off from now. Seems this announcement will seriously delay my hopes of experiencing a Shanghai-pirates type water ride.
It is amazing how much excitement there is for no news. I watched the entire Parks show, and all I heard was that they’re working on Tomorrowland. Isn’t that what they’ve been saying for years and years?
One thing I’m concerned about is that, according to their script, Tomorrowland will have more open space. That doesn’t line up with what Tomorrowland is supposed to be. In the 1960s update, Walt dreamed of energy and movement in that section of Disneyland. I think when I hear “more open space,” of when they announced all the changes to EPCOT, that didn’t happen, and they made a big deal about minor additions. There was nothing added to Future World, but a park with some fountains.
Will the new Tomorrowland come in 2030, or will construction start in 2030?
Sorry, but nothing in this announcement encourages me.
We fans have all been saying for years and years that we want this, but this is the first time Disney has actually said they’re going to do it. That’s what has some folks (like me) excited. I wouldn’t expect details the first year of the announcement–they do like to milk it. That’s fine by me, but agreed, if this ends up being a decade or more out, that’ll be disappointing.
I am a little worried about who he phased it on the announcement. As we wrap up the 70th anniversary of Disneyland and start to look forward to the centennial. Does that mean this will be a 30-year project?! I hope not.
Did they specifically say that Avatar is getting pushed out? I didn’t hear the actual presentation but the impression I got was simply that, timewise, this would slot in between Avengers/Coco and Avatar–so, if Avengers/Coco is in the two-year timeframe, and Avatar in five or six years (just making that up), maybe this would be four years out but without impacting Avatar. Wishful thinking?
instead of trying to guess what the future looks like, why not make the tommorowland corridor all theamed to star command? you could give it a cool 60s retro future look leave buzz lightyear as is pu a new star command simulator ride in the star tours building and do something honnoring americas history of spaceflight in the launch bay building? perhaps a ride similar to soaring but in space.
or bring mission space to disneyland. me and my son recently rode it for the first time and he was terrified but then happy we did the “hard” mission when we got off