What's Coming To Disney Parks In 2024? Here’s A Magical Breakdown
Disneyland’s Pixar Fest has begun.
It was Walt Disney who said that Disneyland “will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world,” and the company has kept to that promise. Disney Parks around the world are growing with new rides, restaurants, and experiences all in 2024. Disney announced Tiana's Bayou Adventure is slated to open this summer and teased the first-ever Tangled ride at Fantasy Springs over at Tokyo Disneyland, but there’s more than just attractions coming to the parks, resorts, and cruises that guests can look forward to.
The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California is currently celebrating Pixar Fest with themed merch, food, and experiences. You could say Disney is going to infinity and beyond to provide something new for guests planning their next vacation. The festival, which is taking place at both theme parks, will have special “collaborations” with Pixar Place Hotel as well.
The Pixar-themed hotel just opened its doors in January, and already has an exclusive meet and greet with Bing Bong from Disney’s Inside Out, Joe Gardner from Pixar’s Soul playing piano in the lobby, and tons of Easter eggs for fans to look out for. Guests who stay at the hotel also have special access to Disney California Adventure Park through a gate near Pixar Pier, which brings you right into the fun of the festival.
At Pixar Fest this year, there is a cop-worthy popcorn bucket that looks like the famed Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story. Fans are already loving this collectible as much as the viral and hard-to-get EPCOT Figment Popcorn Bucket.
Below, you’ll find even more details on Disneyland’s Pixar offerings as well as what you can expect from the new Princess and the Frog ride, Disney’s newest ship being added to their cruise line, and the Tangled-themed land coming to Tokyo this summer.
The Princess And The Frog Ride Is *Finally* Coming To Disneyland In 2024
Spring
A lot of exciting things are happening at the OG Disney park in California this year. Now through June 2, Disneyland is celebrating the Seasons of the Force for Star Wars. During this time, on select nights, there is a Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite special ticketed event with rare characters, fewer wait times at attractions, and exclusive menu items — like Baby Yoda-shaped beignets. Tickets are on sale for $159 each.
The original Star Wars attraction Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris have added more story and character options, too. This includes an appearance from Grogu and Pedro Pascal’s character from The Mandalorian.
And of course, Pixar Fest is happening during Season of the Force as well. The festival will feature new Pixar-themed marketplaces, like what they do for their food and wine festivals, at California Adventure beginning May 10.
These six new food booths will be available through Aug. 4, and are inspired by different Pixar films. There will be the Portorosso Pasta from Luca, Gusteau’s To-Go from Ratatouille, The Elemental Table from Elemental, The Spark from Soul, Hanger Management from Inside Out, and a nostalgic 4*Town Fav*4*ites inspired by the boy band from Turning Red.
Pixar Fest also has a brand-new Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! parade in California Adventure with the debut of 4*Town and Mei’s red panda character from Turning Red, as well as floats themed to Soul and Luca. Other special Pixar characters are in the parks for you to meet, like Wade and Ember from Elemental, a talking Dug from Up, Luca and Alberto from Luca, and Mr. and Mrs. Incredible in new superhero uniforms.
A great place to catch some of these characters is at one of the two new dance parties: Club Pixar at the Hollywood Backlot and Pixar Pals Playtime Party at Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland. The Pixar Pals Playtime Party has photo ops from your fave films, so it’s prime for some Insta and TikTok content. A real highlight is watching Sadness from Inside Out dancing around like Taylor Swift’s lyric, “I cry a lot but I am so productive,” from The Tortured Poets Department.
While you’re at Pixar Fest, you may want to grab the limited-edition Pizza Planet truck popcorn bucket. There are also 50 Pizza Planet trucks hidden throughout Disneyland and California Adventure Park for you to spot as you’re walking around or riding different attractions. Then, end your night by watching the Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show, which features all the Pixar films, a flying Buzz Lightyear over Sleeping Beauty castle, and a cameo from Toy Story’s Barbie at the end.
Along with the new Pixar Fest merch, Disneyland also now has “create your own” headbands. These character DIY bands have been a popular item at Hong Kong Disneyland, and are now making they’re debut in the U.S. This first drop includes 12 mini plush characters to choose from, like Minnie Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, and Winnie the Pooh. While Disney hasn’t announced whether they will release more characters, they hinted that if these bands are as popular as they are overseas, it’s very possible.
Also in the spring, Fantasmic! will be returning to Disneyland on May 24 after it was shut down last April.
Summer
At some point in 2024, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Disneyland. It has been confirmed for Walt Disney World this summer, but no definitive date given just yet for the west coast. Disney previously has said the attraction taking over Splash Mountain would debut in “late 2024,” but fans noticed the wording now says “coming in 2024” — perhaps hinting that it’ll be sooner rather than later.
In June, Disneyland will have another after hours event, Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite, on the 18th and 20th.
Fall
The fall is obviously Halloween season at Disneyland. Halloween Time in the parks will return Aug. 23 until Oct. 31. In between then, RunDisney will be hosting an all-new Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend Sept. 5 through 8, where guests can run through both parks and earn 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon medals.
Over at California Adventure Park, the Plaza de la Familia, or Día de los Muertos celebration, will be back from Aug. 23 to Nov. 2. Then, starting Nov. 15, the holidays will begin at the Disneyland Resort until 2025.
Walt Disney World Is Getting A New Zootopia Show
Similar to Disney California Adventure having seemingly endless food festivals throughout 2024, Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida also has their own schedule of events for the year. The Flower and Garden Festival is happening now through May 27.
The Food and Wine Festival has now been set for Aug. 29 through Nov. 23, and will be followed by the Festival of the Holidays in the winter.
Walt Disney World will also be getting some brand new attractions in 2024. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will make a splash at the Magic Kingdom this summer, which is the perfect season for a water ride. Disney Parks announced the new date on Instagram, along with giving fans a preview of the Tiana animatronic that will appear within the attraction.
Nearby in Frontierland, an all-new Country Bear Jamboree will be opening sometime this year with different songs as well. Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, they’ll be getting an updated The Little Mermaid stage show as well, based on the classic animated film and not the Halle Bailey live-action Little Mermaid.
At the Destination D23 presentation in 2023, Disney also announced that at some point they would be shutting down to the It’s Tough To Be A Bug attraction at Animal Kingdom for a new Zootopia-themed show. That is rumored to be opening in late 2024 or 2025.
As far as resorts go at Walt Disney World, there will be two new options for Disney Vacation Club members in 2024. Disney announced that the Cabins At Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will be opening in the summer, and a new tower at the Polynesian Village Resort is expected to open later in the year. Disneyland just opened a new tower for DVC members in 2023 with Princess and the Frog-themed suites. Non-members can reserve rooms there too, so it’s possible these new WDW suites and cabins will be available for anyone to book.
The Disney Cruise Line Is Adding A New Ship And Private Island To Their Fleet
If you prefer a floating resort on the sea, you’ll be excited to hear that Disney Cruise Line is adding the Disney Treasure to their collection in December 2024. The Treasure will have an Aladdin-themed statue in the Grand Hall, and feature a brand-new Coco restaurant, Haunted Mansion bar, and Moana stage show.
It will be the second of three ships in the Wish class, the third of which, the Disney Destiny, was announced in March and will launch in 2025. The Destiny features films like The Lion King, Hercules, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians in its experiences.
Both the Treasure and the Destiny will also be sailing to new destinations, like Disney’s Lighthouse Point. The private island, like Disney’s Castaway Cay in the Bahamas, has gorgeous beaches, a market-style dining area, and premium family cabanas you can rent for the day. While you may have to wait until December to sail on the Treasure, other Disney ships will be sailing to Lighthouse Point starting in June.
Fantasy Springs At Tokyo Disneyland Will Have The First-Ever Rapunzel Attraction
This might be the year you decide to check off a few of the international Disney Parks from your to-do list. Disneyland Paris just opened the re-imagined Disneyland Hotel, which has stunning park views depending on which room you book. Disneyland Paris will also be getting a new show, A Million Splashes of Color, from Feb. 10 through Sept. 30, as well as an Alice & The Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland show at Walt Disney Studios Park in the spring.
They also haven’t announced when it will be opening, but Disneyland Paris has been working on their own Frozen-inspired land, like Hong Kong’s World of Frozen. Over at the Tokyo Disney Resort, they’re also adding some Frozen experiences with the addition of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.
The brand new land will have a Frozen Kingdom, Peter Pan's Never Land, Rapunzel's Forest, and a Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel with an entrance directly into the park. Disney recently shared new photos and details of the lands. The Frozen Kingdom will have an Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey ride along with two new dining options, Royal Banquet of Arendelle and Oaken’s OK Foods.
In addition to Anna and Elsa, Rapunzel will be getting her own area that includes Disney’s first Tangled ride. The Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival attraction takes guests through the Tangled story from “When Will My Life Begin” to “I See the Light.” Afterwards, you can enjoy a meal at the IRL Snuggly Duckling, inspired by the restaurant in the film.
The final of the three lands, taking inspo from Peter Pan, will have Captain Hook’s pirate ship and Tinker Bell’s Pixie Hollow to explore. There will also be two new attractions, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure boat ride and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies.
Fantasy Springs will officially open on June 6, so 2024 is definitely the time to book that Tokyo Disney vacation you’ve been dreaming of.
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