We’re used to Disney first making major announcements about their latest projects, with most featuring all the bells and whistles of a D23 reveal. However, the company occasionally hints at yet-to-be-confirmed specifics in subtle ways. Whether it be information dropped on their social media channels or details hidden in concept art, we often find ourselves decoding these clues, Swiftie-style.

Over my 30+ years of being a Disney Parks fan — and 7+ years writing about them — I’ve seen Disney announce a lot of projects, and I’ve come to learn that every tiny detail released is worth examining, especially when it comes to some of the biggest announcements they’ve made in recent years.

The Specifics of Villains Land

During the 2024 D23 Ultimate Fan Event, Disney confirmed the long — and I mean 20-years-LONG — rumored Villains Land was coming to the Magic Kingdom in the expansion area “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” Disney shared that the land will be “inspired by the wicked characters fans know and loathe. The multi-acre expansion will include two major attractions, plus dining and shopping. Walt Disney Imagineering is pushing creative boundaries to dark and mysterious levels to bring this new, first-of-its-kind land to life.”

Ever since, fans have been wondering exactly which villains will be featured in the land. Disney has yet to confirm, though they have dropped some hints. During that initial announcement, Josh D’Amaro told fans they should “Be prepared, you poor unfortunate souls, it’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.” “Be Prepared….” certainly makes us think of Scar from The Lion King, while “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is, of course, Ursula’s show-stopping number in The Little Mermaid.

More recently, the company announced that legendary Disney animator Andreas Deja, who was the supervising animator on several well-known Disney villains, including Scar, Gaston, and Jafar, is officially consulting on the project. That could indicate the presence of some of those characters.

Then there’s the concept art. The dark, craggily rock work, the dragon, and the design of the castle is giving us major Maleficent vibes. Could the land’s main attraction be based around the Sleeping Beauty villainess? Or at the very least, be set in her castle? That could align with Villain Mountain, the alleged centerpiece of the 1990s-planned version of the land.

Rumors at the time said the ride would have been a flume-style attraction that would take guests through different Villains’ lairs, with audio-animatronic Villains plotting to take over the Magic Kingdom. Allegedly, featured scenes would have included the Evil Queen in her laboratory, Ursula over her cauldron, Maleficent gloating over perceived victory, etc. The ride would then climax with an encounter with Chernabog, who would unfold his wings and menace the riders until they slid down a long flume to safety.

Could the centerpiece of the modern take on the land be a similar concept, perhaps replacing the flume with a coaster? That’s what the concept art may imply.

Only time will tell, but we are very eager to see what Disney has up their sleeves with this one.

What Will Monstropolis Be Like?

In addition to Villains Land, Disney also announced that a brand-new Monsters, Inc. Land will be coming to Hollywood Studios as the 2024 D23 Ultimate Fan Event.

While we know a bit more about Monstropolis — including the fact that the land will be headlined by an inverted roller coaster that recreates the famous door scene from the 2001 Pixar film — we still have some questions.

For starters, what’s the “whole new theater show” coming to the land? Concept art would seem to indicate it’s coming to the space that previously housed Muppet*Vision 3D, so is it a 3D film? An animatronic show? A new version of Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor? Its placement in the concept art would suggest a somewhat large footprint.

In some concept art, there have been Laugh Floor signs spotted in the land.

Now, what about the dining in the area? Concept art indicated a take on Harryhausen’s Restaurant from the film. Could we see a full dining experience, complete with animatronic monsters? We’re hoping the answer is YES!

And perhaps our biggest question of all: Will the Mike Wazowski-eyed snacks (Ice Cream Cones?) featured in the concept art actually be available?

A Great Big Beautiful Tomorro-Walt

At the 2025 D23 Ultimate Fan Event, Disney made a surprise announcement that major changes were coming to the iconic Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom. A Walt Disney animatronic — similar to the one that debuted at Disneyland earlier this year — will now be part of the attraction’s pre-show, and the entire presentation will be updated, likely with a new finale.

Looking at the concept art for the new Walt Animatronic, there are seemingly some cosmetic differences. As opposed to Walt’s office set seen in Disneyland, the Carousel of Progress version looks to be in a mock-up of the Imagineering studio set from the classic 1960s Disney television series, complete with several classic attraction easter eggs.

However, those cosmetic differences lead us to more questions. Will Disney fix some of the more… controversial elements of the animatronic? How different will the presentation be? Will it simply be a short introduction to the Carousel of Progress or simply an introduction to the show? If the Walt segment is longer than the previous introduction, will the show’s other acts be significantly shortened? We still NEED to know!

There is so much to uncover in Disney’s new announcements and concept art. We are eager for Disney to give us more information on all of these new projects, but until then, you can catch us breaking down the bits of information and concept art we have received. Exciting things are coming to Disney World, and we can’t wait to uncover all the details with you!

As Disney continues to transform their theme parks, we’re going to keep combing through each announcement for every tiny detail to decode. Stay tuned to DFB for more.

I’ve Written About Disney World for 7 Years. Here Are 4 Powerful Updates I’m Seeing in the Parks Right Now.

What do you think these announcements mean? Let us know in the comments below.