Destination D23 highlights: All the announcements Disney park lovers should know

Disney parks are changing.

“Over the next decade, we’re going to have more projects underway than at any point in our history,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products said over the weekend at Destination D23, a gathering of official Disney fan club members. “Our sole purpose is to give you more and more of what you love about a Disney experience and then surprise and delight you with things you never dreamed possible.”

Like the biennial D23 Expo, a highlight of the event is the announcement of what's coming to Disney parks. Many of last year’s announcements have already come to fruition or will in coming months. Others ideas are still being fleshed out.

Here's what's new, as Disney revealed.

What’s coming to Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

▶The Hatbox Ghost will debut at Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion in late November. The storied character has appeared at Disneyland for years.

▶A new Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired lounge is being developed for Adventureland, which will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean and bring back the Barker Bird that used to be out in front of the attraction, according to Chris Beatty, senior creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering.

▶The park’s iconic Country Bear Jamboree will get a new act and new songs next year. Fans won’t have to worry about their favorite characters changing, but “the bears will reinterpret their favorite Disney songs in different genres of country music,” said Beatty, who noted that Imagineers are working with Nashville musicians to nail down the authentic sound.

▶Expansion plans for the world’s most visited theme park remain in the “blue sky” phase of development, but Disney revealed that the scale of whatever comes “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” would be similar to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora – The World of Avatar.

EPCOT

▶You can now meet Figment at the Imagination! Pavilion. The beloved purple dragon from EPCOT’s Journey Into Imagination attraction began greeting guests on Sunday. You can find times and locations for all of Walt Disney World’s character greetings on the free My Disney Experience app. Disneyland’s free app also lists its character experiences in California.

▶ Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, will open on Oct. 16. The walk-through attraction will invite guests to play with water while teaching them about its importance. That same opening day, Moana will begin making character appearances in a dedicated space near the attraction in the park’s World Nature neighborhood.

▶A new nighttime spectacular will debut in EPCOT on Dec. 5. “Luminous The Symphony of Us” will replace “EPCOT Forever” and feature fireworks, fountains and more.

▶EPCOT’s World Celebration will open this December. When the construction walls come down, guests will once again be able to freely traverse the park and enjoy brand new spaces that can be used for the park’s popular festivals.

▶Test Track is being reimagined in partnership with Chevrolet. “We’re reaching back into the history of the pavilion, taking inspiration from the original World of Motion and bringing that spirit of optimism to this next iteration of Test Track,” said Scott Mallwitz, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering. World of Motion was an exemplar of the park’s classic edutainment appeal. For now, Test Track remains open. You can check its operating hours on Disney World’s free My Disney Experience app.

This isn't the EPCOT you remember: Top Imagineer explains why the park 'will never be completed'

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

▶Dinoland U.S.A. is being reimagined after the “tropical Americas." Imagineers are considering new “Encanto” and Indiana Jones experiences for the space. There is currently no Indiana Jones ride at Disney World, though there is the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland.

▶A “Zootopia”-inspired short is coming to the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. “Our current concept is filled with humor and action, taking you into the different biomes you see in the film and some you have yet to see yet,” said Walt Disney Imagineer’s Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn. “We’ll meet Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and my favorite, a fantastic Clawhauser animatronic. It’s going to be great.”

What’s coming to Disneyland

▶Disney shared a first look at the previously announced new attraction coming to Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park. The ride vehicle will be able to jump to new worlds across the multiverse. According to Brent Strong, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, it will include “elements of Tony Stark’s time-suits with Xandarian jump points and Wakandan technology.”

At last year’s D23 Expo, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said the new attraction would introduce a new MCU villain, King Thanos. "This is a Thanos that won, and the Avengers are not too happy about that, and you have to help them,” Feige said.

▶Ahsoka will join Star Tours. The star of the new Disney+ series “Star Wars: Ahsoka” will be incorporated into the attraction at Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Paris.

▶Asha from the upcoming animated film “Wish” will make appearances at Disneyland, EPCOT and Disneyland Paris.

▶The D23 Expo will return to Anaheim next year. It will be held on Aug. 9, 10, 11.

What's planned for Disney parks abroad

▶Disney shared a peek at the new World of Frozen coming to Hong Kong Disneyland this November. New images were also released of the “Frozen”-inspired land planned for Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris and Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea. When it opens next year, Fantasy Springs will have whole areas inspired by “Frozen,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan.”

▶Earlier last week, Disney unveiled details about the new ”Zootopia”-themed land coming to Shanghai Disney Resort by year’s end. It will feature a new trackless attraction called Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, meet and greet opportunities with characters from the film, and speciality foods.

Is there a new Disney cruise ship coming?

▶Disney’s newest cruise ship will be called Disney Adventure. It will be the seventh ship in Disney’s fleet and the first ship to sail from Singapore across Southeast Asia. The announcement came just days after Disney revealed details about its upcoming Disney Treasure, which will begin sailing in Dec. 2024.

▶Next year will also mark the opening of Disney Cruise Line’s newest private destination, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point in the Bahamas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney World, Disneyland are changing: What to know