The D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event is about to kick off and we now have a first look of the Imagineering Pavilion! This is the largest pavilion Imagineering has ever showcased at the D23 Expo and will include models of lands, attractions, ride vehicles, and more. There will be interactive elements, as well. In this post, we take a first look of the pavilion that was shared by Disney.

This year, the space was intentionally designed to capture the excitement felt across Walt Disney Imagineering and continues the story that began in 2024 at the Horizons Showcase. Aptly named, the “Imagineering: Horizons” pavilion celebrates this extraordinary moment of growth and momentum happening across Disney Experiences, with each resort represented throughout the space.

The pavilion will take guests beyond the horizon to show you the great big, beautiful tomorrow that awaits.

Promenade of Progress

Guests will enter the pavilion through the Promenade of Progress, passing between a façade featuring concept art from active projects meant to draw them into a celebration of progress, possibility, and construction currently underway across Disney Experiences.

At the heart of the promenade is Center Stage, which will host more than 30 Imagineer presentations throughout the weekend. The stage design is inspired by the 1967 Tomorrowland Terrace Stage — or, as we’re calling it, the Tom Morrow-land Terrace Stage — and will also feature appearances by Tom Morrow 2.0, host of Imagineer That! on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube channel.

From there, guests can explore highlights from projects around the world, including new models, maquettes, concept art, and interactive experiences that showcase how Disney Imagineers bring stories to life.

Walt Disney World Resort Projects

At the pavilion, guests will get a closer look at several projects in development for Walt Disney World Resort.

For Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom, the display includes two new costumes — one from the 1960s and one from the future scene. Guests will also see two maquettes displayed at the same scale as those seen on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Disney, along with a new attraction poster inspired by the original.

For Tropical Americas coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests will get a new look inside the upcoming Encanto attraction, including Audio-Animatronics figures that will appear in one of the scenes. The display will also feature a model of the Indiana Jones attraction temple façade. In addition, four sculpts will be on display showcasing characters guests will find, and presumably ride, in the carousel within Tropical Americas.

For Piston Peak National Park coming to Magic Kingdom, a stunning 19-by-19-foot model will offer guests a look into the new themed area, including a first look at the second attraction. Guests will also have the opportunity to snap a photo with a display of the land marquee featuring a Goat Cart.

Over in Monstropolis coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests will get a look at a mood board showcasing the design inspiration behind the neighborhoods of Monstropolis, complete with sketches and design renderings. Painted maquettes of monster-fied critters — a pigeon, a squirrel, and a rabbit — will also be on display.

For the highly anticipated Villains-themed land, the pavilion will include two themed tree sculpts, offering a glimpse at the atmosphere and visual language being developed for this bold new space.

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Randomly thrown into this news release were two Star Wars related photos. There’s not text about them and I’ve seen others report that there are no plans to put them into the parks but both of them look very cool! Anzellans forever.

Super Hero Experiences Around the World

Super Hero fans will find several exciting projects represented in the pavilion.

A model of the Avengers Pavilion exterior for the new attraction coming to Hong Kong Disneyland will be on display, giving guests a glimpse at this ambitious new experience.

For Shanghai Disneyland, local street artists from Shanghai created a custom Spider-Man mural for one of the pavilion walls. A time-lapse of the mural’s creation will play on a nearby monitor, celebrating the energy and artistry behind the attraction.

Coming to Disney California Adventure, the Avengers Campus expansion model will be displayed along with a ride vehicle maquette for Stark Flight Lab.

Disneyland Resort Projects

The pavilion will preview several exciting additions still on the horizon for Disneyland Resort.

For the upcoming Coco attraction at Disney California Adventure, guests will see a new queue rendering and a sculpt of Hector. They will also have the opportunity to write down a special Disneyland Resort memory with their loved ones. In the pavilion, you can write a message or memory on a paper card. Each card created will then be transformed into soil that will be embedded in floral planters at the threshold of the attraction queue – a blooming tribute that will keep treasured memories alive for years to come. In this way, the memories shared in the pavilion will become a lasting part of the attraction’s story.

The pavilion will also include a look at the upcoming Avatar destination, featuring a rockwork model and ride vehicle model that offer an early glimpse into this immersive new experience.

Tokyo Disneyland

Guests will get a closer look at two exciting projects coming to Tomorrowland in Tokyo Disneyland. Attendees can preview the progress underway on the first Disney Parks attraction inspired by the world of Wreck-It Ralph. Developed in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Imagineers have expanded the colorful world of Sugar Rush with new locations and 12 original confectionary characters created exclusively for the attraction. The pavilion will also feature the new Space Mountain design model, a ride vehicle maquette, and a scale model of the attraction’s new plaza icon.

Disneyland Paris

At Disneyland Paris, we are giving a front row view of The Lion King construction at Disney Adventure World. The black light study model gives a first look into what the guests will experience when riding the Lion King attraction, as well as sharing a ride vehicle maquette and the Rafiki’s Tree scale model that will be in the land.

Over 150 Imagineers will be manning the pavilion throughout the course of the weekend. We are eager to get a closer look at everything and will share our firsthand experience throughout the weekend. I’m happy to see Disney putting a real emphasis on the Imagineering pavilion and look forward to it being one of the highlights of the entire expo!

What are you excited to see at the D23 Expo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! Here’s a link to discount tickets at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!