We’re a week removed from the 2026 D23 Expo and we’ve had a chance to catch our breath after that whirlwind. I’m still asking myself, “Did that really happen?” about certain parts of the weekend but other moments have solidified and become clearer. It’s amazing what sleeping for a few hours will do for a person! The D23 Expo provided news, updates, and surreal moments all related to the Disney Parks. In this post, we’ll break down the parks related winners and losers from D23 weekend.

The thought behind this post is simple – what Disney Parks announcements, updates or showcase moments were a positive and which were a negative? We’ll term them winners and losers because this is a blog post on the internet! I don’t condone calling anybody a loser but you might want to call me one after reading this post. Sometimes I feel like Fozzie Bear trying to get ahead of Statler & Waldorf making fun of him. What does that say about my self-confidence? Wait, don’t answer that.

The premise here is pretty clear. I do want to say that my overall reaction to the weekend was overwhelmingly positive. That’s because of the announcements and the things I saw in the Imagineering Pavilion but also from talking to other Disney theme park writers and reporters. There was a positivity that a group of people who write on the internet don’t usually have. Some of that was just being around other like minded people, but the announcements did play a major role.

Which ones specifically had me jazzed and what about D23 had me… un-jazzed? Let’s start with a big winner!

Winner – Walt Disney World

The resurgence is real, Walt Disney World has improved and will continue to do so. Even before the parks showcase last Saturday night, everyone I talked to raved about how much better Walt Disney World is now compared to 2, 4 or 6 years ago. They’re right! We noticed a strong shift in momentum near the beginning of 2025 and that train hasn’t slowed down since. Among the many attractions that have improved (Test Track, Big Thunder, Buzz, Frozen, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster just to name a few), the whole resort experience has been made easier and more enjoyable. Walt Disney World is back!

That’s not slowing down anytime soon. All WDW four parks are adding major additions in the coming years. We saw updates for Magic Kingdom’s massive Villains Land and Piston Peak, Monstropolis is opening early, Tropical Americas appears to be as thoughtful as the rest of Animal Kingdom, and Epcot is finally getting a reimagination of everyone’s favorite park characters, Figment and Dreamfinder.

Those are the big ticket items all while Walt Disney World continues to improve in small but meaningful ways. Maintenance appears to be better around existing rides, including some updates on ones that have needed them for a long time. While we wait for big expansions, the vacation kingdom has gone with a smaller strategy of improving what’s there instead of sitting on their hands. The difference is noticeable and will pave the way for bigger changes.

Loser – DCA’s Marvel Expansion

I know the Avengers reversed the inevitable Thanos snap, but they can’t seem to reverse my lack of enthusiasm for their California Adventure land. This might show my entertainment preferences more than anything but the expansion coming to Avengers Campus looks… bad? While other models were detailed and wowed us on the show floor, the model showcasing DCA’s expansion was boxy. The model does feel like the land in that it seems impersonal and too utilitarian so I guess it will fit in?

I’ll leave my snark to the previous paragraph. Infinity Defense should be a great ride! I love that ride system (the same as Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure in Tokyo DisneySea) and overstuffed superhero plots truly fit theme park storytelling well. But nothing I heard or saw at the expo inspired much confidence in the Avengers Campus aesthetic or second ride.

Winner – Tomorrowlands Everywhere

We haven’t been able to say this in quite some time! Tomorrowlands, or Discoveryland in a specific case, are improving across the board. Magic Kingdom’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is the sleeper hit of 2026, debuting earlier this year, and I still think their Space Mountain is about to get a major refurbishment despite no announcement. Tokyo Disneyland’s new Tomorrowland looks mind blowing and fitting of the park it belongs to. Discoveryland is getting their original Space Mountain back. Heck, even Hong Kong’s new Marvel attraction looks pretty cool!

Then there’s the beast that is Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. I didn’t think there was a chance they would announce a large scale reimagining of the land and, at first, I was skeptical of the announcement. I know a lot of others are still skeptical, since there were next to no details given. News started trickling in after the parks showcase that this project will take priority over Avatar. Others mentioned how adamant Disneyland execs have been in recent months about fixing the Tomorrowland problem.

Yes, I would like more details and am really unsure of what this project is going to look like. But them announcing a reimagining is a whole lot better than another two years of putting other projects first. People can remain skeptical all they want but an announcement is better than no announcement, and I’m relieved and so excited that this iconic land is finally going to get some attention.

Loser – Foreign Park Announcements

Going into the parks showcase, I thought foreign parks might get the headliner news while the domestic ones stuck to updates. That did not happen at all. The only new thing that was announced in a foreign park was that Disneyland Paris will be getting their old Space Mountain back. There was no Tokyo DisneySea Port Discovery reveal. We don’t know what’s going to happen after the Lion King is done at Disney Adventure World. Some of these resorts even released more information (a Disneyland Paris parade and more Pixar coming to Hong Kong) directly after the parks showcase ended, which may have been the strangest part of the night. Maybe they were backup plans? I thought the parks showcase might turn into a foreign parks showcase but it was anything but.

Winner – Josh D’Amaro & Thomas Malzoum

People that are less interested in the theme park division might still be skeptical about Josh D’Amaro as CEO but I am not one of those people. D’Amaro and Malzoum, Chairman of Disney Experiences, seem to recognize that Imagineers can tell original stories and those stories should be a hallmark of the parks. Pouring money into fixing the yeti? Bob Iger famously ripped Expedition Everest for not being connected to IP. Why do you think Figment and Dreamfinder haven’t received a new ride for 20 years and then all of a sudden got the announcement once D’Amaro took over? Maybe the timing is partially coincidence but all of these original rides are receiving attention now and it’s hard to just look past that.

As for Malzoum, this was his first big showcase and I was happy with the details given as well as his presentation style. His talking points were simple – everything we do is for the fans and we’re listening to them. It might have been a little blunt and edging toward arrogance but the content speaks for itself.

Loser – Avatar

Siva-uhoh. I am so sorry for that joke but I could not stop myself. Throughout Friday and Saturday, it appeared that Avatar was going to fight off the rumors that it’s announced project in California Adventure was going to get canceled but then Saturday night happened. It was announced that Avatar will be delayed, again, as Disneyland Resort will be putting the Tomorrowland reimagining ahead of it in priority. This was more concerning than shocking for the Avatar expansion, as the Eastern Gateway parking and transportation project needs to be done before the expansion can be done in the proposed part of DCA.

Still, Avatar to California Adventure was announced in 2024. It was hinted at 2023. Now you’re telling me that they won’t start building this land until 2029 at the earliest? Going into the Expo I sat at about 80% sure that Avatar in California Adventure would happen. I’m not sure those numbers have completely flipped but they’ve taken a significant hit. We’ll have more on this in the coming week.

Winner – Carousel of Progress

I was lukewarm on the Carousel of Progress update coming into D23 Expo. Under the right guidance, I thought the update could be a big win for one of Walt Disney World’s legacy attractions but it would be tricky to pull off. Turns out I wasn’t that big of a skeptic because a few different presentations about Carousel of Progress totally won me over. I’ll keep this short because I’ve already written about it, but I think the updated version of this classic is going to be adored by longtime fans.

Loser Maybe? – Being in on the Joke When the Joke Is About You

Look, the Parks Showcase was a bit of a zoo. They made it a huge production which, I believe, was meant to show their dedication to this segment of the company. They wanted to give the fans that paid money for D23 a show. It was a lot, sometimes good and sometimes bad. The cringiest moments were when the showcase tried to be in on the joke. We get to call it Disco Yeti, Disney Parks! You don’t because you should have fixed it years ago.

Then again, maybe bringing out Gloria Gaynor after talking about fixing the yeti is actually pretty funny? Tig Notaro was dressed as a yeti, sort of?? Maybe this was actually pretty enjoyable for the people in the building and the real loser is…

Loser – Live Streams

Does anyone ever say anything good about live streams that aren’t video game related? It’s hard enough to make a massive show for an arena of people, it’s even harder when that in-person production is supposed to play for people watching at home through the in stadium feeds. It’s just not a recipe for success.

Take that all with a grain of salt, I am actually for Disney live streaming the parks panels. The expo isn’t for everyone and park fans want to see the news announced. But people at home thought that the parks showcase was trying to recreate the Oscars (they kind of were) but the show didn’t have big TV producers behind it. It was a live stream! I have yet to come across a person who watched the live stream and thought it was good television. On the other hand, I have yet to come across a person who was in the building and thought the show was downright bad. Which brings me to…

Winner Maybe? – Fever Dreams

Did I mention Tig Notaro was dressed as a yeti? Why was Tig Notaro there? Is there any chance she’s been to a Disney theme park? Glenn Close showed up and was wonderful as Cruella but then she went rogue and no one knew if they were announcing a new attraction or not and then before we knew it Beck was on stage! Beck?!

That all happened before the closing moments of the show, which I can only equate (pardon me as I bring up the Oscars again) to when there was the confusion on who won Best Picture between Moonlight and La La Land. Except this chaos was planned. From my memory and nosebleed seat, this is what happened.

Thomas Mazloum appeared to end the show but then announced Tomorrowland was getting reimagined and then the show ended and people were headed for the exits and then stage doors opened and Neil Patrick Harris had arms appear from behind walls to tear off a weird cape he was wearing so that he could be Dreamfinder and then Thomas Mazloum announced there would be a new Figment and Dreamfinder attraction and then there were like 50 people on stage and then Beck started singing Where It’s At with an orchestra and then all of those people disappeared but Beck was still on stage and sitting on a couch while singing about two turntables and a microphone and there were still people freaking out about the Dreamfinder news and then it was over. An incredible fever dream.

Loser – Beck Because He Didn’t Play Loser

The only thing that could have made the fever dream better, or at least more feverish, is if Beck had ended the show singing the lyrics “I’m a loser, baby, so why don’t you kill me?” from his 1994 hit Loser. Dang, I’m old.

Winner – Tig Notaro

No explanation necessary.

Loser – New Parks

Disneyland Abu Dhabi received a sentence during the Parks Showcase and a retread video in the Imagineering Pavilion. Shanghai Disney’s second gate was not announced. If you came into the D23 Expo looking for news on upcoming parks, you left disappointed.

Winner – Longtime Disney Parks Fans

We are so back. Could you imagine 2, 5, or 10 years ago that the Disney Parks would be working on fixing Everest’s yeti, a new Figment and Dreamfinder attraction, an update to Carousel of Progress, a reimagined Tomorrowland in Disneyland, a redone Spaceship Earth, Remember… Dreams Come True returning to Disneyland along with the original World of Color, and Disneyland Paris getting their original Space Mountain back?

Those fan-favorite projects are in addition to 4 of the 6 domestic, 8 out of 12 global, Disney theme parks having active and massive expansions being worked on. You know what, maybe we’re all winners!

What were your favorite and least favorite moments of D23 weekend? 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!