All the Disney Theme Park Changes in 2025

History will remember 2025 as an inflection point for Disney’s American theme parks.

Walt Disney World embarked upon a dramatic makeover, while Disneyland celebrated its 70th anniversary.

Each year, MickeyBlog recaps the biggest Disney park changes.

Let’s just say that the list for 2025 is exhaustively long.

So, let’s get right to it. Here are the biggest park changes in 2025.

Animation Courtyard Closes

We’ll start with a shocker, as no one knew this was coming until the day Disney announced it.

You may be thinking that’s usually the case, but it’s not.

Generally, theme park rumors percolate for a while before something actually happens.

Before the 2024 D23 Expo, rumors had centered on Animation Courtyard as a spot Disney may reclaim.

Then, the company announced the Villains-themed land and Monstropolis, the two potential replacements at different locations.

So, Animation Courtyard appeared safe again, right up until Disney tapped it on the shoulder and said, “You’re done, kid.”

We already know that The Walt Disney Studios will replace it, and that’s not all.

Star Wars Launch Bay has closed, and Disney will replace it with – I kid you not – the experience IT replaced.

Yes, the Magic of Disney Animation is back on the menu!

This version will look substantially different and function more as a play area, though.

The Beak and the Barrel

Disney confirmed a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed tavern would arrive in 2025.

When it did, fans immediately fell in love with the immersive dining option.

The Beak and the Barrel’s unique menu and defined theming has turned into the hottest ticket at Magic Kingdom.

You’ll need to book a reservation to visit this establishment, and you may need to stand up, as it’s so popular that tables aren’t guaranteed.

Cool Kids’ Summer

This was a seasonal event, but it deserves mention because it’s the first of its kind.

Disney has noticed a change in consumer behavior during the 2020s, with fewer guests visiting during the hot summer months.

As an enticement/reward, Walt Disney World introduced a more festive batch of activities directed toward families and especially children.

Kids could meet more characters than ever and participate in sing-alongs and dance competitions.

The idea proved so successful that Disney has already confirmed the return of Cool Kids’ Summer in 2026.

DinoLand U.S.A. Closes

This one hasn’t officially happened yet, as it’s more of an extinction-level event.

Throughout the year, Disney has closed attractions and experiences at DinoLand U.S.A.

The company is making room for the impending arrival of the Tropical Americas in 2026.

Before then, you still get another six weeks to ride DINOSAUR one last time.

For the time being, more than half of DinoLand has permanently closed, including the popular kids’ hangout area The Boneyard.

Disneyland 70

As mentioned, Disneyland turned 70 in July, and nobody throws a party like Disney.

So, during the second half of 2025 and the first seven plus months of 2026, guests can enjoy many limited-time activities.

Paint the Night has returned, while Wondrous Journeys has made its debut.

Also, there’s a limited-time version of the nighttime show at Disney California Adventure. It’s called World of Color Happiness!

If you’re visiting Disney between now and early August, Disneyland 70 is a must-do experience.

Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away

Speaking of experiences, Magic Kingdom welcomed its first entirely new nighttime parade in many, many years.

Disney Starlight has dazzled guests with its state-of-the-art visuals, which legitimately light up the night.

This magical show has proven wildly popular, so you’ll want to arrive early to stake out a good seat.

You’ll be glad you did.

The End of Virtual Queues

Here’s another somewhat random surprise from earlier this year.

In early February, Disney confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind would drop its virtual queue.

I’d been expecting that for the body of a year.

The shocker was that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which had only been open about eight months at the time, also dropped its virtual queue.

At this point, no Disney World theme park attraction uses a virtual queue.

You’re more likely to have to use one for things like popcorn bucket purchases. Yes, I’m serious.

GEO-82

Disney was WAY into new lounges in 2025. In fact, we’ve still got another one to discuss in a bit.

As an EPCOT fanatic, GEO-82 is my favorite of the three due to its ideal location.

You’re actually eating and drinking inside Spaceship Earth, an honor previously reserved for celebrities and high-profile sponsors.

While you’re sitting at GEO-82, your table/chair overlooks guests walking through the park.

Also, it’s an ideal spot to watch the nighttime fireworks.

Hollywood Studios Shows

Here’s kind of an odd one, although a net positive.

Disney may have closed Animation Courtyard, but not before it opened a new show here.

By new, I mean a rebooted version of the classic Little Mermaid show.

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure has charmed audiences with a modern spin on this classic tale.

Oh, and the music’s always great, too.

You’ll find the more popular show, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, near Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith.

Well, hold that thought, but I won’t spoil it yet.

This one’s exactly what it sounds like, a rare opportunity for fans to celebrate the villains at a Disney attraction.

Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After has proven so popular that you may not believe the building formerly housed Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.

Landlocking of Rivers of America

Yeah, they did it.

A few years ago, I laid out this possibility in a Disney Rumors article, and while doing so, I realized a hard truth.

With Disney needing space at Magic Kingdom, they could reclaim tons of it by closing Tom Sawyer Island.

Then, the company could landlock the Rivers of America and use that space for something decidedly more popular than the de facto children’s playground.

So, Disney has closed Liberty Square Riverboat and already drained the historic Rivers of America.

If you miss them, Disneyland still has its version…at least for the time being.

McKim’s Mile House

Here’s yet another lounge that Disney introduced in 2025.

This one has a catch, though. You cannot visit McKim’s Mile House unless you are a qualifying member of the Disney Vacation Club.

That usually refers to people who have purchased their DVC contract directly through Disney or members who joined before Disney introduced certain resale restrictions.

Despite the fractional number of potential guests, this lounge has remained constantly crowded since its opening.

If Disney builds a Magic Kingdom lounge, they will come.

The Closure of Muppet*Vision 3D and Muppets Courtyard

Pour one out for one of the most important attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Jim Henson’s family members are on record as saying that working on Muppet*Vision 3D is what killed him.

He gave so much energy to the project that his health was never the same.

Park officials knew this decision would be wildly unpopular, so they threw fans a bone, which we’ll discuss in just a moment.

Also, Disney did something nice in the end by allowing Jim Henson’s daughter Heather to be the last person to enter the final show at the Muppet*Vision 3D theater.

Return of Test Track

Disney has been on a new kick under Josh D’Amaro, the chairman of Disney Experiences.

Nowadays, whenever an attraction grows stale, park officials make a good faith effort to update it.

Sometimes, they do that when the ride doesn’t even need it, as was the case with Test Track.

Disney closed the beloved EPCOT attraction for almost a year before reopening the new version, which is an Imagineering triumph.

Test Track 3.0 somehow celebrates the history of EPCOT while embracing the future of transportation.

The new ride’s reception has been so glowingly positive that the next negative critique I read of it will be the first.

Ride Revamps

Remember how I said that Disney threw a bone to fans of the Muppets?

Well, that bone came from the body of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.

The singer recently retired due to a medical issue, and with the Aerosmith license expiring soon, Disney pivoted.

Disney announced the closure of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith in favor of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.

None of that has happened yet, but it symbolizes Disney’s commitment to refreshing outdated attractions.

In 2025 alone, Big Thunder Mountain remained closed for the entire year.

Disney also closed Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin to add a new scene and modernize the laser pistols.

At EPCOT, management heard the complaints of many fans and removed the nausea-inducing 3D elements of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to make it an entirely 2D experience.

That may not sound better on paper, but I swear that it’s a huge enhancement.

In early 2026, Frozen Ever After will update its Audio-Animatronics, as the technology has improved greatly in the near decade since the ride opened.

Disney officials are committed to perfecting every theme park attraction.

Walt Disney: A Magical Life

Speaking of Audio-Animatronics, Robo Walt Disney has come to life at Disneyland Park.

In the early 1960s, Walt Disney and his Imagineers invented the concept of the theme park robot.

Fittingly, in 2025, Disney himself became a permanent fixture near the front of the theme park he built.

Walt Disney: A Magical Life is not just currently the most popular show-based attraction at the park, but also the most important.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether!

On the subject of new shows, Disney caught lightning in a bottle by debuting a new show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the perfect time.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether! opened at the park a few days before Zootopia 2 became a billion-dollar blockbuster.

Let’s just say that kids love this show, and it’s likely to remain wildly popular well into 2026.

Folks, the number of changes at Disney theme parks this year surpasses any in the company’s history.

Stunningly, you can expect more of the same in 2026 and 2027.

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