Disney Rumors for May 2026

We’re now about three months away from the 2026 D23 Expo.

You can expect this year’s parks panel to be an inflection point at Disney.

Disney is well aware that last year’s Destination D23 was a complete bust.

With Josh D’Amaro, the theme parks aficionado, now the CEO, Disney needs some wins.

So, let’s speculate on a few possible D23 as part of the Disney Rumors for May 2026.

What’s the Big Announcement?

Every D23 parks panel needs a big announcement, a showstopper that garners headlines.

Previous D23 panels featured the big reveals for Pandora – The World of Avatar and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Villains Land even got a test run, where Disney mentioned it as a blue-sky possibility.

Then, the company confirmed the reality of it during a different parks panel.

At almost every event, we’ve had a signature attraction/themed land.

When we haven’t had that, fans decried the parks panel as a disappointment.

So, the choice here is clear. Disney needs something big to make a splash.

The problem is one I’ve previously discussed. Imagineers are stretched thin right now.

In May alone, Walt Disney World unleashes a slew of new experiences.

MickeyBlog is also keeping you informed on Piston Peak and the Tropical Americas.

At Disney California Adventure, work continues on Avengers Campus.

I previously speculated on the possibility of Disney making a change here.

That would definitely qualify as a big, albeit controversial, announcement.

My hope is that Disney doesn’t think that Villains Land details are good enough.

D’Amaro seems to understand that fans expect more. Coloring in the lines wouldn’t be that.

Which Are the Next Reboots?

Next month, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad returns at Magic Kingdom.

The roller coaster arrives on the heels of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

Soon afterward, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets debuts.

Oh, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run adds a Baby Yoda mission, too.

Last year, Test Track 3.0 arrived, and even Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is adding something big.

In between, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After updated their tech.

Imagineers and park planners are evaluating every existing attraction with new eyes.

So, the logical question fans have is, “What’s next?” I expect an answer at D23.

The reality is that Disney knows that some of its attractions need work.

To a larger point, Walt Disney himself demanded that all rides be plussed over time.

As a Disney disciple, D’Amaro seeks to honor that vision while he has a chance.

Currently, the CEO finds himself in a rare position to make a positive change.

He answers to no one but the Board of Directors, who will give him a wide berth at first.

For a brief moment in time, D’Amaro can do what he wants at the parks.

That reality raises a logical question: What does D’Amaro want?

Which attractions has he watched and thought, “We could do better here.”?

I’m almost tired of talking about Journey into Imagination and Spaceship Earth by now.

What we know is that Disney had planned to update Spaceship Earth before the pandemic.

Does D’Amaro want that now? And will an executive with his finger on the pulse of fans do something?

Will he finally restore Figment to his glory days of the 1980s and maybe bring back the Dreamfinder, too?

Whither Finding Nemo?

Here’s an odd one that probably nobody else but me is thinking.

Have you examined the map at Disney’s Animal Kingdom lately?

Disney just reimagined Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! in 2022.

So, I doubt that park officials will change it anytime soon.

Having said that, the show is technically a part of DinoLand USA.

Well, it was. As you know, DinoLand USA no longer exists.

The so-called Theater in the Wild is an entity unto itself right now.

For this reason, I’m looking at it and wondering: Is Finding Nemo here to stay?

Disney could easily reclaim that space for a different show, one that fits the new vibe.

With the Tropical Americas adding Encanto, wouldn’t that make more sense?

I really don’t think this happens now since Finding Nemo’s updated show is so fresh.

Still, my mind keeps circling back to it when I study the map. It’s so randomly located.

Will We Finally Get a New Pavilion?

Whenever a new D23 parks panel is on the horizon, I can’t help but think it.

Those of us covering D23 at the time remember that odd story about Brazil. Before the 2019 D23 Expo, rumors surfaced about a Brazil pavilion at EPCOT.

As the story went at the time, Disney had already started the casting process.

The company had listed job postings in Brazil in anticipation of this new pavilion.

Some even claimed to have seen models of the Brazil pavilion before the show.

Then, that year’s D23 came and went with no mention of a new EPCOT pavilion.This rumor circulated seven years ago and has since recurred before each D23.

Here’s my favorite non-MickeyBlog writer, Tom Bricker, discussing it in 2024.

I suspect that Disney has moved on from the Brazil pavilion due to the Tropical Americas.

If Imagineers want anything Brazilian, they can just add it there.

However, the fact remains that EPCOT’s World Showcase is underdeveloped.

Before the park opened, management left space for new pavilions to be added.

We haven’t had one since the 1980s, a fact that frustrates me to no end.

So, I remain hopeful and eternally optimistic that Disney will finally add one. I’m definitely not going to hold my breath, though.

Wondering about Wonders of Life

In November, I wrote about the hot rumor at the time: the rebooting of Wonders of Life.

Classic EPCOT fans remember this place well, even though it’s been abandoned since 2007.

Yes, on January 1^st, 2027, we will have gone 20 years without this pavilion.

That hurts my heart to type, yet here we are. Here’s a lovely look back at Wonders of Life:

As I’ve mentioned, EPCOT turns 50 in 2032, and we know Disney will celebrate that fact.

Park officials are quietly on the clock to plan how to perfect EPCOT by then.

Since most announcements take three years or so to come to fruition, well, you do the math.

Two of the obvious ways to do it are by improving Figment and Spaceship Earth.

Another would be to reinvigorate the former Wonders of Life pavilion with…something.

For a time, we thought this would be the PLAY! pavilion, but those plans are dead.

So, what comes next for this space? The answer very well may be “nothing.”

I have hope that D’Amaro will repurpose the building into something remarkable, though.

Sure, the new thing will likely be based on Disney IP, but as long as it keeps the roof, I’m happy.

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