List of Disney theme park attractions closing in 2026
Disney theme park attractions are closing in 2026 to make way for future plans at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Photo courtesy of Disney
It’s your last chance to experience these Disney favorites before they close:
Confirmed to close permanently
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! at Disney California Adventure Park will permanently close in “early 2026.” Disney has not revealed the specific closing date of this family dark ride, which opened in 2006. The ride is closing to make way for the upcoming “Avatar” destination in the works.
Confirmed to close in its current form
Dinosaur at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will permanently close on Feb. 2, 2026. The final day to ride is Feb. 1. The same goes for Restaurantosaurus and the surrounding DinoLand, U.S.A. area. This entire land has closed in phases, with these being the final bits remaining. A land called Tropical Americas will open in 2027 with a new “Encanto” ride, a new carousel, and an “Indiana Jones” ride that repurposes Dinosaur’s ride system.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will permanently close on March 2, 2026. The final day to ride the Aerosmith version of the ride is March 1. A new version, titled Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, will open in summer 2026, retaining the same ride and track but replacing its titular stars.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will introduce a new version of the ride on May 22, 2026, starring the Mandalorian and Grogu, as well as upgrade the 2019 ride’s technology. In doing so, the current version of the ride will be discontinued. If you enjoy the ride’s current mission helping Hondo Anaka retrieve coaxium, ride it soon. Disney has not announced if there will be any temporary closure for Smugglers Run between its old and new versions.
Confirmed to close temporarily
Soarin’ Around the World will close at Epcot and Disney California Adventure Park as both theme parks introduce Soarin’ Across America, a new film utilizing the same ride system. The new version will open by Memorial Day Weekend in Florida and on July 2, 2026, in California. Soarin’ Across America is confirmed to be a limited-time offering, though Disney has not announced for how long, nor has the company mentioned if there will be any downtime between any possible closure Soarin’ Around the World and the opening of Soarin’ Across America.
Likely to close in its current form
The Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is likely to be displaced by the arrival of Bluey at Conservation Station in summer 2026. However, The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will include drawing classes as part of its offerings when that attraction opens in late summer 2026.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom Park will receive a major upgrade in the future, as Disney announced the addition of a Walt Disney animatronic and other updates to the classic ride. Disney has not mentioned a timeline for the Carousel of Progress changes; we don’t currently know when the ride is closing, when it will reopen, or how long it will be closed for. Given the update was announced in August 2025, it’s reasonable to assume the current version of the ride may close sometime in 2026, but again, that timeline is not confirmed.
Wild cards / speculation
The following is 100% speculation: simply wild guesses on our part, not announced by Disney in any way.
Magic Kingdom’s daytime entertainment lineup is due for a refresh. “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade” debuted in 2014, while the initial iteration of the castle show “Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire” premiered in 2016. It’s now 2026, and a decade+ is a long time for the shelf life of a parade and stage show when we look at Disney history, even when not considering the pandemic-era break.
Photo by Blake Taylor
Photo by Blake Taylor
Magic Kingdom’s holiday parties are also due for some tuning up, with “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party having debuted in 2015 and “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration” at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party having been introduced in 2016.
Photo by Blake Taylor
Photo by Blake Taylor
Again, we haven’t heard anything suggesting these shows are closing, but entertainment of this kind rarely sticks around this long. If you enjoy these productions, it might be a good idea to prioritize them on your next trip.
Additionally, it’s wishful thinking, but we’d be remiss to not at least throw in the possibility of Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment at Epcot closing to make way for a new version of the ride that reinstates Figment’s retired sidekick, Dreamfinder, a longtime hope of theme park fans.
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