D23 parks panel 2024: What to expect from Disney ‘Horizons’ (updated with livestream info)
During the D23 parks panel 2024 — a special presentation as part of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event — theme parks will take center stage as Disney reveals future attractions. Here’s what to know before the big night, plus a rundown of Disney’s ongoing projects to reacquaint yourself with.
Updated Aug. 8, 2024; originally posted July 11, 2024.
Info for D23 parks panel 2024
“Horizons: D23 Disney Experiences Showcase,” a keynote presentation mapping out the future of Disney theme parks — for an audience of 12,000 fans — will anchor Disney’s official fan convention in Anaheim, Calif. The “parks panel,” as it’s come to be known over the years, is a staple of what’s now known as D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. The Disney parks panel 2024 will take place on Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. PT inside the Honda Center. “Horizons” will be hosted by Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences.
Josh D’Amaro will welcome fans as he takes the stage with surprise stars and special guests for a live celebration of the music and creativity that power our stories and — of course — news and updates about projects in development around the world. The future is bright for Disney Experiences and this can’t-miss showcase will show fans what’s on the horizon and beyond.
Jason Recher, vice president of content & digital integration at Disney Experiences
Disney is currently in the middle of a decade-long initiative to “turbocharge” its parks with $60 billion of investment.
Disney’s slate of ongoing parks projects
The sold-out D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event (previously known as D23 Expo) will descend upon Anaheim from Aug. 9-11, 2024.
As hinted in the artwork for the Disney parks panel 2024 and confirmed by Disney last spring, “Horizons” will include new information about what’s “beyond Big Thunder Mountain” at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. D’Amaro first teased the expansion project in 2022 — mentioning attractions based on “Coco,” “Encanto,” and/or Disney villains as possibilities — but Disney has yet to be formally solidify any attractions with actual announcements.
A number of other previously discussed and/or announced projects are in development at Disney destinations worldwide, any or all of which D’Amaro may or may not share new details:
- the possible Tropical Americas replacement of DinoLand, U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom
- the possible “Avatar” land coming to Disneyland Resort
- Disney’s intentions for the land recently approved for rezoning as part of DisneylandForward
- the status of the multiverse “Avengers” attraction announced in 2023 for California Adventure
- the renaming of Walt Disney Studios Park to “Disney Adventure World” with a “Frozen” expansion
- Disney cruise ships in development: the Disney Treasure, Disney Adventure, Disney Destiny, and an unnamed ship in Tokyo
- the three-year closure of Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland
- the reimagining of Test Track currently in motion at Epcot
- the “Wreck-It Ralph” attraction replacing Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters at Tokyo Disneyland
- the “Zootopia” attraction replacing “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” at Animal Kingdom
- Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, opening this December at Walt Disney World
- “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure,” a new production replacing “Voyage of the Little Mermaid” at Hollywood Studios
plus anything else that’s totally under wraps.
Disney has not announced any major projects currently in the works for Hong Kong or Shanghai, though both resorts are still enjoying their recently opened expansions (themed to “Frozen” at the former, “Zootopia” at the latter).
Hints of Disney parks’ future
Though the convention itself and D’Amaro’s presentation have been confirmed for some time now, the title of the showcase and Disney’s artwork for it was revealed July 11, 2024.
Sticking with the music theme, the artwork for “Horizons: D23 Disney Experiences Showcase” depicts a silhouette of Mickey Mouse as a conductor in front of illustrated icons of various Disney theme parks and destinations, including:
- all six castles from California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai
- the Tree of Life from Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- the Pixar Pal-a-Round ferris wheel (formerly Mickey’s Fun Wheel) from Disney California Adventure
- Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which is recreated full-scale at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- a water tower topped with Mickey ears, as seen currently at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and formerly at Hollywood Studios in Florida
- two Disney Cruise Line ships
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The name of the showcase, “Horizons,” calls back to the defunct Epcot attraction replaced by Mission: Space.
The artwork employs a color scheme similar to that of the logo for “Luminous: The Symphony of Us,” Epcot’s current nighttime spectacular. Additionally, the silhouetted image of Mickey conducting an orchestra echoes the mouse’s appearance in “Fantasia” in between the film’s main segments.
Will Disney livestream the D23 parks panel 2024?
D23 will stream at least some of the Disney parks panel 2024 (aka “Horizons”) within Fortnite, but seemingly not live. It’s unclear if this stream — taking place immediately after the panel is scheduled to conclude in Anaheim — will include the entire presentation, or only Fortnite-related announcements.
Within Fortnite, the presentation will take place on an island called “Disney Horizons Live from D23.” Players can access the island Saturday, Aug. 10, starting at 7:30 p.m. PT, and the stream will begin “shortly after” 8:30 p.m. PT. Seeing as the “Horizons” presentation is scheduled to take place from 7 – 8:30 p.m., the Fortnite stream will assumedly not be live. See Fortnite.com for more details.
Attractions Magazine will be in attendance at the parks panel. Disney has instructed us that media will be allowed to record, but not live-stream, the parks panel. Follow us on X for up-to-date news as it happens during the “Horizons” presentation and subscribe to our YouTube channel for videos later.
D23 says guests’ ability to capture photos and videos “may be prohibited at select venues, screenings, and presentations,” but has not specified if the parks panel is included among those.
During the most recent D23 Expo, in 2022, Disney officially streamed D’Amaro’s presentation, as it’s also done during smaller Destination D23 events at Walt Disney World.
(The sector known as Disney Experiences includes not only theme parks, but also consumer products such as video games. As such, the “Horizons” presentation will extend beyond the parks. In February 2024, Disney purchased a $1.5 million stake in Epic Games, the company behind “Fortnite,” with plans for an interconnected game world featuring popular Disney franchises.)
D23 2024 schedule revealed
The parks panel at the Honda Center is sandwiched between a showcase of upcoming movies and the Disney Legends induction ceremony on the evenings before and after it. These will take place in addition to a packed schedule of dozens of events during the daytime at the Anaheim Convention Center.
D23 is Disney’s official fan club, while Disney Experiences is the relatively new name for what what previous called “Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products.”
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The parks panel at D23 in 2022 was live streamed on YouTube, so they have done it before.
Thanks for the correction. Looking back at D23 announcements from that year, you’re right. We updated the story. Thank you for reading!