4 Exciting Walt Disney World Announcements Revealed at Destination D23 in 2025

We’ve been covering the announcements made for Walt Disney World at the recent Destination D23 event, held August 29-31 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Destination D23, hosted every other year at Disney World, is a fan favorite event where panels dive into Disney history and share behind-the-scenes insights. It’s also when Disney tends to reveal major updates for its parks, resorts, and more. This year was no exception. Below, we’ve provided a one-stop summary of everything announced for Walt Disney World during the event.

# 1 Cinderella Castle Color Palette Refresh

Perhaps the most exciting news of the event was when Disney announced a new color palette would return Cinderella Castle to its traditional and timeless look. You may remember the castle went from gray to pink undertones back in 2020. We, along with many other fans, will be happy to see the beloved icon return to its former glory. Here is a preview of the concept art Disney released. They did not share a timeline as to when the work would be completed.

Read more → Cinderella Castle New Color Palette

#2 Architectural Inspiration Shared for Villains Land

While little is still known, Disney did note that “construction for the previously revealed Villains-themed land is on the horizon.” Unfortunately, no timelines regarding the project were released at the event. Disney did, however, share some of the architectural inspiration for the land. Disney Imagineers have visited both Paris and Barcelona to study Art Nouveau and Modernisme in an effort to create a villainous “conjured architecture” style for the new land.

Read more → Villains Land Architectural Inspiration

#3 Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic to be Added to Carousel of Progress

An audio-animatronic of Walt Disney will be added to the Carousel of Progress attraction in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. A new introductory show scene featuring the animatronic will be added, along with other updates that share the spirit of innovation with an entirely new generation.

Read more → Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic Announced for Carousel of Progress

#4 Tron Lightcycle / Run to Receive Red ‘Ares’ Overlay

Starting September 15, 2025, Magic Kingdom’s Tron Lightcycle / Run will feature a limited-time ‘Tron: Ares’ overlay, complete with red visuals and an industrial background music update created by Nine Inch Nails.

Read more → Tron Lightcycle-Run Overlay

The attraction will also offer new photos and videos of guests on board the ride during the overlay. This offering will begin on September 15, 2025. An end date is not available at this time. Disney PhotoPass shared an image of what Users (guests) can expect.

Next year, we’ll see the return of The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, which will be held from August 14th through the 16th (2026) in Anaheim, California. For more information, you can visit D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. For a look back at announcements for last year’s event, see the following article.

D23 Expo Excites Walt Disney World Fans with a Lengthy List of What’s To Come

This weekend, Disney hosted the annual D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. Called the Ultimate Fan Event, it’s the major event of the year where fans expect to hear about new…

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Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.