Disney’s biennial fan convention, the D23 Expo, wraps up today in Anaheim—but not without a whole bunch of announcements first for its theme parks, including here at Disneyland.
But before we even dive into the rides, one of the most exciting announcements came in the form of a humble potato ball: Near-legendary local chain Porto’s Bakery & Cafe will be bringing its Cuban pastries and sandwiches to Downtown Disney. It’ll be joining a previously announced outpost of beloved dumpling spot Din Tai Fung (you can check out a new concept image of that below).
As for inside the parks, the Mandalorian will arrive in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in mid-November, and he’ll be slinging Grogu—otherwise known as Baby Yoda—by his side. Based on Sunday’s presentation, the armor-clad bounty hunter will greet guests at the themed area at Disneyland as Grogu coos in a little pouch.
They’re not the only new characters headed to the parks: The Hulk will start bounding around Avengers Campus next week. Clad in his black, white and red quantum suit from Avengers: Endgame, the walk-around character will arrive in Disney California Adventure Park in September for a limited time.
Speaking of the park’s Marvel-themed land, Disney finally shared some news about the yet-to-open Avengers ride first announced in 2019. The attraction will now be venturing into the multiverse, with a wide swath of characters—a piece of concept art includes everything from Daredevil to Man-Thing to multiple Hulks, Thors and Captain Americas—battling King Thanos, a new version of the Mad Titan created for the still-to-be-detailed ride.
Right around the corner, the Pacific Wharf dining area will be rethemed into San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6, complete with a Baymax meet-and-greet. And just across the street, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel will transform into the Pixar Place Hotel, complete with a Finding Nemo-themed splash pad.
Disney also shared some more images from the Mickey’s Toontown and Splash Mountain makeovers headed to Disneyland—you can find our video below of the models that debuted earlier this week on the expo’s show floor. When Toontown reopens in 2023, it’ll include the musical Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and the park-like Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard. Then in 2024, Splash Mountain’s The Princess and the Frog makeover will wrap up with the debut of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which will feature a number of the film’s original voice actors: Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, Bruno Campos and Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley as Louis and Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie.
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Finally, to celebrate the Walt Disney Company’s centennial, Disneyland will start getting decked out in platinum decor in late January 2023 and debut two new nighttime shows (“Wondrous Journeys” at Disneyland and “World of Color – One” at California Adventure), plus the return of the Magic Happens parade.