It’s looking like 2026 will be a big year for Disney rides worldwide!
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Between ride rethemes and brand new attractions, eight Disney Parks across the globe are going to look very different in 2026. If you’re traveling to any of these parks next year and want to know which rides are new or featuring big-time overhauls, you’ve come to the right place!
All in all, 11 rides are either debuting or featuring massive changes in 2026 — here’s what you should know!
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — Disney’s Hollywood Studios AND Disneyland Park
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in both Disney World’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Park lets guests take control of the famous Millennium Falcon in a special space mission. The ride is getting a major overhaul in 2026 to coincide with the release of the new Star Wars film: The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney announced that the ride will feature NEW missions with the Mandalorian and Grogu at BOTH parks starting May 22nd, 2026!
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The change will also include new Star Wars destinations, including Bespin, Tatooine, the ruins of the Death Star, Coruscant, Beggar’s Canyon, and more.
Death Star ruins on the new version of Smuggler’s Run ©Disney
The ride will still have the three roles — pilot, gunner, and engineer — but for the first time ever, the engineer will get to choose where you jet off to — with the help of the rest of the crew, of course!
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During your mission, you’ll team up with the Mandalorian, Grogu, and Hondo.
New missions will be added to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu.
As for the mission itself, Hondo Ohnaka has discovered a deal on Tatooine between ex-Imperial officers and some pirates, and there’s a hefty bounty for their capture.
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It’ll be your job to track them down and collect that bounty!
Soarin’ Across America — EPCOT AND Disney California Adventure
To celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, Soarin’ is getting a retheme at BOTH EPCOT and Disney California Adventure!
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In Summer 2026, both versions of the ride will get a new “airborne adventure” that takes you across the United States, “highlighting some of the country’s natural beauty and iconic cityscapes.” Apparently, new “iconic elements” such as music and scents will be included, as well as “more than a dozen” new scenes.
The overlay is currently being labeled as a temporary itinerary, so we’re assuming that Soarin’ Around the World and Soarin’ Over California will return at some point, even if they begin to operate in a rotation or seasonally (at least in Over California’s case).
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster — Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Back at Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is dropping Aerosmith and will now star The Muppets in 2026!
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Set to reopen in Summer 2026, the newest version of this roller coaster will feature a first-of-its-kind Muppet animatronic! Disney shared that Scooter (the band manager), along with the penguin audio engineers, will be working hard to get Electric Mayhem to their concert on time, and guests will be getting a VIP tour of G-Force Records — which is under new management by The Muppets!
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Scooter is the said audio animatronic, and Disney has teased that he might not be the only one in the attraction. More details are still to come, and we can’t wait to learn about this change!
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin — Magic Kingdom
Over at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is getting a massive overhaul that will debut in 2026!
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Slated to reopen sometime in 2026, the attraction will feature extensive updates, such as a brand-new character named Buddy who will appear in an introductory scene.
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The ride vehicles are also getting a new design inspired by Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command. Each one will include real-time scoring displays, new lighting effects, and handheld blasters that allow for more accurate aim.
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These blasters will also feature always-on lasers, vibrations, and sound effects. Targets have even been redesigned to light up when blasted!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — Magic Kingdom
Staying at Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will have been closed for over a year when it reopens in 2026 with some major modifications!
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The ride will reopen with “new magic”, including a revamped story, “spectacular natural caverns full of phosphorescent pools, shimmering and illuminating iridescent stalagmites (the ones on the floor) and stalactites (the ones on the ceiling)”, a new, smoother track, new lighting and effects, and an exterior touch-up of the ride to help it fit into the new Piston Peak Cars expansion.
Construction at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
A specific reopening date has yet to be announced, but we’ll let you know as soon as that information is made available.
Spider-Man Roller Coaster — Shanghai Disneyland
In August 2024, Disney announced during their D23 event that Shanghai Disneyland is getting a new coaster themed after Marvel’s Spider-Man! The park’s first Marvel ride will be “a high-energy thrill coaster” that is a “high-speed, fully immersive experience.”
Guests will soon be able to experience an all-new Spider-Man themed coaster coming to Shanghai Disneyland.
The ride will be placed in a new Marvel Land, which has already broken ground, and it’s possible that it will open either in late 2026. However, few details are known at this time, and it’s likely the ride opens in 2027 or later.
Wreck-It-Ralph Ride — Tokyo Disneyland
A NEW Wreck-It Ralph-themed attraction is coming Tokyo Disneyland and could open in 2026!
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The new ride will replace Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. Based on the Disney film, the attraction is slated to open in 2026 or later, and will be “an indoor interactive gameplay experience, perfect for children and adults.” It follows Ralph on “an action-packed journey as he sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart.” Along the way, Ralph meets up with friends like Vanellope von Schweetz and more.
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Once you’re on the ride, you’ll “enter the candy-themed racing game Sugar Rush, which is being attacked by Sugar Bugs – glitches created by King Candy. Guests team up with the beloved film characters Ralph and Vanellope to transform the Sugar Bugs back to their original ‘kawaii’ confectionery such as cookies and cakes.”
Raiponce Tangled Spin — Disney Adventure World
A MASSIVE overhaul of Disneyland Paris is taking place on March 29th, 2026, at Walt Disney Studios Park, which is being renamed to Disney Adventure World. Additionally, a few new attractions will debut along with the new name.
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Raiponce Tangled Spin will be a new Tangled ride that whirls guests around beneath the floating lanterns, accompanied by the iconic “I See the Light” song from the animated film.
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Best of all, Mandy Moore has reprised the voice of Rapunzel exclusively for the recorded audio announcements on the ride!
Frozen Ever After — Disney Adventure World
Another Parisian ride debuting will be the park’s version of Frozen Ever After, along with the World of Frozen land.
World of Frozen, a land themed to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen” will open alongside the debut of the park’s new name, Disney Adventure World, in 2026.
Also opening on March 29th, this ride will be yet another version of the popular attraction that exists at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and EPCOT in Disney World.
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Which ride are you most excited to experience? Let us know and continue to follow us here at DFB for all the latest Disney Parks news!
3 Game-Changing Updates Announced for Magic Kingdom in 2026
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How about Disney park company close both Tianas Bayou Adventure Disneyland and Disney world and work on redoing the ride with more screens to look at, additional animatronic critters from the princess and the frog film and Tianas Bayou Adventure little golden book with a revised story of Naveen and Louis arguing about the missing band members and show us more colorful bottle lights, spoonbill birds dancing around Mama Odie along with squirrels, skunks, bats, deer, possums, and a little bluebird, in the shrinking mama Odie frog section show us dancing lady butterflies around 4 frogs and play when we’re human and almost there song at dropoff, at the finale with the special spies, or special spice song show us a riverboat miniature in front of the backdrop of New Orleans scene and show spoonbill birds with Mama Odie waving us log flume guests goodbye to us guests before we get off the ride. Because I’m already bored with the beta barebones Tiana’s Bayou Adventure 2024 ride at Disneyland. I want a real Tiana’s Bayou Adventure updated that’s like the little mermaid under the sea ride in California adventure. Let’s get the Disney imagineers to revise Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with a real Madi gras party ride with crowded critters in the cave sections then I’ll reride it otherwise I’ll ignore the ride on my next Disneyland trip.
It bothers me that EPCOT is being transformed into another Disney “Cash-Grab” characyer park instead of ots original world park. This is the reason we’re Universal annual pass holders instead of Disney annual pass holders.