D23: Disneyland's Tomorrowland is being reimagined, but details are years away
Disney announced a reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland during the closing moments of D23. Imagineers are “beginning to dream up” the plans, which means new attractions and more open space are coming eventually. Disney named no rides, no dates, and no closures.
Disney saved a big announcement for the end of the night and attached almost nothing to it.
In the closing moments of the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress showcase on August 15, Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum confirmed that Tomorrowland at Disneyland park will be reimagined.
Then the specifics ran out.
What Disney actually confirmed
Three things, none of them a ride.
The reimagining will bring new attractions, more open spaces, and new places for guests to think about the future. Disney says it wants to preserve what guests cherish while restoring the optimism Walt described in 1955, when he called Tomorrowland “a vista into a world of wondrous ideas.”
Note the phrasing on timing. Imagineers are “already beginning to dream up” the next chapter, which in Disney language means blue sky, the earliest stage a project has. Not designed, not budgeted, not under construction. Being dreamed up.
Disney closed by saying it can’t wait to reveal more “in the years ahead,” which is doing the same work.
More open space is an unusual promise
The one genuinely interesting detail is the pledge of open space.
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland has spent decades getting more crowded, not less. Planters, kiosks, structures, and leftover set pieces from previous versions have filled in the walkways. A promise to remove things rather than add them signals a fairly substantial teardown.
Tomorrowland has been redone before. The 1967 New Tomorrowland was a full rebuild. The 1998 version brought the bronze and copper palette that fans largely disliked, and Disney has spent years quietly stripping those elements out.
Where Space Mountain stands, in three parks
Space Mountain is the obvious question, and Disney did not answer it.
Disneyland’s Space Mountain opened in 1977 and went through a lengthy rehab in 2005, emerging in considerably better shape than its Florida counterpart. It’s the least likely of the three to need urgent work.
Tokyo Disneyland’s version is the confirmed one. It closed in 2024 for a complete rebuild and is scheduled to reopen in 2027 with new effects and improved performance. A design model for it was on display at D23 this weekend.
Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain in Florida is where the rumors live. It opened in 1975 and hasn’t had a meaningful refurbishment in over 17 years. Reports through 2026, led by WDWMagic, have suggested a project ranging from a straight track replacement to a full reimagining with a new layout. Disney has confirmed nothing, and Disney Food Blog reported that cast members working the attraction said they hadn’t heard anything either.
Fans watching Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopen in May 2026 after a 16-month track replacement have used that as the template for what a Space Mountain closure might look like. That remains speculation.
None of it was addressed Saturday. Disney announced a Tomorrowland reimagining at Disneyland and said nothing about the mountain in the middle of it.
What happens next
Nothing, for a while.
No closure dates, no attraction names, no concept art, no target year. A project at the dreaming-up stage typically takes years to reach an announcement with renderings, let alone construction walls.
Disneyland has plenty happening in the meantime, with three shows returning in 2027 and an Avatar land in development at California Adventure. Tomorrowland joins the queue behind them.
Walt opened the land in 1955 with a promise about the future. Disney just made another one and asked everybody to wait for the details.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Disney Parks Blog (August 15, 2026), the Tomorrowland reimagining announcement, the Mazloum reveal, and the new attractions and open spaces details
WDW News Today and BlogMickey (July 2026), the Magic Kingdom Space Mountain retrack rumors, the WDWMagic report, and the Big Thunder Mountain closure comparison
Disney Food Blog (July 2026), the Tokyo Disneyland Space Mountain rebuild timeline and the cast member responses on the Florida rumors
Disney Tourist Blog (July 2026), the Tomorrowland refresh history and the speculated Space Mountain closure timing