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There are parks we follow with a little something extra. Disneyland Paris is one of them \u2014 a park close to our hearts, one we keep coming back to as a family. So when <\/span>D23<\/span><\/a>, the great gathering of Disney fans, took place in Anaheim from August 14\u201316, 2026, we watched the announcements about “our” Paris resort not as neutral observers, but as regulars: with our favorites, our expectations, and a few reservations. Three pieces of news were on the table \u2014 Space Mountain returning to a theme inspired by its origins, a new daytime parade for 2028, and fresh details on the future <\/span>Lion King<\/span><\/i> land. Here’s what we make of it.<\/span><\/p>\n This is the announcement with the most emotional charge for longtime visitors. When it opened in 1995, <\/span>Space Mountain \u2013 De la Terre \u00e0 la Lune<\/span><\/i> made its mark by drawing on Jules Verne’s novel, launching guests toward the Moon from an imposing 22-meter Columbiad Cannon. In 2017, it gave way to <\/span>Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain<\/span><\/i> \u2014 an overlay that, let’s be honest, never quite matched the park’s usual standards when it came to theming.<\/span><\/p>\n D23 confirmed a return to that original spirit. <\/span>Hyperspace Mountain<\/span><\/i> will close at the end of 2027 for several months of work, before being reborn as <\/span>Space Mountain \u2013 De la Terre \u00e0 la Lune<\/span><\/i>. One nuance, though: this isn’t a faithful restoration of the 1995 version, but a reinterpretation, carrying guests back to an idealized era of humanity’s very first voyages to the Moon, in Discoveryland’s steampunk style. On the program: revamped indoor sets, a redesigned queue that will once again let you watch the trains go by, new effects, and the return of Steve Bramson’s score in a remastered version \u2014 not to mention the dome lighting, already upgraded back in 2025. The project marks a milestone in the <\/span>“New Magic”<\/span><\/a> initiative, recently launched to refresh the park’s classics, which has already enriched the banks of the Rivers of the Far West in Frontierland.<\/span><\/p>\n A word of honesty: as delightful as it is, this comeback remains a re-theming. The track doesn’t change, nor does the building, and the coaster sensation (which we love) will be the same. It’s a fine act of heritage preservation \u2014 not a brand-new attraction.<\/span><\/p>\n This is where our eye grows more demanding. The real challenge, as we see it, is to give Disneyland Park back its full luster \u2014 and Space Mountain plays a part in that. But for this park we’re waiting for an announcement of a different magnitude: a major attraction, on the scale of a <\/span>Tron Lightcycle \/ Run<\/span><\/i> \u2014 which we were lucky enough to ride at <\/span>Shanghai Disneyland<\/span><\/a> \u2014 capable of competing with what other resorts are unveiling right now.<\/span><\/p>\n Because the comparison isn’t trivial. At this very same D23, <\/span>Tokyo Disneyland revealed an all-new <\/span>Space Mountain<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span>Earthrise<\/span><\/i>; Walt Disney World is preparing a <\/span>Monsters, Inc.<\/span><\/i> land (Monstropolis) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a future <\/span>Villains Land<\/span><\/i> at Magic Kingdom, and a new <\/span>Indiana Jones<\/span><\/i> adventure at Animal Kingdom. Against all that, Disneyland Park comes away with a re-theming and a parade. You could read this as a consolidation phase \u2014 the park is emerging from heavy investment \u2014 but the wait for a genuine headline attraction remains very much open. On the Disney Adventure World side, by contrast, the direction is crystal clear: <\/span>The Lion King<\/span><\/i>, and whatever comes next.<\/span><\/p>\n A quick aside for enthusiasts like us: that future <\/span>Villains Land<\/span><\/i> at Magic Kingdom is excellent news. There’s no great Disney film without a great villain \u2014 a conviction we nurture especially during the park’s <\/span>Halloween season<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/papacitoyen.reves-connectes.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/space-mountain-2027.jpeg” alt=”Space Mountain de la Terre \u00e0 la Lune” title_text=”space-mountain-2027″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Disneyland Park will therefore welcome a new daytime parade in 2028, its first since 2017, exclusive to the resort and designed as a new daily highlight. Led by Mickey, it will showcase characters from Disney animation \u2014 the Genie and Jasmine from <\/span>Aladdin<\/span><\/i>, Tiana from <\/span>The Princess and the Frog<\/span><\/i>, Rapunzel \u2014 as well as Miguel from <\/span>Coco<\/span><\/i>. Behind the scenes, the project required more than ten thousand hours of research and development and nearly 225 sketches of costumes, wigs, and makeup.<\/span><\/p>\n For a family, a daily parade is no mere bonus: it’s one of the day’s great shared moments. So the news is welcome. We do have one wish, though: that Disneyland Paris also considers bringing back a nighttime parade \u2014 or, at the very least, offers this one in both daytime and nighttime versions, as was done so well for the last Christmas parade.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/papacitoyen.reves-connectes.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/parade-disneyland-park-2028.jpeg” alt=”Disneyland Park 2028 Parade” title_text=”parade-disneyland-park-2028″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Here, in our eyes, is the news that truly matters for the long run. At <\/span>Disney Adventure World<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the new name for the former Walt Disney Studios Park \u2014 the world’s first land devoted entirely to <\/span>The Lion King<\/span><\/i> is taking shape. Conceived as an African savanna, it will house a major water attraction retracing Simba’s journey from cub to king, through the scenes and songs of the 1994 film. The ride will feature three drops, including an impressive sixteen-meter descent from Pride Rock.<\/span><\/p>\n And here’s the reveal of the evening, the one that speaks to us in particular: Scar will make his debut as the very first Audio-Animatronics figure ever created of the character, in a confrontation scene drawn directly from the film’s climax. Alongside him, Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and others will bring the story to life. As unabashed fans of the darker side of the Disney universe, we’d been waiting for this news with relish \u2014 for us, it’s the finest signal this D23 has sent.<\/span><\/p>\n As for timing, caution is in order: construction began in the fall of 2025, the foundations are complete and the first structures are rising from the ground, but no opening date has been announced. The land follows in the footsteps of World of Frozen (March 2026) and Disney Cascade of Lights, and precedes the 2027 opening of Wilderness Explorers Sky Swings, the resort’s first attraction inspired by <\/span>Up<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n D23 2026 confirms one thing: Disneyland Paris is moving forward, but at its own pace and on its own terms. Space Mountain’s return and the new parade are a pleasure without changing the game at Disneyland Park, where we keep hoping for a headline novelty worthy of the place. The <\/span>Lion King<\/span><\/i> land, though, remains the real project for the future \u2014 and Scar’s arrival is already enough to make us want to be there. A mixed showing for anyone who dreamed of the spectacular, but consistent with a park tending to its heritage before writing its next great chapter, and staying competitive in the face of <\/span>Universal’s arrival in Europe<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/papacitoyen.reves-connectes.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/animatronic-scar-disneyland-paris.png” alt=”Animatronic Scar” title_text=”animatronic-scar-disneyland-paris” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Until these openings arrive, we’ll keep exploring our beloved park in our videos and articles devoted to Disneyland Paris. Happy viewing!<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f7f7f7″ border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]\n\t\t\tSpace Mountain: coming (almost) full circle, thirty years on<\/span><\/h2>\n
The real stakes: restoring Disneyland Park’s prestige<\/span><\/h2>\n
A new parade in 2028, and our wish for a nighttime version<\/span><\/h2>\n
The Lion King and Scar: the announcement that excites us most<\/span><\/h2>\n
Our verdict as enthusiasts<\/span><\/h2>\n
What’s still to be confirmed<\/span><\/h2>\n
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