In case you missed it, here’s a round up of all the breaking news from Josh D’Amaro’s SXSW presentation: The Future of World-Building at Disney. He was joined on stage by a myriad of special guests, who revealed the following:
BDX Droids to Appear in New Parks
Joined by Jon Favreau, the Imagineer team revealed that the adorable BDX Droids are coming to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disney Resort later in 2025. They have already debuted in California.
During the SXSW presentation, a Droidsmith Otto audio-animatronic was also revealed. The new animatronic appeared on top of a malfunctioning BDX droid.
It has also been confirmed that the BDX droids will feature in the upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu film releasing in theatres on 22nd May 2026.
New Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run Mission
A new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run mission featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu will debut in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World on May 22, 2026. The panel at SXSW shared new overlay concept art.
New Details About Stark Flight Lab at DCA
Kevin Feige and Bruce Vaughn were joined by Robert Downey Jr. on stage at SXSW to tease new details about Stark Flight Lab attraction, coming to Disney California Adventure. Guests will board “gyro-kinetic pods” and move along a track before being joined to a giant robo arm – this will then manoeuvre guests around on thrilling missions.
NEW: Walt Disney Imagineering shared new video of ride testing for the Stark Flight Lab attraction coming to Avengers Campus at DCA: pic.twitter.com/iU0b453KQ0
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2025
Cars Land at Walt Disney World Concept Art
More details have been revealed about the Cars land speeding into Walt Disney World – Radiator Springs will be left behind in favour of new frontiers.
Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen revealed that a new type of ride vehicle is being created for this off-road adventure.
“Our primary goal is creating an emotional experience for our guests,” Hundgen told the crowd. “For this Cars attraction, we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle. No one builds these in a factory because it has to do so much more than just carrying you from one place to another. We have to create a car that conveys a feeling when you ride in it.”
The SXSW panel also revealed that Imagineers worked with a motocross company to build a real dirt track to race around on. From there, they extracted the data to begin work on creating how the ride vehicles will eventually move and race.
First Look at Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster
Disney teased the load station for the Monsters, Inc. suspended coaster, coming to Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. Riders will be hoisted into the air, recreating the iconic door scene from the movie.
NEW: Disney shared a new animatic look at the Monsters, Inc. Doors suspended coaster coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios. The new animation shows the ride mechanism and the load/unload area of the attraction. pic.twitter.com/JVNr5B7onD
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2025
Disney at SXSW 2025: What Else?
- A Fantastic Four meet and greet is coming to Disneyland in summer 2025, to coincide with the film’s release. Disney is also working on a H.E.R.B.I.E droid, but hasn’t confirmed when this will debut.
- A new episode of We Call It Imagineering will debut on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube channel on 10th March 2025.
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