Josh D’Amaro (chairperson of Disney Experiences) and Alan Bergman (co-chairperson of Disney Entertainment) hosted a presentation titled “The Future of World-Building at Disney” during the South by Southwest Conference (aka SXSW) on March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas — and shared a flurry of updates on projects coming to Disney parks.

SXSW news for Walt Disney World

Load station for ‘Monsters, Inc.’ roller coaster

As announced last year, a “Monsters, Inc.” roller coaster will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (The coaster and the surrounding Monstropolis-themed land will replaceMuppet*Vision 3D, which closes June 8, 2025.)

At SXSW, Disney revealed a concept video showing the attraction’s load station and coaster train. The ride is Disney’s first suspended coaster, meaning the track is above guests’ seats. During the boarding process, a piece of the coaster track with the entire coaster train in tact will detach itself from the rest of the track and approach the loading area. Then, the detached piece of track, riders now onboard the train, will lift itself into the air and rejoin the rest of the ride path.

The name and opening timeframe of the “Monsters, Inc.” roller coaster remains unannounced at this time.

Ride vehicle, new characters, and research for ‘Cars’ attraction

One of the two previously announced “Cars” attractions coming to Magic Kingdom will be an off-road adventure through the rugged wilderness, beyond Radiator Springs. At SXSW, Disney shared video of Imagineers researching for this attraction by going off-roading in Arizona themselves, as well as by developing a prototype of the ride path.

Disney also revealed concept sketches of new characters riders will see in the attraction, plus a look at a maquette for the ride vehicle.

To make way for the “Cars” attractions, Disney will permanently closeTom Sawyer Island, Liberty Belle Riverboat, and the Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom sometime in 2025 (exact closing date TBA). The names and opening dates of the “Cars” rides remains unannounced at this time.

SXSW news for Disneyland

Rendering of Stark Flight Lab ride vehicle

The previously announced expansion of Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure will include Stark Flight Lab, a robotic arm of sorts. Disney shared a new video of the intricate ride-loading process in action:

Dancers helped Imagineers “choreograph” the robotic arm’s movements using motion capture:

‘You need more me,’ says Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark for Stark Flight Lab. Downey, who appeared in person at SXSW, plans to continue to be involved with Walt Disney Imagineering.

“Even after we finish with [Stark] Flight Lab, I want to stay involved for the long haul. I want to be part of the future that Bruce [Vaughn] is building at Imagineering. This isn’t a one-time deal. I say this with all the humility I can muster: you need more me.”

Fantastic Four characters coming to Tomorrowland

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” debuts in theaters this July. Marvel artists were inspired by Disneyland’s Tomorrowland in establishing the visual aesthetic of the film. As such, the Fantastic Four themselves will appear as live characters in Tomorrowland at Disneyland this summer to coincide with the movie’s release. Notably, this marks a departure from the usual protocol of new Marvel Studios characters appearing in Avengers Campus next door at Disney California Adventure.

Here’s some particularly Tomorrowland-influenced concept art for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”:

Imagineers developing H.E.R.B.I.E. animatronic

H.E.R.B.I.E. is a robotic character in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Walt Disney Imagineering is developing a version of H.E.R.B.I.E. to appear in Disney theme parks, but didn’t share further details at SXSW.

SXSW news for multiple Disney resorts

Opening date, planets for Mandalorian on Smugglers Run

The previously announcedMandalorian version of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will officially debut May 22, 2026, the same day as the theatrical release of the new movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Guests can experience the new version of the ride in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Additionally, Disney announced at SXSW some of the destinations included on the new Mando version of the attraction: Tatooine, Cloud City, and the second Death Star near Endor.

BDX droids coming to Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, and the big screen

A group of free-roaming Audio-Animatronics known as BDX droids recently appeared sporadically at Disneyland, onboard a Disney Cruise Line ship, and at D23 2024. During SXSW, Disney announced the BDX droids will soon travel to Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan; and Disneyland Paris in France. They’ll be joined by Otto, a creature known as an Anzellan (like Babu Frik from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”). No details yet on timeframe or the droids’ length of stay at each destination.

Additionally, the BDX droids will appear onscreen in “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a new movie coming to theaters May 22, 2026.

We saw the BDX Droids in action at Disneyland in 2024:

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