Disney just confirmed the Disneyland Avatar delay that fans have quietly feared for years. The long-awaited Avatar expansion is moving to the back of the line. Tomorrowland is jumping ahead of it instead.
If you’ve been counting down the days until Pandora opens in Anaheim, this update changes everything you thought you knew about the resort’s next decade.
What Disney Announced at the 2026 D23 Expo
At the 2026 D23 Expo, Disneyland leadership laid out a revised construction roadmap for Disney California Adventure and Disneyland park. This news matters because it reshuffles nearly every major project on the horizon. That includes everything from Avengers Campus to the new Coco attraction. It also pushes the Avatar destination further into the future than most fans expected.
Disneyland President Jill Estorino confirmed the update during a media briefing. She was joined by Imagineering Portfolio Executive Creative Producer Emily O’Brien and Disney Experiences Chair Thomas Mazloum. Everything currently under construction stays on schedule. Avengers Campus, the Coco boat ride, and the Eastern Gateway transportation hub all keep their original timelines.
However, the order of everything after those three projects has changed. Disney will not move straight into the Avatar destination once Coco wraps up. Instead, Imagineers will shift focus to reimagining Tomorrowland first. Only after that work finishes will crews return to the Hollywood Backlot to build the Avatar land.
Confirmed Opening Dates Ahead of the Avatar Delay
A few solid dates came out of the presentation. Stark Flight Lab and Avengers Infinity Defense, the two new attractions at Avengers Campus, will open in 2028. That timeline lands later than many fans hoped, since a 2027 debut once seemed possible.
Disney has not announced an official opening year for the Coco boat ride yet. Still, since it follows Avengers Campus in the construction queue, a 2029 opening looks like a safe bet. Meanwhile, the Eastern Gateway parking and transportation hub also targets 2028, and crews will ramp up work there in the coming weeks.
Why Tomorrowland Is Jumping Ahead of Avatar
Tomorrowland has needed a refresh for a long time. Now it sits next in line once the current wave of construction wraps up. Disney says phased work on Tomorrowland could realistically begin after Avengers Campus opens but before Coco debuts. The goal is simple: keep attractions opening at a steady pace instead of clustering them together.
If that timeline holds, Tomorrowland’s phased opening could begin around 2030. That timing pushes the Avatar destination even further out, with a realistic opening window of 2032 or later.
Disney argues this order makes more sense logistically and delivers new experiences to guests more often. Rather than making guests wait years between openings, spacing out these debuts keeps something new arriving at the resort on a regular basis.
Eastern Gateway Explains the Avatar Delay
Here’s the piece that explains almost everything else on this list. Eastern Gateway isn’t just another parking structure. It’s the key that unlocks space for the Avatar destination.
The new hub will occupy part of the current Manchester Cast Member parking lot and will add roughly 6,000 parking spaces, plus shuttle areas, rideshare drop-off, and security screening. A pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard will connect guests to a new arrival esplanade, and it will also give the public access to and from Harbor Boulevard itself.
This detail matters because Disney needs to demolish the old bus loops to make room for the Avatar destination’s show building and surrounding landscape. However, that demolition can’t start until Eastern Gateway becomes fully operational and takes over transportation duties for the resort. As a result, space for Avatar construction likely won’t open up until 2028, which naturally pushes the entire project later.
Is the Disneyland Avatar Project Getting Cancelled?
This is the question on every fan’s mind, and honestly, nobody knows for certain. Disney has never given Avatar a firm start date or completion year. Company representatives have consistently described the project as being in the early stages of development. So technically, nothing has been “delayed” in the strictest sense, since there was never an official date to delay in the first place.
Still, slotting Tomorrowland ahead of Avatar in the construction queue sends a clear signal. The Avatar destination isn’t coming any time soon. Most industry watchers now expect construction won’t start until 2029 at the earliest, with 2030 also plausible. That timeline points to an opening somewhere around 2032 or later.
Signs Pointing in Both Directions
There are reasons for both optimism and skepticism here. On the encouraging side, Disney displayed a detailed model of the Avatar destination in the Imagineering pavilion at the D23 Expo show floor. The model shows a monorail routed around the back of the show building in a way that suggests genuine planning has gone into the project, not just early concept sketches.
On the other hand, time works against Avatar. Every year that passes without a construction start date fuels speculation that the project could eventually shrink or disappear altogether. This kind of long, quiet gap isn’t unprecedented, either. The original Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom saw minimal movement for years before construction finally began. Therefore, a slow build-up doesn’t automatically mean cancellation.
Ultimately, the straightforward explanation may be the correct one. Building Tomorrowland first could simply be the more efficient sequencing choice for Disney’s construction teams, especially since Tomorrowland has needed attention for roughly two decades regardless of Avatar’s status.
How the Avatar Delay Affects Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue
Fans have also watched the fate of Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue closely. Disney already pushed the ride’s permanent closure back once, from early 2026 to sometime in 2027, and hasn’t given an exact closure date within that window.
Given the new timeline, the ride will likely avoid closing in 2027, and possibly even in 2028. Eastern Gateway remains the true prerequisite for freeing up space near the Hollywood Backlot, and that project won’t finish until 2028. So there’s simply no urgent need to close Monsters, Inc. ahead of schedule. Disney reportedly shifted the sequencing of other projects specifically to give this attraction a reprieve without slowing anything else down.
Why This Timeline Shift Makes Sense for Disneyland
Building an entire resort district takes years of planning, permitting, and construction, and Disneyland’s footprint is far more compact than properties like Walt Disney World. Every new project has to work around existing infrastructure, guest flow, and parking capacity.
Therefore, prioritizing Eastern Gateway first is a logical move. Without it, bigger and more ambitious projects like Avatar can’t move forward. Additionally, Tomorrowland’s aging attractions have needed a refresh for roughly two decades, so giving that land priority over an entirely new, unbuilt destination is a reasonable business decision.
Consequently, Disney appears to be betting that spacing out major openings will keep guest interest high. Avengers Campus arrives in 2028, Coco follows in 2029, Tomorrowland begins around 2030, and Avatar lands in 2032 or later. This pacing should also keep construction disruption manageable across a longer stretch of time.
The Case for Betting on Pandora at Disneyland
Despite the uncertainty, there’s a strong argument for Disney following through on the Avatar destination. Pandora currently holds the top spot for guest satisfaction at Walt Disney World, and Avatar Flight of Passage consistently draws long lines and glowing reviews.
That kind of proven popularity is hard to ignore. A West Coast version of Pandora, even a more compact one, could pair a strong headliner attraction with the same immersive world-building that made the original such a hit. Some fans have also pointed to the ride system used in Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland as a perfect fit for a new Avatar attraction, since no other park has used that technology in over a decade.
Ultimately, Avatar’s appeal doesn’t depend on knowing the movies. The franchise’s detailed, otherworldly setting translates naturally into a theme park experience. That alone explains why so many fans want to see it built, regardless of how the film series performs at the box office in future years.
Final Takeaways on the Disneyland Avatar Delay
Disney’s updated timeline confirms that Avengers Campus, Coco, and Eastern Gateway remain on track for 2028 and 2029 openings. However, the Avatar destination now sits behind a full Tomorrowland reimagining, with construction unlikely to start before 2029 and an opening realistically landing in 2032 or later.
The Eastern Gateway project remains the true linchpin behind the entire Disneyland Avatar delay, since Disney must complete it before clearing space for Avatar in the Hollywood Backlot. Meanwhile, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue will likely stick around longer than originally planned, since there’s no pressing need to close it early.
Whether Avatar ultimately gets built as planned, shrinks in scope, or quietly fades away remains an open question. For now, Disneyland fans have a clearer picture of what’s coming next, even if the most anticipated project on the list is still years away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Avatar land at Disneyland officially cancelled?
No. Disney hasn’t cancelled the project. However, it has never given Avatar a confirmed start date or opening year, and the new timeline pushes it behind the Tomorrowland reimagining. Construction likely won’t begin until 2029 at the earliest.
When will the Avengers Campus expansion open at Disneyland?
Stark Flight Lab and Avengers Infinity Defense will both open in 2028, according to announcements made at the 2026 D23 Expo.
What is the Eastern Gateway project at Disneyland Resort?
Eastern Gateway is a new parking and transportation hub under construction on part of the Manchester Cast Member parking lot. It will add roughly 6,000 parking spaces, rideshare and shuttle areas, security screening, and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard leading to a new arrival esplanade.
Why did Disney delay Avatar in favor of Tomorrowland?
Disney is prioritizing the Tomorrowland reimagining before starting Avatar construction. Since Avatar also depends on Eastern Gateway finishing first to free up space in the Hollywood Backlot, both factors combine to push the project’s realistic opening to 2032 or later.
Will Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue close soon?
It probably won’t close soon. Disney already pushed its permanent closure from 2026 to sometime in 2027, and given the revised construction timeline, it may stay open even longer since the space it occupies isn’t needed until Eastern Gateway finishes.
