When Bob Iger announced an Avatar experience for Disneyland in 2023, Disney placed the project within a much larger investment story.
Iger described the Disneyland Avatar project as something coming “later down the road.” The announcement came as Disney emphasized major future spending on its theme parks and other Experiences businesses.
In September 2023, Disney announced plans to nearly double capital spending on Parks, Experiences and Products, projecting roughly $60 billion in investment over about a decade.
More than three years later, the Avatar project remains part of Disney’s plans for Disneyland Resort. The company has given the project a location and a construction target.
But when the project is compared with other Disneyland developments, it increasingly appears to sit behind them in the development queue.
The Disneyland Avatar Project Has Taken Several Years to Reach Construction
Disney gradually added details to the Avatar proposal after Iger’s original announcement.
In 2024, Disney announced that the project would come to Disney California Adventure. The company said the experience would draw from Avatar: The Way of Water and future Avatar films, with an attraction centered on Pandora’s oceans.
In 2025, Disney identified part of the existing Hollywood Backlot area as the destination’s location. The plan calls for a multi-year project, with construction slated to begin in fall 2026.
Concept art for Avatar at Disneyland – Disney Parks Blog
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Disney continued showing development work in 2026. At D23 earlier this month, the Imagineering: Horizons pavilion included an Avatar rockwork model and ride-vehicle model.
So the project has clearly progressed. The issue is where Avatar falls compared with everything else Disney is trying to build at the resort.
Its delay is especially noteworthy as Disney had announced that attraction Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! would close in early 2026. However, it has yet to close with a new closing date set for 2027.
Avengers Campus Is Further Ahead
The clearest comparison is the expansion of Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure.
Disney announced two new attractions for the area: Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. The expansion will roughly double the size of Avengers Campus. Disney announced that construction would begin in 2025.
Concept Art for the upcoming Avengers Infinity Defense at Disney California Adventure – Disney Parks Blog
That puts Avengers Campus ahead of Avatar by a straightforward measure. Construction began before the planned fall 2026 start for the Avatar project.
Disney has also provided detailed information about the new attractions and continued construction updates. From the outside, Avengers Campus therefore looks further along in the development process.
Coco Has a Defined Construction Path
The new Coco attraction provides another useful comparison.
Disney plans a ride-through Coco attraction at Disney California Adventure. The company has identified its location, described the basic ride concept and said construction would begin in 2026.
Concept art for upcoming Coco attraction – Disney Parks Blog
Disney has also shown physical development work for the attraction. At the 2026 D23 event, the company displayed a new queue rendering and a sculpt of Hector.
DisneylandForward Represents a Much Larger Commitment
The broader DisneylandForward plan gives Disney more flexibility to combine theme parks, hotels, shopping, dining and entertainment across its Anaheim properties. Anaheim approved the initiative in 2024, and Disney committed to at least $1.9 billion in new theme park experiences and lodging over 10 years.
Concept art for DisneylandForward’s proposed pedestrian bridge – Disney Parks Blog
One of the more tangible pieces of DisneylandForward is a new pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard. Disney says the bridge will connect a new east-side parking and transportation hub with an expanded Esplanade arrival area, while also providing access between the resort and Harbor Boulevard hotels, shops and restaurants. The hub is planned to include about 6,000 parking spaces, shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening and dedicated access from Disney Way.
Tomorrowland Adds Another Major Project
Disney is also planning a broad reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland. The company says Imagineers are developing new attractions, more open spaces and additional experiences that focus on the future. Disney wants to draw from the optimism and technological possibility that shaped Tomorrowland when Disneyland opened in 1955. However, Disney has not announced a detailed construction schedule or opening date for the reimagining.
The result is a crowded development pipeline. Disney has multiple projects competing for capital, design work and construction resources.
Why Avatar Still Looks Like a Lower Priority
The comparison is clearer when the projects are viewed by their publicly announced stages.
Avengers Campus moved into construction before Avatar. Coco has a defined attraction and a 2026 construction plan. DisneylandForward involves a major infrastructure and development commitment. Tomorrowland remains another significant redevelopment effort.
Concept art for Avatar at Disneyland – Disney Parks Blog
Meanwhile, Avatar is scheduled to begin construction in fall 2026.
That is meaningful progress. It also means the project will have taken roughly three years to move from Iger’s initial announcement to its planned construction start. Still, Disney has not announced an opening date or released the same level of detail as it has with some of its other projects.
Avatar Is Not Cancelled — But It Is Not at the Front
The Disneyland Avatar project remains active, but it does not appear to be at the front of Disney’s development queue.
For a project first announced during a major investment push in 2023, that is a notable difference between the announcement and where the project stands today.
Are you hoping to see Avatar’s Pandora come to Disneyland soon? Are you more excited about the other projects that seem to be leading the priority list? Sound off and let us know your thoughts.
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