Disney World’s Villains Land Gets a Name, Backstory and Thrilling Ride Details Revealed at D23

NEED TO KNOW

• Disney Imagineers revealed at the D23 convention that the Magic Kingdom's Villains Land will feature two immersive attractions inspired by Maleficent and the Evil Queen's Magic Mirror

• The land's backstory centers on a dark magic wishing well that draws Disney villains from different worlds together

• Villains Land will include dining and shopping, plus appearances from fan-favorite characters like Jafar, Cruella de Vil and Scar

The "Most Magical Place on Earth" is going dark!

Disney Imagineers shared new details about the long-awaited Villains land planned for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom while onstage at the D23 convention in Anaheim on Saturday, Aug. 15.

"Villains land is one of the most ambitious lands we've ever created," the Disney execs revealed. "It's huge, on the scale of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and it's completely immersive."

In fittingly dramatic fashion, they unveiled the official name of the land, which fans have been simply calling "Villains Land." In a twist that had the audience at the Honda Center cackling like the Evil Queen, the official name of the area was revealed to be: Villains Land.

It's a reasonable choice in a theme park where all the other realms — Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland and more — follow the same format.

Things got more intriguing from there, as Imagineers also confirmed the land's two chill-inducing ride concepts.

The first, Imagineers promise, will be "thrilling coaster" inspired by Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty , situated around her mountaintop fortress. Riders will race through the spiky brambles that encase the structure, which also seems to be the area's central landmark.

The second attraction will take place in the catacombs beneath the Evil Queen's lair, where the Magic Mirror from Snow While summons a slew of famous Disney villains to frighten all those who dare to enter.

Artwork for the ride shows Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Scar from The Lion King, Jafar from Aladdin and more, all surrounding what appears to be a wooden boat-like ride vehicle. (No details of that ride's format were revealed.)

"We're creating entirely new stories for these characters and an entirely new way of seeing them," the Imagineers teased. "These aren't villains hiding in the shadows. They're powerful, sophisticated, elegant and they have impeccable taste."

Because the land will bring together characters from many different worlds, the Imagineers also created an original story as to why they would all be in this one place: at the center of the dark forest that makes up Villains Land sits a wishing well filled with powerful dark magic they all wish to harness.

"One by one, they have appeared to claim it," the Imagineers shared about the backstory. And for those brave enough to enter the land, they further teased, "You can bet the villains will use everything in their power to tempt you."

In addition to the Evil Queen and Maleficent, Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations and Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog are confirmed to have a presence in the park.

The darker land is one fans had been begging for for ages, and the news that it was finally happening was met with great enthusiasm at 2024's D23.

The land will have dining and shopping options, in addition to the two new attractions.

A TikTok shared by Disney Parks in August 2024 featured more fan-favorite evildoers, including Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast .

However, little new information had been released on the long-lead project in the two years since.

Rumors even swirled earlier this year that Disney's Imagineers had been sent back to the drawing board to rethink the rides, concept and style.

At the Imagineering pavilion inside D23 this year, the Villains land display was minimal, just showing two small but stunningly carved (and very spooky) trees that hinted at the vibe of the land and the artistry going into it. However, a video playing above offered some more hints.

It featured real pieces of Art Nouveau architecture that may inform the visual language of the land in a collage with certain Disney villains, including Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Hades from Hercules and Chernabog from the "Night on Bald Mountain" portion of Fantasia .

In a January 2026 interview in the Wall Street Journal , Bruce Vaughn, president of Imagineering, called the lands currently in development for the park "by far the most ambitious period" in Imagineering's history."

He added, "We're going to ramp up and reignite Imagineering culturally, and we've got a tremendous amount of investment coming through."

Villains Land does not yet have an opening timeline.

Read the original article on People