5 Easter Eggs from D23 You May Have Missed: A Rivers of America Nod, Hints About Villains Land and More
5 Easter Eggs from D23 You May Have Missed: A Rivers of America Nod, Hints About Villains Land and More
Mackenzie SchmidtSat, August 15, 2026 at 6:27 PM UTC
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Scenes from D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.Credit: Mackenzie Schmidt -
Disney shared splashy reveals for Cars land, Encanto, and Avatar attractions at D23 in Anaheim, but there were also many subtle hints at what’s to come
A video teased potential design influences for Villains land, featuring the architectural style and specific Disney villains
A Monstropolis display sparks speculation about a new theater show starring Sulley and Mike
There are plenty of major Disney theme park reveals on view at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event — but a few interesting inclusions might have flown under the radar on the crowded convention floor.
At the “Imagineering: Horizons” pavilion inside the massive convention taking place in Anaheim from Aug. 14 to Aug. 16, Disney unveiled a huge model of its new Cars land coming to Magic Kingdom, as well as ride vehicles for Encanto and Avatar attractions, plus new elements of the Tropical Americas and Villains lands.
But in true Disney fashion, there’s more to some of the displays than initially meets the eye.
Here are a few of the more subtle hints, references and Easter eggs Disney Imagineers snuck into the showcase of what’s next at Disneyland and Disney World.
Piston Peak, with a familiar stretch of river visible on the far left, at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.Credit: Mackenzie Schmidt1. There’s a piece of the Rivers of America in the Cars Land
When Disney announced that Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island would be closing to make way for a Cars-themed land at Magic Kingdom, some Disney parks purists were outraged at the loss. But it turns out there’s a bit of the old attraction making its way back into the new area.
An Imagineer stationed beside the scale model of Piston Peak National Park at D23 shared that an original piece of the waterway that formerly circled Tom Sawyer Island will actually remain along the Frontierland storefronts in homage to the area’s former incarnation.
It will also provide a refreshing natural vista for some visual rest in an area that’s about to be much busier.
A look at Piston Peak at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.Credit: Mackenzie Schmidt2. One feature of Piston Peak connects it to its Frontierland neighbor
While Piston Peak, technically set in the Rocky Mountains, has a different feel from the orange desert dirt of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad directly next door, one natural element can be found in both: hydrothermal activity.
Both coasters’ courses send riders racing around geysers and the accompanying sulfur-covered rocks. The subtle duplication helps tie the areas together visually and geologically.
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A look past Piston Peak at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.Credit: Mackenzie Schmidt3. There may be a Villains Land nod in Piston Peak
Around the edges of the model of Piston Peak, familiar forms like the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain, rendered in a solid beige color, help viewers orient themselves within the layout of the current Magic Kingdom park.
However, eagle-eyed convention-goers pointed out that there are two paths at the far edge of the land leading toward an area that’s currently undeveloped.
So where do they go? Potentially to the future site of Villains land, which is in development beyond Big Thunder at the back of the park.
Video highlighting Disney villains at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.Credit: Mackenzie Schmidt4. A Villains Land video references specific Disney films
So much about the future Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom is shrouded in mystery. After announcing the project and releasing an intriguing artist’s rendering at D23 in 2024, not much else has come out about the land. (Rumors even swirled earlier this year that Imagineers had been sent back to the drawing board to create new concepts.)
At this year’s D23, two small yet spooky tree sculptures were its only representatives on the convention floor. However, a video playing above may offer 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, Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog and Chernabog from the “Night on Bald Mountain” portion of Fantasia.
A ‘Monsters Inc.’-themed bulletin board at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.Credit: Mackenzie Schmidt5. Monstropolis’ The Glob theater may have its headliners
The area showcasing the Monsters Inc. land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios spotlighted sculptures of some adorable monster critters that will seemingly occupy the streets of Monstropolis, and the technology behind the major ride there: a suspended coaster inspired by the movie’s famous door factory.
But the most interesting new updates could be found on a bulletin board filled with sketches and notes about the city’s neighborhoods, including Old Town Monstropolis and Frightening Heights; its restaurants, like the sushi spot Harryhausen’s; and intriguingly, what appears to be a theater’s marquee that reads: “Welcome to Monstropolis! With Sulley & Mike.”
Fans have speculated that Disney World’s other Monsters Inc. attraction, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor show at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, will shutter when Monstropolis opens, so the Glob (a play on Shakespeare’s Globe) could be the home of a replacement still starring the movie’s dynamic duo.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
