Disney unveils new Lion King ride for Paris park

Visitors will go "on a journey through the African savanna" alongside iconic characters from Mufasa and Simba to Timon and Pumbaa, theme park chief Josh D’Amaro said on Saturday.

Mock-ups of the experience, presented to Disney fans at the D23 convention on Saturday, showed a log flume plummeting down Pride Rock as Rafiki the monkey watches on.

The news comes just three days after Disney reported weaker-than-expected theme park results for the quarter that ended in June.

A Lion King experience has been rumoured for the Disneyland Paris resort in Marne-la-Vallée since 2022.

Disney announced last year that it planned to spend $60 billion (£47 billion) over the next decade to expand its theme park and cruise businesses, double the amount spent over the previous decade, prompting excitement from fans.

Bosses have now confirmed that the Lion King-themed land will follow World of Frozen, a themed area based on the Frozen franchise that is due to launch in 2026 in Paris.

The new areas are in the Walt Disney Studios Park, which will be renamed Disney Adventure World to signal its new offering.

Disney also announced a new evening show in Paris that will use "water drones"

For the Lion King attraction, Disney's creative department - dubbed "Imagineering" - has promised to "bring to life the majestic Pride Rock".

It will serve as "the gateway to an adventure-filled water attraction that will plunge guests beneath the rock to follow Simba on his journey from cub to king", the company said.

Meanwhile, at Walt Disney World in Florida, the flagship Magic Kingdom park will undergo the largest expansion in its 53-year history, with one new land devoted to classic Disney villains and another area focused on Pixar's Cars movies.

A new land at the Magic Kingdom will explore the world of Disney villains

At Disney's Hollywood Studios park, a long-rumoured Monsters Inc rollercoaster themed around the 2001 film's famous "flying door" scene was confirmed.

And at Disney's Animal Kingdom park, more details for Encanto and Indiana Jones-themed rides were announced.

Disney A scene from the new Encanto ride is shown in an artist impression. Characters from the Disney Animation film are seen performing as a ride vehicle filled with people passes byDisney

The new Encanto-themed ride at Animal Kingdom park is set just after Antonio receives the ability to communicate with animals

On the US West Coast, the original Disneyland Resort in California will add two superhero-themed rides, a water-based Avatar attraction and the company’s first Coco ride.

Disney Artist impression shows the Coco-themed ride - characters dance around a boat weaving its way through scenesDisney

The new Coco-themed ride will be inspired by other Disney rides like the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean

At Hong Kong Disneyland, a new Spiderman attraction will be opened as part of an immersive Marvel-themed area.

Disney also announced four new cruise ships - on top of four others it had previously announced - almost trebling the size of its current fleet by 2031.

"Everything that we’re going to share with you tonight is in active development," Mr D'Amaro said on Saturday.

"This means that plans are drawn. This means that dirt is moving. I just want to be clear with all the fans out there. This isn’t blue sky."

Disneyland Paris's World of Frozen will open in 2026, the company said, in the resort's renamed second park

The weekend's flurry of announcements come after a rollercoaster ride behind the scenes at Disney in recent years.

Chief executive Bob Iger dramatically returned to lead the company less than a year after retiring following a series of perceived missteps by his successor.

Soon after his return Mr Iger announced a reorganisation and thousands of job cuts in a bid to improve the company's profits.

Earlier this year, Disney won a boardroom battle against critics who accused the media giant of "losing its creative spark".

Activist investors, including Nelson Peltz of Trian Management, had sought seats on the company's board of directors, which they said was too close to Disney's leadership.

"All we want is for Disney to get back to making great content and delighting consumers and for Disney to create sustainable long-term value for shareholders," Mr Peltz said at a shareholder meeting.

Just 31% of votes cast supported Mr Peltz for a seat, according to a source familiar with the results.

But the battle raised questions about struggles at Disney.

Last year, the company announced it was scrapping plans to build a new office campus in central Florida following a year-long dispute with Governor Ron DeSantis.

Mr DeSantis attacked the company after it opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early years.

Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit against Mr DeSantis and other officials.

The company had planned to build the campus around 20 miles (30km) from the giant Walt Disney World theme park resort and relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California.

Mr D'Amaro said in a memo to employees that "new leadership and changing business conditions" prompted the company to abandon those plans.

This year, the runaway success of Disney's Inside Out 2 has helped boost the entertainment giant's profits.

But operating profit declined 3% to $2.2 billion (£1.72 billion) with the company blaming a "moderation of consumer demand" that "exceeded previous expectations", along with higher operating costs.

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were partly blamed for the drop in its theme park takings, which make up over half Disney's profit.

However, its parks - among the most visited attractions in the world - have remained a reliable profit engine, helping cushion the impact of declines in traditional television and losses in Disney's video streaming business.

The experiences unit, which includes parks, cruise ships and consumer products, contributed 60% of the company's operating profit in the most recent quarter - up from 30% just a decade ago.

On Friday, details of new films including the title of the third instalment of Avatar, an addition to the Star Wars franchise and a sequel to Freaky Friday were announced at D23, held near Disneyland in Anaheim.

-BBC