We’re all eagerly waiting for it: the major expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris with the arrival of World of Frozen. During the last D23 Expo, Josh D’Amaro announced that the new land would open in 2026 — a disappointment for many who had hoped for a 2025 debut. But maybe that opening date isn’t as far off as it sounds. Here are a few observations that make us think World of Frozen, along with the park’s renaming to Disney Adventure World, might come sooner than you expect.
1. 2026… but when exactly?
When Disney says “2026,” it remains vague. That could mean anything from January to December, which is almost a full year apart. We saw a similar situation with the reopening of the Disneyland Hotel. Initially, it was announced that the hotel would reopen in 2024, which surprised many after such a long closure. But in the end, it turned out to be January 2024, just a few weeks removed from the end of 2023. A different calendar year — but hardly a big difference in time. The same could very well apply to the opening of Disney Adventure World.
2. January: the go-to month for new additions
If you’ve been following Disneyland Paris, you’ll know that the resort has increasingly focused on launching new offerings in January or early in the year. Consider the following examples:
- Avengers: Power the Night, which debuted unexpectedly in January 2023.
- Multiple Star Wars seasons, often held in the first months of the year.
- In 2020, the Frozen Celebration also kicked off at the start of the year.
- More recently: Disney Symphony of Colours and the Disney Electrical Sky Parade both began during the early weeks of the year.
There’s a clear strategy here: start the year with something strong. And what could be more fitting than the long-awaited World of Frozen opening and the transformation into Disney Adventure World?
3. Signs of a capacity boost for early 2026
Another clue lies in the park’s entertainment scheduling. Normally, the beginning of the year is a quieter period at Walt Disney Studios Park, with shows like Mickey and the Magician typically going on a seasonal break. But in 2026, the pattern seems reversed:
- Many regular shows are taking a break now (or later this year), presumably to be in full swing by early 2026.
- Disney has already announced that Disney Dream Factory will return in early 2026 — with a brand-new show.
This raises a question: why plan for more entertainment capacity in the low season? Could it be because Disney expects higher-than-usual attendance due to the planned expansion opening? It’s speculation for now, but the signs do point in that direction.
Final thoughts: logic, but no confirmation
Of course, none of this has been officially confirmed yet — but there’s a certain logic to it all. Disney often avoids announcing specific opening dates far in advance and tends to use broad timeframes strategically. Combine that with their pattern of strong January launches and the unusual show scheduling, and it becomes very plausible that the opening of World of Frozen could happen sooner than most people think — possibly early 2026.
Maybe we’ll learn more soon, perhaps during the “Destination D presented by D23” event taking place at Walt Disney World in late August. This event traditionally includes park announcements, so fingers crossed.