Thousands of ardent Disney fans packed Anaheim's Honda Center on Aug. 15 to hear the company's biggest theme park announcements as part of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

Some were beginning to get up from their confetti-sprinkled seats when they were stopped in their tracks by the biggest surprise of the Disney Experiences Showcase.

The event's host, Neil Patrick Harris, burst onto the stage in full costume as Dreamfinder, a beloved fictional character from the original version of EPCOT's Journey into Imagination.

The sold-out crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, then they realized what it meant: Figment's old friend was finally making a comeback, after years of fan requests.

Disney’s new Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum told USA TODAY, "We're really making sure we're listening to all constituents, and we're paying equally as much attention in developing a new land like the Villains that didn't exist yet, and ... to our existing guests and what is important to them."

And Dreamfinder wasn't the only surprise for longtime Disney fans.

1. Tomorrowland reimagining
   
   Disneyland is reimagining its Tomorrowland to reflect the optimism it was known for when it first opened.
   
   Details are still under wraps, but Disney said the reimagining will include new attractions and more open spaces.


2. Dreamfinder returning
   
   Dreamfinder will reunite with Figment in a new take on Journey into Imagination.
   
   The beloved original character was cut out of the attraction when it was previously reimagined in the late 1990s and ever since, fans have clamored for his comeback.


3. Spaceship Earth update
   
   Spaceship Earth is getting its first major update in nearly than 20 years.
   
   Instead of focusing on human communication, its new story will center on human connection, but Disney says it will remain true to its original spirit.


4. New Expedition Everest yeti
   
   Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is getting a new yeti.
   
   The attraction's current yeti, nicknamed Disco Yeti, was supposed to move, but early on, its movement was replaced by strobe lighting effects instead.
   
   Relatively few guests got to experience the yeti as originally intended, and its restoration has been a running request among fans.
   
   "I think people will be unbelievably excited about our focus on Tomorrowland here on the West Coast, but I think they will be equally as appreciative (about) something as simple as the yeti," Mazloum told USA TODAY.

Other D23 announcements

• Monstropolis will open in 2027 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In addition to its previously announced door coaster, the new land will feature a theater show called Welcome to Monstropolis with a new song of the same name by Randy Newman.
• The new Villains land coming to Magic Kingdom will actually be called Villains Land. It will be as large at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it will feature two attractions: a roller coaster set in a briar around Malefiecent's fortress and a catacombs-centered ride that will transport guests to a mirror realm where they'll face various villains.
• The Cars-inspired attractions coming to Piston Peak at Magic Kingdom will be called Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter's Daredevil Spin-Along. The latter will boast a bus-sized audio-animatronic.
• Bryan Cranston and Jamie Lee Curtis will voice the parents in the reimagined Carousel of Progress at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. It will debut in late Spring 2027.
• The new Encanto attraction coming to the Tropical Americas land at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be called Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto. It will be set inside Casita. Stephanie Beatriz, Jess Darrow and Diane Guerrero will reprise their voice roles from the film. There will be no height requirement for the attraction, so whole families can ride it together.
• Twenty-two unique hand-carved animals will be featured in El Carrusel de los Animalitos, the new carousel coming to the new Tropical Americas land at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
• For the first time at a Disney park, Harrison Ford will be the model for the audio-animatronic in the new Indiana Jones attraction coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom. It will be called Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.
• Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab will open in 2028 at Disney California Adventure. Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Mackie are among the familiar faces who will reprise their roles for the new Avengers Campus attractions.
• The new Coco attraction coming to Disney California Adventure will transport guests to the land of the dead. It will have no height requirement, so it can be enjoyed by all ages.
• The "Remember… Dreams Come True" nighttime spectacular and "Magic Happens" parade will return to Disneyland Park and an updated World of Color is headed for Disney California Adventure.
• Disneyland Paris' Space Mountain will return to its original look, Space Mountain - De la Terre à la Lune. Hyperspace Mountain will close in late 2027.
• Disney's first Lion King attraction will retell Simba's story at Disneyland Paris' Disney Adventure World.
• Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue will be the name of the new Wreck-It Ralph attraction coming to Tokyo Disney Resort. It will open in Spring 2027.
• The reimagined Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland will be called Space Mountain Earthrise.
• The Avengers Pavilion coming to Stark Expo at Hong Kong Disneyland will take guests across realms.
• Spiderbots will play a central role in the new roller coaster at the new Spider-Man land coming to Shanghai Disneyland.