Disney has revealed new details about the first-ever Coco ride coming to Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, and the attraction is starting to sound a lot more interesting than when it was first announced.
When Disney originally announced the project at D23, we knew that it would be based on Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco,” that it would be a boat ride, and that it would take guests into the Land of the Dead with Miguel. Now, we have a much better idea of where the ride is going, what the story will be, and some of the characters and details guests can expect.
In this article, we will talk about everything that we know so far about the new Coco ride coming to Disney California Adventure, including where it will be located, what the ride will be like, when it could possibly open, and our thoughts on the project.
Latest Update on the Coco Ride
(UPDATE) – Disney has revealed new details about the upcoming attraction themed to Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco.” The ride will be located near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier, with the queue beginning in Pixar Pier next to Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. Disney also confirmed that the attraction’s story will pick up one year after the events of the original film, and guests will travel by boat through Miguel’s memories of the Land of the Dead.
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro made the original announcement at the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” during the 2024 D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. He revealed that an all-new attraction themed to Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco” is coming to Disney California Adventure in the future.
“The attraction will be filled with the characters — and music! — you know and love from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead. This marks the first-ever “Coco” ride in a Disney park!
Walt Disney Imagineering will draw inspiration for the attraction from beloved classics, like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. “We’re bringing our skeletal cast of characters to life in a big way through the latest Audio-Animatronicstechnology,” Josh told the crowd. “These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.””
Those original comments are still important because Disney continues to describe the ride as being inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, which is a pretty high bar to set for a new family boat ride.
At D23 2026, Disney shared more details about the project, including the story, queue, characters, and the fact that Imagineers are working closely with Pixar so the attraction nods to both the original Coco film and the upcoming Coco 2.
Where Will the Coco Ride Be Located?
The Coco ride is coming to Disney California Adventure in the area near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier. Disney previously announced that the attraction will be built in areas that are predominantly backstage today, which is important because it means this should be an expansion of the park instead of replacing an existing ride.
The queue will begin in Pixar Pier next to Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. From there, guests will enter a “casa museo” dedicated to the music of Miguel’s great-great grandfather, Héctor Rivera.
That detail is interesting because it tells us this is not just going to be a simple retelling of the movie. Instead of starting with Miguel idolizing Ernesto de la Cruz like in the film, the attraction appears to be taking place after the events of the original story, when Héctor’s place in the family legacy has already been restored.
What Will the Coco Ride Be Like?
Disney has confirmed that this will be a boat ride, and guests will join Miguel as they travel through his memories of the Land of the Dead.
The attraction will feature characters from the film including Miguel, Dante, Héctor, and more. Disney says the ride will celebrate the characters, music, Mexican culture, and the love of family passed down through generations.
One of the biggest new details is that the story will pick up one year after the events of the original film. That means this does not sound like a straight “book report” version of Coco, where guests simply ride through the movie from beginning to end. Instead, it sounds like Disney is creating a new story that builds on what happened in the film.
That can be a really good thing if done right. Coco already has beautiful music, emotional storytelling, and an incredible visual world in the Land of the Dead, so there is a ton of potential here for a great Disney attraction.
The ride will also be family-friendly, and Disney confirmed there will be no height requirement. That makes sense for a boat ride and should make it something the whole family can experience together.
Again we have to keep pointing out, Walt Disney Imagineering is continuing to draw inspiration from classic attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, while bringing the skeletal cast of characters to life through the latest Audio-Animatronics technology.
That is easily one of the most exciting parts of the project, because if Disney really leans into the scale, music, atmosphere, and emotion of Coco, this could be one of the more promising additions coming to Disneyland Resort.
When Will the Coco Ride Open?
Unfortunately, Disney has not announced an official opening date yet for the Coco ride at Disney California Adventure.
Originally, they said construction would begin in 2026, but that timeline was later moved up, with backstage construction starting in Fall 2025. Now Disney says work is underway on the attraction in the area near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier.
At this point, 2027 still seems possible, but Disney has not confirmed an opening year, so I would not plan a Disneyland trip around this ride just yet. Disney has been moving faster on some of these Disneyland Resort projects than we originally expected, and a 2027 opening here would be good since the Avengers Campus additions were announced to open in 2028.
However, until they give an official opening window, we have to treat any date as speculation.
We will keep an eye out for the official opening date, final attraction name, more ride details, and any additional concept art Disney releases.
Will It Connect to Coco 2?
One of the more interesting things Disney revealed is that Imagineers are working closely with Pixar to make sure the attraction nods to both the original Coco film and the upcoming Coco 2.
That does not necessarily mean this is a Coco 2 ride, and Disney has not described it that way. The official story detail we have right now is that the attraction picks up one year after the original film and follows Miguel through his memories of the Land of the Dead.
Still, the timing is interesting. Disney is clearly thinking about the future of the Coco franchise. It makes sense they will want to promote the sequel and a ride is a great way to do that. This ride may end up feeling like a bridge between the original movie and wherever Pixar takes the story next.
For now, I would view this mainly as a ride based on the original Coco, with some possible connections or nods to the sequel.
My Thoughts on the Coco Ride
I have to say that out of all the announcements we heard at the original D23 event, this was the one we were most surprised about and were absolutely not expecting.
First of all, if a Coco attraction was coming to any Disney park, our money would have been on EPCOT. After all, a Coco attraction has been rumored for the Mexico pavilion for years now, which would replace the popular but aged Gran Fiesta Tour.
If I am thinking strictly from a thematic perspective, it would be a perfect fit there, more so than in Disney California Adventure (though we don’t hate the idea).
In general, we are surprised it took Disney this long to make a Coco ride given its huge popularity and that we view it as one of the strongest, if not the strongest Pixar film released in the last 10 years. We think it’s a great idea to build it, even though we would have preferred it in EPCOT.
From the original concept art, I was not sure what to expect besides a simple boat ride. In the end, lack of space seemed to be the problem in EPCOT, though they easily could just overlay the Gran Fiesta Tour with Coco theming and animatronics if they really wanted to.
The fact they didn’t simply do this in EPCOT, makes me hopeful they have something a little more complex in mind for this ride and there just wasn’t the space to do it in EPCOT, hence they moved it to Disney California Adventure instead.
Now that we know more about the Héctor Rivera casa museo, the story taking place one year after the film, and guests traveling through Miguel’s memories of the Land of the Dead, I am more interested in the project than I was originally. It sounds less like a quick overlay and more like a real attempt to create a new attraction around the music, emotion, and family themes that made Coco so popular.
Of course, I still don’t want to get too excited until we know more about the scale of the ride. Disney comparing it to Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion sets expectations very high, and we still don’t know the length, budget, number of show scenes, or how ambitious it really is.
If this is a richly detailed boat ride with great music, impressive Audio-Animatronics, and a strong emotional story, it could be a fantastic addition to Disney California Adventure. If it ends up being too small or too simple, then those comparisons to Pirates and Haunted Mansion may work against it.
For now, I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m happy Coco is finally getting ride representation in a Disney park, and the latest details make the project sound more promising than it did when it was first announced.
As soon as we know any more info on this story we will update you so keep tuned for more…
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Your Thoughts
I want to know what you think about a Coco-themed ride coming to Disney California Adventure…
- Are you happy with this announcement?
- What would you like to see included in the ride?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.
George Mells
Saturday 19th of April 2025
It is quite possible that the EPCOT Mexican pavilion's river cruise does not provide enough room for the Coco attraction but on the other hand, where in California Adventure will it go? That park is pretty crowded already with the east end dedicated to the MCU attractions. I imagine that within the year Disney will make more info available.