There have been rumors of a Coco attraction coming to Walt Disney World for nearly a decade, since even before the film hit theaters. This takes a look at the likelihood of a boat ride coming to EPCOT or one of the other parks, along with a history of the rumors–and official announcements–about Coco being added to WDW. (Updated July 26, 2025.)
There have been a couple of recent reasons for renewed buzz about Coco coming to EPCOT. The first was the multi-month closure of Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico pavilion. While the ride reopened and is still starring the Three Caballeros, it’s theoretically possible that work was done to lay the groundwork for a Coco takeover down the road. We doubt it, though.
In the grand scheme of things, Gran Fiesta Tour is a very minor attraction. It’s tucked away into the Mexico pavilion and the biggest criticism of it is exactly that–that it’s a minor attraction. The wait time reflects that, though, as does just about everything associated with the ride. It features a tie-in to an obscure movie, doesn’t offer Lightning Lane, and has zero hype. Fans like it because it features boats, Mexico, fiestas, waterfowl–and, most importantly, never has a long line. That last point is also what makes it a prime subject ride reimagining rumors.
Let’s start with the latest development, which flows from a couple of updates Disney has shared about the Coco boat ride that’s coming to Disney California Adventure. The Coco attraction was first announced at last year’s D23 Expo, and quite frankly, didn’t seem all that “real” because the timeline was so remote and so few details were given.
Disney has now revealed two things. First, that the Coco attraction will be built near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier, in areas that are predominantly backstage today. Second, construction is set to begin backstage in Fall 2025!
These developments are notable for two reasons. First and foremost, it seems that this project is being fast-tracked, with construction now beginning in 2025 as opposed to later in 2026. There’s clearly a reason for that. As discussed below, Disney has identified Coco as a key intellectual property that it wants to highlight, and presumably, they have a strong concept set for the attraction about which they feel confident.
Equally as significant is the location of the Coco attraction at DCA. Oddly enough, this is also very important for EPCOT purposes, too.
While there was initial confusion about where, exactly, the Coco attraction would go backstage at DCA, it’s now our understanding that the attraction will be located behind Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind and right up against Disneyland Drive. This is technically also behind Incredicoaster, but the Coco ride is not replacing all of the backstage buildings. It won’t occupy a massive footprint, and should actually should allow for the preservation of the parade route and other facilities.
The specifics aren’t important to EPCOT, obviously. But the size of the show-building absolutely is. It’s very rare for Imagineering to create a modern new-build attraction that utilizes a smaller space, but that appears to be what’s happening here.
This is not to suddenly say a Coco ride would work as a replacement for Gran Fiesta Tour. To the contrary, I still don’t think that reimagining retrofit would work for the reasons discussed below.
If the show building for the Coco attraction at DCA is really as compact as rumored, there’s another possibility that makes perfect sense: as an expansion to Mexico outside the footprint of the existing indoor pavilion. The entrance would be behind the (coincidental) construction wall in the above photo, where the Donald Duck meet & greet is currently located. This is the most logical option, it just seemed too small of an area for a brand-new attraction.
Maybe that’s still the case, but in looking at the area between the existing Mexico and Norway pavilions, maybe it’s workable. There’s a decent amount of space behind the Royal Sommerhus, and perhaps Avenue of the Stars (the primary backstage road) could be pushed back to allow a tad more clearance. Between Frozen Ever After and Mexico, there just might be enough space to pull it off.
To be very clear, none of this is rumor–it’s purely speculation based on Coco’s rumored footprint in California along with surrounding circumstances. But given Coco’s popularity, the need for more rides in World Showcase, and the fact that Walt Disney World recently did a similar behind-the-building expansion for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in France, this just might work. It’s probably the most plausible scenario if Coco is coming to Walt Disney World.
As for the Coco attraction that’s coming to DCA, Disney has revealed that the boat ride will be filled with the characters and music from the beloved movie, as you join Miguel on a trip to the land of the dead.
For the DCA Coco ride, Walt Disney Imagineering will draw inspiration 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-Animatronics technology,” D’Amaro told the crowd. “These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.”
As soon as I heard the announcement at D23, my first thought was that it’s one of those “good ideas that won’t die” in Imagineering, and they finally found a home for the Coco boat ride after trying to make space in EPCOT and then Magic Kingdom. My second thought was that they’ll eventually make it work at Walt Disney World, and it’ll probably end up at EPCOT.
Another strong ‘signal’ that this boat ride could come to Walt Disney World is the fact that Coco 2 is in the works at Pixar Animation Studios. The announcement was made by CEO Bob Iger during The Walt Disney Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. “While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure,” said Iger. “And we can’t wait to share more soon.”
Coco 2 reunites the team behind the original film, including director Lee Unkrich who is making his return to Pixar to work with original co-director Adrian Molina. Oscar-winning producer Mark Nielsen will produce. Unkrich’s return is rather notable, as he was a formative figure in the golden age of Pixar, and his presence could spark a creative renaissance for the studio beyond just Coco 2.
While Coco has received plenty of ongoing attention and utilization in the Disney Parks (mostly in live entertainment due to the quality music and Miguel’s popularity), the surest way to get an attraction greenlit would be with a successful sequel or ongoing franchise. So while this news has absolutely nothing to do with a ride coming to EPCOT, it kind of does, indirectly. If there were betting markets for future Walt Disney World attractions, the odds of a Coco ride in EPCOT would’ve shot up by double-digits overnight.
To that point, we think something will happen with a Coco ride in EPCOT eventually–so let’s take a deeper dive…
We love Gran Fiesta Tour and have practically zero complaints about it (we miss the old music, but that’s minor), but we also enjoy it for what it is. Of course, it being a minor attraction, there have been rumors and speculation since 2017 that Coco would replace Three Caballeros as the IP-integration in Gran Fiesta Tour with the ride revolving around Dia de los Muertos.
After all, the reimagining of Maelstrom into Frozen Ever After was fresh in minds, in Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and other EPCOT expansion had yet to be revealed. We first reported on this Coco rumor way back in September 2017–over a couple of months before the film was released (and alongside a paid FastPass rumor)–and again in November 2017 around opening weekend when the movie already had an A+ audience score and was beating box office projections.
Our speculation at the time was that the attraction overlay would only be greenlit if Coco was a smash success, and if Coco was a smash success, its feasibility in the Gran Fiesta Tour would be unlikely. Stated differently, there would be no incentive to evict the Three Caballeros unless Coco were a cultural sensation. If that happened, it wouldn’t be practical for the film to land in the Mexico pavilion due to the limited space inside for a queue.
From what we understand, the latter is what happened. In late 2017 and 2018, Imagineering and park operations did feasibility testing to determine what would be necessary to accommodate Coco inside the Mexico pavilion.
Basically, even with a fairly large-scale redesign of the Mexico pavilion that involved removing and retooling the retail shops (much of which would be outright replaced by a longer and more elaborate queue), there still wasn’t even space to make it happen. Concerns already existed about congestion in and around the Mexico pavilion, making a Coco boat ride a non-starter.
Obviously it’s been a while, but I don’t recall hearing anything credible about Coco coming to the Mexico pavilion after 2018. I’ve wondered a few times whether Walt Disney World would be willing to revisit the idea and use a permanent virtual queue or Lightning Lane. Or both. Even so, there still might not be sufficient space in the pavilion, and it’s even more true today that congestion in and around the pavilion can be nightmarish.
Coco coming to EPCOT has quieted in the years since, but Coco coming to Walt Disney World as a whole has not. The film was considered for both Beyond Big Thunder in Magic Kingdom and Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom before ultimately not ending up in either. Its omission from Tropical Americas is especially interesting, as it appears that the version of that land with a fairly superficial Coco presence was fairly far along.
These were probably also the right decisions. While Coco could’ve been a great fit bordering Big Thunder in Frontierland, Cars is undeniably the bigger franchise, and I have no doubt that I’ll be taking my grandkids to Cars 12 someday. That isn’t to say it’s a good fit for Frontierland–although I think it could be–just that it has wider reach.
Conversely, Coco’s presence in Tropical Americas felt too small. Like it would only be part of the little village, carousel, and reimagined restaurant. The movie is sufficiently popular to justify more than that. Less objectively, Coco is just a fantastic film that would lend itself to a wonderful boat ride. It’s for this same reason that I think a Gran Fiesta Tour overlay would probably be a disservice.
One way or another, I’m totally on board with a Coco attraction. It’s easily one of the best–and arguably the very best–animated film in recent memory, rivaling Moana, Inside Out, Frozen, and Zootopia. (Obviously subjective, but those are the quality hits from my perspective.)
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro agrees. During his and Bob Iger’s “Turbocharge Tour” last year, the franchises repeatedly mentioned to media and at various conferences were Moana, Frozen, Encanto, Zootopia, and Black Panther.
This isn’t a huge surprise, as Coco has been a fixture of entertainment offerings in the parks since its release. It seems to have enduring popularity and has already become a modern classic. It also checks demographics boxes, and with a sequel coming, it’s sure to have staying power in the years to come.
Ultimately, the reason I’m convinced that Coco will land at EPCOT as part of the 10-year plan for Walt Disney World is mostly by process of elimination. It got cut from the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom plans, and this parks are getting their big expansions in the next 5 years. Both will probably get more in the second half of the decade, but Coco is no longer rumored to be in the running.
This leaves EPCOT. The park that is supposedly “done” with its overhaul and good to go for the next 5 years. Walt Disney World will likely be disabused of that notion in a year or two, and will be left scrambling for something marketable. We’ve previously covered ride reimagining options in the front half of the park, namely Journey into Imagination and Spaceship Earth. The park needs those, but it also needs a brand-new attraction based on popular IP.
Another crowd-pleasing ride in World Showcase would hold a lot of appeal, while also help balancing out the park. Logistics do present a major hurdle, but Disney will either figure them out or ignore them. Coco is just too big and too good to ignore, and my suspicion is that eventually leads to it ending up in EPCOT. This is doubly true if Imagineering has a great concept for DCA–so strong that it’s being fast-tracked–and one that will fit into a smaller space. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Thoughts on a Gran Fiesta Tour ride reimagining featuring Coco? What about a standalone new attraction between Mexico and Norway? Does the idea of a modern attraction inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion excite you? Think the logistics could work with a Coco boat ride in the Mexico pavilion, or would it lead to nightmarish lines, crowds and congestion? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
