The worlds of Avatar and Coco are coming to Disneyland Resort.

Walt Disney created it. James Cameron will help develop it.

The Disneyland Resort, now in its seventh decade, is getting a new area dedicated to a fantasy world from the imagination of filmmaker Cameron. A long-rumored Avatar-inspired section is coming to Disney California Adventure. The Walt Disney Co. confirmed the plans Saturday night at its D23 fan convention in Anaheim.

Concept art presented by Disney revealed a water-based attraction that Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s division responsible for designing theme parks, promised would be “dynamic, intense and an emotional experience on a grand scale.”

Ali Rubinstein, head of Imagineering, said the new area at California Adventure would be very different from an Avatar-themed playground at Walt Disney World in Florida. That one, Rubinstein said, would draw heavily from the second Avatar film, “The Way of Water.” Think of it as “a journey to find majestic natural wonders found only on Pandora,” Rubinstein said.

The announcement comes at a crucial time for Walt Disney Co., which reported lower-than-expected operating income for its parks division in the third quarter. Executives blame the slowdown in part on a drop in demand caused by consumers’ financial “stress.” Any decline in attendance at Disney’s theme parks — global tourist destinations that draw millions of people each year — raises questions not only about public sentiment about the economy, but also about the accessibility and excitement around the parks themselves.

This D23 convention has been seen as crucial in getting fans excited about what’s to come. Throughout the weekend, it was emphasized that announcements at a parks event Saturday night at Honda Center would be for projects in active development.

“Disney’s plans are ready,” said Josh D’Amaro, president of Disney Experiences, from the arena stage. “That means the earth is moving.”

Also coming to California Adventure: a “Coco”-themed boat ride, which D’Amaro said will begin construction in 2026. D’Amaro said the attraction will be heavily influenced by classics such as The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, and will feature new animatronic technology.

“We’re bringing our skeletal characters to life using the latest audio-animatronic technology,” he said. “These figures will appear in a way that you’ll have to see to believe.”

The locations of the “Avatar” and “Coco” attractions were not detailed at the Honda Center.

Disney itself has given great importance to this D23 when it comes to Disneyland. The birthplace of the modern American theme park will celebrate its 70th anniversary in July 2025 and, recently, after a process of several years, the company obtained permission from Anaheim to significantly expand its parks, hotels and shopping areas.

The plan, called DisneylandForward, comes with a commitment: Walt Disney Co. has promised to spend at least $1.9 billion on Disneyland attractions, lodging, entertainment, shopping and dining over the next decade. In addition, Disney has said it will double down on its theme parks, committing to spend $60 billion over the next decade on its Experiences division, with at least half of that on parks and resorts, according to a recent SEC filing.

“Turbocharge” is the buzzword used by Disney executives in relation to proposed spending on the parks.

At a pre-D23 media event, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said DisneylandForward has given the resort the “opportunity” to expand its footprint by about 50 percent, largely by rezoning parking areas. Disney executives said they are well aware that fans are expecting some relatively big reveals at D23, especially after the last convention, in 2022, was full of potential projects but few concrete proposals.

In turn, Bruce Vaughn, Imagineering’s creative director, said at a media event Thursday night that the convention would unveil some “really cool” things.

“I know you’re all craving something beyond blue skies,” Vaughn said, referring to the vague creative visions the company has divulged in recent years. “Blue skies are great fun, but building, delivering, and putting shovels in the dirt is even better. That’s what’s in store for us this year and the next decade.”

A new show will soon be presented at the Disneyland Resort, at the Main Street Opera House, to tell the story of Walt Disney. The show dedicated to the park’s patriarch will be presented next year to mark Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.

“This attraction will imagine what it would have been like to be in Walt’s presence,” D’Amaro said.

The robotic spectacle will take place in the Disney founder’s studio office, and D’Amaro said great care was taken to bring it to life, hinting that it will also feature what has long been considered his favorite song: “Feed the Birds” by the Sherman Brothers.

“For the first time, there will be an audio-animatronic figure of Walt,” he said. “We’re advancing the technology that he pioneered 60 years ago with Abraham Lincoln.”

Disneyland nostalgics and purists need not worry. The Opera House’s current show, “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” will alternate with the Disney show after its premiere.

Also announced: a “Monsters, Inc.”-themed land for Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, and attractions based on “Encanto” and the “Indiana Jones” franchise for the Florida resort’s Animal Kingdom.

This is a developing story and will be updated.