Horizons, A Carousel of Progress on Disney+

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Aug 10

If you're the type who reads Imagineering interviews for fun, clear your Saturday evening. Disney+ is live streaming Horizons, A Carousel of Progress, on August 15 at 7 p.m. PT, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

What the Special Covers

The format is conversational. Harris sits down with nine Walt Disney Imagineering creative leaders to talk through what's actually in development right now across Disney Parks worldwide and Disney Cruise Line. That group includes Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering, and Ali Rubinstein, Senior Vice President of Global Creative and Development Studios, alongside seven other portfolio and creative directors from across Disney's properties.

Expect the special to be heavier on substance (theoretically) than a typical D23 sizzle reel. Disney Parks Blog describes it as including project updates, first looks at concept art and renderings, behind the scenes stories, and what the outlet calls "high energy performances and special moments." One Imagineer's framing from the original write up captures the tone well. The phrase "what if" is where these projects start, before storytelling meets imagination and anything gets built.

However, proceed with caution. Disney has been to know to announce new projects with little to no context aside from a single loosely illustrated piece of concept art. Remember the vague “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” announcement? That felt more like Josh D’Amaro saying, “Hey, I was just backstage and overheard someone discussing the best place to poop and the other person mentioned the bathroom behind Big Thunder and I thought, hey we should build a ride back there.”

Why This One Is Worth Watching Live

Most D23 adjacent content gets recapped after the fact, but this is being positioned as a genuine first look at projects that haven't been publicly detailed yet. For fans trying to track what's coming to the parks and cruise line over the next several years, this is likely to be one of the more substantive Imagineering conversations of the year.

How to Watch

This is a live stream, not an on demand release on day one, so catching it live on August 15 at 7 p.m. PT is the only confirmed way to see it in real time. It's not yet clear whether the special will land in the standard Disney+ library for replay afterward. We'll update this post if that changes.

Context for Disney Fans Tracking Future Projects

Disney has leaned more heavily on these kinds of Imagineering focused specials in recent years, using them as a middle ground between a full D23 Expo announcement and the usual trickle of permitting filings and construction photos that fans rely on to piece together what's coming. A nine person panel is a larger group than most previous specials have featured, which suggests Disney is trying to cover a wider range of projects across parks and cruise line destinations in a single sitting rather than focusing on one flagship announcement.

For readers who have been following Imagineering news through 2026, this special is likely to be referenced in coverage for months afterward, the way past Destination D and D23 Expo panels have become reference points once official groundbreakings and openings eventually happen.

Setting a reminder for Saturday at 7 p.m. PT is worth it even for guests who mainly care about ride and land announcements rather than the process behind them.

For the first time, I’ll be in attendance at Honda Center to witness all the announcements live. In fact, the whole family will be there. We’re spending the day at D23 on the show floor before ending the evening with the Horizons, A Carousel of Progress. Stay tuned for a follow up after the event.

Alright, that’s all for now. See ya next time.

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Wesley Davenport

A Disneyland native, Wesley is a Producer, Director, and Photographer born and raised in Southern California. Like many others of his generation some of his first memories include exploring Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom as a child with his parents, sibling, and grandparents. As a young adult, Wesley attended the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World where he gained experience and appreciation for the Florida Project and Theme Park operations. Wesley graduated college with a degree in Mass Communication and freelances in live sports and events for local professional sports teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2013. He joined the Media Events team at Disneyland for the opening of Rise of the Resistance. Somewhere along the way he found a love for Disney Cruise Line, has been a guest on several DCL focused podcasts, and looks forward to sailing on the Maiden Voyage of the Disney Believe with his wife and three children. Until then, Wesley is working on building a custom Disney Parks Version Tracker with the aspiration to help guests more effectively plan their visits to Disney Parks world wide.