Disneyland upgrade to use existing acreage
Some park attractions temporarily closed to make way for redesign
Disneyland is getting ready for its biggest redesign of the Southern California theme park in three decades.
The multidecade project will cost Disney $1.9 billion over its first 10 years. It would add new attractions, restaurants, shops and hotels without expanding its existing footprint.
And a new third park could be built west of the two existing parks. It’s described in plan documents as a “possible immersive theme park.”
With this project, known as Disneyland Forward, Disney aims to expand the offerings at Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim without the need for more land than they already have approved for development.
The Anaheim City Council unanimously gave final approval to the plan at its meeting on Tuesday.
What is Disneyland Forward?
Disneyland has proposed a plan that would lead to at least $1.9 billion in new rides, hotels, restaurants and shops on land Disney already owns, such as land adjacent to parking lots. Development would take “years and decades,” according to Anaheim officials.
The plan also proposes new theme park attractions alongside existing hotels on land west of Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure (land referred to in documents as a “possible immersive theme park”) and new attractions alongside hotels, restaurants and shops on the southeast corner of Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard, where a pa rking are a exists today.
The Disneyland Forward project does shift already-approved development amounts across Disney’s existing land.
The goal is to expand the resort’s offerings on its limited space without closing existing attractions or encroaching on staging and support areas for cast members.
Disneyland Resort covers about 500 acres. In contrast, Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida covers more than 43 square miles.
Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock told the Anaheim City Council at a recent meeting that the plan will contribute to “an immensely bright future for both the resort and the city of Anaheim.”
“Guests today want more immersive and integrated experiences, like the popular Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge right here in Anaheim,” he said. “We are ready to bring the next level of immersive entertainment here to Anaheim, where lands, attractions, retail, dining, entertainment and lodging are no longer separated, but can be integrated together in very exciting ways.”
Possible new attractions
So far, no new rides have been confirmed as part of the Disneyland Forward project. But plans raise several possibilities to develop new themed lands and attractions inspired by lands and attractions at other Disney parks. These include:
An “Avatar” themed land, which Potrock said “is at the top of the list for Disneyland Resort.” It would be inspired by wildly popular Pandora – The World of Avatar, which opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Disney World in 2017 and won rave reviews in part for its Avatar Flight of Passage attraction, where guests can ride a banshee on a 3-D flight over Pandora.
A “Frozen” themed land inspired by the World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland. The land is designed to reney’s semble Arendelle, the home of the film’s main characters Anna and Elsa, and features Frozen Ever After, a ride that takes guests through Elsa’s ice palace, and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, a family-friendly roller coaster.
A “Zootopia” themed land inspired by Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland. The land immerses visitors in the titular place populated by animals in the 2016 film, with attractions that include Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, where guests can join the rabbit Judy and the fox Nick on a chase in one of their police cruisers.
Potrock also told Anaheim officials that he envisions redesigning and expanding existing lands to improve their experiences, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Avengers Campus and Cars Land.
Any new projects would need to undergo city planning review. On average, it takes about three to five years for Distheme park projects to come to fruition, Potrock said.
It’s possible that Disney could confirm new attractions at the D23 Expo, Disney’s annual fan event, scheduled for Aug. 9-11 in Anaheim. D23 is where staff announced Disneyland attractions such as an upcoming “epic family adventure” at Avengers Campus where guests can team up with the Avengers to battle villains from the multiverse, and reimagining Pacific Wharf at Disney’s California Adventure as San Fransokyo Square from “Big Hero 6,” which opened last summer; and the Paradise Pier Hotel as Pixar Place Hotel, which opened in January.
Which rides will close?
No rides are expected to permanently close as part of Disneyland Forward, though some attractions will close temporarily to make way for renovation and construction work. Visitors can find out what’s closed by checking Disneyland’s daily schedule at disneyland.disney.go.com.
According to the website, these attractions are closed as of early May:
Disneyland Park: Pooh Corner, The Briar Patch, Haunted Mansion, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Disney’s California Adventure: Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, The Bakery Tour.
Eyeing economic impact
Disneyland is a major contributor to Southern California’s tourism economy.
A study last year from Cal State Fullerton’s Woods Center for Economic Analysis and Forecasting showed Disneyland had a total economic impact of $8.5 billion in Southern California in 2018 and generated more than 78,000 jobs, mostly in Orange County.