Disneyland's $2 billion reno: Here's what new rides and lands may be coming
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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 DisneylandForward, 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.
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What is the Disney Forward project?
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 parking area exists today.
The DisneylandForward project does not encompass new acreage, square footage or hotel rooms; what it does is 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 (that's more than 27,500 acres).
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.”
Did DisneylandForward get approved?
Yes. The Anaheim City Council unanimously gave final approval to the plan at its meeting on Tuesday, May 7.
Disneyland's economic impact on Southern California
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. The report showed Disneyland's annual job growth rate of 7.2% since 2013 was more than triple the 2.3% growth in Southern California.
Disney commissioned the Woods Center to provide an economic analysis of DisneylandForward. Its director, Anil Puri, projected that a $1 billion expansion of Disneyland could lead to nearly 2,300 new jobs at the theme park and generate more than $15 million in annual taxes and $253 million in economic impact. He based his estimates on private data and information Disney provided.
What Disney is proposing now is nearly twice what Puri forecasted, suggesting greater benefits for Anaheim's and California's economies. He told The Arizona Republic that Disneyland remains an economic powerhouse because of its appeal to people who live outside of California, from Arizonans to international travelers.
"Its expansion is very important and significant for the city of Anaheim, Orange County and the Southwest U.S. in general," Puri said.
"Snowbirds come down to Arizona, go to the Grand Canyon, and then they'll go to Disneyland, Hollywood and maybe Dodger Stadium. People are spending more and more of their discretionary dollars on these activities, entertainment and vacations. Going forward, this will be very meaningful for the region and for Disneyland, of course.”
What is the 10-year plan for Disneyland?
So far, no new rides have been confirmed as part of the DisneylandForward 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 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. The Avatar land at Disney World was so popular that Animal Kingdom went from being Disney World’s fourth-most visited park before its opening to its second-most visited park each year from 2017 to 2020, with visits peaking around 14 million in 2019, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.
A Frozen themed land inspired by the World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland. The land is designed to resemble 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 Disney's theme 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.
What Disneyland rides will be closed?
No rides are expected to permanently close as part of DisneylandForward, 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.
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Disneyland's $2B reno plan approved: What rides and lands are likely
