In news that no one foresaw in the midst of the pandemic, the Walt Disney Company announced plans to expand the Disneyland Resort with possible new attractions and multipurpose areas. It’s not quite a third theme park, but it looks close. The news arrives through the Orange County Register. They reveal that Disney has just launched plans for “DisneylandForward”, a plan to work with the city of Anaheim to expand the resort’s presence.
Starting this week, Disney officials will ask the city of Anaheim to update their existing development approvals. This plan initiates a multi-year process to obtain approvals for a rather extensive expansion – the end result of which is a further expansion of the park. And tons of new retail locations and restaurants to keep up with. There is already a conceptual art for an overhead view of what the new expansion will look like, which you can see below. Emphasis on power.
The Walt Disney Company
Disney is developing its new destination where it is currently the Toys Story parking. This is right in front of the Anaheim Convention Center. This part of the batch is currently being used as a site for mass vaccination against coronavirus. For years, fans speculated that this would be part of the “third portal” that has long been known. However, most hardcore Disney fans did not expect real movement on that front for at least a decade.
The Official Blog of Disney Parks
In a statement, a Disney official said that this new destination “could bring together experiences at theme parks, hotels and retail, restaurants and entertainment in a unique way that would cater to guests, congressmen and locals.” The current plan could see Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney expanded on the west side of the Disneyland Resort. At the moment, all of these properties are used as surface parking.
So, let’s get to the good stuff. What will be the theme of this area? It is unknown. Disney does not call this area a “third gate”. But just because of art it seems that it is too big to be just a land. Something in between? Conceptual art shows a central mountain surrounded by water, with buildings scattered everywhere. An Autopia-style race track seems to be part of that, and it also looks like a Dumbo-style spinning ride. A mountain range to the west separates the theme park from the nearby neighborhoods. But still, more park is more park. Hopefully, at some point, we will have a new Tomorrowland in the park as well.
A new DisneylandForward website shares some design possibilities. They say that this updated approach may allow for new lands and attractions. The site points to the Frozen, Tangle, or Peter Pan areas that come to Tokyo DisneySea. The site adds that updated approvals may allow California Adventure to add more technologically advanced entertainment. They mention Shanghai Disneyland Zootopia area and the TRON Lightcycle Run roller coaster as possibilities.
In short, Disneyland has the land and they want flexibility to maximize what they put in it. The DisneylandForward website states that the updated approvals from the city of Anaheim “are necessary, as they will allow us to explore new integrated and engaging experiences that may include adding new theme park attractions without having to remove and replace precious rides and attractions.” Stay tuned for more.