Last month, city officials in Anaheim, California Disneyland Forward The project would see the company invest at least $1.9 billion over 10 years in theme park and accommodations. The new development approval was granted despite some concerns. Local controversy — Give Disney flexibility to build more attractions, dining, retail and hotel space in areas of the property that were previously off-limits.
The Central Florida Tourism Supervisory District Board of Directors He was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican). gave final approval The company signed a development agreement Wednesday night that could see it pump $17 billion into Walt Disney World Resort over the next 10 to 20 years.
Disney executives Said in September The company plans to nearly double capital spending on its divisions, including theme parks and cruise ships, to $60 billion over about a decade. Disney parks have more than 1,000 acres of land available for future expansion. Said last year.
American fans have been watching as Disney parks around the world unveil their big new expansions. Zootopia In Shanghai, Frozen World Hong Kong and three Frozen, Tangled, Peter Pan People in Tokyo’s tourist hotspots are eager to see details about the country’s growth. They’re sifting through speeches, public comments, earnings calls and Instagram accounts, hoping to get any information they can.
“As fans, we’re always keeping our ears open, looking for hints and tidbits.” The happiest blog on earth.
More news is expected to be announced at the D23 convention in August, billed as the “ultimate Disney fan event.”
“Deep down in my little fanboy heart, I’m hoping for some unprecedented, unexpected announcement from Disney,” Lou Mongello said. WDW Radio Podcast producer Jonathan McClellan told The Washington Post:
Disney’s investment comes as rival Universal prepares to open its long-awaited theme park in Orlando next year. The vast universeThere will be worlds dedicated to the Harry Potter, Super Nintendo, and How to Train Your Dragon series.
“As someone who looks at the industry as a whole, this is a very exciting time to be a theme park fan,” said Carissa Baker, an assistant professor of theme park and attractions management at the University of Central Florida.
Over the past few years, Disney has announced some plans, hinted at others, and hinted at possibilities.
Avatar Adventures at Disneyland
Chief Executive Bob Iger has been talking about the possibility of offering an experience based on the Avatar films in California since last year, revealing “the creative inspiration for this potential new destination” at the company’s shareholder meeting in April. Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida already features an area modeled after Pandora, the world depicted in the franchise, with mountains that appear to float, rides that simulate flight and a serene boat ride.
“We’re excited about the many new story possibilities our guests will experience at Walt’s original theme park, including the opportunity to visit the world of Pandora and embark on an all-new Avatar adventure,” Iger said. “We’ve talked about our plans to bring Avatar to Disneyland for some time, and our Imagineers have been hard at work dreaming up what our guests can expect.”
Disneyland hasn’t said what else it will bring to the expanded park beyond Avatar. A section titled “Possibilities” The development’s website states that the resort will “draw inspiration from exciting destinations and attractions from around the world,” including Hong Kong’s “Frozen,” Shanghai’s “Zootopia” and other attractions. Toy Story Land The company also said that the Rapunzel and Peter Pan areas in Tokyo’s new tower “could be the perfect inspiration for the future of Disneyland Resort.”
“Tokyo just opened their Frozen area, so we’re excited,” said Sanders, who lives in Utah and visits Disneyland once a month. “When are we going to get a Frozen or Tangled area?”
Florida’s Latin American Makeover
Last year, the company Dinosaur themed Disney’s Animal Kingdom area will be reimagined as a land inspired by parts of South and Central America, known as “Tropical America.”
The new area is expected to include an Indiana Jones-themed experience and attractions inspired by the film “Encanto,” with concept drawings of the area showing the magical “casita” from the film as part of the land.
Ride and experience designers called “Imagineers” video In April, he posted on Instagram about a visit to the Yucatan Peninsula as part of research for the project.
Len Testa, president of the planning site Tour Plan Co-author of the Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World and Disneylandsaid in an email that the existing dinosaur ride shares many mechanics with Disneyland’s Indiana Jones ride, and he described this particular update as more of a “retheme” than an entirely new ride.
New ride coming to Magic Kingdom?
Disney is floating expansion plans for its most popular parks For several years Now it points to the wooded area beyond the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster.
The company has confirmed the project is moving forward without disclosing details, with an executive saying at a media event in April that it’s “probably the biggest expansion in Magic Kingdom history,” CNN reported. report. early Included Concepts There are various ideas, such as the films Remember Me and Encanto, or even a world built around a Disney villain, but those initial ideas are no guarantee of a final product.
Baker said the project will take time to develop: “The trees are basically there. They’ll need to move dirt, they’ll need to set up a building site.”
Testa said the fan community wants to see new attractions that pay homage to beloved properties or expand the canon of existing titles.
“But it would have to be a big new vehicle,” he said.
Disney World’s fifth park?
The new development deal would give Disney the go-ahead to build a fifth theme park (or “gate,” in industry jargon) after the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, but experts are divided on whether it will happen.
“Disney needs to continue to demonstrate its superiority, but it can’t do it through rides or attractions or park areas alone,” said Dennis Spiegel, founder of the consulting firm International Theme Park Services. “It’s time to build a new park.”
It won’t be cheap: He estimated it would cost between $8 billion and $9 billion over a period of at least seven years.
Baker, a former operations executive at Disney and Universal, doesn’t think that will happen because of the infrastructure that would need to be added and the staffing gaps that would need to be filled.
“We need to add capacity,” she said, but added that it would probably be more beneficial to add attractions to existing parks rather than building new parks.
Testa said that while everyone wants to know if Disney will build a fifth park, he believes they should “get the third and fourth done,” meaning that the two parks — Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom — have yet to reach their full potential.
At a media event in April, Mongello said he would like to see more hotel rooms and expansions to the existing theme parks, including a revamped Tomorrowland and more attractions at Animal Kingdom, but he also believes Disney needs to “wow people” in August, as company executives insist they are “accelerating” investment in the parks.
“I think the focus is not just on expanding the theme parks, but also on reinvigorating some of the fan passion that has waned a little bit over the last few years,” he said.