Initially proposed in 2021, the DisneylandForward project is a partnership with the City of Anaheim, where specific parts of the Disneyland Resort property would be re-zoned for expansion that would allow new lands, attractions, lodging, dining options, and experiences. In this proposal, Disney wants to reassign specific zones already being allocated for parking lots, hotels, etc., for new projects.
By pulling on older plans from the 1990s and presenting a case that passed unanimously by the Anaheim City Council, Disney is now on track to add a “mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.”
©Disney
While Disneyland plans to use the $1.9 billion investment towards expanding lodging, retail, parking, dining, and theme park entertainment over the next decade, the now-approved plan is ultimately in effect for 40 years as the resort transforms into a unified entertainment center.
With teases such as new hotels, hotel lands inspired by Avatar, Coco, Black Panther, Tangled, Frozen, Zootopia, Peter Pan, Tron, and/or Toy Story, and new transportation, the future of the Disneyland Resort is intriguing, to say the least.
Avatar land at Disneyland ©Disney
In fact, over the past couple of years, Disney has revealed BIG expansions coming specifically to Disney California Adventure.
Avengers Campus is doubling in size to include two new attractions — Avengers: Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab.
Avengers Campus ©Disney
Avengers: Infinity Defense will have riders join the Avengers in an epic battle against Thanos. The ride will feature familiar Marvel characters and will even feature Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Iron Man. It will be set between different worlds with settings including Wakanda, Asgard, and New York.
Avengers: Infinity Defense ©Disney
Stark Flight Lab will also feature the return of Downey Jr. and will let you fly like Iron Man, sporting a robotic arm that attaches to your vehicle for a more dynamic simulated flight.
©Disney
Disney also announced a new Coco ride coming to the Pixar Pier area! Occupying a new space that will also expand the park’s footprint, this boat ride looks like it will go in the area south of Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and behind Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.
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WhenDisney CEO Josh D’Amaro announced the new attraction in August 2024, he shared that “Walt Disney Imagineering will draw inspiration for the attraction from beloved classics, like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. We’re bringing our skeletal cast of characters to life in a big way through the latest Audio-Animatronics technology. These figures will appear in ways you’ll have to see to believe.”
Like the Avengers expansion, construction on this project has already begun.
©Disney
Disney also revealed in 2024 a new Avatar land coming to Disney California Adventure!
©Disney
Based on the Avatar sequels and different from Pandora — The World of AVATAR located in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, this new destination will feature an innovative boat ride that’ll let passengers explore new areas of Pandora in a “thrilling excursion that will bring all the action, excitement, and wonder of Avatar, taking guests all the way to the wide-open seas of Pandora.” Disney further stated that “This is going to be a dynamic, intense and emotional experience on a grand scale that we know our guests will love.”
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Taking over a portion of the current Hollywood Backlot area in Disney California Adventure, this new land may still expand the park, but it will also mean the closure of existing dining options, attractions, and shops.
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To make way for this new experience, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will close in 2027.
Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Here at the DisneyFoodBlog, we’ve had reporters cover DisneylandForward’s progress since its announcement. From viewing Anaheim City Council meetings, note-taking during official Disney pitches, meeting with city and Disney representatives in person, and asking questions, it’s clear that a lot more is still in the works.
While these announced projects are at the top of the priority list early in these expansion plans, what comes next is anyone’s guess. In fact, it’s possible we see several more projects announced before the Avatar expansion is even installed. With the upcoming D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event happening in August 2026, we expect updates on these projects as well as a more detailed plan as to what the resort will look like over the coming decade.
DisneylandForward Parking Concept Art ©Disney
It’s fun to think about a brand-new Disneyland Resort that cements it as the crown jewel of the theme park experience.
Alas, the reality of development is sobering — massive change is not going to happen overnight. Each blue sky idea will likely require years of R&D and construction, and the likelihood of simultaneous development is probable. Issues are going to pop up before the first parking lot or dark ride ever opens.
In an effort to analyze how initial construction and overall development will influence the economics and tourism experience of the Disneyland Resort, we looked at the history of Disneyland expansion, considered modern examples from other expanding Disney Parks, and spoke to experts.
Disneyland
When considering the ramifications of the major Disneyland expansion, the year 2001 is an important footnote. It was in 2001 when the resort opened the Downtown Disney District and Disney California Adventure. While expansions like Galaxy’s Edge have transformed Disneyland since then, these two MAJOR Disneyland additions have yet to be rivaled at the Anaheim theme park resort.
So let’s begin our contextual study of what DisneylandForward could look like in the early years based on the transformations and reception of Downtown Disney and California Adventure.
Downtown Disney
Occupying 20 acres, this mall-like shopping and dining district occupies 300,000 square feet and connects Disney’s theme parks to the resort’s hotels. Still expanding and evolving to this day, Downtown Disney could reflect other retail and entertainment options coming to the resort in the future.
Downtown Disney could also serve as a warning. For the most part, the outdoor entertainment/retail/dining center is warmly received by locals and tourists alike for its diverse offerings and California-vibe atmosphere. HOWEVER, a modern problem plagues the district that could potentially carry over to new plans.
Naples Ristorante E Bar
Disney is not shy about announcing blue sky ideas — plans that are so fresh they don’t have realistic limitations like budget or size. Downtown Disney is currently suffering the effects of the failed realization of blue sky ideas — particularly close to its two entrances near Pixar Place Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel.
Over here, you’ll find the small Star Wars Trading Post occupying what once was a booming Rainforest Cafe, in addition to the shell of a mega ESPN Zone that is now partially occupied by a Lululemon store. Similarly, an AMC Theaters cinema was also removed.
The Lululemon store is open!
All three spots were removed in 2018 to make way for a 700-room luxury hotel that was ultimately canceled the same year. According to the Los Angeles Times, Disney canceled the project due to Anaheim’s “elimination of a tax rebate agreement that would have saved the media giant $267 million over 20 years.”
The fallout is still being felt, despite the district’s evolution in 2023 and 2024. While a city dispute seems less likely this go-around, wrenches can still be thrown in the mix, and failed development can remain a reminder of empty promises. Star Wars Trading Post is a nice little shop, but it is hardly a good use of the spacious (and “wildly” thematic) restaurant, while the ESPN Zone still has some wasted potential despite the Lululemon addition. The AMC theater’s plot was replaced by Parkside Market, a stage, a park area, new shops, and restaurants — and they have absolutely elevated the area. But it had to go through some rough years first.
Star Wars Trading Post
Disney California Expansion could provide another fascinating look at the pressures surrounding DisneylandForward. Debuting in February 2001, shortly after the opening of Downtown Disney, the 55-acre and $1.4 billion theme park is still the most ambitious expansion project in Disneyland Resort history.
The Orange County Register was there on day 1, reporting on the scene, and it’s astonishing how the pros and cons of the project are similar to this day.
“The Anaheim resort — featuring revamped roads, freeways and landscaping, the new 751-room Grand Californian Hotel and the glitzy Downtown Disney retail/entertainment strip — has been waiting years for this day,” wrote Bernard J. Wolfson of The Orange County Register back in 2001.
Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure
Opening day, according to Wolfson, was underwhelming both in experience and attendance. Regarding the latter, “city officials said a fear of delays and congestion nightmares might have caused the unusually light traffic on streets surrounding the Anaheim Resort.” Several Anaheim departments were preparing for a large volume of traffic that never arrived.
Ironically, traffic was a major concern among Anaheim locals during the city meetings we attended for DisneylandForward. Could worries be exaggerated? It’s impossible to say until DisneylandForward comes to fruition, but it’s worth noting that the first traffic scare came and went, becoming even less than an afterthought.
Disney California Adventure
As for reception, Disney California Adventure remains one of the most controversial Disney Parks on the planet. Back in 2001, Wolfson wrote, “The crowd’s response was mostly mixed, with some people loving it and others saying it wasn’t worth the $43 admission price. Small children seemed to like it, most nodding big yeses to questions about whether they enjoyed it.”
Disney California Adventure
First of all, can we take a second to acknowledge the $43 tickets?! Currently, an adult ticket for just one park STARTS at slightly above $100 and can really get up there in cost. Price-for-product debate still rages on among California Adventure parkgoers, as does ride offering (or lack thereof) controversy.
California Adventure has undergone tons of retheming, new draws such as Cars Land and Avengers Campus, and more to justify its existence. Without a doubt, from an offerings standpoint, it’s in a better position now than it was back in 2001. However, as it moves away from its original California theming towards a more IP-centric mindset, controversy has once again reared its ugly head.
Make sure to watch that traffic light!
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed all future theme park projects will be IP-based, drawing mixed reactions, to say the least. As the once-original California Adventure moves away from the California aspect in favor of IPs like Pixar and Avatar, one has to wonder what kind of approval the new project will garner. That question becomes even more prevalent given that there’s a new CEO (Josh D’Amaro) in charge.
San Fransokyo Square
Approval was a major topic of conversation during our interview with Dr. Andi Stein, California State University, Fullerton professor and former Graduate Program Coordinator in the CSUF Department of Communications. Dr. Stein is a respected voice when it comes to research on Walt Disney and The Walt Disney Company, as well as other topics related to entertainment and tourism. Having visited every Disney theme park in addition to her expertise, she provided valuable insight into what the advent of DisneylandForward could yield.
©California State University, Fullerton
When discussing challenges the Disneyland Resort has faced and will continue to face regarding expansion, Dr. Stein mentioned the local community’s resistance. “We saw that with the idea of putting what eventually became Tokyo DisneySea in Long Beach (Calif.). There was going to be a park that focused on waterways of the world, and the original plan was to have that in Long Beach. The residents of Long Beach didn’t want that, so it ended up in Tokyo.” She also brought up that a West Coast version of EPCOT was supposed to make its way to Anaheim, but once again, locals stopped that until the idea eventually morphed into what is now Disney California Adventure.
As for DisneylandForward, Dr. Stein feels the expansion will face a similar challenge with locals and that it might be difficult to develop without creating “havoc” for people in the area. “Ultimately, it might be great for everybody, but in the meantime, it could be a mess.” She cited that the California Adventure and Downtown Disney projects could help provide a blueprint since this new project is facing similar challenges, but noted that it’ll still be difficult due to the simple fact that different people are involved nearly 25 years later.
Spaceship Earth at EPCOT
Focusing on the tourism side, Dr. Stein commended the Disney Parks for minimizing construction eyesores with the use of walls and strong hiding tactics. When asked if construction would dissuade tourists from visiting Disneyland, Dr. Stein said, “I think a lot of it depends on what they have to close in order to expand. People get upset when they’ve paid top dollar to go to the park, and half the rides aren’t open.”
Jungle Cruise construction
Dr. Stein suggested alternating closing the right attractions (making sure a good amount of E-Ticket attractions are always open) to appease fans, and really leaning into press and marketing could save tourism during the nitty-gritty early stages of development. She talked about how good Disney is at selling the magic of hyping up the future of the parks, and if they nail that aspect, the resort could be in good shape.
The Avengers Campus expansion seems to be the immediate play for Disney, but it’s worth monitoring all the new lands and attractions being installed at other Disney Parks all over the world, as they could be the blueprint for what’s coming to Disneyland soon.
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