Walt Disney said that Disneyland would never be completed, and almost 70 years later, his words have been born out. Over the last seven decades we’ve seen Disneyland Park continue to grow and change, eventually becoming the Disneyland Resort, housing two theme parks, three hotels, and Downtown Disney. But now, more than 20 years after the last major Disneyland expansion, we’re entering a new era of the Disneyland Resort, as it gets ready for yet another massive expansion.
On April 16, 2024, the Anaheim City Council unanimously approved DisneylandForward, a plan to massively expand the resort as we know it. While another vote will be required on May 7, that's essentially a formality at this point. So, just what is included in DisneylandForward? What is it? When is it happening? And what will Disneyland Resort look like when it’s done? Many of these questions don’t have complete answers yet, but here’s what we know right now.
What Is DisneylandForward?
First and foremost, while Disney Experiences has been using the term DisneylandForward to describe the complete project, it’s not really one thing. There’s a lot that Disneyland Resort has planned, and while we have concept art and an Environmental Impact Report that gives us a general idea of what Disneyland is thinking, it’s unlikely that even Disney has a complete plan right now.
Some ideas are probably well thought out. Others might be more “blue sky” without specific details. What we can say is that DisneylandForward is planning for a larger Disneyland Resort that will give guests more of everything they already like. It means bigger theme parks, more hotels, and more shopping and dining options.
When Will Construction On Disneyland’s Expansion Begin?
It’s too early to tell when the first work on any DisneylandForward project will actually begin. Bob Iger and Disney Experiences have already been teasing us with a new Avatar Experience at Disney California Adventure, which since it was promoted more than a year before the Disneyland expansion was approved, clearly wasn’t part of this larger plan. We’d expect to see that before we see anything get started with the massive project, so it could still be a year or more before ground breaks on the larger expansion.
Disneyland Resort Won’t Actually Increase In Size
While DisneylandForward is an expansion of the Disneyland Resort, one key detail is that technically, the size of the resort won’t change. Rather, the plan is to develop parts of the resort that Disney already owns and transform them into something else. We’ll see the Toy Story parking lot transformed as part of the expansion. Other parking areas around the Disneyland Hotel and the new Pixar Place Hotel will also be used as the pads for the expansion of the two theme parks.
The result will be a Disneyland Resort that will technically take up the same amount of space but will be more cohesive, with parks, hotels, and shopping and dining areas less segmented as each area blends into the next.
What Lands And Attractions Could Come To Disneyland And Disney California Adventure?
The big question for anybody interested in visiting the new Disneyland Resort is just what lands and attractions will we see once work is completed. What experiences will join the best Disneyland rides?
While nothing has been officially announced by Disney Experiences, material released by the company when DisneylandForward was first announced hints at some strong possibilities of what we might see. It’s possible that some of the newest attractions opened at other Disney Parks around the world could find homes at Disneyland Resort. For example:
Tangled & Peter Pan (Fantasy Springs)
In 2024 a brand new land will open at Tokyo DisneySea called Fantasy Springs. This new area includes lands dedicated to multiple animated Disney films, and it's been suggested that we could see some of the same attractions being built there at Disneyland.
World Of Frozen
Frozen is one of the biggest franchises that Disney has, and yet, beyond being able to meet Anna and Elsa in the parks, very little connection to Frozen has been added to Disneyland. An entire World of Frozen land opened in 2023 at Hong Kong Disneyland, and a smaller version of the land is currently under construction at Disneyland Paris. This new expansion would give Imagineerers plenty of space to bring the same land to Disneyland.
Zootopia
Shanghai Disneyland is home to the first land dedicated to Zootopia, but it may not be the last. Disney’s material suggests a Zootopia land like the one in Shanghai, which includes the Zootopia: Hot Pursuit trackless dark ride, could find a home here.
Toy Story Land
Pixar has a strong presence at Disneyland Resort already, with attractions at both parks, and the Pixar Pier land at Disney California Adventure, but Disney has suggested that Disneyland Resort could get its own Toy Story Land like the one that already exists at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.
Tron
One of the biggest new additions to Walt Disney World in the last few years has been Tron: Lightcycle Run coming to Magic Kingdom. It was the second Tron coaster, following the original being built at Shanghai Disneyland. Disneyland Resort fans would likely love to get their own version of the ride closer to home. But it's also possible that Disneyland could see not just a single Tron attraction but a larger Tron area.
Could Disneyland Resort Get A Third Theme Park?
For years there have been rumors, or at the very least hopes, that we might get a third gate at Disneyland Resort, not simply a new land but an entirely new park. While no third park has been officially announced as part of the expansion, such a thing is at least possible.
While most of the expansion is connected to the current park and resort areas, one area set to be redeveloped in some way is the current Toy Story parking lot, which is located a couple of blocks away from the parks. Disney has indicated the lot could become home to some theme park elements, and if the spirit took them, the area is big enough that it could become another theme park.
With the expansion now officially given the green light, there’s a lot of work to be done. Walt Disney Imagineering will likely let us in on what they’re planning a little at a time over the next several years. It’s going to be exciting, so stay with us here as we’ll continually update this piece as we learn more about just what will be coming to Disneyland in the future.
