Disneyland in Calif. wants to add nearly $2B in new, immersive attractions in first major expansion since 1990s
Disney has asked California officials to approve a $1.9 billion, 10-year plan to expand its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim to include more high-tech, immersive attractions — its first major expansion plan since the 1990s.
The city of Anaheim’s planning commission is set to review the proposed upgrades to Disneyland at a meeting on Monday. Any agreement would also require Disney to invest millions in street improvements, affordable housing and other infrastructure in the city.
“We know there are stories out there we haven’t told yet, like ‘Wakanda’ or ‘Coco’ or ‘Frozen’ or ‘Zootopia,’” Alde said. “We know what kind of stories we would love to tell. We need to get the guidance on what we can build there so we can understand how.”
Disney’s proposal wouldn’t increase the entertainment giant’s 490-acre footprint in Southern California, but would instead help the company develop new attractions, according to Fortune.
The company has already held a workshop to address residents’ questions about the proposal, according to Fortune, including Disney’s request to absorb a local road into the theme park.
As it stands, there isn’t enough room at Disneyland in California to build something at this scale without affecting the park’s existing attractions, according to Alde.
For example, Disney may be able to build a multistory structure for parking at Disneyland and turn what’s currently a 50-acre parking lot into another place for rides and entertainment options, Fortune reported — all while staying within set boundaries that allow the resort to be located near residential neighborhoods.
The ask marks the first time Disney has sought to implement a major change at its California park since the 1990s, when it was approved to transform its first park — built in 1955 — into a resort hub.
It has since added a second park called Disney California Adventure Park, as well as a shopping and entertainment district dubbed Downtown Disney.
The brand-new themed park at Shanghai Disneyland Resort opened in December and touts experiential activities like “Hot Pursuit,” which invited guests to become rookie police officers alongside high-tech animatronics figures from the animated “Zootopia” film, including of Officer Judy Hopps.
The China-based park also features hyper-realistic robotic “Zootopia” characters throughout the park that interact amongst themselves and with guests as well as interactive moments at Hopps’ Grand Pangolin Arms Apartments, where guests who ask the residents “Howl ya doing today?” will get a response from the fuzzy occupants inside.
It’s unclear if Disney is seeking to add these experiences to its Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
In 2022, the park was the second most-visited in the world with a reported 16.8 million visitors in 2022, according to The Park Database — beat only by Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where attendance topped 17.1 million for the year.
Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
