Disneyland Plans Expansion Of California Theme Park

The Walt Disney Co. DIS has unveiled plans for a major reconfiguration of its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California.

What Happened: Disneyland was the company’s first theme park, opening in 1955. The last addition to the park was a 14-acre “Star Wars”-themed section that opened in May 2019.

The company dubbed the new project “DisneylandForward” and stated it would be working with Anaheim’s municipal government to update 1990s-era zoning decisions that separate districts for hotels and theme parks within the facility.

The park itself would not be expanded beyond its current footprint, but instead would bring additional theme park attractions and new hotels, retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues within the resort property.

The company did not give specific details on what the project would entail or the anticipated timeline for its construction. It also did not offer a budget for the project, although it stated it would not be financed with public funds.

“What we do know today is that guests need and want more,” said Jeanette Lomboy, Disneyland portfolio executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, during a media briefing. “In order to give guests what they want, we need more flexibility here in Anaheim.

“Guests are demanding immersive integrated experiences that are not singular in their uses,” Lomboy added. “We no longer think of uses as separate. Retail, dining, entertainment, theme parks and hotels are all part of the same experiences in the same place. And we need the space in our lands to create story-rich environments.”

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Why It Matters: Disneyland is one of the company’s two theme parks (along with Disneyland Paris) that is still closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, although an April 30 reopening was announced earlier this month on a limited capacity admission basis.

With its planned reconfiguration of the Anaheim resort, Disney is seeking to move into a post-pandemic era and shed the tumult of the past 12 months that disrupted its operations.

The company sought a return to its movie theater prominence earlier this week by announcing its slate of new film releases, and last month it announced plans for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” highlighting the 50th anniversary of Disney World in Orlando.

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Photo courtesy Inside the Magic/Flickr Creative Commons.