Anaheim City Council Approves Disney’s Expansion
The Anaheim City Council officially approved Disney’s plan to revamp Disneyland in a unanimous vote.
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According to Disney’s plan, they want to transform their 490-acre campus located in the south of California to better provide immersive experiences to their dedicated visitors.
Yet Another Approval
Anaheim City Council’s approval to allow Disney to further expand and change its Southern California campus is yet another key approval that the company has needed to seek before it makes any drastic changes.
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Last month, the council gave its first approval. This second vote was required, and the council unanimously approved Disney’s proposal.
Changes To Expect
Some of the proposed changes include moving Disneyland’s parking lot into a multi-story structure to better utilize the acres of land that they can build on.
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A huge lot would also be redeveloped, which would result in brand new rides and entertainment venues to delight Disneyland guests.
No New Land Was Added
Disney did not receive, nor did they ask, for any land expansion. As the campus is located in a very densely populated area of Southern California, land expansion would be near impossible.
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However, while the park is not being expanded physically, these new changes are designed to revamp the campus completely.
Disney Will Invest Billions
According to this proposal, Disney will invest billions of dollars into transforming the park over the next 10 years.
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A lot of this money will go to various areas of Anaheim, as well. For example, Disney is investing tens of millions of dollars in overall street improvements in the area. Money will also be spent on infrastructure projects throughout the city, such as affordable housing.
A Huge Change Not Seen in Decades
This massive transformation Disney is planning on unleashing on Disneyland is huge, as a major change to the park hasn’t been seen since the 1990s.
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Decades ago, Disney gained approval to make Disneyland into a resort hub. This later resulted in the construction of the Disney California Adventure theme park, as well as the Downtown Disney entertainment area.
The History of Disneyland
In 1928, Disney released “Steamboat Willie”, one of the earliest animated cartoons — and the first appearance of Mickey Mouse. The company later released its first feature film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. By 1955, Disney was ready to expand with the creation of Disneyland, quickly coined “the happiest place on Earth.” Since its construction, the park has brought millions of people to Anaheim on a yearly basis.
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In 2022, Disneyland was the second most popular — and second most visited — theme park in the entire world, as 16.8 million people visited it.
Disney’s Options
Already, there are a few options Disney has when it comes to what new features and additions they might want to add to the overall campus.
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According to their proposal, Disney is thinking of creating a completely new immersive theme park located between Disneyland Drive and Walnut Street. This park could be influenced by some of Disney’s most beloved movies.
New Immersive Theme Park Ideas
For example, one option for this new theme park area is Neverland, from “Peter Pan.” Visitors would feel like they’re in Neverland when they enter this park, creating an immersive experience.
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Disney has also suggested creating a Toy Story Land, or a park that is inspired by the metropolis seen in their film “Zootopia.”
Many Immersive Options
Finally, another proposal thrown around for this area includes turning it into Arendelle, as seen in the very popular “Frozen” movies.
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As Disney has a lot of well-known and well-loved movies, there are countless options of parks they could create that would allow visitors to have an immersive, fun experience.
Other Transformations
Disney also wants to completely transform the area that lies south of Katella Avenue. In this specific region, the company is considering converting the current area into some form of a new type of entertainment.
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Disney has explained that this could result in the construction of a new theme park, retail area, or hotel. Further, the area would cater to both Disneyland guests and locals in the area. Live music could be played often during special events, and an area for ticketed shows could also be developed in the region.