Disneyland Update! Splash Down, Closures & New Aerial Photos

In the world of theme parks, it’s been 0 to 100 miles per hour lately. And today is no exception! With theme parks around the country reopening, Disneyland’s announcement of a delayed reopening left many theme park fans stunned. Plus, even within the last few days, there has been a surprising amount of news for the Disney Parks, including a huge change coming to an iconic Disney attraction. Plus, some fun-tastic photos from our readers. 

Disneyland Delays Reopening

Last week, we posted an article detailing the concerns of guests and Cast Members about the reopening of the Disneyland Resort. California had begun reopening smaller entertainment offerings, such as zoos, aquariums, public gardens, and museums – but theme parks would need to wait for further guidance. At the time, infections had leveled off or declined across the state and it looked like the theme park industry was set for a July return.  

So it came as a surprise to Disneyland fans when those plans were suddenly put on ice last week. According to a statement from Disney, California will be delaying guidance on theme park reopening until early July. The Disneyland Resort initially shared a request for a July 17th reopening date (pending authorization from local and state governments). Given the time it takes to bring Cast Members back from their furloughs and prep the resort for guests, July 17th is now unrealistic, and Disney acknowledges that. You can read their statement below.

This announcement has also brought a change on the reopening info on Disneyland’s website. The two hotels that were scheduled to reopen on July 23, Paradise Pier Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, now have no mention of a potential opening date. Instead, the message is that all the hotels will reopen at a later date.

Coronavirus Cases Increases Across California

Governor Newsom has praised Disney’s responsiveness to the concerns about reopening and the recent spike in infections in a coronavirus update on Thursday:

“I want to compliment Disney and their team for making that determination. They noted that the state had ceased offering guidelines in those categories. That is an example of the data informing decision making. We’re very grateful for this response.”

While Disney’s decision to remain closed is responsible, the cases of COVID-19 infections continue to skyrocket locally. Yesterday, California ordered 7 counties (including Los Angeles) to shut down bars and nightlife venues to help curb the rapidly growing cases. The prospect of life returning to normal any time soon, has suffered a sudden setback.

The current daily cases in Orange County, CA, where Disneyland is located are skyrocketing: 

We’re glad to hear that Disney is taking safety seriously, at least in California… Florida is a whole different story, even with double the cases we are currently suffering in California. But we have more about that a little further below.

For more about Disneyland’s decision to delay reopening, be sure to read the reopening delay announcement article below.

BREAKING NEWS: Disneyland Confirms Potential Park Reopening Delay!

Splash Mountian Overhaul

Just a day after the shocking announcement of Disneyland’s closure extension, there was more news that had Disney fans even more riled up. Splash Mountain will be getting a major retheme to replace the current tale of Br’er Rabbit (and its unfortunate connection with Song of the South) and replace it with The Princess and the Frog. This story quickly became one of our most-shared articles of the year. It clearly touched a nerve both with those who appreciate the change in theme and those who do not want Splash Mountain to be changed. 

GUIDE: Everything You Need to Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!

The story of the new attraction will pick up after the movie’s final kiss. The all-new adventure takes place as Tiana and Luis are preparing for the Mardi Gras celebration and the obstacles they encounter on their way. We’re very interested to see what the Imagineers have up their sleeve for this project.

This change will be coming to the versions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. According to Disney, this change has been more than a year in the works. Last year was the attraction’s 30th-anniversary, and Disneyland didn’t do much to celebrate. The update to Splash Mountain will be extensive and will require time to complete. Once the parks eventually reopen, Splash Mountain will continue to operate in its current form for an unknown length of time before the change-over begins.

Many of you have been wondering if there could be more changes coming to other Disney attractions. By today’s standards, there are attractions in other areas with problematic cultural references as well. Some are asking Disney to reimagine the Jungle Cruise attraction, especially with the new movie releasing next year. Small World, Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo, Peter Pan’s Flight and other attractions have all been mentioned. But before you get too worried, at this time, there’s been no mention of Disney changing any other attractions. Though, we suspect that Disney will eventually update problematic scenes or entire older rides with stories from their newer films. 

Disneyland From Above

With the parks closed, we take to the air to show you what’s new at the happiest place on earth. In the days leading up to the originally planned reopening of the parks on the 17th, many cast and construction crews returned to the resort. But even after Disneyland announced an indefinite delay, work continues.  

As we soar over Disneyland, we’ll see some workers, more scaffolds, and progress on all sorts of projects.  

There are two pathway projects in front of the Castle.  On the Frontierland side, a bridge expansion project is finishing up. The stream between Frontierland and Adventureland is currently drained. 

And repaving is also happening on the east side of the Hub. Crews have pulled up some of the new pavers and are doing something . . . we aren’t sure exactly what since this area was just leveled and repaved last year.  

Fantasyland has a couple projects which were stalled. At least one of them is back on track. 

But there is finally some evidence of work at Snow White’s (no longer scary) Adventures. 

Painters are on the scaffolds touching up the new color scheme. 

Zooming in on the Matterhorn. Nothing seems to be going on here. But it’s the Matterhorn, always fun to look at.  

Scaffolds have popped up at Mickey’s House in ToonTown. 

And lurking behind Mickey and Minnie’s houses is a massive construction zone for the new Runaway Railway project. The dark tracks are where they’ve wetted down the dirt to reduce dust as they work.  

And in the corner of the project, we spotted some workers laying out rebar. 

Big things are on the way to the west side of the park. While it will be a long time before Splash Mountain closes for its transformation, the Haunted Mansion next door is getting back to work on its lengthy refurbishment.  

While it’s hard to see in these photos, we did spot workers in the front yard of the Haunted Mansion this week. You can just make out that the pet cemetery tombstones are still being stored in the middle of the lawn as well.  

Now, let’s pop over to Disney California Adventure and see what we can spy . . . 

As we fly over Paradise Pier hotel, the parade route is looking more uncluttered than the last time we were here . . . 

Although we had hoped that Disney would extend the Food and Wine Festival as Epcot is planning to do with their festival, the booths have unfortunately been carted off.  

You’ll see some tiny little workers in yellow and orange vests in front of the Little Mermaid attraction. 

And headed in to the future home of the Avengers . . . 

That patch of dirt in front of the Guardians of the Galaxy tower is Avenger’s Campus. 

There are trucks, equipment, and workers everywhere. There’s a lot of activity on the building at right. That’s the one where the Quinjet will be parked eventually.  

And finally, the new multi-use building behind Luigi’s in Cars Land is also actively under construction. Workers were on the roof and scaffolds. 

Mystery Flight

Anaheim residents near the Disneyland Resort were sent an email last week. It mentions that a helicopter will be flying over the resort today between 10am and 4pm, and can be flying as low as 500 feet. We’re very curious about what this flight could be for. We’re hoping there’s a special video coming soon… Any guesses?

The Past and Present of Critter Country

With last week’s big news about the pending retheme of Splash Mountain, it might seem as though there’s never been a time without the screams of guests cascading down Chick-A-Pin Hill in their logs. Well, this land has a long history. When Disneyland opened, this area was the “Indian Village.” It later transformed into “Bear Country” for the opening of the Country Bear Jamboree. And when Splash Mountain was built, the land changed names once again to “Critter Country.” 

In honor of this week’s news, we asked our readers to share their favorite Critter Country photos – past and present. 

Indian Village

In Disneyland’s early days, an Indian encampment at river’s edge occupied the Critter Country space. Guests could visit recreations of indigenous dwellings, experience dances, witness craft making, or board an “Indian War Canoe” for a trip around the river. 

MiceChat Moderator Donna Dark Collins shares this rare footage from the Indian Village: 

Bear Country

When the land eventually became Bear Country, there were shops, games, and a mile-long bar, all inspired by the nearby Country Bear Jamboree attraction.  

You younger folks won’t remember the Mile Long Bar (where the Pooh Corner candy shop is today). The bar had mirrors on either side, which made the bar look as though it went on forever. 

But the main attraction of the land were some toe-tapping bears. 

Even the Country Bear show changed over time. The original show featured this golden oldie: 

Later, the show was revised to the “Vacation Hoedown.” There was also a Christmas version of the animatronic spectacular! 

Critter Country

The area was renamed again to “Critter Country” in 1972.  

The land also plays host to Winnie the Pooh. 

The land also features a quick serve restaurant, the Hungry Bear, with a beautiful view of the river (and of the Galaxy’s Edge mountain range). 

Splash Mountain was an instant hit when it opened in 1989. For years, guests would run to the attraction as soon as the park opened to avoid the long waits.  

Some of our readers even had construction photos to share: 

Will the land get yet another new name when the Princess and the Frog attraction opens? Let us know what you think they should call both the new attraction and the land.  

Disney Ambassador Update

As Disney Parks around the world are in varying states of reopenings, Disney Cast Members have shared a video showing the prep going into welcoming guests back. Although this video was taken before the announcement of Disneyland’s extended closure, there’s some neat footage of Disneyland Ambassadors Justin Rapp and Rafa Barron. Throughout the video, you’ll see Cast Members following the safety guidelines of social distancing and wearing masks. It’s good to see the rules in effect, but it’s a little hard to understand what the Cast Members are saying. 

Plus, there’s been an update to Disney’s current Global Ambassadors. The Ambassador role is generally a two-year commitment. But because of the significant world events, Disney has extended the position for another year. This decision encompasses all of the current Disney Ambassadors at each of the Disney resorts. So we’ll continue seeing Justin and Rafa around the Disneyland Resort once it eventually reopens. 

Below is the statement Disneyland shared with Cast Members.

Want to know more about the current Disneyland Ambassadors, Justin and Rafa? Read the article we wrote on their first day on the job:

Disneyland Update – The Busy Season Brings New Ambassadors, Shopping and Dining

More Details on the Downtown Disney District

Even though the reopening of theme parks and hotels of the Disneyland Resort has been delayed, the Downtown Disney District is still on schedule to welcome guests starting July 9th. To help prepare guests (as well as Cast Members and Operating Participant employees) for the reopening, Disney has updated the Downtown Disney District’s page on the Disneyland site. Here is what you’ll find:

Most of the changes are pretty standard, with requirements for wearing masks and social distancing, along with enhanced cleaning. We did spot something of note. In the parking section of the FAQ, it states that guests will use the Simba Parking Lot during the initial reopening phase. All other parking areas are closed (except for guest drop-off locations on Harbor Boulevard as well as Disneyland Drive). This means that guests will be entering through to Downtown Disney near Earl of Sandwich.

Soon after the Downtown Disney District reopens, a new store will also open its doors. Guests can find California Sole, a footwear store, in Sanuk’s old location. In fact, California Sole is really just a rebranding Sanuk. The store plans to carry shoe brands like Sanuk (of course), Vans, OluKai, Reef, and Havianas, along with Stance socks and Pure Vida accessories. To match the new name, the storefront itself will be getting a facelift. But it sure does look like a basic mall store with no theme park pizzazz? What do you think?

OC Vibe

A little beyond the Disneyland Resort area, there’s a new proposal that could add some life to Anaheim. The Platinum Triangle (the area around Honda Center, Angel Stadium of Anaheim and the ARTIC transit center) could be getting a new 115-acre campus for shopping, dining, sports, entertainment, open space, housing, offices and more. The complex is to be called “OC Vibe.”

The photo below shows the Platinum Triangle area. There’s certainly some room for development there.

The project is still in the very early stages, and still needs approvals. But if everything goes as planned, OC Vibe will open in phases starting in 2024, and finished in time for the 2028 Olympics. In a statement from Anaheim’s Mayor Harry Sidhu, OC Vibe promises to be a “vibrant Southern California destination.”

Walt Disney World Updates

With Disneyland’s abrupt extension of closure, Disney fans are wondering if Walt Disney World will also need to postpone its reopening. WDW is set to begin a phased opening in just a few weeks starting July 11. With record-breaking surges in COVID-19 cases in the last few days, we’re wondering how feasible that opening really is. 

NBA to Resume Basketball Season at WDW

The National Basketball Association has confirmed its plans to resume the basketball season starting next month at WDW’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. However, just hours after their announcement news came out that 16 of 302 players tested positive for COVID-19. Despite this setback, plans are still going full steam ahead to continue the sports season. Players are essentially being kept in a bubble, isolated away from the general public. 

Will Walt Disney World Close?

Dr. Marcia Katz, associate dean for Clinical Affairs at UCF College of Medicine, told the Orlando Sentinel that she’s worried the opening of theme parks and hotels could further worsen Florida’s huge spike in Coronavirus numbers. “I’m just calling out alarm that we really, really, really have to be aggressive in our mitigation. I think it’s an emergency.”

At this point, it seems likely that WDW will also need to delay reopening. What do you think? 

For more recent news and additional information on a potential WDW reopening delay, check out the article below:

Disney World Update – Closures, Cancellations & Concerns

To end the update on a more lighthearted note, we’ve settled the debate to which Disney resort has the most rides, Disneyland or Walt Disney World. The last time we compared attractions was way back in 2014. Things have changed in the last 6 years! Read the article below to find out.

Which Disney Resort Has the Most Rides – 2020 Edition