Disneyland Update – A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow???

At long last, it’s starting to feel like fall, with cooler temperatures and gloomy skies. But this week also brought some exciting news about the future of the Disneyland Resort… the massive DisneylandForward project reached a new milestone. And on top of that, the resort’s newest hotel is just about to open — and a brand-new store in Avengers Campus could open at any minute. However, there are also a few cost-cutting maneuvers that have us scratching our heads… including the end of the immensely popular Magic Happens Parade. We’ll touch on all of that and more in today’s Disneyland Update, so keep reading!

DisneylandForward… Inches Forward

We’ve mentioned Disney’s plans to as much as double the capacity of the Disneyland Resort with new attractions, shopping, dining, hotel rooms, and parking – referred to as DisneylandForward. However, to make that happen, Disney needs the city of Anaheim to approve new zoning for existing property and agree to a new plan for the next 40 years of Anaheim’s largest employer.

Since the 90’s, Disneyland has operated under two “Resort Specific Plans,” one for Disneyland itself and one for the Anaheim Resort area. Above, you’ll see how Disneyland proposes to overlay new zoning on top of the old plan boundaries. While Disneyland could expand beyond the current resort boundaries, that’s not what they are seeking with DisneylandForward. For the moment, they simply want to shift the zoning usage in some current hotel and parking zones. Of most interest to our readers will be Areas 2, 6, and 7.  

Areas 2 and 6 are the far west third of the Disneyland Resort. This is where Disneyland wants to overlay a theme park (or related attractions) intermingled with hotels and parts of Downtown Disney. Area 7 is called “Theme Park East” on the map. However, Disney really plans hotel, shopping, and entertainment here to entice convention-goers to spend a little money with Disney before going home from their events.  A sample image of “Theme Park East” is pasted for you below. Note how the open area is at the center, surrounded by tall buildings to help contain the sound. This area was described to me as being inspired by Disney Springs in Orlando, with water, themed dining, and entertainment, but with an integrated hotel.

You’ll see a general outline for GardenWalk in the Disneyland Specific Plan, but Disney is vague when talking about this area. Disney does NOT own GardenWalk. But if it should happen to become their property at some point in the future, the area is already in the masterplan previously approved by the city in the 90s! Disney doesn’t seek to remove GardenWalk from the plan. GardenWalk is the missing link in the DisneylandForward equasion. Without it, guests wanting to get from Disneyland to the East-Side entertainment district would need to use city streets and sidewalks (buses woul likely be run from Disneyland’s transportation hub). But, if Disney is able to obtain GardenWalk, guests would be able to stay on Disney property (and cross streets via new bridges). That could significantly decrease noise, pollution, and increase guest safety. But we aren’t getting our hopes up that something so logical might actually happen. 

Over the years, I’ve heard many people say that they wish Disney would build the 3rd park on the Toy Story Lot (former strawberry fields). If you look at Areas 5 & 7 below and compare it to the general space in 2 & 6, you’ll see that Disney has about the same amount of space on the West side of the resort as on the East (especially when you consider that Disney will have a lot of hotel space that theme park attractions will have to be built around on the West Side). But neither of the two potential 3rd park sites have quite enough land to be a regular sized Disney park.  

Now that we’ve looked at the proposed zoning changes in the Specific Plans, there’s another key element for Disney to conquer before releasing potential plans to the public… 

Disney has to show the city and regulators what impact their proposed new projects might have on the environment! An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was finally released last week. While Disney had to make every aspect of their resort accessible to the team preparing the report, it wasn’t written by Disney themselves. The City of Anaheim selected an independent consultant to study everything from traffic & pollution to water usage and aesthetics. 

I’ve yet to read all 17,000 pages… yes, 17,000! But overall, the report indicates only a modest impact on the environment since Disney already occupies the same space and has been engaging in practices to reduce fuel consumption, water use, and the frequency of fireworks and other emissions over the years. So, while Disney could as much as double their usage of the property, the overall result isn’t expected to be a doubling of impact to the environment… at least according to the report. 

Where the EIR is most interesting is in the sections about sound levels and how the property will look under DisneylandForward. 

Currently, the loudest parts of the Disneyland Resort are Tomorrowland, Pixar Pier, and Avengers Campus. But because there are no residences within a short distance of those areas, the sound impact to the city is negligible. Note the map below of the current theme park areas, and the heat map for sound. The higher decibels are in red tones and the lowest in blue. So, the freeway, city streets, autopia, Incredicoaster, and music of Avengers Campus are the loudest areas of the resort, and the hotels and Galaxy’s Edge are the quietest. 

However, since DisneylandForward proposes to repurpose the Toy Story parking lot and all the under-used space around the hotels on the West side of the resort (where the Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel are now), those sound levels will change. Disney shared general future plans with the EIR consultants and estimated the sound levels for the new attraction and entertainment zones, and found some big changes. The area you see below is the current hotel space as it ‘could’ look when redeveloped. 

The red zones above are clustered in three main sections (or lands) that have predictably loud outdoor portions. But, unlike Disneyland and California Adventure, which have loud zones right up against city streets (ie. Tomorrowland & Pixar Pier), the new expansion (which I’ll simply refer to as the 3rd park for simplicity since that’s the closest thing to what you can expect from the area) keeps the sound as far away from the residential zone as possible. Show buildings and hotels would line Walnut Street and gardens and green spaces would further buffer the rest of Anaheim. So, this project is a bit more thoughtful to neighbors than Disneyland’s other two parks might have had us all thinking the impact would be.  

The goal is to keep the folks above happy… These are the homes the new Disneyland Hotel Vacation Club tower faces. If anyone is going to try to block DisneylandForward, it will be these folks. Which is why Disneyland has held over 100 meetings with the community to explain the project, hear their concerns, and incorporate as much as possible into the new plans to appease them. 

The other thing I found interesting is Disney’s commitment to build the 3rd theme park buildings in 360°. That means that things in the park would look complete, even from outside the park. For example, Matterhorn is built in 360°. As you approact Disneyland on the freeway, it’s always exciting to spot the Matterhorn, which looks like a real mountain inside the park and out. It’s iconic. But it’s not nearly as exciting to look at Cars Land or Galaxy’s Edge from outside the resort as neither of them is completed in the areas guests can’t see them inside the resort.

As a result, Matterhorn is a city icon, and Galaxy’s Edge and Cars Land are more akin to an eyesore. The 3rd park promises to complete the look of all spaces inside the park and out! That’s a big win for the city and residents who have to look at these structures every day. 

A Walk Through DisneylandForward

Now the fun part. What ‘could’ be coming to the 3rd park? Well, Disney has teased projects which have detailed and immersive themed environments and which sometimes integrate hotel, shopping, and dining.

Projects Disney has mentioned as examples are Zootopia, Tangled, Frozen. But that doesn’t necessarily mean those are the exact properties Disney will use. There’s just as likely to be an Encanto, Coco, or other themed area which approximates the size and scope of the project mentioned in the examples. 

To show you just how much open space there is on the West Side (where the 3rd park is currently being teased), I took a little walk from one end to the other. Look at the spaces in purple on the far left hand side of the map below (Between Walnut and Disneyland Drive)… that’s the area currently being pitched for the 3rd park (or whatever they finally end up deciding to do).  The surface parking lots would all be expansion zones for theme park activities. 

Looking from atop the Disneyland hotel toward the Pixar Pals parking lot. There’s a lot of space here in the Fantasy lot. And you can’t really see the old Downtown Disney Lilo & Stitch lots (currently being used by cast members and construction crews) which adds a tremendous amount of additional space.

Behind the old AMC theater building (where Din Tai Fung and other buildings are currently being constructed) is another large lot big enough for an attraction or two. 

And the biggest space can be seen from atop the Pixar Place Hotel. What you see below is one side of this massive lot. That’s Katella Ave on the other side of those power lines. But this lot wraps around to the back side of the Pixar hotel all the way toward the Disneyland Hotel Frontier tower! Several lands could be built here. 

Here’s a satelight view of this massive lot. This is a space larger than Star Wars Land, approximately the same volume as Pixar Pier and Cars Land. 

If Disney was to build a Fantasy Springs style development here, as they have teased, (with 3 fairytale mini-lands) they would have plenty of room.

And between all of those parking lots are all sorts of lawns and open spaces which would likely be used for pathways and smaller shops, restaurants and facilities. 

For more on the overall DisneylandForward project, please visit our dedicated article and share with your friends. If approved, DisneylandForward will be Disneyland’s biggest expansion ever, nearly doubling the economic impact to the city and also to Disney. 

IT’S APPROVED!!! DisneylandForward Moves Forward What You Need To Know

Let us know how your thoughts on DisneylandForward are developing now that we know Disney is very serious about it. 

Disneyland Walkthrough

I take you for a little walk through the resort this week, from the current construction projects in Adventureland, New Orleans Square, and Critter Country, all the way to the West side of the resort where a 3rd theme park could someday be built. When you see the size of these projects in video, it puts DisneylandForward into perspective. You can catch this week’s Disneyland livestream below:

Every Friday at 5pm, you can find me on a live stream around the Disneyland Resort to catch up on news from the parks and show real-time conditions of what it’s like. You can tune in on the MiceChat Facebook and YouTube pages, and we hope to see you this Friday!

Magic Happens Parade is Coming to an End

We all knew this day would eventually happen, because Disneyland will run its never-ending Christmas Fantasy Parade in November… but we didn’t expect there would be such a long delay between parades. The popular Magic Happens Parade is set to have its final performance on Sunday, October 15.

While it makes sense for the parade (brought back to life for Disney100) to wrap up at some point, we figured that there would be a more seamless transition between daily showings of Magic Happens to A Christmas Fantasy Parade (which begins November 11), that leaves nearly a whole month without a parade performing. 

We’re left wondering why Disney is cutting a major daily production like a parade for such an extended period of time. Considering there’s also no Fantasmic until some time next year, it’s very likely that Disneyland is trying to save as much money on entertainment as possible before the start of the holiday season. 

For more about the holiday season at Disneyland this year, take a look at the article below:

Merry and Bright, with Plenty of Delight: Your Guide to Disneyland’s 2023 Winter Season

Villas at the Disneyland Hotel Opens THIS MONTH!

It seems like this has taken forever, but the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel (officially known as the “Discovery” tower on the new hotel map) will open on September 28th. Construction walls have been removed and we caught some Cast Members previewing the property this week. 

The new map does list the new Palm Breeze Bar #22 on the map. But we think that a few surprise elements have purposely been left off until the hotel opens. There’s a small blue building behind the pools which has no citations at all. In the photo we took, there are some umbrellas that don’t match the ones used elsewhere. It’s possible this is a new restaurant. (#15 and #16 are the new pool and Steamboat Wille splash pad). 

The new hotel lawn and landscaping have been revealed. That’s the Frontier tower in blue to your left. The DVC Tower is in desert tones at right. 

A mid-century privacy wall sections the new tower off from the rest of the hotel complex.

Behind the tower, the pool has been filled (we weren’t able to get up close as the hotel is not yet accesseble to visitors). 

And last minut touches were being added to the gazebo near the splash pad. 

That building I pointed out above from the map with the blue umbrellas and glass railing, is in the back of this image (an orange structure). 

Nearby, Tangaroa Terrace has been getting a little patio work done. While we had hoped they were adding some additional seating since the new Discovery Tower is adding a lot of additional guests to the resort… no such luck. These are mostly cosmetic changes to the patio. 

The old Steakhouse 55 is long gone. But the lounge outside the deeply-missed restaurant is being refurbished and will hopefully reopen in time to help soak up the crowds from the new villas.

And, finally, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice hat at the entry from Downtown Disney has been repainted and Tinker Bell removed. It’s interesting that they leaned into the Disney100 color scheme when the celebration will soon enter its 2nd year. 

For more information about the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel, please read our guide, which explains the hotel, shares images of the rooms, and even how to book: 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel – News & Views!

Security Woes

We’ve noticed how unhappy many of Disneyland’s security staff seem to be lately… and it’s no wonder. For much of the day, most security locations are woefully understaffed, leading to long lines for guests. And when lines are long, guests get ruder, which can help explain why security has been responding in kind. It’s certainly not the first interaction with guests that Walt had in mind way back in 1955. 

After work on Friday, the line for security at Mickey and Friends was massive… but only 3 lanes of bag check were open for guests. This isn’t something new for Disney. The pattern is quite well established. Passholders come to the resort after work on Fridays for date night, dinner & fireworks. So it’s really inexcusable that Disney isn’t prepared for the influx. 

Security recently got a large pay increase… so it appears that Disney is cutting staffing due to increased labor costs. 

Going through security isn’t fun; dealing with increasingly grumpy security staff isn’t how your Disney visit should start. We hope Disney will restore staffing levels and work with their security crews on the Five Keys that all Disneyland cast members and contractors must abide by at all times: Safety, Courtesy, Inclusion, Show, and Efficiency. 

Disneyland’s awful parking situation followed but the increasingly uncomfortable security situation, followed by long waits for the trams, followed by long waits at the inefficient front gate, makes many guests question just how much abuse they are willing to withstand for a bit of Disney entertainment. It’s time for resort management to reexamine the entry experience for guests and all the hurdles, hoops, and hijinks guests are being forced to endure.

Avengers Vault is Now Open

Here’s a bit of good news. The new Avengers Vault store in Avengers Campus opened today. The shopping location seems to stock mainly the same merchandise we saw at the now-closed Avengers Super Store in Hollywoodland. However, the store is the first to sell Infinity Saga Relics (movie prop replicas).

It is nice to see Avengers Campus getting some TLC. Along with this store opening, additional details about the land’s upcoming E-Ticket attraction were revealed at the recent Destination D23.

Construction Kingdom

After months of a wild number of projects all happening at once, many of the smaller projects have wrapped up or are about to. 

Adventureland Treehouse

On Friday, I saw the water contraption on the treehouse moving as I approached. Unfortunately, by the time I got up close to take a photo, it had stopped. But the good news is that this project is nearly complete. 

We’re so ready for this project to wrap up… not just because we want to visit… but because they’ve taken as long to rebuild this thing as it took to build Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

This is a hard project to follow at the moment because they are in the taking away phase. Which makes it hard to imagine what it’s going to look like when they finally start adding stuff. 

They were either painting or trying to keep us from seeing something this week. 

The entry to the outdoor lift is being reworked. Note the structural inserts. 

Here’s how that looked before. It was more barn like before. 

And just about everywhere they are poking holes and removing something. There’s so much work left for them to do on this project. We’re likely still over a year away from this one opening. 

Pixar Place Hotel

While we were scoping out all the DisneylandForward details for you this week, we popped into the upcoming Pixar Place Hotel. Let’s take a quick look…

The conversion from Paradise Pier theme to Pixar is scheduled to wrap up this winter. However, the hotel has remained open during construction with guests subjected to construction walls and noise, and a complete lack of food and beverage. But all of that will soon change. 

A signature Luxo Lamp has yet to arrive. But you can see where he is intended to go. 

The good news is that Great Maple restaurant should be coming soon. It’s hard to tell because there really isn’t a place to peek in on construction progress. 

Great Maple is one of our favorite local restaurants. Should be very popular for breakfast and brunch. 

Unfortuantely, it’s not themed at all to Pixar. It’s a shame that Disney didn’t build a Ratatouille themed resturant here… or anything Pixar themed. Even if they did feel that Disney no longer has the competency to run its own resturants and needs to oursource quality dining to others. 

The coffee shop/lounge off the lobby is shaping up to look like a kindergarten. 

There will be food and beverage service here soon. 

And stainless steel characters have been embeded into the floors . 

The shop has come together. It even has a print on demand kiosk. 

In the back, a new multi-colored pathway has been laid. 

The pathway is lit with Pixar ball lanterns. 

So far, the big upgrade is the large rooftop pool area. 

We’ll keep an eye on this one for you all as the project nears completion in the next few months.

Refurbishments

Currently Under Refurbishment:

• • Tarzan’s Treehouse Transformation: (September 1st, 2021-2023)
  • Splash Mountain – Conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: (May 31st, 2023-Late 2024)
  • Schmoozies!: (July 30th-September 24th)
  • Golden Zephyr: (August 28th-September 28th)
  • The Golden Horseshoe: (September 12th-30th)
  • CenTOONial Park: (September 15th-October 22nd) – Yes, this will be the 2nd long closure for CenTOONial Park since the land reopened! 
• 
  • Mark Twain Riverboat: (September 17th-TBA)
  • Space Mountain: (September 18th-October 25th)

Upcoming Refurbishments:

• • it’s a small world – Holiday Install: (October 23rd-November 9th)
  • Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard: (October 23rd-TBA) – And another ToonTown issue will hopefully be corrected. Not only have many of the interactive elements of Goofy’s yard broken and been removed, but the water play area has never opened. 

This & That

We’re nearly done. Here are just a couple more stories that you may be interested in from Disneyland this week.

Rogers: The Musical Lives On… 

If you’re missing the limited-run show at the Hyperion Theater, Rogers: The Musical, there’s some good news for you. As of this weekend, there’s a cast recording of the music that is now available on all the major streaming platforms (including Spotify, Apple Music, and more). So if you’re feeling inspired to choreograph your own production of “Save the City,” you’ve got the music, now you’ve just got to assemble your team of Avengers.

As of now, there’s still no word about when or if the show will return to the resort in some form in the future. 

New Character Casting Announcements

It’s always interesting to peruse Disney’s casting calls because you never know what you might find. This week, there were a few interesting additions for various roles. Included characters include the cast of Turning Red (including the boy band 4TOWN!!) and Joe Gardner from Soul. We imagine we’ll be hearing official announcements from Disney about these projects in the near future. Any speculation for what’s happening with the Turning Red casting calls— perhaps a stage show adaptation featuring 4TOWN?

Let’s Hear From You

Are you ready for DisneylandForward? What properties would be just right for a 3rd park? The Disneyland Hotel DVC tower has come together nicely. The big problem is that it makes the rest of the Disneyland Hotel towers look ancient in comparison. Do you suspect, as we do, that the old towers will come down and be rebuilt as part of DisneylandForward? And what do you make of all the closures scheduled for ToonTown? Disney always underestimates just how hard kids are on play areas. 

How about a few more fun photos and observations…

Is ‘Sleeping Beauty’ the Most Gorgeous Disney Classic of Them All?

While we were on our DisneylandForward journey, we stumbled across a wedding in progress. 

We’re still noticing new details in San Fransokyo. 

These banners have recently shown up.

We walked by the meet and greet area in San Fransokyo and learned that Baymax had been having technical issues all day. A small number of guests were waiting for Hiro. 

But just 20 minutes later the queue was overflowing with guests hoping to see Baymax. 

After a 20+ minute delay, he finally showed up. 

Disneyland is certainly playing up the spooky side of the holiday with their artwork this year. I like it. 

We’ve got a fabulous article with our top Halloween tips for toddlers: 

8 FAVORITE Kid-Friendly Halloween Activities at Disneyland

And Disneyland is celebrating Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month in Downtown Disney with Encanto topiaries, music, and special treats in the Grand Californian. 

Let’s hear from you folks!