On the same day that the Anaheim City Council is set to vote on DisneylandForward, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared on an earning call that it is a part of Disney’s plans for its turbocharged Experiences segment. The Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company was previously knowns as Parks, Experiences and Products. It includes the Disney theme parks, consumer products, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, and more.
Turbocharging Disney Experiences & Disneyland Forward
Disney Experiences is at the beginning of ten years of being “turbocharged.” This will see the segment invest $60 billion into its offerings. One of the new experiences that has been teased is an Avatar experience at the Disneyland Resort. This new experience would be possible if DisneylandForward, a multi-year new plan to update what land can be used in what way around the Disneyland Resort. This would allow for the Disneyland Resort to grow in offerings without taking up more space in Anaheim. Last month, the Anaheim City Council gave preliminary approval to the process. Tonight, the city council will vote again on the proposal. If approved, it will go into effect in a month.
During the earnings call this morning, Iger said that the Experiences business “remained an impressive financial driver in the quarter.” He also continued to talk about the segment in the future. “We are focused on turbocharging growth with a number of long-term strategic investments,” he said. “That includes our DisneylandForward initiative — the first step in our expansion plans at Disneyland Resort, which received unanimous preliminary approval by the Anaheim City Council last month.”
Iger acknowledged that the vote was a “a significant milestone,” and that the final vote would be taking place this evening. “We’re incredibly excited for the many potential new stories our guests could experience at Walt’s original theme park, including the much-anticipated opportunity to bring Avatar to Disneyland,” Iger said as the call was ending.
New Experiences
An Avatar experience has been something that Iger has brought up multiple times regarding the future of the Disneyland Resort. Recently, concept art for what the new offering could look like was shared. This future addition is generally tied with the DisneylandForward project. Bob Iger, in particular, has spoken about this land more than other Disney excecutives.
At a local level, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock has spoken more broadly about the possibilities for DisneylandForward in Anaheim. This has included the possibilities of new offerings like Hong Kong Disneyland’s new World of Frozen or Shanghai Disneyland’s Zootopia-themed land. Potrock recently said things like this could “continue Walt’s legacy of bringing stories to life in Anaheim.”
About DisneylandForward
Three Years of Foundation Building For the Future
The vote on DisneylandForward tonight is the culmination of three years of work and cultivation by Disney and the City of Anaheim. The two have worked closely to build a plan for the future that will benefit Disney and Anaheim. The process has included informational meetings with members of the community, a website with details, collaboration with city leadership, going through the planning commission, and now being voted on by the Anaheim City Council. This will lead to a plan that covers the next four decades of collaboration between Disney and the City of Anaheim.
What DisneylandForward Does
DisneylandForward will allow the Disneyland Resort to update the way it uses land it already owns in and around the current Disneyland Resort theme parks. The proposal, if approved tonight, will also allow for theme park attractions alongside Disney hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive. It would also provide for the potential of theme park attractions alongside new shopping, dining, and entertainment in the location that currently has the Toy Story Parking Lot. Concept art shows this location with a Disney Springs (Walt Disney World Resort) looking area.
The proposal would also call for additional and new parking both east and north of the current theme parks. Foot bridges across Harbor Boulevard and Disneyland Drive are also included in the proposal. Disney would also pay $49.8 million to take responsibility for Magic Way. This was extensively discussed during the Planning Commission meetings. It would also assume control of the entry drives into Disney parking at Clementine Street and Hotel Way. The payment would also go to remove planned extensions of both Clementine and Gene Autry Way.
The DisneylandForward proposal would not “request any new acreage, square footage or hotel rooms to be developed. Instead, it would shift already approved development amounts across land Disney owns.”
There are also some proposed zoning changes included in DisneylandForward that would allow for the Disneyland Resort to build new buildings with attractions like those seen around the world at other Disney parks. The new Disney Fantasy Springs expansion at Tokyo DisneySea was used as an example. This expansion will be opening at Tokyo Disney Resort in June. There also have been multiple discussions about an Avatar experience coming to the Disneyland Resort, with concept art released recently. It should be noted that these are simply examples and not promises for what will be coming. The passage of DisneylandForward would mean that individual projects and ideas could be explored and enter the development process. These projects would then be sent to the city to undergo planning reviews before moving forward.
How DisneylandForward Benefits Anaheim
There would be some community benefits paid for by Disney if the proposal goes forward. This includes $30 million for affordable housing, $8 million for city parks, and $50 million for street and sewer improvements, along with some other benefits.
The city of Anaheim has shared that visitors currently account for over half the revenue the city uses to pay for police, fire libraries, community services, and also pay down city debt. This was shared in the context of the benefits of the Disneyland Resort and DisneylandForward. These benefits became very clear during the pandemic when tourism dried up and with it, the revenue that tourism brings.
In the final Planning Commission meeting, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock spoke saying how this “legacy project” would set the stage for a great future for both the Disneyland Resort and also Anaheim. Potrock also said how this is a “tremendous responsibility for all of us and a privilege to be a steward for this very special place.” He shared how DisneylandForward will continue Walt’s legacy. He also shared how guests want more interactive experiences and how that can come with DisneylandForward.
“When Disney invests, everyone wins,” Potrock said. This project will be bringing in new revenue to the city to pay for things that help all over the city. The investments in the Disneyland Resort will lead to more tourists staying in the area for a longer time. It will also lead to more jobs and more benefits as well. This includes union jobs, Potrock said. He said that the there would also be a focus on hiring Anaheim residents and veterans. He shared that the future is bright for both the Disneyland Resort and the City of Anaheim which he shared was a “collaborative effort.” More information about DisneylandForward can be found at DisneylandForward.com.
Daps Magic will be following the vote tonight at the Anaheim City Council for DisneylandForward. What do you think of DisneylandForward? What do you think of it being a central part of the turbocharging of Disney Experiences? What do you most hope to see come out of all of this? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
