This week Daps Magic is sharing the top 5 stories covered throughout 2024 from the realm of Disney and positive stuff. These top stories are chosen based on the impact of the story on the past, present, and future of The Walt Disney Company, how it impacted the Disney community, and how it impacted the world beyond Disney. There are other things too but that is the big picture look at how these stories were chosen. Yesterday, the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure took the first of the five places as the year winds up. Today, DisneylandForward is the next story to be highlighted.
DisneylandForward
DisneylandForward has been a major initiative of the Disneyland Resort to set the path for the future of the resort’s growth and development. This was introduced in 2021 after the pandemic with a vision for what the future of Disneyland Resort could look like decades into the future. This included new space for additional theme park attractions, hotel rooms, entertainment, retail, dining, shopping, and parking. The incredible part about all of this is that it all would take place within the boundaries of the Disneyland Resort as it already exists. The DisneylandForward proposal did not seek any public funding or additional hotel rooms beyond what had already been granted. It just sought the ability for the Disneyland Resort to be able to use the space it already had in more efficient ways.
The DisneylandForward proposal was originally announced in March of 2021. In May of 2024, it was approved by the City Council of Anaheim. This was after going through many rounds of approval that included multiple meetings with the Planning Commission.
This story is a big story for multiple reasons. The biggest is that it sets the foundation for what the Disneyland Resort will be in the future. The last time something like this happened was in the 1990s, before the opening of Disney California Adventure and the Downtown Disney District. DisneylandForward has the potential to bring even more growth and change to the Disneyland Resort and Anaheim this time around. While Disney frequently said this isn’t about making a third park, there could be plenty of experiences added that could equal the offerings of a new park.
Thinking back at how the Disneyland Resort has changed over the last 3 decades is a good way to think of what DisneylandForward will mean. This will most likely mean more attractions, hotels, dining establishments, entertainment, experiences, lands, and shopping opportunities. It will also lead to things that haven’t even been thought of yet. What guests visiting Disneyland in the 1990s would have imagined Cars Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or Avengers Campus?
There is plenty of space to grow and develop in the coming decades throughout the Disneyland Resort. As Disney Experiences “turbocharges” its efforts into the parks and resorts, there will be a lot to see and experience as things grow and change. While some things at the Disneyland Resort will continue to be recognizable and iconic in the coming decades, other things will be completely different and new.
Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” It appears that there is no shortage of imagination for what could be coming to the Disneyland Resort in the coming years. It will be exciting to watch it all evolve!
The passing of DisneylandForward by the Anaheim City Council is just one of the top 5 stories that Daps Magic is highlighting this year as part of its “Top 5 of 2024” series. Be sure to come back in the coming days to check out the others. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow on social media so as not to miss any of the others.
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