PHOTOS: Disneyland unveils first-look at major expansion plans for theme park
ANAHEIM, Calif. (KRON) — Disneyland on Thursday revealed plans for an upcoming major park expansion that will include projects for new retail shops, hotels, and parking.
Dubbed “DisneylandForward,” the project is a collaboration between Disney and the city of Anaheim to grow the Disneyland Resort as the theme park reels from losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disneyland expects to reopen to the public on April 30 after more than a year of being shut down due to the pandemic.
Plans for a mix of hotel, retail, dining, entertainment, and theme park additions to the current Disneyland Resort and California Adventure must be approved by the city.
According to the DisneylandForward.com website, some of the projects include Frozen, Peter Pan, and Tangled, plus Zootopia from Shanghai Disneyland, Toy Story Land from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and TRON.
The westside expansion envisions new theme park lands on the Downtown Disney and Lilo and Stitch parking lots, which is located between the existing Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel.
The existing Toy Story parking lot across the street from the Anaheim Convention Center would be turned into a new shopping and dining district, similar to Walt Disney World or DisneyTown at Shanghai Disneyland.
Concept art renderings of the east-side retail area features a central lagoon surrounded by shops and a small hotel.