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Disney unveils plans for Disneyland expansion

The DisneylandForward project could use existing Disney land to stretch theme park, hotel, retail and entertainment.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.

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I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.

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Corinne Reichert

March 29, 2021 3:29 p.m. PT

2 min read

Disneyland expansion — Disneyland could be getting bigger.
Disney

Disneyland on Thursday announced plans for a long-term expansion of its theme parks, hotels, retail and dining areas on existing Disney property in California. The expansion, dubbed DisneylandForward, would be located throughout the Downtown Disney area as well as on the Toy Story, Lilo and Stitch parking lots and winding between the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel, as reported earlier by The Orange County Register.

The DisneylandForward website points to expansions in Tokyo DisneySea as the possible future of Disneyland -- Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan areas. For California Adventure, the website lists the Zootopia area at Shanghai Disneyland, the Toy Story land at Disney World and the Tron roller coaster as possibilities.

Disneyland could expand into the area next to the Disneyland Hotel, while California Adventure would grow more near the Paradise Pier Hotel. An expanded Downtown Disney district could be built across the road, similar to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World in Florida.

The concept art shows mountains and lagoons across the current Downtown Disney shopping and dining district, and between the hotels. The plans are dependent on the City of Anaheim changing its current planning restrictions.

"Disneyland Resort is not ... seeking to develop any additional square footage or hotel rooms beyond what is already allowed. We are simply working with the city and community to update existing approvals to allow for integrated, immersive experiences to be appropriately placed and built throughout Disney properties," Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said last week.