While it does battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over control of the land Disney World sits on, the company has huge plans to invest in its U.S. theme parks on both coasts. That's an ugly situation where Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger has threatened to pull some of the $17 billion the company has pledged to spend at its Florida theme park complex over the next decade.
In reality, politicians tend to last a lot less longer than construction plans. It takes a long time to plan and build rides so Disney usually operates many years ahead.
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That means that while DeSantis has been a thorn in the company's side, Iger can only use the threat of not investing in Disney World so much. The reality is that Disney faces a massive challenge from Comcast's (CMCSA) -) Universal Studios which plans to open a new Florida theme park, Epic Universe in the second half of 2025.
Because of that, while Disney works through the courts to minimize DeSantis' control over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), it still has to move forward with plans for new rides at Disney World.
The political situation at California's Disneyland is not as contentious, but it's still not easy. That theme park faces restrictions based on agreements between the company and local authorities. Disney wants to change some of those deals so it can build new rides in spaces that were previously reserved for parking lots.
Image source: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty
Here's what Disney is planning for Disney World
Coming off the addition of "Tron Lightcycle / Run" at Magic Kingdom and "Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind" at Epcot, Disney has no new rides planned for Disney World. It does have "Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana," a walkthrough experience, opening soon at Epcot, but the company has kept its ride plans very quiet.
That changed during a recent Disney event.
"During this year’s Destination D23 event, Disney announced that DinoLand U.S.A. will be CLOSING to make way for new lands in that area. Specifically, the area will be updated to become The Tropical Americas, which will feature attractions and details from 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones,'" Disney Food Blog reported.
That area of Animal Kingdom has never really made a lot of sense given how the rest of the park is themed based on animals from various regions of the world. The DinoLand U.S.A. section has also been wide open since the company closed TriceraTop Spin.
Disney has cleared that area and "work is already being done on the Casitas from Encanto to bring them to life inside the land," the blog reported.
"Indiana Jones" will likely replace "Dinosaur" as the two attractions run on the same ride system. Disney has not confirmed that change but it does make sense if the company drops the entire "dinosaur" theme for the land.
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Here's what Disney is planning for Disneyland
The situation at Disneyland involves a more friendly, but still tricky political situation. Disney has released a massive plan, DisneyLand Forward, designed to serve as a blueprint for the company's expansion plans over the next 40 years.
It's not a plan based on specific rides. Instead, Disneyland Forward is mostly about land use. The company currently operates under very specific guidelines as to what each piece of land can be used for. At the core of the proposed changes is Disney's wanting to use land currently designated for surface parking for rides.
That's something the company will likely get approval to do as long as it adheres to rules designed to protect neighboring residential areas from noise. The company already has approval for a new 17,000-car parking lot, but it needs the city's approval to use existing garages for attractions.
Once that approval comes (it's likely given that the two sides have a history of working together for mutually beneficial agreements), Disney could expand its existing parks, or even add a third Disneyland theme park.
Theme Park Insider's Robert Niles has some theories about how the land might be used.
Could Disneyland create attractions that are exclusive to hotel guests and included as part of a new style of resort experience? Could Disneyland build a collection of stand-alone, pay-per-use attractions rather than a single integrated theme park? Could Disneyland create a new attraction zone that is an "extension" of its current parks in that you would need a valid Disneyland or Disney California Adventure ticket (or hotel reservation) to enter, but where you would pay something extra for the attractions you experienced inside it?
Niles also noted that simply building a new theme park might make the most sense. Disney has already said it plans to bring an "Avatar" attraction to Disneyland, but it has not specified what that would be. The company has also "Frozen" and "Zootopia" lands in the works at its Chinese theme parks, and the "Encanto" attraction set for Animal Kingdom could also be duplicated for the West Coast.
