D23 2024 Disneyland Rumors, Predictions & Discussion

[Disney Irish]

I had no idea. Do you happen to know which ones are rumored to be owned by them?

Nope, I just heard they owned some. For all I know its a bogus rumor. But again you'd think if they were trying to make the site larger they would have done so for more parking in the past.

 

[Consumer]

Nope, I just heard they owned some. For all I know its a bogus rumor. But again you'd think if they were trying to make the site larger they would have done so for more parking in the past.

Tearing down (low income?) housing for parking spaces is not a good look for Disney.

 

[Disney Irish]

Tearing down (low income?) housing for parking spaces is not a good look for Disney.

Same thing can be said for tearing it down for a hotel/shopping district or 3rd gate. Which is why I doubt it would even happen.

 

[DisneyAJ]

Nope, I just heard they owned some. For all I know its a bogus rumor. But again you'd think if they were trying to make the site larger they would have done so for more parking in the past.

I do have to agree with you there. Maybe we will hear things after the DLF vote soon.

 

[TP2000]

The difference between DCA and the Toy Story parking lot is roughly 5 acres. If you remove the water area by Pixar Pier, it's a wash. It is possible to put a full-day park in this spot.

You know, that lagoon in DCA is such a waste. Especially because as built it had no attractions or shows.

They put World of Color in there a decade later, but even that is a questionable use of such a huge space. The lagoon needs a boat ride or flume splashdown at the least.

I imagine it was an easy and cheap way to use up a bunch of space. Paul Pressler was truly an idiot, wasn't he?

 

[BrianLo]

Wow they re really upping their food game at DTD. I don’t think we’ll hear about ESPN Zone and Ranforest for a while. They re right in the middle DL Forwars Zone. Who knows, it could be a second esplanade.

Agree, I think with everything going on there seems like some vague possibility for Disneyland itself to move forward towards that Esplanade in the next 10 years. There's just so much resort flow benefit that could be achieved by having a way for Fantasmic to dump out an alternative exit of the park that isn't marching down Mainstreet.

Now DCA on the other hand... with DCA seemingly going in on Pandora (+ fingers crossed Avengers), odds of it both expanding across Disneyland Drive to begin with AND expanding in such a way that it entirely necessitates an entrance wrapping around the whatever Paradise-Pixar hotel is called all the way up to Down town Disney seems incredibly unlikely before it's worth even talking about. That's so far in the future. It's possible even if it does go across the road you'd still have to double back into the main park for many, many, many years.

Just measuring an extremely optimistic pathway, to get from Paradise Pier to Downtown Disney it's at least 50% further than from Winnie the Pooh to Downtown Disney in their proposed plots. Disneyland makes sense to immediately build towards that area and DCA does not.

Essentially the very last thing I imagine DCA getting is its entrance in the esplanade. Long after much of pretty much all the plots of land are utilized. Aka never.

 

[truecoat]

You know, that lagoon in DCA is such a waste. Especially because as built it had no attractions or shows.

They put World of Color in there a decade later, but even that is a questionable use of such a huge space. The lagoon needs a boat ride or flume splashdown at the least.

I imagine it was an easy and cheap way to use up a bunch of space. Paul Pressler was truly an idiot, wasn't he?

That whole area could be repurposed when they run out of room many years down the road.

 

[britain]

Agree, I think with everything going on there seems like some vague possibility for Disneyland itself to move forward towards that Esplanade in the next 10 years. There's just so much resort flow benefit that could be achieved by having a way for Fantasmic to dump out an alternative exit of the park that isn't marching down Mainstreet.

Now DCA on the other hand... with DCA seemingly going in on Pandora (+ fingers crossed Avengers), odds of it both expanding across Disneyland Drive to begin with AND expanding in such a way that it entirely necessitates an entrance wrapping around the whatever Paradise-Pixar hotel is called all the way up to Down town Disney seems incredibly unlikely before it's worth even talking about. That's so far in the future. It's possible even if it does go across the road you'd still have to double back into the main park for many, many, many years.

Just measuring an extremely optimistic pathway, to get from Paradise Pier to Downtown Disney it's at least 50% further than from Winnie the Pooh to Downtown Disney in their proposed plots. Disneyland makes sense to immediately build towards that area and DCA does not.

Essentially the very last thing I imagine DCA getting is its entrance in the esplanade. Long after much of pretty much all the plots of land are utilized. Aka never.

DCA already does, via the Grand Californian.

 

[mickEblu]

Agree, I think with everything going on there seems like some vague possibility for Disneyland itself to move forward towards that Esplanade in the next 10 years. There's just so much resort flow benefit that could be achieved by having a way for Fantasmic to dump out an alternative exit of the park that isn't marching down Mainstreet.

Now DCA on the other hand... with DCA seemingly going in on Pandora (+ fingers crossed Avengers), odds of it both expanding across Disneyland Drive to begin with AND expanding in such a way that it entirely necessitates an entrance wrapping around the whatever Paradise-Pixar hotel is called all the way up to Down town Disney seems incredibly unlikely before it's worth even talking about. That's so far in the future. It's possible even if it does go across the road you'd still have to double back into the main park for many, many, many years.

Just measuring an extremely optimistic pathway, to get from Paradise Pier to Downtown Disney it's at least 50% further than from Winnie the Pooh to Downtown Disney in their proposed plots. Disneyland makes sense to immediately build towards that area and DCA does not.

Essentially the very last thing I imagine DCA getting is its entrance in the esplanade. Long after much of pretty much all the plots of land are utilized. Aka never.

Oh for sure haha. No time soon if not ever. The Simba lot I think would and should be phase 1 of DL Forward unless you count the Eastern Gateway / Avatar then it’s Phase 2.

 

[MK-fan]

I think D23 won’t exactly announce anything new except for blue sky ideas, minimal changes and new walk around characters experiences. They’ll elaborate more on current projects like:
1) Avengers E-Ticket with no opening timeframe
2) Walt Disney Studios transformation into Disney Adventure World (along with Tangled spinner ride)
3) Disney Studios World of Frozen
3) Some Disney Cruise Line fluff
4) Tokyo Disneyland New Space Mountain
5) Disneyworld “beyond thunder” blue sky projects with no opening timeframe
6) Disneyland Avatatland with no opening timeframe
7) Maybe dive into Disneyland’s Tiana Adventure
8) Storyliving by Disney
9) Zootopia 4-D show
10) Dinoland USA replacement with no opening timeframe
11) Last but not least, New Shopping Experiences

And maybe get you excited about a new Disneyland Tomorrowland with no concrete details.

 

[TP2000]

I just saw that shockingly cringey and alarmingly vapid announcement video Disney released for Paris, renaming the park to Disney Adventure World (not a joke). And it has me really worried for D23 Expo now. They don't seem to be learning, they don't seem to be course-correcting on all their cringe of the past few years. And the B Roll they use for these AI generated announcements are the worst.

Here's my plea for D23 Expo: Whatever they announce, they have to STOP using the same canned B Roll where grown adults go slack-jawed and open-mouthed in wonder and amazement as they gaze upon the latest spinner ride or mid-range hotel lobby.

All of these types of looks should be forbidden...

And leave the kids out of it! There's not a 10 year old boy on the planet who gazes in wonder at a hotel chandelier.

Seriously, Disney.... Before you finish the editing on your D23 Expo announcements, you desperately need to get better B Roll for this crap. And tell those extras to keep their mouths closed, they look like fools who've never seen electricity before.

 

[MK-fan]

You shouldn’t add “World” to the name when it’s considered to be Disney’s smallest theme park.

 

[TP2000]

Isn't the Hyperion Theater still sitting there abandoned and empty? There's something they can announce at D23 Expo.

Premiering 2026! An Immersive World-Class Stage Production To Turbocharge Your Imagination And Allow You To Live Your Magic Dreams Immersively, Presented by Pull-Ups!

Or something.

 

[MK-fan]

I find it crazy that the two lands with the most unused buildings are right across from one another, Tomorrowland and Hollywood Backlot. Hollywood Backlot has the old Millionaire bldg, the Hollywood & Dine , the Hyperion Theater and the Hollywood Backlot stage which occasionally hosts school bands. Tomorrowland has the Innoventions building, Magic Eye Theater, Starcade, PeopleMover track and Observatron platform. So much prime real estate just sitting there but Disneyland Forward looks like it should be doing something about it hopefully .

 

[CaptinEO]

You know, that lagoon in DCA is such a waste. Especially because as built it had no attractions or shows.

They put World of Color in there a decade later, but even that is a questionable use of such a huge space. The lagoon needs a boat ride or flume splashdown at the least.

I imagine it was an easy and cheap way to use up a bunch of space. Paul Pressler was truly an idiot, wasn't he?

Couldn't agree more. Walt Disney had 4 attractions in Disneyland's river (canoes, columbia, mark twain, keelboats), and then in the 90s they also shoved an amazing show in the same space. DCA's lagoon is just a burden to walk around that holds a nighttime show.

As Pressler built it though it's just dead space. I do miss the waves in the lagoon while waiting to launch on California Screaming.

Also can someone explain why they don't bother making a show that's visible from all sides of the lagoon? Epcot at least takes advantage of their lagoon show space.

 

[TP2000]

Couldn't agree more. Walt Disney had 4 attractions in Disneyland's river (canoes, columbia, mark twain, keelboats), and then in the 90s they also shoved an amazing show in the same space. DCA's lagoon is just a burden to walk around that holds a nighttime show.

You forgot one. The Rivers of America had 5 attractions, with the 5th being Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island.

Even today, it still has 4 attractions. And the Canoes and Columbia run far more often than they used to 25 years ago.

Compare that to WDW's River complex, which is basically just an overgrown flood control channel that has 2 rides; the Rafts and the Riverboat.

Also can someone explain why they don't bother making a show that's visible from all sides of the lagoon? Epcot at least takes advantage of their lagoon show space.

I'm fairly certain that's a Steve Davison problem. He was infamous for creating shows that look great on paper, and wow the executives when they get their special pre-opening performance in a closed theme park. But in reality, with the park open and full of 50,000 customers, the Steve Davison shows are always nightmares of crowd control and crappy views from a gridlocked Main Street or a standing room only flat terrace.

STAY TO YOUR RIGHT! KEEP MOVING THRU THE WALKWAY!!!

Speaking of gridlock and screaming crowd control CM's, whatever happened to Steve Davison? You never hear about him any more. Was he let go? Or is he just working in some WDI backwater for a few more years until retirement, after he destroyed so many theme parks with his Operations Unfriendly Spectaculars?

 

[𝕴𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖗97]

Speaking of gridlock and screaming crowd control CM's, whatever happened to Steve Davison?

He's still there. He just worked on Luminous at Epcot, and before that Harmonious, most recently doing Mickey's Mix Magic at Disneyland.

 

[TP2000]

He's still there. He just worked on Luminous at Epcot, and before that Harmonious, most recently doing Mickey's Mix Magic at Disneyland.

Oh, really? Okay. And thank you for the update.

It's notable that they used to trot him out for all the public reveals and such, but lately he no longer does that. You just don't hear from him much at stuff like D23 Expo, or even local media events. Or maybe that's just me?

As for Harmonious, what the heck was he thinking with those giant ugly barges?

 

[captveg]

The Millennium Falcon rumor is promising. Nothing could be more invigorating to the Galaxy Edge section of the park than making the following adjustments/changes:

1. Millennium Falcon alternate missions. Not only was this implicit in the pitch for the ride, but the continual tweaks to Star Tours makes it even more glaring.

2. Soften up on the extreme land theming that actually hurts the enjoyment of the area. It's crystal clear by now that guests care FAR more about Star Wars as an entertainment escape than about actual realism. Get rid of the time period restriction and embrace all SW eras. Have some SW music play in the land - you can still have times where it's street/city/ship sound effects rotated in on the play list, but play the main theme or Dual of Fates on occasion, damn it. There's been baby steps made with characters lately, but just go for it. Nobody who has a brief encounter with Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker is going to fold their arms, frown and say "I don't like this because they are IN THE PAST and it has now ruined my immersion for the story of the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu!". For your own sanity and financial benefit, Disney, stop drawing this line in the sand.

3. Build the sit down restaurant. Make sure not to overdo it with the theming, though. Sure, people will want it to look like it's an eatery on another planet, but they'll still want to order a regular pasta or steak dinner.

Do these things and the land may actually fulfill a lot more of its promise. Then when you want to build a 3rd attraction in the backstage area down the road you can not feel so bad for basing it on the original trilogy X-Wings or something similar.

 

[SuddenStorm]

1. Millennium Falcon alternate missions. Not only was this implicit in the pitch for the ride, but the continual tweaks to Star Tours makes it even more glaring.

Sure it's not an X Wing, but they just need to do the dang trench run. Dog fighting with Tie Fighters, then going in for the killing blow on the Death Star would be far more satisfying than trying to steal coaxium.