News Disney Sets Sights on Possible Hollywood Land Reimagining at Disney California Adventure

[smooch]

I don't think I'll ever fully be on board with an updated version of GMR. It sounds great on paper, but I'm sure the choices that Disney would make for "Great movies"would be questionable (Casablanca being replaced by HSM 2).

Everything else in your comment sounds great! I just hope they bulldoze the studio backlot and start over without Monsters Inc or Captain Marvel.

This is probably too optimistic but I highly doubt they would change Casablanca to HSM 2 or anything like that. Why spend the money and time developing new scenes when they can just send over the ones from Florida?

 

[Franklin47disneyguy]

This was just puff piece talk from a low level executive. With the Chinese parks closed indefinitely, I can't imagine they are moving forward with major new capital expenditures for any park any time soon.

This project will sit around Glendale for another few years, and my hunch is that absolute best case scenario is that something gets announced at D23 Expo 2023. But it wouldn't surprise me if they don't move on this until a few years after that even.

When you Google this DCA exec, Patrick Finnegan, you get this little gem from last summer. I forgot how funny this was!

A very good public speaker indeed

 

[Mike730]

I can see the "Hollywood Land" shrinking, but I don't see Hollywood Blvd itself going anywhere. Actually I think its a pretty important asset to the park nowadays. Modern execs need flex spaces to shove their flavor of the month, flash in the pan IP's and in the end I think having that kind of dedicated space prevents bastardization of other park areas. Plus Hyperion Theater is a huge crowd sink.

When the Eastern Gateway eventually happens, I can see everything north of the Hollywood Blvd facades getting demoed, but I would guess that everything south of that remains, including Hyperion theater.

 

[tirian]

Let's do a little refresher course on the Hollywood expansion plans Disney inadvertently revealed in their official permit filings with the City of Anaheim earlier in the 2010's, shall we? There's probably some new folks here, and even us old timers could use a refresher on this fun old topic....

In 2014-15 the Miceage website leaked news about a TDA plan to turn the big chunk of real estate they had just purchased through their longtime 3rd party real estate guy (and if you live in central OC you've seen his signs up everywhere), the land north of the existing Pumbaa parking lot. Miceage detailed plans for a massive parking structure and transportation center, linked to Disneyland via a skybridge over Harbor Blvd. Those plans sounded fanciful and wild back then.

In early 2016 TDA submitted plans privately to the City of Anaheim. Later in 2016 TDA fessed up and released the plan publicly, which Miceage said was downsized and scaled back from its original incarnation, but was still impressive in its scale and purpose.

Amazingly, that original plan is still available on the Disneyland Public Affairs website as a Neighborhood Workshop event here (catch it quick before the Public Affairs intern gets in trouble for leaving it up there and it gets removed) https://publicaffairs.disneyland.com/dlr-neighborhood-workshop/

The plans and documents submitted to the city in 2016 had just a tad too much detail included. Most famously this one...

As you can see, the skybridge led to a new walkway towards the central Esplanade. But what was also revealed was a move of the Toy Story Shuttles to a currently unused tram route parallel to Harbor, plus the complete rerouting of the Disneyland monorail to the north (the dot-dash line just north of the new walkway), which all frees up a big chunk of new acreage directly north of the current Hollywood Pictures Backlot area of DCA. The cat was out of the bag!

The USCIS building, a US Customs and Immigration office, was on the land purchased by Disney but the building had a lease thru the federal government until the far-off year of 2020. The plan was to build the Eastern Gateway around that building by 2018, and then at some future year after 2020 expand the complex to use that space.

The Eastern Gateway was famously shelved in 2017 in a huff, when the Great Disneyland & Anaheim War of 2017 played out and General Tait and Admiral Colglazier fought each other to the death. They built the Pixar Pals parking structure instead since Disney already had permit approval for that big facility grandfathered in from the 1990's.

And that leads us to today, where the land for the Eastern Gateway was leveled for use as surface parking lots for CM's. The Carousel Inn was purchased and bulldozed by Disney before the Eastern Gateway was cancelled.

And now the folks at USCIS aren't answering their phones and the land just sits there quietly under Disney's ownership.

Anaheim Resort District Hotel Construction Update - 1/22/2018 - Darkbeer

A look at the Resort District (and nearby) progress on projects

darkbeer.smugmug.com

That feels like forever ago. Was it really just 2017?

 

[PiratesMansion]

I think some of you are perhaps still bitter about Aladdin if you are advocating losing the Hyperion entirely. It is absolutely an asset to the resort to have a theater like that, even if you don't like the show inside. I'd say both Aladdin AND Frozen are among the best pieces of live entertainment I've seen in ANY US park, and even many of the internationals have nothing comparable. WDW certainly does not.

Even if they only ever do IP-based musicals, there is an endless amount of possibility.

Should it have a better exterior and a lobby? Absolutely. Is it maybe time for a new show? Perhaps. I don't see any scenario where bulldozing the theater is the right thing to do. Disney will not build a comparable space again if they remove it.

On another note, I'm happy to see some love for the Muppets in this thread. I really enjoyed (and still enjoy at DHS) the show and wish it was still around, even if I completely understand why it's gone.

 

[Phroobar]

The Hyperion is never going anywhere. They may update the outside and may enclose the stairs but it is very important to have in the park. Each park needs a large professional theater space for shows. I just wish it got the attention to detail that the Disney Sea version got.

 

[choco choco]

I like the Hyperion as far as show spaces go, but it's not something I'd miss, especially not with that eyesore exterior. Ever since they removed the Muppets, I've been up for just bulldozing the whole place. Animation building is a nice lobby but not remotely worth the plot of land. Monsters Inc might be the worst dark ride at the resort.

Pooh is the worst dark ride at the resort, and probably at the tippy-tops of any list for the worst dark ride in Disney history. I went on Monsters Inc the other day and was duly impressed; production value and conception of scenes is miles better than you'd expect and it's a lot more than just the painted flats that something like Alice or Toad's is. It's even better than the Mermaid ride in the same park. It's big, big flaw is the ride vehicle is too slow and too big, and I think with a modest budget that could be easily rectified.

A few years ago, I would have advocated for expanding the land and splitting it in half, with a Hollywood section and a tunnel into Toontown, allowing that space to be opened up in Disneyland, but obviously that ship has sailed.

Yes, I had similar thoughts. It's ironic that had Star Wars and Mickey's ride been built at California Adventure, that would have lifted the park out of the doldrums quite nicely. Your suggestion is not really outside the realm of possibility. Disney has a gajillion dollars and could easily rebuild Toontown if they want that space at Disneyland for something else.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Is there enough space in the current animation building to gut it and create a fantasyland style dark ride? No idea what you could do that fits the Hollywood theme... but I love a compact dark ride.

 

[socalifornian]

Is there enough space in the current animation building to gut it and create a fantasyland style dark ride? No idea what you could do that fits the Hollywood theme... but I love a compact dark ride.

It’s a little bigger than little mermaids show building without talking about how tall it is

 

[Mac Tonight]

Is there enough space in the current animation building to gut it and create a fantasyland style dark ride? No idea what you could do that fits the Hollywood theme... but I love a compact dark ride.

Not a fantasyland style dark ride, but this idea literally leaps off the page.

The Disney Vault©
Disney finally peels back the curtain of it's infamous vault which storehouses the greatest collection of art in animation history. Guests are loaded in vehicles (for ease of journey) and led through the pristine corridors where they will see quintessential Disney animation up close...

However, Maleficent has been plotting with some other villains to literally erase their demise from the pages... when that happens each car must select a hero to face off in an epic clash of characters. Taking on a life of it's own, the ride vehicles propel us and our hero on a fast-paced journey across a wide-array of classic movie scenes as they seek to save the vault or risk having Disney animation get re-drawn before our very eyes...

 

[Model3 McQueen]

I'd love a major museum of some sort. Imagine walking into the building and seeing things like a rocket rods vehicle, an active Harry animatronic, a fullsize rebuilt 4-4-0 steam engine that the DLRR was built in the image of, or the entire "Hollywood Tower Hotel" sign lit up against the wall.

They wont do it though, but it'd be such an amazing space for us Disney history freaks. I'd spend so much time here.

 

[socalifornian]

I'd love a major museum of some sort. Imagine walking into the building and seeing things like a rocket rods vehicle, an active Harry animatronic, a fullsize rebuilt 4-4-0 steam engine that the DLRR was built in the image of, or the entire "Hollywood Tower Hotel" sign lit up against the wall.

They wont do it though, but it'd be such an amazing space for us Disney history freaks. I'd spend so much time here.

Artists rendition

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I can't see what they could do to improve the land without taking things out I can't see them taking out. One pet peeve is the horribly themed "backlot" that could certainly be refreshed and the fake building wall separating it. Open it up, actually theme it similarly to Hollywood/LA and not a "studio". I expect them to just clone the brewery from the Florida park because booze is DCA's thing and they are still selling booze in that area where Mad T Party used to be. It will be the Disney's Hollywood with character themed things slapped in and a sitdown booze facility.

 

[Mac Tonight]

I'd love a major museum of some sort. Imagine walking into the building and seeing things like a rocket rods vehicle, an active Harry animatronic, a fullsize rebuilt 4-4-0 steam engine that the DLRR was built in the image of, or the entire "Hollywood Tower Hotel" sign lit up against the wall.

They wont do it though, but it'd be such an amazing space for us Disney history freaks. I'd spend so much time here.

At D23 the Van Eaton galleries had an actual ride vehicle from Sea Base Alpha on display. You can bet I sat in it just to soak up the nostalgia.

A Disney parks museum would be great, thought not sure DCA deserves it.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I'd love a major museum of some sort. Imagine walking into the building and seeing things like a rocket rods vehicle, an active Harry animatronic, a fullsize rebuilt 4-4-0 steam engine that the DLRR was built in the image of, or the entire "Hollywood Tower Hotel" sign lit up against the wall.

They wont do it though, but it'd be such an amazing space for us Disney history freaks. I'd spend so much time here.

The Hollywood Tower Hotel sign lives on in backstage Disneyland, for what it's worth.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

The Hollywood Tower Hotel sign lives on in backstage Disneyland, for what it's worth.

Whaaaat do you have proof? Not that i'm disputing your claim, I just really wanna see it again What do they do with the old stuff back there anyway?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

But there will be booze, right?

A "microbrewery" I suspect.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Whaaaat do you have proof? Not that i'm disputing your claim, I just really wanna see it again What do they do with the old stuff back there anyway?

It's in a warehouse back by Toontown. Not allowed to take photos for obvious reasons.

Tons and tons of neat little pieces of park history backstage... From old artwork, to ride vehicle, signs, and figures from both parks.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

It's in a warehouse back by Toontown. Not allowed to take photos for obvious reasons.

Tons and tons of neat little pieces of park history backstage... From old artwork, to ride vehicle, signs, and figures from both parks.

They should open it up to the public for viewing!! I'd go crazy to see that stuff!

 

[SSG]

They should open it up to the public for viewing!! I'd go crazy to see that stuff!