Speculation Spectacular!

[TP2000]

Honestly, I think my Blue Sky move for Disney would be to demolish the Disneyland Hotel, rebuild it on the land where Rainforest/ESPNZone/AMC buildings are now with a new small parking structure above/below ground where that current flat lot is between the AMC and Paradise Pier Hotel is. As part of this, get the city to give up on Disneyland Drive from the area from that parking lot to the north. Fill in the area under the bridge for more hotel space, and allow for movement back-of-house between the new area and Disneyland.

Then turn that entire area into a third gate, Disney Adventures-style park. I don't have any wants for this area, though I think some more original concepts could benefit here, but using that land to expand both current parks feels like a misstep.

Work the existing Disneyland Monorail station into the big lobby of this new hotel, with a cozy little cocktail lounge next to the station that's not easy to find called The Monorail Bar (but is nonsensically themed to a 1910 San Francisco Cable Car), and you've got a deal!

Also, to get into this obscure hotel bar you have to have a date wearing either a fur stole or opera gloves. Details matter.

 

[TP2000]

DCA Expansion, Northwest (10:00)

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I'd say the blueprints are pretty obviously Pandora's floating mountains.

Oh, for God sakes, please no. Absolutely no one cares about that movie. The kids don't care. There are about 3 dozen 45 year old virgins who put on blue bodypaint who care, but that's it. Mostly in Germany in 2010.

But honestly, no one cares about Pandora.

Don't make me do that thing where I count the zero kids who show up on my door on Halloween dressed as blue aliens. Please.

I get it, they had to add it to Animal Kingdom because Iger made a rushed deal with Cameron after his ego let Harry Potter go to Universal Studios instead. But just cut your losses. No one cares about Pandora. And every single year that goes by from 2010, fewer people care. And a few of those old virgins in blue bodypaint actually finally paid to have sex, so even they don't care now.

Yes, there are allegedly sequels coming. For a 12 year old movie no one cares about. But don't try and make Disneyland do this. Let it flounder and age poorly at WDW, and we'll call it even. I think even the Germans would agree.

 

[mickEblu]

We agree to disagree on this one sir.

Its fine. I used to have apple...and then my mom got a job.

It’s fine haha. We re not even disagreeing. That was part of my point but this isn’t a hill I’m about to die on.

 

[Nirya]

Work the existing Disneyland Monorail station into the big lobby of this new hotel, with a cozy little cocktail lounge next to the station that's not easy to find called The Monorail Bar (but is nonsensically themed to a 1910 San Francisco Cable Car), and you've got a deal!

Yeah I mean I essentially envision it as something approaching the Contemporary Resort at WDW, specifically with the Monorail going through the center of the complex (not necessarily through the middle of the building, however).

I figure you put the lobby/one tower where the AMC is, a second longer tower where the ESPNZone currently is, and a third tower along the backside where the security gates currently are. New pool area would take over where the Rainforest is, with a building that can have a Monorail Cafe on the same level as the monorail station, and a relocated Trader Sams on the ground floor.

I'd also build them big enough so that, when the Paradise Pier deal finally expires, they can get rid of it without losing a ton of rooms and open that plot up for a future expansion.

Although, the more I think about it, the more I'm unsure this would work with the way the security bubble is currently set up. Unless they do things like scan bags when people come in, you'd probably have to set it up so that the monorail station and DTD is on the other side of the bubble.

 

[KentNelson]

Oh, for God sakes, please no. Absolutely no one cares about that movie. The kids don't care. There are about 3 dozen 45 year old virgins who put on blue bodypaint who care, but that's it. Mostly in Germany in 2010.

But honestly, no one cares about Pandora.

Don't make me do that thing where I count the zero kids who show up on my door on Halloween dressed as blue aliens. Please.

I get it, they had to add it to Animal Kingdom because Iger made a rushed deal with Cameron after his ego let Harry Potter go to Universal Studios instead. But just cut your losses. No one cares about Pandora. And every single year that goes by from 2010, fewer people care. And a few of those old virgins in blue bodypaint actually finally paid to have sex, so even they don't care now.

Yes, there are allegedly sequels coming. For a 12 year old movie no one cares about. But don't try and make Disneyland do this. Let it flounder and age poorly at WDW, and we'll call it even. I think even the Germans would agree.

Maybe we should look at what future Disney IP may be more succesful to be candidates to Disneyland+ and DCA+. In 5/10 years maybe nobody cares anymore in Zootopia or Rapunzel. Maybe Black Panther 2 is a failure without T'Challa and Wakanda is definetely discarded for theme parks. Ot maybe movies that will be release on coming years/months become so succwsful that they are greenlightned for the PLUS parks. Maybe the chosen IP's for both ampliations would be Marvel's The Eternals, Moon Knight, Pixar's Luca and Disney's Encanto or something from FOX (Alien).
On the other hand despite it's true that Avatar is a no relevant movie nowadays Disney has created big and loved e-ticket rides from forgotten IPs such as The Twilight Zone, Tron Lightcycles and Splash Mountain/Song of South.

 

[TP2000]

On the other hand despite it's true that Avatar is a no relevant movie nowadays Disney has created big and loved e-ticket rides from forgotten IPs such as The Twilight Zone, Tron Lightcycles and Splash Mountain/Song of South.

The problem with that argument is that most of those E Tickets were created in the 1980's when Disney hadn't had a big hit since Herbie The Love Bug died out with that third or fourth sequel with Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman. Was that Herbie Goes Bananas, or was it Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo? I don't remember, and no one cares. Just like Pandora.

So of course in 1990 they had to search for old IP that they could make a ride out of. They had nothing to go on. Rescuers Down Under? The Great Mouse Detective?

Tron had a resurgence with the Millennials a few years ago, such that Tron was the theme for a popular dance/cocktail party in electTRONica. And Magic Kingdom Park desperately needs E Tickets, even if they clash and look weird next to Space Mountain.

But in 2021 looking towards a theme park expansion of 2030? There are dozens of IP's to choose from now they didn't have back in the 1980's. Pixar. Disney's vast success of 1989-2019. Lucas Film. And now Universal and their entire catalog of associated brands. WDI has an embarassment of riches to choose from for theme park expansion in the 2020's and 30's.

But if you were trying to pitch a ride in 1987 or 1991 you had far fewer IP's and themes to choose from. Which basically forced them to go outside the box and woo Lucas for Star Tours and Twilight Zone for Tower of Terror. Or even MGM for the Great Movie Ride.

 

[Movielover]

It's a waste of time.

THE ART REPRESENTS NOTHING. IT IS FILLER.

You're just mad that none of the filler art has a ramp in it...

Sit down and eat a snickers. You turn into a real 1HAPPYGHOSTHOST when you're hungry.

 

[Disneyland/DCA]

I like how ghosthost thinks this concept art is really going to come true.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

You're just mad that none of the filler art has a ramp in it...

Sit down and eat a snickers. You turn into a real 1HAPPYGHOSTHOST when you're hungry.

You may be right on that lol.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I like how ghosthost thinks this concept art is really going to come true.

That is the opposite of what I believe if you have been paying attention.

 

[truecoat]

DCA Expansion, Northwest (10:00)

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I'd say the blueprints are pretty obviously Pandora's floating mountains. But these would be smaller than the ones at WDW. And I don't think that showbuilding on the left is big enough for Flight of Passage. It's only about as wide as the Paradise Pier Hotel tower itself. So, maybe it's just one FoP theater instead of 4? Maybe it's just Na'vi River Journey? Or maybe it's not Pandora at all, but Raya and the Last Dragon land?

Note the circle where Grand Californian guests and Paradise Pier Hotel guests gather to enter the park over the hotel access road.

The FOP theater building is 52,000 sf. If you take out the Navi river journey building, this looks to be correct.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Would be interesting to once again have an outdoor Captain Hook's ship at Disneyland that you're able to walk on the deck of:

 

[DLR92]

So of course in 1990 they had to search for old IP that they could make a ride out of. They had nothing to go on. Rescuers Down Under? The Great Mouse Detective?

I have always thought these two IP would make fantastic dark rides. I would honestly squeal in joy if Disney made a dark ride for Pier section with The Great Mouse Detective.

It shouldn’t matter if the IP is revenant. To be honest I think Frozen Ever After is an deep embarrassment of modern WDI creation. It suffer the same issue as The Little Mermaid. Nothing flows together but I’m reminded the “best rememberable” part of the movie.