Disneyland gets final approval for 'biggest thing' since its opening

Disney cleared a major hurdle to start developing a colossal expansion of its Disneyland theme parks on Tuesday night when the Anaheim city council unanimously gave final approval to rezone much of the property.Disney's original resort in California, which comprises a shopping district, parking areas and two theme parks, is about 550 acres, which is less than 2 per cent of the size of Walt Disney World in Florida.READ MORE: Under-the-radar Euro spots to visit if you're sick of crowdsBut with newly approved "multi-use" zoning, Disney can now expand its theme parks in Anaheim without acquiring any new land, by building attractions where the company could previously only build hotels or parking lots. This paves the way for a multi-decade project to expand both of its theme parks there: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure."For nearly seven decades, Disneyland Resort has made a unique, irreplaceable impact on hundreds of millions of guests from around the world. How exciting to know our best days are still ahead – I can't wait to show you what's to come," Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said in a statement Tuesday night.The project, dubbed "DisneylandForward," does not require any public funding. While no specific designs have been shared yet, Disney has released concept art for what the expansion could look like on the west side of the resort, in areas surrounding Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel.READ MORE: Emirates pilot reveals amazing perks of the job"This is long overdue – this is decades overdue. This, in my opinion, is the biggest thing Disney has done since they opened the gate in '55," said Dennis Speigel, owner and founder of International Theme Park Services, a global consultant for theme park projects.Speigel, who is not involved in Disney's plans, said this project could allow Disneyland Resort to go from an estimated 25 million visits per year to 40 million over the next 20 years."You're going from a two-room house to a five-room house," Speigel said, adding that visitors will be much more comfortable in the expanded space and increase per capita spending by staying longer to experience more attractions.TRAVEL: Airline eliminates the worst part of flying to EuropeWhat will the new areas look like?Disney CEO Bob Iger said during a shareholders' meeting in April that DisneylandForward's potential new projects could include "the opportunity to embark on all-new Avatar adventures with a visit to the world of Pandora."The released concept art for a possible Avatar land shows a space similar to Pandora in Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, but with guests on boats in the middle of an open lake, a look evoking the franchise's second film, The Way of Water.In a video posted by Disney in January, Rachel Alde, Disney Experiences senior VP of global development, said a 1990s agreement with the city of Anaheim permitted Disney to build 6.8 million square feet of theme park space, but the company has only built 46% of that due to restrictions in space and zoning."Just imagine what we could do with this space. Right now, it's surface parking lots. But what if we could become the first-ever land based on Wakanda, from the Black Panther franchise? A land based on Zootopia leveraging the work you saw earlier at Shanghai Disney Resort. The creation of Arendelle from Frozen, similar to what you saw at three of our international parks. Or even the opportunity to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, in a Coco-themed land resonating with the diverse community in Southern California.'Disneyland will never be completed'Don Ballard, an author and historian who wrote a book on the historic Disneyland Hotel, said the company's original resort is "ever evolving. I mean, you know, the technology changes, people's tastes change."Ballard brought up a famous quote by Walt Disney: "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."Todd James Pierce, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo professor who wrote the book Three Years in Wonderland on the making of Disneyland, said, "When Walt was alive, almost every year there was a new attraction, if not multiple new attractions."The one break is right around the World's Fair, because he was busy doing other things. But this gives the Disneyland Resort the land to really expand in that way ... So if people are fans, there's going to be something new not too long from now, every year, every couple of years."Pierce said that what's interesting about the concept art they've chosen is "none of these things are standalone attractions. They're all 8- to 12-acre themed environments, usually around one or related [stories]," like an entire Frozen land.Ballard and Pierce both believe that beyond creating something imaginative, the new project is also practical in relieving crowds in the compact resort.Pierce said that by having new lands open, Disney can also more easily close existing attractions to redevelop them, because guests can spread out and not be forced into tight crowds.FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest travel news and deals via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.