This week, Disney CEO Bob Iger made waves with two long-awaited announcements about expansion plans at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. These were the plans that Disney fans had waited for, but no sooner did the words come out of Iger’s mouth than Disney was already walking back one of his announcements. And now, they’re taking back the second.
The first announcement was about future expansion plans at Disney Parks worldwide. Iger said:Â
We have thousands of acres of land still to develop. We could actually build seven new full lands if we wanted to around the world, including the ability to increase the size of Disneyland in California, which everybody thinks is kind of landlocked by 50%.
Shortly after Disney CEO Bob Iger announced, Disney fans were abuzz with ideas for future gates at the Walt Disney World Resort and expansion plans for other Disney parks. But less than 24 hours after Iger’s announcement, Disney clarified their position on what Iger said, tamping down expectations for immediate announcements of expansions.
A clarification: When Iger said Disney could build "7 new lands" he was actually referencing a 2023 company statement that said Disney has "over 1,000 acres of land for possible future development … across its existing sites – the equivalent of about 7 new Disneyland Parks." https://t.co/c1OKndYZFf
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 6, 2024
Related:Â ENOUGH! Disney Fans Want Fewer Announcements About Park Expansion and More Action
Disney insider Scott Gustin said:
When Iger said Disney could build ‘7 new lands’ he was actually referencing a 2023 company statement that said Disney has ‘over 1,000 acres of land for possible future development … across its existing sites – the equivalent of about 7 new Disneyland Parks.’
This essentially pours cold water on the Disney fans’ expectations for an expansion plan. With Universal Orlando opening Epic Universe next year, Disney World fans were hoping that the Happiest Place on Earth would have something to match what Universal will have to offer fans.
But Bob Iger had a second expansion announcement up his sleeve, and surely that one would still be valid. Or not.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the Disneyland Resort would be getting a Pandora land similar to the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Disney World. Iger said:
We have one Avatar-based land, Pandora, in Florida. We’re going to put a second one in California. It doesn’t mean we can’t put one in — somewhere in Asia and somewhere in Europe as if, for instance. We opened up a Frozen Land in Hong Kong in November. Tremendous response to that. Good investment, big investment, but build it right, build it with excellence, and they will come.
And there you have it. The Disneyland Resort was getting an Avatar-based land.
Sept. 2022: Disney revealed "blue sky" concepts for DinoLand at Animal Kingdom. And here's what Epic Universe construction looked like in Sept. 2022.
Today: Not a single shovel in the ground at DinoLand. And here's what Epic Universe looks like today.
(📷via @bioreconstruct) pic.twitter.com/1nJxYqcaCA
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2024
But not so fast. Less than three days after Iger made his announcement, Disney once again tamped down expectations. The Walt Disney Company released a statement saying that the Disneyland Resort was getting an “avatar experience” rather than an entire land like the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
So, what’s the difference between an Avatar experience and an Avatar land? An experience could be anything. It could be one single attraction, show, or ride. The entire land would include all those, but it would have an immersive experience like Animal Kingdom.
In a new "ICYMI" post on its website, Disney recapped Iger's comments earlier this week at the Morgan Stanley Conference and included a mention of "plans to develop an Avatar experience at Disneyland in California."https://t.co/UjUKpk0mXy pic.twitter.com/11I20DCOG6
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2024
Just when it seemed like the Walt Disney Company was moving forward with some of its blue sky plans at Disney World and Disneyland, the rug was pulled out from under Disney fans yet again.
Maybe someday it will happen, just not on this day.
What do you think about Disney walking back Iger’s comments again? Let us know in the comments.
