Something we can always count on with the Walt Disney Company is that it will always give fans something new to experience and enjoy while at the Disney Parks. The incredible minds behind this innovation—Walt Disney Imagineering—are constantly working to bring exciting attractions and lands to domestic Disney Parks—both Walt Disney World and Disneyland—as well as international ones like Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro Teases Disney World Expansion
In 2022’s D23 Expo, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared Blue Sky ideas for what could become of Walt Disney World Resort if Disney Imagineers had no limits, budgets, and complete creative freedom to make some of the best ideas come to life. Mr. D’Amaro shared ideas for Villains Land, Encanto Land, a DinoLand U.S.A. revamp, and much more.
We haven’t heard much about any of these expansions since then, even though fans have been dying to know if these amazing ideas will come to fruition.
What’s the Most Obvious Roadblock to Expansion?
One word: space.
The area that Walt Disney World Resort covers is enormous. The entirety of the property, including its high-end residential area Golden Oak, spans over 25,000 acres. However, between zoning laws and the current construction at the Parks, there’s not necessarily enough space to add new attractions and rides within the theme parks in any logical way.
However, recent reports tell us there might be a “radical solution” that Disney has in order to overcome this problem.
Insider Shares a Park Expansion Rumor
Recently, the outlet The Street shared what Theme Park Insider’s Robert Niles heard about what Disney might consider to overcome the space issue.
Niles shared,
There is an obvious potential solution here, and if you know me from reading my work for any length of time, you will know that this long has been my nightmare. But sources have told me that is Walt Disney Imagineering is actively considering it now.
Disney could fill in the Rivers of America.
The article notes that while Disney has done this before by filling in the lagoon that was used for the old 20000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage, “filling in the Rivers of America would mean the end of Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island, an attraction that dates back to Walt Disney.”
Fans also took to Reddit to debate whether this was a plausible solution. Would Disney be able to fill in the wetlands in order to make this happen?
One Florida native believes so:
Wetland density transfers are real – typically we see developers using them to transfer density from the wetland portion of their parcel to the dry portion. For example, if max density in the land use category is 4 dwelling units per acre, and you have 100 acres, but only 20 are dry, you could get “credit” for the wetlands and build extra houses on the dry portion.
It remains to be seen whether Disney will follow through on this rumor, but it certainly has many of us excited about the possibilities that could come with a Park expansion at Walt Disney World Resort.
