Jazmin Maldonado

The ferris wheel at California Adventure

Calling all Disney fans! On Tuesday, January 23, Disney’s “DisneylandForward” project took another step forward in becoming a reality as Disneyland announced its plan to spend between 1.9 billion and 2.5 billion dollars on the expansion of Disneyland Park and its local venues over the next 10 years.

The “DisneyForward” project was a plan announced by Disney in 2021 and sought to majorly expand the theme park by adding additional attractions, shopping facilities, lands, entertainment, and investing in parking as well as transportation.

The plan mentioned at a city council meeting in Anaheim, CA on January 23, goes into further detail about what the Disneyland expansion will look like. Under this plan to spend over 1.9 billion dollars on the expansion of the Disneyland resort, it was announced that at least 16 new rides are set to be developed and a brand-new outdoor performance be added as well. Of these rides five are set to be thrill rides, two are to be round rides, and nine are to be family rides. Based on statements made by Josh D’Amaro, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, possible rides might reflect Disney movies such as “Frozen,” “Black Panther,” “Tangled,” “Toy Story,” “Zootopia,” “Peter Pan,” “Coco,” and “Tron.”

Along with devoting money to expand the Disneyland resort, Disney has also proposed that they use some of that money to develop new amenities for Anaheim residents. Some of these amenities include devoting funds towards affordable housing for Anaheim residents, offering new hotels and places to dine, new parks within the city, and spending some money on railroad improvements within Anaheim. In a recent statement, Ken Potrock, the president of Anaheim states that he is proud to be serving the Anaheim community with these planned developments.

Disney’s “DisneylandForward” plans have yet to be approved by the City of Anaheim. The Planning Commission of Anaheim will be having another workshop on “DisneylandForward” later this month which will provide more details on the “DisneylandForward” plans. In addition, the City Council of Anaheim is said to hold hearings in April and May regarding the “DisneylandForward” project.

Elaria Ibrahim, a longtime fan of Disney, was super excited about Disney’s plan to expand the Disneyland resort.

“I believe Disneyland’s expansion of their amusement park is an outstanding addition. It allows the inclusivity of other fairytales and provides visitors and guests to experience the magic within,” Ibrahim said. “Their contribution to affordable housing and transportation upgrades will provide a positive and significant impact on Anaheim and its residents. I think excellence is something we should all work toward.”

Another Disney fan, Isabel Becerra, was super ecstatic about Disney’s efforts to help local Anaheim residents.

“I think that’s great because Disney[land] has become pricey because of tourists [so] I think it’s great they are acknowledging that by helping out the locals,” Becerra said.