Disneyland is moving forward with a huge expansion at Disneyland that includes closing down a popular DCA ride! Find out more!
The biggest advantage Walt Disney World has held over Disneyland is its significantly larger space for expansion. The entire reason Walt bought so much land in Orlando was that he was tired of Disneyland surrounded by scores of hotels, stores, restaurants and the like, limiting how much he could put in.
That quandary would affect Disney over the years to the point the only way to build California Adventure was to pave over the old Disneyland parking lot. It's complicated by the relations between Disney and the city of Anaheim.
That may be changing as Disney is pushing ahead with Disneyland Forward, a multi-year plan that would expand the park to an area over Harbor Boulevard. Now, Disney is confirming not just what this new construction entails, but also when.
What does this new area entail?
At a special community event at the Hyperion Theater on June 5th, Walt Disney Imagineering Portfolio Creative Executive Emo O'Brien revealed details of the first steps in Disneyland Forward. He was joined by Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum, who announced that the resort will begin work in 2026 on its new 6,000-space parking structure on the east side of the resort, which will include "a new transportation hub and lead into a new esplanade arrival experience".
The early concept drawings show how guests will cross an overhead bridge that actually rises over the monorail leading to the resort entrance. While it appears to be a walkway, there's the possibility of some sort of shuttle/tram to help guests get to the entrance faster.
This is the start of the changes that include two huge new additions!
Get ready to ride Coco
After being announced at D23, a Coco boat ride will be the first big addition to Pixar Pier. It will fit between Pixar Pier and Paradise Garden, with drawings showing the entranceway that replicates the village from the beloved Pixar hit.
The ride itself is a boat ride retelling the story of the young boy traveling into the afterlife, boasting the music and lovely effects that fans will want to see. It's a great new addition to the park area, and it makes sense it slips into Pixar Pier.
What's leaving DCA?
Of course, it's an inevitability in Disney that when a big attraction opens, another has to close. In this case, Disney has confirmed that in early 2026, Monsters Inc Mike and Sully to the Rescue! will close down.
The ride opened in early 2006 in place of the infamously horrible Superstar Limo. The dark ride retells the story of the 2001 Pixar smash and while it's a favorite for kids, it's never been seen as a top-tier Disney attraction with some outdated effects.
With a new Monsters Inc area planning to open in Hollywood Studios in the next couple of years, shutting this down makes sense as Disney will want a bigger and better attraction to pull people in. It also opens up space in this area for a huge new addition fans have wanted!
What's coming for the new Avatar land?
The closing of Monsters Inc allows Disney to craft its own World of Pandora area based on Avatar. It won't be a clone of the Animal Kingdom area but will be an original experience based on the sci-fi franchise, with what seems like a boat ride.
Disney does say the main attraction is "in the early stages of development," so it's possible it could change. The area being taken over is relatively small, which has some concerns that whatever attraction is used won't be huge. Then again, this may only be the start of Disney reworking that area into Pandora and expanding it more.
This shows that just as Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary, the park is making big plans for the future to show how Disneyland is always changing!
Which one of these attractions are you excited to see?