It’s possible that there’s never been a better time to be a mildly obsessive theme park fan. 2025 is a year that will be huge, with the opening of both Epic Universe in Florida and Disneyland's 70th-anniversary celebration, but the next few years are promising massive changes, updates, and expansions all over the theme park space.
Disney is planning on spending $60 billion over the next decade on its parks, and most of that will be focused on expansion, from the massive DisneylandForward project in California to multiple new lands on the way at Walt Disney World. While there’s every reason to be excited, there’s also one big reason to be concerned that at least some of the planned changes may never happen.
Disney World And Disneyland Are Planning Major Expansion Over The Next Several Years
On both coasts, some major work is already being done at Disney Parks. Dinoland U.S.A. has closed down a large chunk of its space, and construction has already begun on the new Tropical Americas land planned for the area, which will include major attractions based on Encanto and Indiana Jones. Early work has also begun on Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort, which will add two new attractions and double the size of the land.
Beyond that, the Muppets Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is set to close this year to make way for a new Monsters Inc. land, with an incredible new roller coaster at its center. Disneyland has announced its own Avatar land, the location of which is still largely a mystery.
Then there’s the massive overhaul of Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, which will include the end of the Rivers of America. It will close to be replaced by Cars attractions and a new Villains land which will expand the size of Magic Kingdom.
Not all of these changes are popular with fans, with the Rivers of America closure being particularly unpopular. However, seeing so much planned for the future is still exciting... assuming it happens.
Disney Will Have A New CEO By 2027 Who Could And Likely Will, Change Everything
The projects that Disney already has underway are still years away from completion, and those that haven’t even started yet are further away than that. As such, the person who will ultimately determine what happens with these plans is not current Disney CEO Bob Iger, it’s whomever takes over his job.
Disney has announced that a replacement for Bob Iger as CEO will be announced early in 2026, with that person taking over full control when Iger’s current contract expires at the end of next year. Once that happens, they’re in charge, which means all bets are off. Some of the work being done will likely be too far along to be worth stopping or changing, but if the new boss is already committed to spending money on some of this, it could be bad news for the rest.
One of the people on the shortlist in Disney’s succession battle to the death is Josh D’Amaro, the head of Disney Experiences, the division that runs the parks. If he ends up getting the job, things will likely follow their current path. One assumes that he is already in favor of the plan as it is, or probably wouldn't be happening.
However, with three other strong contenders, including Disney Entertainment co-heads Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, whose interest in the parks is questionable, things could be very different. The fact is that at least right now, Disney Parks are still making money hand over fist. So if there are other places where money is needed that’s considered more immediate, other plans could end up on the back burner.
Disney World and Disneyland Will Still Change, But Maybe Not In The Way We Think
We’re already entering into an era of great economic uncertainty, and the last time that happened, a new CEO took over. In this Bob Chapek oversaw, some theme park projects, like a Mary Poppins attraction at Epcot, were canceled, and others, like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron roller coasters, took a lot longer than they probably should have.
Some projects that might have been planned to start soon may get delayed simply as a “wait and see” measure. If they wait long enough so that the greenlight needs to be given by the next CEO it might not happen at all.
That’s not to say these changes won’t happen ever, but if there are significant delays, we could end up seeing things change in ways other than what’s expected. If something happens and fans' prayers are answered, and the Rivers of America isn’t closed to make way for Cars rides, that doesn’t mean it’s safe forever. It could end up changing, but in a different way, especially if some other new Disney IP becomes a massive hit in the interim.
DisneylandForward is happening. Disneyland worked hard to get the city of Anaheim to approve the plan. Not moving forward seems all but impossible at this point. We don’t even know what the plan is for the expansion as far as what lands or attractions are being considered for inclusion, so it’s a safe bet we’ll never really know if those plans change drastically. However, it’s also a safe bet the next CEO will put their stamp on such a big change, as it will happen almost entirely under their watch.
Maybe Disney’s next CEO won’t care so much about the parks, and things will remain largely unchanged for years to come. Maybe Disney’s next CEO will be a big positive for the future of Disney parks. If they see the parks as a worthy investment, as past Disney CEOs have done, it could mean seeing much more investment, greater expansion, and only bigger and better things for years to come.
The real result will likely be somewhere in the middle. Disney’s next CEO, whomever they are, will pave the way for some changes in the company, which could mean that the version of the parks we’re now expecting may never happen. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is an entirely separate question.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
