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D23 Parks Panel to Have a Heavy Disneyland Emphasis

Joshua
Written by Joshua Posted
D23 Parks Panel to Have a Heavy Disneyland Emphasis

Earlier today, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock announced that a “big swath” of the D23 Disney Experiences Showcase will focus on his home resort.

“The Disneyland Resort is about as excited as we can be about many of the announcements that are going to happen this weekend. In particular, when Josh presents on Saturday talking about the Disney experiences, all the new things, I feel very confident that a big swath of those are going to be about the Disneyland Resort.”

Ken Potrock, President, Disneyland Resort

Potrock shared that the resort is set to grow in the coming years, thanks to DisneylandForward, the new agreement between Disney and the city of Anaheim. “We’ve always had lots of land. The challenge that we’ve been faced with is that land has been used and can only be used as surface parking lots. Now with this new relationship with Anaheim, that land can become theme park, hotel, retail, dining, [and] entertainment. And in fact, we’re incredibly excited about the potential of expanding the Disneyland Resort by more than 50%,” he said.

Potrock’s statements are somewhat surprising. Many fans assumed the lion’s share of the Horizons presentation would focus on Walt Disney World updates.

So what will be announced on Saturday night? I’m confident we’ll finally find out if Avatar is a land or an experience. Marvel Campus’ newest e-ticket attraction is also a lock. A model of the ride vehicle is on display on the D23 convention floor. Beyond that, we’re just guessing. Personally, I’d love to see a Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs attraction in Anaheim. And maybe a retro-modern Tomorrowland refurb.

Special thanks to Drew Smith for sharing Potrock’s remarks. You should follow Drew for real-time D23 updates.