Since their buyout of the Disneyland Paris resort in 2018, Disney has been doing steady work bringing the resort up to their standards. This has mostly been through refurbishment projects and expansions of Walt Disney Studios Park. But if you follow any Disneyland Paris fan online then you’ll know that one of the biggest criticisms that Disney has faced from them is the lack of attention given to the resort’s flagship theme park and namesake: Disneyland Paris.
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The park has never seen a major expansion and hasn’t received a new attraction since ‘Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast‘ opened nearly 18 years ago. But in the past year, we’ve seen rumours galore of the potential of several major expansions coming to the resort including a brand new land themed to ‘The Lion King’ and even ‘Pandora: The World of Avatar.’ So far, the rumoured lands haven’t been officially announced which left many disappointed with the lack of news from the most recent D23, but things may seem bright on the horizon for Disneyland Paris.
It was recently announced that The Walt Disney Company would be pouring a whopping $60 Billion investment into the Parks, Experiences and Products division over the next decade, an investment that will see expansions to their theme parks and cruise lines. Many jokes about what Disneyland Paris could get out of this were posted online, but reliable scooper, Ally (co-creator of OutsideEarsDLP) has shared that Disneyland Paris is actually set to receive an astonishing €15 Billion from the €60 Billion pot.
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Ally has one of (if not the) best track records when it comes to Disneyland Paris scoops so while this news has a high likelihood of being true, we do have to preface that until Disney officially announces it, this is all still in the rumour territory. But what has Ally shared?
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According to him, Disneyland Paris can still expect Walt Disney Studios’ mysterious third land to be built after ‘Frozen’, it hasn’t been cancelled but as we expected, it won’t be an abridged version of ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge‘ as originally planned. It will indeed be Project Sun a.k.a ‘Untitled Lion King-land,’ whose main attraction will be an “ambitious ride.” This expansion won’t be part of the €15 Billion investment but part of the €2 Billion that Disney gave Disneyland Paris in 2018. The main attraction has been rumoured to be a boat ride similar to Shanghai’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ attraction.
But what could be part of this significant investment? It hasn’t been specified, but Ally mentioned new attractions and lands coming to Walt Disney Studios Park and Disneyland Paris! We can speculate that the rumoured ‘Avatar: World of Pandora’ will finally find a home outside of Walt Disney World and maybe we’ll see Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge come to life behind Discoveryland, as many have been stating online. Whatever we get, it’s very exciting considering that Disneyland Paris has never seen such a big project in its 30-year history.
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There is also the question of the resort’s third gate which must be built by 2036 or else Disney loses the land. The same rule which caused Walt Disney Studios Park to be built on such a tight budget that it only had three opening-day attractions. But will the third gate suffer the same fate? Apparently not, because the third park will allegedly be part of the €15 Billion that will be spread across the resort over a ten-year span, giving Disney ample time to develop a theme park that deserves to carry the Disney name. As to what the theme of that park will be is still a mystery to all.
Why the sudden interest in Disneyland Paris when Disney has spent so long virtually ignoring the resort? Well, much like how Walt Disney World is facing a massive growth of competition from the under-construction Universal’s Epic Universe, Disneyland Paris is potentially facing a similar crisis with PortAventura. Over the past year, rumours of Universal purchasing PortAventura have been spreading like wildfire and now the Spanish resort is going on sale for €1 Billion. If Universal does buy the resort (which it previously owned from 1998 to 2005), which seems more and more likely as the days go on, then it might provide the good kick up the backside that Disney needs in order to make Disneyland Paris stand out as much as her international siblings.
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In 2022, Disneyland Paris was the most visited theme park in Europe and Walt Disney Studios Park was the 5th. PortAventura followed closely in 6th place but with the threat of ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Transformers,’ and of course, Europe’s own ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Minions‘ coming to Barcelona, we could see PortAventura quickly climbing up for that coveted Number 1 spot unless Disney is willing to do something.
Source: Ally! OutsideEars
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