Disneyland Resort plans expansion with second park, ‘Disney’s California Adventure,’ in Anaheim, California, in 2001
Proposed Expansion Includes Deluxe Hotel, Retail and Entertainment
ANAHEIM, CA. — JULY 17, 1996 — The allure of California’s climate, beauty and lifestyle is the genesis for the $1.4-billion proposed expansion of The Disneyland Resort, it was announced today, on the 41st birthday of Disneyland, by its president, Paul Pressler. The Resort’s centerpiece is a new theme park called “Disney’s California Adventure.” The expansion of The Disneyland Resort will include an entertainment center with shopping, theaters and dining, as well as a deluxe hotel.
Located on 55 acres of the existing parking area, just south of the Disneyland main entrance, “Disney’s California Adventure” celebrates the fun and diversity of California. From the glamour of Hollywood to the exhilaration of soaring above Yosemite Valley to a California gleaming beach-front boardwalk, the new theme park will capture California’s “Golden State of Mind.”
The park’s attractions will thrill guests with all the entertainment magic the world has come to expect from Disney theme parks. Among the experiences within “Disney’s California Adventure,” guests will find an action-packed studio district featuring rides and attractions that transport guests to the Hollywood of their imaginations. One attraction will take guests behind the scenes in a one-of-a-kind television studio, where they will become both the stars and the audience. In a new Disney animation experience (left), guests will enjoy an up-close and personal look at Disney’s most treasured and admired art form, including a hands-on opportunity to make their own cartoon magic.
Another district of the park will pay tribute to the distinctly California images of palm-lined boardwalks and sunsets over the Pacific. On this nostalgic boardwalk, California’s beach culture will come alive with classic rides — each given a unique Disney twist — street artists, musicians and all the fun of a perfect day at the beach.
California’s spectacular beauty and the inventive spirit of its people provides the inspiration for another unique area of the park. Here, guests will “soar” in hang gliders over California’s scenic wonders and feel the wind in their faces as they view some of the state’s most picturesque locales from a new perspective. Adventurous guests can explore forests, deserts and subterranean caverns, and take a white water “rafting” expedition through the undiscovered Golden State (right).
“The creative concept for ‘Disney’s California Adventure’ is to celebrate the special magic of the California dream,” commented Barry Braverman, executive producer, Walt Disney Imagineering, and creative director of the project. “Our goal is to immerse guests in compelling stories, evocative places and fantastic adventures that will bring the California dream to life.”
“During Disneyland’s opening ceremony in 1955, Walt Disney declared that ‘Disneyland will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world,”‘ noted Pressler. “This is the single largest expansion in our 41-year history. Today, we confirm our commitment to Walt’s dream.”
The first phase of the expansion plans will include a new deluxe 750-room hotel called “The Grand Californian,” to be located directly inside “Disney’s California Adventure” (left).This hotel will reflect a residential style, reminiscent of Craftsman architecture which will provide a resort experience unlike anywhere in the world. The hotel will have a complex of swimming pools, banquet and meeting rooms, and a wedding chapel. When “The Grand Californian” opens, The Disneyland Resort’s hotel district will have a total of 2,300 guest rooms, including the existing Disneyland Hotel and The Disneyland Pacific Hotel.
At the heart of The Disneyland Resort, will be The Disneyland Center, a public esplanade of highly themed retail, dining, and entertainment experiences all within walking distance for guests, conventioneers and residents. The Disneyland Center will connect the two theme parks — “Disney’s California Adventure” and Disneyland — together with The Resort hotels, thereby becoming a new “Main Street” for the Anaheim Resort.
“We believe that ‘Disney’s California Adventure’ and the new Disneyland Resort will set the stage for Anaheim and Southern California tourism well into the 21st century,” Pressler concluded.
Construction will begin in early 1997. The Disneyland Resort expansion is scheduled to be completed by the year 2001.
