Downtown Disney Tears Down Theatre, Massive Overhaul Coming - Inside the Magic

With the Destination D23 live stream this morning, we were able to receive a ton of information when it comes to the Disney Parks around the world, especially Disneyland Resort, and all of the major changes coming there.

Both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have been or will be undergoing a lot of change in the future as Toontown is reimagined. At DCA, Guests can explore the newly added Avengers Campus! On top of that, World of Color and Fantasmic! are both set to return to Disneyland Resort next year, and it seems that the Downtown Disney District will be seeing some updates as well.

Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) Tweeted:

@Disneyland Resort, the multi-year project to reimagine Downtown Disney District is being planned with work starting in January 2022 and will include an even broader collection of shopping, dining & entertainment experiences. #DestinationD23

At @Disneyland Resort, the multi-year project to reimagine Downtown Disney District is being planned with work starting in January 2022 and will include an even broader collection of shopping, dining & entertainment experiences. #DestinationD23 pic.twitter.com/u39kgJCgRz

— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) November 20, 2021

Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, was there to make the announcement as Disney CEO Bob Chapek was unable to attend the event and also noted that the AMC would be shutting down as well to make room for what is to come.

In a press release, Disney expanded on the upcoming changes:

The Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., is about to embark on its next evolution of innovative shopping, dining and entertainment experiences. 

Back in 2018, the Downtown Disney District began a renaissance by opening several dynamic new restaurants and shops such as Splitsville Luxury Lanes, Ballast Point Brewing Co., Salt & Straw, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes, the redesigned Wetzel’s Pretzels, a fully-renovated California Sole, and the renovated Naples Ristorante e Bar and Napolini Pizzeria. The district brought even more Disney to this Southern California destination with the complete reimagination of World of Disney, the ultimate one-stop shop for favorite Disney merchandise, along with Disney Home and The Disney Dress Shop.

Continuing that momentum, the Disneyland Resort is planning a multi-year project to take Downtown Disney District to the next level, with work beginning in January 2022. Kicking off the project, the former AMC Theatres building and adjacent area will be completely transformed into a stunning new lifestyle space. Drawing inspiration from Southern California mid-century modern architecture, the area will be a beautiful blend of vibrant color palettes, multi-cultural design elements and patterns, an open lawn for relaxation and future events, and an even broader collection of dining and shopping.

To accommodate this work, Earl of Sandwich, Sugarboo & Co. and Starbucks Coffee on the west end of the district will close in late January 2022. The Starbucks location on the east end near World of Disney will remain open.

It seems that over time, we will indeed begin to learn of all the upcoming changes coming to Downtown Disney. In Walt Disney World, we once saw a similar transformation, with Downtown Disney turning into Disney Springs. It does not seem that the changes will be as massive as Orlando saw, but we can see updates will be made.

What do you think of changes coming to Downtown Disney? 

Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Disneyland Resort? What about Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!