When it comes to change, Disneyland Resort has seen a ton over the past year, and more is on the way. 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 this year, and it seems that the Downtown Disney District will be seeing some updates as well.
Credit: Disney
As previously announced by D23, 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. The announcement was made at Destination D23 last November. 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.
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.
Credit: Disney
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.
Credit: Disney
Now, it seems that the AMC has heavily began construction, with the interior looking fully demolished and torn into. The location which was once a home to all of the big movie hits, now remains a desolate construction zone with no appeal, understandably!
Theme Park expert Jeff DePaoli (@JeffDePaoli) took to Twitter to show the demolished sites.
Did any of you enjoy movies at the AMC in Downtown Disney? This is the current state of the building as they prep the land for a new Downtown Disney offering.
Did any of you enjoy movies at the AMC in Downtown Disney? This is the current state of the building as they prep the land for a new Downtown Disney offering.
Did any of you enjoy movies at the AMC in Downtown Disney? This is the current state of the building as they prep the land for a new Downtown Disney offering. pic.twitter.com/gsl9Th99TP
Danny (@just_ask_danny) also shared a different view.
Checked out the demolition progress today on the former AMC Theater building in Downtown Disney. You can see the gutted remnants of one of the theaters.
Checked out the demolition progress today on the former AMC Theater building in Downtown Disney. You can see the gutted remnants of one of the theaters. pic.twitter.com/fBRtnLhXbF
It will be interesting to see what the new “lifestyle” space will hold in the Downtown Disney space, and how it will benefit Guests. It seems that there will be more food and shopping options added to the area due to the extra space, but we will have to wait for further developments to see what the space will actually entail, and how it will be utilized by Guest. Disney recently also announced a new “Storybook Living” section that they would be adding near the Parks, creating a Disney-owned residential complex.
What do you think of the new Downtown Disney District changes? Let us know in the comments below.
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Disneyland Resort, including Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney District. Or 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!
Plus, there is so much to see and do at Disney California Adventure Park! Guests can enjoy Buena Vista Street as they walk the roads Walt had in Hollywood, enjoy a hand-dipped corn dog at Award Wieners, Head to Cars Land to enjoy the neon signage and Radiator Springs Racers, check out the new Marvel-themed land in Avengers Campus, where they can meet Spider-Man, Loki, Ant-Man, Black Widow, Doctor Strange, and so many more characters. And of course, you have to ride WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: MISSION BREAKOUT. Rock on the Silly Symphony Swings as well, and go catch Jack Jack on Incredicoaster! The list of rides and attractions never ends!
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Credit: Disney
