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Credit: Inside the MagicTexans, get ready.
In the United States, the East and West Coast model for the big theme park players, Disney and Universal, is about to be broken. In 2023, the now-named Universal Destinations & Experiences revealed plans for an all-new theme park experience–the Universal Kids Resort–coming to Frisco, Texas.
Universal’s most prominent location is the Universal Orlando Resort, located not far from Walt Disney World and the glistening spires of Cinderella Castle.
While plans have yet to be realized for the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington location, it does pose the question of whether Disney theme parks will also break out of California and Florida and make their way elsewhere in North America. The Golden and Sunshine states might be the place for guests to get their dose of Mickey Mouse magic, but what about Texas magic?
Related: Josh D’Amaro May Have Just Revealed the Next Disney Theme Park
Ever since the political battle unrolled across Florida in 2022 and 2023, state officials from places like North Carolina and Texas invited Walt Disney World Resort to jump ship and relocate to their homes. Of course, moving an entire multi-thousand-acre theme park resort is no small feat.
And even so, Disney CEO Bob Iger was steadfast on his decision to combat Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, as was Disney Experiences chief Josh D’Amaro who said that the tension has not affected the theme parks at all.
So while it seems that Disney theme parks in the United States, at least for now, are sticking to their roots, the House of Mouse did just make a historic announcement regarding its international resorts. The seventh theme park resort will be located in the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. Operated by Miral, Disneyland Abu Dhabi is set to be an indoor theme park resort located on Yas Island.
But is Disney leaving the market wide open?
Lizzy McGee, a former Disney strategist for The Walt Disney Company who worked across Disney Experiences (formerly Disney Parks, Experiences and Products), Disney Cruise Line, and the Disney Resort hotels, has a big dream. And she may just make it a reality.
The sixth-generation Texan is currently developing a Texas-themed amusement park located right there in the Lone Star State.
“I realized that Texas broadly, and Houston specifically, has all the metrics that my team [at Disney] looked for,” she explained in 2023 (via Disney Dining). “A massive and burgeoning population, a business-friendly environment, and, from the content side of things, a unique identity.”
McGee quickly realized that Texas, or the Houston area specifically, didn’t even need the weight of Disney theme parks or Universal to create an entertaining theme park complex–Texas itself was enough. As their mission states: “To build a permanent showcase of the Best of Texas that brings families together in celebration of Texas history and folklore.”
Related: Bob Iger Drops Big Statement Over Disney Park Expansion
Speaking to Texas Monthly, the creative entrepreneur explained that the proposed theme park, coined TexasLand, could have areas themed to the Wild West or astronauts and space. But the real magic would come from TexasLand, being, well, all about what Texas is.
“You could have the Towns of Texas Pavilion,” she tells the publication, “and have a Matt’s El Rancho in the Austin part, and Lonesome Dove and the Stockyards in the Fort Worth pavilion, and a haunted house in the Marfa pavilion.”
McGee’s plan is currently underway. The business school graduate has teamed up with classmate James Underwood, and used funds raised through a Kickstarter effort (which ended at $81,732; surpassing the goal “by nearly 11k”) to conduct a professional study. The robust study looked at things like weather, demand, and potential traffic.
At the time, she expected that the study would bring back findings her team already knows–that there is huge interest in bringing a theme park to the Lone Star State. “I saw how people in L.A. and Southern California treated Disneyland like it was in their backyard,” McGee said.
“They go on a random Tuesday afternoon, or they have their high school grad night there. Houston’s the fourth-largest city in the U.S. We should have something like this in our backyard.”
The Kickstarter included the project’s mission:
We want to build a quality, affordable, family-friendly park here in Texas
Our creative concept features attractions like Bowie’s Lost Silver Mine, Apollo 11 Mission Control, and Beyond the Gulf: Bandits on the High Seas
We believe Texas’ size, growth, and unique state pride are ideal conditions for a tailor-made theme park
We’re a team comprising a sixth-generation Houstonian, industry professionals, and MBA students with love Deep in the Heart for both Texas and theme parks
After the study, McGee and her team expected to take the TexasLand development project to potential investors, then execute the creative plans and open sometime in 2026. However, it seems that a 2026 opening is unlikely. The most recent update from TexasLand came at last year’s South by South West (SXSW) convention, where the team shared development plans.
TexasLand may be the plug in the amusement park hole of the huge southern state. It may be that this Herculean effort to create a state-branded theme park could pip Disney to the post, snatching a potentially profitable market from the House of Mouse. A case of David and Goliath, if it were.
And it’s not just Universal and McGee’s TexasLand that hopes to capitalize on the prosperous state. Merlin Entertainments revealed in 2023 that Peppa Pig would be heading to North Richland Hills, Texas. The park opened in March 2025. Via Local Profile:
“This central location makes it fantastic for an amusement park of this kind,” said Mayor Trevino. “We are celebrating our 70th year as a city. We grew from a rural Fort Worth outer suburb to a private community right in the middle of the fast-growing metroplex area… This will be a big place and this will be a happening place where our future citizens learn how to share, how to play with others and how to play with Peppa Pig.”
Only time will tell if Disney does stretch their limbs out of the East and West, but as of right now, it’s already starting to get crowded over in the Lone Star state.
What do you think of these new theme park plans? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
The Disney Parks empire currently consists of Walt Disney World Resort which features Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney Springs; Disneyland Resort, which features Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park; Disneyland Paris, which features Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park; Tokyo Disney Resort which features Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea; Shanghai Disney Resort which features Shanghai Disneyland; and Hong Kong Disneyland.