Forgotten Disney Park To Get Its First New Addition in 18 Years

One of Disney’s most forgotten parks is allegedly set to receive its first addition in 18 years.

Since opening Disneyland in 1955, Disney has expanded its theme park empire worldwide. Today, the Walt Disney Company operates parks in Anaheim, Florida (Walt Disney World Resort), Japan (Tokyo Disney Resort), Paris (Disneyland Paris), Hong Kong (Hong Kong Disneyland), and China (Shanghai Disneyland Resort).

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Home to four theme parks and two water parks, Walt Disney World typically gets the most attention – and the most investment. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom have received numerous additions over the past 50 years, with EPCOT currently in the middle of a major glow-up.

In comparison, other parks have received relatively little TLC. It’s a common sentiment among Disney fans that Disneyland Paris is often treated like the forgotten child of the Walt Disney Company. Despite Disney finally taking full control of the resort in 2018 – and despite raking in record-breaking profits last year – Disneyland Park has gone 18 years without a new ride.

The most recent ride to debut at the park was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast in 2004. To give you an idea of just how un-recent that actually is, that was a whole six years before Pixar released Toy Story 3 (2010). Disney has also opened two new theme parks since then (Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland).

Fortunately, Disney is on the cusp of a theme park spending spree. The Walt Disney Company recently announced a $60 billion investment into its theme parks and experiences worldwide. Unsurprisingly, Walt Disney World is getting a $17 billion chunk of that total. More surprisingly, Disneyland Paris is allegedly receiving nearly as much.

As reported by The DisInsider, X (formerly Twitter) user @aalllllyyyyyy – cofounder of OutsidearsDLP – has claimed that Disneyland Paris will get a $15 billion fund injection.

Rumored projects covered by that $15 billion include France’s version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which many have theorized will be positioned just beyond Discoveryland – which already rethemed its Space Mountain into a Star Wars roller coaster – at Disneyland Park. That means that, yes, the original park at Disneyland Paris will finally receive a new ride.

As if a new ride at Disneyland isn’t exciting enough, another major consequence of these funds could be a brand-new park. Disneyland Paris is contractually obliged to build a third gate to join Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park by 2036.

One thing that won’t be included in the $15 billion – but is apparently still on the way – is the mysterious new land coming to Walt Disney Studios Park. In 2018, the resort was given $2 billion by the Walt Disney Company to build Marvel’s Avengers Campus (now open), World of Frozen (opening in 2025), and the as-yet-unannounced third land.

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According to @aalllllyyyyyy, this is still the plan. While it won’t be a Star Wars land as originally planned (this plan has shifted to the park next door), the land will instead be inspired by The Lion King (1994) – complete with a major attraction inspired by Shanghai Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure.

Of course, until Disney confirms otherwise, these are all just rumors. However, as noted by The DisInsider, Ally has a strong track record for inside scoops about Disneyland Paris.

The resort may also face increasing competition for the title of Europe’s most-visited theme park soon. Reports have heated up about the possibility of Universal Studios once again taking over PortAventura – the theme park it previously owned in Spain until 2004 – since the park was put up for sale earlier this month.

It’ll take a lot to compete with a potential Wizarding World of Harry Potter or SUPER NINTENDO LAND – but with $15 billion on the way, it seems like Disney won’t go down without a fight.

What rides or lands would you like to see Disney add to Disneyland Paris? Let us know in the comments!