Credit: DisneyWhat could be next for Disney’s theme parks?
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Everyone has likely heard of Walt Disney World and Disneyland, two of the country’s leading vacation destinations. Filled with world-class attractions, classic dark rides, and countless delicious dishes to try, it’s no wonder why Disney’s theme park resorts are known as the most magical and happiest places on earth.
However, Disney newbies may be shocked to find out Disney owns and operates a total of 12 different theme parks with locations all around the world. From Shanghai to Tokyo, there’s a near-limitless amount of fun to be had inside Disney’s theme parks, with a lot on the horizon specifically for Disneyland Paris.
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When Disneyland Paris first opened in 1992, it featured only one park: Disneyland Park. Much like Disney’s original theme park in Anaheim, California, Paris’ Disneyland Park features classic rides and attractions, all centered around Sleeping Beauty Castle.
However, a second park opened in 2002, named Walt Disney Studios Park, which was designed to take guests inside Hollywood. Similar to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney Studios took heavy inspiration from Hollywood back lots, movie sets, and filmmaking, though this theming fell flat for many.
Over time, Walt Disney Studios became known as one of Disney’s worst-rated theme parks due to its absence of rides, dated core theme, and general lack of substantial updates. However, Disneyland Paris is now on a path to fix this.
In 2024, Disneyland Paris announced a plethora of changes and overhauls for not just Walt Disney Studios but the entire European resort. However, Walt Disney Studios Park will receive the most significant updates, including its own log flume ride inspired by The Lion King, as well as a new land based on Frozen.
Perhaps the biggest change to the park will be its name. Once all of its renovations are complete, Walt Disney Studios will be known as Disney Adventure World. This wouldn’t be the first time a Disney theme park has had a name change, with Disney’s MGM Studios being renamed to Hollywood Studios in 2008.
These two parks, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney Studios, will share a similar story when all is said and done. Both started out as moviemaking-inspired parks, then slowly transformed into broader, more IP-focused areas for guests to explore.
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With an entire theme park set to be renamed, one has to wonder what else is in store for places like Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Both resorts have a slew of new additions in the works, including a second Avatar land, a new area inspired by Pixar’s Monsters Inc. franchise, as well as the third iteration of Test Track over in EPCOT.
It’s incredibly exciting and interesting to think about what EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and the Magic Kingdom will look like in 2030, 2040, 2050, and so on.
It seems like nothing is truly off the table, not even Disney’s most classic rides and attractions. Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan’s Flight have all received hefty upgrades in recent years.
Over in Tokyo Disney, Space Mountain has been completely demolished to make way for a new and improved version of the iconic roller coaster.
Disneyland and Disney World were both built under the assumption that neither would be “complete” per se but rather always be in a perpetual state of evolving. This has remained true since both opened and is still true now.
What new rides and attractions would you like to see at Walt Disney World and Disneyland?