Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicIt appears Disney has nixed another land expansion in Disneyland Paris, right after the parks CEO, Natacha Rafalski, nearly confirmed the cancelation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
While we may see progress in some Disney parks, such as Walt Disney World expanding EPCOT and teasing more of an expansion in Magic Kingdom beyond Big Thunder, with a possible Dark Kingdom, or the Animal Kingdom additions of Zootopia, Indiana Jones, Encanto, and more, but Disneyland Paris has been on the back burner for years now, taking a lot of budget cut hits with very few progressive moves.
One of the biggest expansions that Disney is doing at the moment is expanding its Disney princess and fantasy lore with new Frozen-themed lands. Hong Kong Disney has opened Arendelle: The World of Frozen, Tokyo Disney Resort is prepping to open Fantasy Springs, which will have Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan elements, and at some point, Kingdom of Arendelle will open at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris.
That expansion, along with the expansion of Toy Story Land, and the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, were promised by Bob Iger in 2019; however, since the pandemic, a lot of those exciting advancements have not taken place. We have seen this on other projects, such as EPCOT’s refurbishment getting a lot of cuts, including nixing the new fountain in World Celebration Gardens, the Spaceship Earth refurbishment, and the new Cherry Tree Lane Mary Poppins section in the U.K. pavilion with a new attraction.
While cut are taking place at all Disney parks, Disneyland Paris seems to be one of the parks to not see too many new and exciting announcements. Recently, we shared that Disneyland CEO Natacha Rafalski spoke out on the expansion project for the Kingdom of Arendelle, but made 0 comment regarding the mystery of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge which was meant to be completed between 2021 – 2025, and has not seen construction for years.
As we covered, she said, “We are working on the second phase, developing the Frozen Kingdom. [… ] We are obviously going to create a major attraction that will take the public on an adventure with Anna and Elsa, the heroines. We are also currently building a three-hectare lake with pretty banks for walking, a restaurant with a panoramic view of the kingdom. In the evening, the lake will be able to host shows. To join the existing park, we will create a promenade with gardens, including one dedicated to Toy Story and a Rapunzel attraction for little children. [… ]”.
With no mention of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and the latest due date just a year away, her ignoring its existance is almost as good as confirming it will not happen. That being said, construction walls with concept art still show the Batuu expansion.
Another land she chose to leave out was the Toy Story Playland expansion. At the moment, the land has the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, RC Racer, and Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, as its attractions. While three rides is a good number for a land, these rides are all very small, and take up little space which is what was necessary to fit multiple attractions in such a small area. With the other Pixar franchises like Cars and Finding Nemo also having tiny versions of lands that are far larger in other parks, the Toy Story Playland expansion would allow the land to not feel like another sample size offering, giving guests more to see and do in the park.
Disney enthusiasts Sami (@Sami_Parks) recently took to X (formally Twitter) to share all of the canceled or delayed projects at Disneyland Paris resort, and posted the question that asks where the $2 billion that was promised to the park went?
2 billion / €
– Star Wars Attraction Canceled ❌
– Toy Story Land expansion canceled ❌
– Failed opening of Flight Force 👎
– Failed reopening of Cars RoadTrip 👎
– Frozen Land Delayed 🏗️Where are the 2 billion? 💸
2 milliards / €
– Attraction Star Wars Annulée ❌
– Extension Toy Story Land annulée ❌
– Ouverture de Flight Force ratée 👎
– Réouverture de Cars RoadTrip ratée 👎
– Frozen Land Retardé 🏗️Ou sont les 2 milliards ? 💸 pic.twitter.com/sQsHifsaeq
— Sami – Hello Parks 🎢 (@Sami_Parks) January 21, 2024
Bernardo (@Bernswss) refuted Sami’s claims stating:
– Star Wars land not cancelled, evolved into Lion King
– Toy Story Extension there, grew into Rapunzel garden
– Frozen land and project delayed due to Covid-19The 2 “milliardes” were not all spent on the expansion, but rather Studios 2.0, Village 2.0, Hotel refurbs and more
All of that being said, there is not a confirmation on all of this news, yet.
The DisInsider did share the rumored Lion King expansion, stating “The third land in Walt Disney Studios Park’s ongoing expansion is now rumoured to be themed to The Lion King and will feature an E-Ticket water ride. If true, then this will be the first Lion King-themed land in the world and a fantastic addition to the Disneyland Paris resort which is in need of an exclusive attraction.”
Stating that the Toy Story extension is still there, but now is being used for a garden does not really mean that the new expansion is still there, as it will no longer be Toy Story Playland, leaving the area small, and unexpanded.
Disneyland Paris Hotel is reopening in a few days, with lots of work having gone into the multi-year refurbishment, which likely took a lot of the $2 billion, and Walt Disney Studios Park is refurbishing their entire Studio 1 entrance, which will likely be where some of that money will go to, as well.
All of that being said, the Toy Story Playland expansion has remained more of a black sheep subject, barely being recognized or acknowledged by Disney.
Disneyland Paris Park also revealed their new mural at the entrance, which is of Sleeping Beauty Castle, which is revealed right after guests pass under Main Street Station. Some have shown affinity to the new mural, while others think that it ruins the big reveal of the castle that comes just moments after walking by.
Do you think that Disney should have expanded Toy Story Playland?