An interesting comment was posted "anonymously" to the "Visualize Disneyland Star Wars Land with this S.W Wilson Map" article posted ten days ago. The anonymous reader, who apparently got the info from a friend working at LucasFilm, said:
"Interesting to think about Star Wars in Anaheim... Heard from a friend at Lucasfilm that they're thinking about and discussing with Imagineering a Star Wars land in the parking lot west of DCA in order to drive more traffic to DCA, and that construction will begin in early 2016".
Although i give the benefit of the doubt to any comment, even posted anonymously, this must be considered only as a rumor until we get an official confirmation. But it's an interesting one because so far the rumors were saying that Disneyland's Star Wars Land will come in DL Tomorrowland and with a E-Ticket ride using the land where Autopia is now.
To be honest, if i was the one choosing i would prefer to have it at DCA instead than Disneyland Tomorrowland. Not that it's impossible to do, but i've never been convinced that it was the perfect location, that a Star Wars Land would be better out of DL and even that they should put it in the long rumored third Anaheim gate.
However, if you look at the Google Earth screen captures above, i think they will have enough space to create a land in this parking lot - in red above - if the infos are right. What? There is the South West St / Disneyland Drive between the parking lot and DCA? Sure, but this could be a minor issue which can be resolved with works to have the road going beneath the path that would be created between DCA and the parking lot, or the contrary. My main concern is the Disney's Paradise Pier hotel nearby, too close to don't be a visual intrusion if WDI Imagineers were building the Star Wars land on this parking lot...
But i agree that the idea to build it at DCA, in order to bring more guests inside DCA rather than at Disneyland is a good one, and makes sense. Disneyland is regularly over packed and i can't imagine how packed it would be with a Star Wars Land at DL during the Holiday season... So, yes, keep this rumor in mind and we'll see in 2016 if it was the right one as the construction, according to this comment, is supposed to start this year, which would lead probably to an opening in 2018... which was the date a Star Wars Land was scheduled to open at Disneyland as written in the Disney Parks 10 years plan released internally last April.
Pictures: copyright Google Earth
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14 comments:
No idea if this is true, but it would be *so* much better than cramming Star Wars into Tomorrowland. I really hope they're considering this.
Cramming Star Wars into Tomorrowland goes against the "mission" of Walt's Tomorrowland, and it also means Star Wars would get the short end of the stick. There's only so much you can do when you're inserting it into an existing park. Much better to just start from a blank slate - or a parking lot - and really do it right. I mean it's Star Wars... it can definitely support a larger area than just an Ewok playground in Tomorrowland.
Crossing my fingers for this... and then maybe Tomorrowland will get a respectful overhaul that it deserves, full of REAL futurism.
I might be mistaken, but I think I've heard before that the Paradise Pier Hotel is dated and certainly could be removed. I've never stayed there, so I don't know firsthand, but if true then that area could also be part of future plans...as well as the ability to address those sight-line concerns.
Much better idea. I'm not so hot on the idea of Tomorrowland being taken over by Star Wars.
Paradise Pier Hotel is toast!
It is one of the few places left to expand DCA
I for one, am excited about this rumor. I'd much rather see them build a Starwars land from scratch than attempt to cram it into Tomorrow land.
They could then convert Star Tours into Iron Man and do some Marvel attraction at Innovations.
Any chance they'd re-theme the hotel to Starwars so it doesn't ruin the vertical line of sight when in the new land?
This is a much better idea!
There are some issues to be addressed if this rumor is true though.
First, Disneyland can't afford to lose a parking lot, as the existing parking lots are on the limit on busy days, so they would have to find new parking space.
Disneyland also doesn't have a lot of hotel rooms and losing a hotel would be a problem for the resort, especially with the expected attendance increase from Star Wars.
Finally, I think that they also have to invest in Disneyland again, as IMO the park needs an overhaul of Tomorrowland, updated Fantasyland Dark rides and a new E-Ticket in Frontierland.
Star Wars doesn't fit the theming of California Adventure. Remember, despite initial changes to the concept and layout of the park in 2012, the theme is still center to "California."
I too am not a big fan of a Stars Wars takeover of Tomorrowland. If anything I rather reserve the space for something original or having Disneyland's version of new Fantasyland.
You actually forget that there is space on the other side of the resort that is currently use as a parking lot. While still under ownership of the city,it wouldn't be too difficult to convince the board to create a Star Wars themed park as the third gate.
I like this idea better than in Tomorrowland. Also, i also think the east parking lot section and that piece of land with the hotel on the S/E corner (Harbor and Katella) seems to have enough space for SW land. But, Disney would have to pony the inflated price to purchase the property. Just a thought. Either way, it's better than a SW takeover of TL.
Stars Wars land in DCA. Yuck! That park has finally found itself in some ways. Tomorrowland is already a mess of themes. Put it there. Or create a 3rd park.
The parking lots in that area is zoned for hotels/entertainment. I doubt the Disneyland Resort would want to give up a prime location for one or two full service hotels and dtd expansion considering they have a whole strawberry field marked for theme park operations.
Until Disney requests a zoning change and builds more parking structures in the parking districts..this DCA expansion isn't happening.
Maybe they should theme paradise pier as a Star Wars hotel and have it enter directly into Star Wars Land. I think the 60th anniversary of Disneyland leads to some logistics problems putting it in Tomorrowland. If this is true, I bet they will turn Tomorrow land into Marvel land.
Ok guys how about this, a little revision and 1 more star wars attraction in place of autotopia. ANNND a star wars land expansion to DCA. Why not both? And while their at it more Indiana Jones expansion.
That isn't such a "new" concept - When one of the first concepts of a 2nd gate was pitched for the DLR back in the 1980's it was a full park based upon 'Discovery Bay' - that location, as well as other "satellite" locations (such as where the Toy Story lot is now on Harbor S. of the Park) were planned for just such use - the idea that there would have been a central terminal (forgive me for not remembering the name, my notes are all in storage and about 400 miles north of me just now)from which transit vehicles would dispatch and return via hidden tracks so guests would not see themselves leaving the central reality of the park or returning. This would then make the park seem bigger on the inside than the outside - at least, for the first experience moment....
The best concept I have heard pitched (and there is no way of telling how many armchair Imagineers have theories out there being touted as WDI's ) is to consider a redo of the Toontown area and work it back down through the area above the Big Thunder Ranch - which gets back to the original footprint for Discovery Bay/Dumbo's Circus concepts. Now, from my view of my armchair ( ) if they were to go with an early Californian feel of a Mexican Village (Expanding on the look established at El Zocalo Restaurant a tad further south) then that would easily segue into the Cantina realm appearance and then work the setting around from there.
Reality is, even with all the speculation, no one will really know until Disney "makes it so."
Last I heard, Disneyland was going to cram Star Wars Land into the space currently occupied by Mickey's Toontown. I think this is a terrible idea. Fantasyland will become twice as crammed with families with small children who no longer have Toontown, plus Star Wars Land will have to close during fireworks just as Toontown does now. I say put Star Wars Land in Florida and Europe first, then add it to either the proposed third Disneyland Resort Theme Park across Katella or as an addition to California Adventure across Disneyland Drive. Go ahead and tear down the Paradise Pier Hotel and add three moderate priced Disney hotels to Anaheim Garden Walk, in the open pads that were already set aside for hotels. Disney should buy Garden Walk, since it will sit directly between the new Disney Resort west side parking structure and the entrance to the new third Theme Park. The new park can have Star Wars Land, Marvel Land, plus more.
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