Disneyland Resort has approval for a major future-growth framework, and Disney says it plans to invest at least $1.9 billion in the resort over the first 10 years. That does not mean a single, fully designed expansion is already being built: DisneylandForward sets the land-use rules for future development, while the announced attractions and infrastructure are at different stages.
What DisneylandForward approves
Anaheim City Council gave final approval to DisneylandForward on May 7, 2024. The framework updates land-use approvals for future resort development; it is not itself a construction plan for one finished expansion. Disney said the framework could support new entertainment experiences, jobs, and revenue for Anaheim. Disney’s approval announcement described the investment commitment and the plan’s intended economic role.
Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock said Disney would invest at least $1.9 billion in the resort in the first 10 years. This is a stated future investment commitment, not an account of money already spent. Potrock also cited a Cal State Fullerton economic-impact study projecting about $15 million in additional annual Anaheim revenue for each $1 billion invested. That figure is a projection reported by Disney, not a measured outcome.
What Disney has announced
Disney’s August 2024 D23 recap announced concepts involving Coco, Avatar, and Avengers Campus. A June 5, 2025 Disney update added proposed locations and schedule details for some projects. Their current public descriptions differ in scope and development stage:
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| Project | Type and announced location | Latest stated status in the cited updates |
|---|---|---|
| Coco attraction | Attraction planned near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier, in areas predominantly backstage at the time of the announcement. | Disney said backstage construction was set to begin in fall 2025. The available update does not verify whether it began on schedule. |
| Avatar destination | Themed destination planned for part of the current Hollywood Backlot area. | Disney described it as in early development in June 2025. Its April 2024 wording had referred to a “potential” experience; the later announcement gave a proposed location but did not establish a completed design or opening date. |
| Two Avengers Campus attractions | Two new attractions planned for Avengers Campus; Disney said they were intended to double the size of the land. | Announced in Disney’s August 2024 D23 recap. The cited updates do not provide a construction schedule or opening date. |
| Parking and transportation hub | Planned for part of the Manchester cast member parking lot east of the resort. | Disney’s June 2025 plan described approximately 6,000 parking spaces, shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening, dedicated access from Disney Way, a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard, and a new esplanade arrival experience. Multi-year construction of the arrival experience was slated to begin in fall 2026; the cited update does not confirm that it started. |
The Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! attraction was also part of Disney’s June 2025 plans: Disney said it would close in early 2026 to make way for the Avatar experience. That was a dated company schedule, not confirmation that the closure occurred.
For the original project announcements, see Disney’s August 2024 D23 recap and its April 3, 2024 statement on a potential Avatar experience. The proposed locations and schedules above come from the June 5, 2025 DisneylandForward update.
When will the expansion be built?
There is no single opening date for “the expansion,” because DisneylandForward covers a framework for future growth rather than one project with one construction timetable. Disney’s June 2025 post said Coco backstage construction was set to begin in fall 2025, while multi-year construction of the new arrival experience was slated to start in fall 2026. Those were plans stated at that time. The cited updates do not establish whether either schedule was met or whether it has since changed.
For Avatar, Disney identified a proposed location and called the project early in development in June 2025, but did not provide an opening date in that update. The cited information likewise does not give a construction or opening timetable for the Avengers Campus attractions.
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- At least $1.9 billion: Disney’s commitment for resort investment over the first 10 years, announced by Ken Potrock on May 7, 2024. It is not the amount already spent, nor is it a cost assigned to one attraction.
- About $15 million a year per $1 billion invested: a projected increase in Anaheim revenue from a Cal State Fullerton economic-impact study, as cited by Disney. It is not a guaranteed annual return or a result already observed.
- Approximately 6,000 spaces: Disney’s planned capacity for the parking and transportation hub in its June 2025 description, not a count of spaces currently available.
These figures refer to different things: a resort investment commitment, a projected city-revenue effect, and planned parking capacity. They should not be read as interchangeable measures of the expansion’s construction cost or completion.
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