The Disneyland Resort is in the middle of a major expansion that is bringing multiple new rides to Disney California Adventure and big additions beyond the theme parks. This summer we also heard the news that they are working on major construction for Disneyland Park with a renovation of Tomorrowland.
We recently sat down for an exclusive Mickey Visit interview with the president of Disneyland where she talked about the projects that she is most excited for at the resort. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the latest Disney news and rides planned for Disneyland but never built.
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Disneyland President Talks Shifting Focus Back to Disneyland Park
Recently I sat down with Disneyland President, Jill Estorino, to talk about her initial time spent at the Disneyland Resort as president where she lived at the resort hotels for five weeks in a Mickey Visit exclusive interview. She emphasized a focus on understanding the guest experience as it is today and using the time where she was less well known to navigate the property anonymously. Previously, Estorino oversaw all the international Disney theme parks and before that ran marketing and sales for all the theme parks globally.
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In the interview, she shared fun details like her favorite foods from her time living at the resort and then also what she is looking forward to most in the coming years. We already shared her comments on her goal to improve the security and arrival experience. Now, we have comments about turning her focus to Disneyland Park and the idea of investing in improvements to existing attractions the same way that Walt Disney World has found success in recent years.
“I am excited about turning attention to the Disneyland Park and to be here for that. Strategically, it’s important, but I think emotionally, it’s important for our fans and our new guests coming. So, I’m so glad to be here for that, this decade, and that part of our journey,” Estorino shared.
Her comment comes after the recent announcement that they were going to expand and improve Tomorrowland.
I followed up her answer asking about the recent Walt Disney World approach to deliver what some have called “singles” and doubles”. These are the incremental improvements and investments in existing rides and attractions. They aren’t the “grand slam” of a major new ride, but they do have a positive impact on guest experience and attendance. At Walt Disney World, this year, we’ve seen a substantially improved Buzz Lightyear attraction, the addition of the Muppets to Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, the new Animation Courtyard, a completely re-tracked Big Thunder Mountain with new effects, and more.
I asked, “at Walt Disney World they’ve had a lot of success with what they’ve called singles and doubles of refreshing Carousel of Progress or Country Bear Jamboree, other projects like that. What do you think of that approach? Is there a reason we haven’t seen it more actively at Disneyland?”
Estorino responded, “Well, I think we had a lot to do with Disney California Adventure and that’s what the teams have been doing for the past years. I am a big fan of that approach. We’ve done it many times in my marketing career. The bundle of small assets into a bigger story. I think it will even work harder here and we are looking at it, because fans are more committed to our base, in our heritage attractions, than you see anywhere else in the world. It’s that nostalgia. It’s the importance of being the original. We have to be careful how we enhance and twist, but bringing vibrancy to the beloved attractions that we have, bundling that together, in a time frame. That’s a winning formula. And we will continue to look at that.”
The perfect example of an enhancement like this is the new version of the Snow White ride in Fantasyland that opened coming out of the 2021 closure. Snow White’s Scary Adventure was changed over into Snow White’s Enchanted Wish which enhanced the classic dark ride with new technology. The ride is better than it was previously and I am confident that wait times have been higher for the ride since before the transition and guest scores are likely higher.
Previously, they have made similar enhancements to Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan’s Flight.
During our D23 Disneyland predictions this year, we predicted that we would see more of these type of improvements announced for attractions at Disneyland. We predicted that Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey could all be up for refreshes. A member of the Mickey Visit team also recently wrote that the current Pinocchio’s Daring Journey ride should be enhanced or changed.
Instead of the smaller additions we expected, Disney announced a huge overhaul of Tomorrowland at D23. “We’re going to start with Walt’s original vision for Tomorrowland,” said Disneyland Resort President Jill Estorino. “That’s going to be our guidepost and our North Star.” We also heard from the lead Imagineer on the project. See the full details on the Tomorrowland announcement.
That new land addition will draw a lot of the focus, but based on Estorino’s comments in the interview it feels like there will be more additions in Disneyland Park beyond Tomorrowland. In her response, she acknowledges the power of the singles and doubles and suggests that it could work even harder at Disneyland with the fandom that is so committed to nostalgia. Walt Disney World is already seeing this approach work well. Disneyland can build on that.
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Walt Disney World has shared examples of how this investment has led to dramatic improvements in the guest experience. After refurbishing the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom, Disney saw a lift in guest ratings for the ride in post-trip surveys. The percentage of guests who gave the ride the highest rating of “excellent” went up 15 points compared to the ride before they refurbished it, Disney shared with us in June.
The success that they shared makes it seem likely that Disneyland would be preparing for more of these types of projects also.
A lot of the credit for the Walt Disney World success in this area goes to the partnership between Walt Disney Imagineering and the Walt Disney World leadership. We have heard that this partnership is stronger than ever and that Imagineers and the operations teams are getting more and more integrated to deliver these experiences.
We have heard from Disneyland leadership that Imagineering is now similarly integrated into the Disneyland Resort leadership team and have been working even more closely across the organizations. This integration allows for the teams to more easily plan improvements and additions efficiently.
What do you think? Are there specific ride changes or enhancements that you would like to see at Disneyland? For me, improving Buzz Lightyear is an obvious option. Perhaps adding some digital enhancements to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride? What else could they do?
During our interview, Estorino shared how she spent time living at the resort and talking with guests in an attempt to really get to know the current state of the guest experience. She is already taking big swings that are popular with guests. Earlier this week she announced that they are stripping back one of the most burdensome rules and penalties for Magic Key Annual Pass Holders.
Stay tuned for more coming from our recent interview and upcoming Disneyland news.
Top photo via Disneyland/Christian Thompson.
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