Disneyland Expansion Not What Was Speculated, Disappointing News

Disneyland expansion has become a trending topic as rumors swirled that it was expanding its boundaries to include attractions featuring Star Wars or the Marvel Universe. The rumors surfaced after it became public knowledge that The Walt Disney Co. had purchased three parcels of land close to its Anaheim Resort location over the past year.

Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Iger advised shareholders in March that there is an expansion of attractions in the works. It was stated that up to $1 billion would be spent, and a deal that ensures no entertainment tax would be imposed on theme park tickets for the next 30 years was formalized. The fact that Marvel Entertainment Inc. was acquired by the company in 2009, and Lucasfilm (the Star Wars franchise owner) joined the Disneyland name in 2012, means that there is room for many new attractions tied to these themes, and fans were excited at the prospect of this expansion.

“People have put two and two together and they know that something cool could be coming down the line,” said Robert Niles, a Disney expert and founder of themeparkinsider.com had speculated.

When rumors first began around the possibility of a Disneyland expansion, the Walt Disney Co. officials failed to issue any form of statement regarding their reasons, and that silence helped to fuel imaginations. Fans and the media alike ran with the information at their disposal and drew their own conclusions about the expansion.

However, Spokeswoman Suzi Brown released a statement on the matter on Wednesday and officially quelled all the rumors. She stated that the nearly 15 acres of land that Walt Disney Co. recently bought near to the Anaheim park is only set to be used as office space, warehouse space, and additional parking.

“There has been some misinformation that this was a recent purchase, but it was purchased more than a year ago. We purchased two large buildings, both had tenants in them, and we just recently filed a conditional use permit with Anaheim so that we could move into one of those buildings.”

The official details that the permit is, indeed, only pertaining to offices and warehouses was laid out in an NBC Los Angeles report on the oh-so-practical expansion plans. The official use of the 14.7 acres has been made public now, but hope still lives about future attractions built around the new acquisitions of the company. A previous Inquisitr report on the Disneyland purchase and expansion included information on several other land purchases around the area.

Brown says any future attractions would be kept within the boundaries of the existing park. With the D23 Expo in Anaheim coming up next week, though, there may yet be the announcement fans are looking for.

[Photo Courtesy of Peter Bischoff/ Getty Images]