Disney is constantly looking for ways to expand their parks, as well as build new ones across the globe. With six currently operating resorts worldwide (well four right now, thanks to the coronavirus) they show no signs of stopping.
So today we are going to try and answer a question that is starting to emerge. Where is Disney going to build its next new theme park?
We are going to explore the possibilities of a new park at each of the existing resorts as well as possible other places Disney could build an entirely new resort.
Walt Disney World
Not happening.
Sorry, let me elaborate. This is NOT HAPPENING. All four parks need more expansion before Disney can even consider a 5th park. I mean there's maybe like a 5% chance they rush one to compete with Epic Universe, but almost definitely not.
Disneyland Paris
Now, we know there will be a third park in Disneyland Paris due to contractual agreements, but this is still a long way off. The agreement is for until 2036, so there is still a lot of time, and the two existing parks, mainly Walt Disney Studios, need a massive amount of help before a third park is put into consideration. We will see a new park here, but its still around 15 years away.
Shanghai Disneyland
Now given the success of Shanghai Disneyland (prior to the current outbreak at least) a second park seems like a give in at some point. But I would expect Disney to spend some time expanding the first park first, especially as a second park is not contractually required like it was in Disneyland Paris. Don't expect one to be announced until at least after the Zootopia land. This puts a potential second park as a mid to late 2020s development at earliest.
Hong Kong Disneyland
This is a complicated one. Disney has until 2025 to get the land for a second park. But the government has been wanting that same land for a solution to Hong Kong's housing crisis. This is all complicated by reports that currently announced expansions are being put on hold.
There are two ways to look at this. One is Disney is looking to slow down progress at the resort. In my mind, this is a dumb decision as the park desperately needs all of the currently announced expansions.
But what if the breaks are being pulled on current expansions, not because of lack of faith in the resort or the current virus, but instead because Disney is going in a different direction with the resort. Having an empty plot of land looks bad politically in the middle of a housing crisis, but if they build a park it could help the resort and avoid political problems. It could also explain money being diverted away from things like the Frozen and Marvel attractions.
Tokyo Disneyland
Not happening. Too many already in progress expansions and no room.
Disneyland Resort
A third park here is more likely than you might think.
After Avengers Campus and Runaway Railway, there are only two or three expansion spots in the entire Disneyland Resort. But there is also a relatively easy spot to use for a third park.
Above is a map of all of the land Disney owns in or near the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim highlighted in blue. As you can see there is a relatively easy pathway from the current resort to the proposed third park location in the bottom right corner. There are just two problems.
First, a bridge would need to be built over Harbor Boulevard, something the local government and businesses were less than thrilled about that prospect in the past.
The second is the area in pink. That is the Anaheim Gardenwalk, a mall currently situated in between two sections of Disney property. This is constantly being put up for sale, and would likely be turned into a second version of Downtown Disney should Disney ever purchase it, serving as a pathway between the existing resort and the third park.
So it is possible, but still a little ways away, and would require a few steps before it could be completed.
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