Disneyland's Downtown Disney Annouces the First Tenants
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An ariel view of Downtown Disney
Representatives of The Disneyland Resort and some of the nation’s most respected restaurant, entertainment and retail operations met at the Disneyland Pacific Hotel to announce the first tenants of Downtown Disney the 300,000-plus square-foot retail, dining and entertainment district to be built in Anaheim adjacent to Disneyland and its new theme park, Disney’s California Adventure. The new complex is part of Disney’s $1.4 billion expansion of The Disneyland Resort, to be completed and opened in early 2001.
The first ten tenants for Downtown Disney were announced. Two of them, World of Disney and ESPN Zone are Disney owned. Rounding out the ten are seven food locations and an AMC movie theater. Conspicuous by its absence was DisneyQuest. When we asked about this, Timur Galen, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Walt Disney Imagineering said “subsequent announcement about additional Disney venues at Downtown and a subsequent announcement when we describe the non-Disney retailers that are coming to the project as well.” We asked if that meant neither “yes” nor “no” on DisneyQuest at this point. He indicated that was correct.
The Introduction
 Cynthia Harriss |
The event was kicked off by Cynthia Harriss, Executive Vice-President of the Disneyland resort. Harriss' speech follows:
"Downtown Disney is a focal point for guests within the Resort, conventioneers, our local residents and the entire community to enjoy…It will offer a unique gathering place within walking distance of Disneyland Park, the all-new Disney’s California Adventure theme park, and all of our Disneyland resort hotels including the brand new Grand Californian.
Through the years the Walt Disney Company has set the standard for family entertainment around the world and we believe that these tenants will continue to allow us to achieve and to even exceed that standard of excellence. And you will see with the tenants you will meet today that each of them comes with an impeccable reputation for their quality, management and their brand and you will also see that the eclectic character of Downtown Disney celebrates the wonderful diversity and spirit of Southern California. So we’re especially pleased that this diversity will be highlighted with a wide range of entertainment and dining experiences.
What I mean is? Where else in the world could you dine in a tropical rainforest, a crostini bar, a jazz kitchen, an al fresco terrace, and either shop, have a gospel brunch, a Mediterranean meal, catch that big game or the catch the latest flick, or dance to a salsa band. Frankly ladies and gentlemen one of the few places ever will be right here at Downtown Disney."
The "Downtown Disney" jingle is sung
The rhythmic sounds of conga drums grow louder and a small chorus sang an upbeat R&B jingle including the lyric “Let your senses come alive, forget about that 9 to 5 at Downtown Disney, Downtown Disney.” Suddenly fireworks ignite in the daytime sky and a large marquee is illuminated reading, “Downtown Disney.”