Why Disneyland Resort Decided Today Was the Time to Announce a New Tomorrowland

Here is what I said in my D23 Experiences Showcase Predictions article: "The construction wall at the entrance has become an ongoing joke among Disneyland fans, but I think most of us would be willing to give that wall a little more grace if Disney assured us it represented the beginning of something bigger. I don’t necessarily expect a full Tomorrowland redevelopment announcement, but even a declaration of intent would be exciting. Disneyland has invested heavily in other areas of the park over the years, and Tomorrowland increasingly feels like the land waiting for its turn."

It seems that Disneyland has listened to the feedback about Tomorrowland as well as ensuring Disneyland Park gets some attention while the build some new projects over at Disney California Adventure. And while I didn’t expect a full redevelopment announcement, Disney is exceeding expectations by doing just that, even if the project is very much in its early development.

During a special briefing ahead of D23, newly appointed Disneyland Resort President Jill Estorino made clear that the decision to move forward wasn't made in a vacuum. In fact, she directly cited criticism from Disney fans as part of the conversation that has shaped her early priorities at the resort.

That is particularly noteworthy because Estorino arrives at Disneyland with a unique perspective. During her 35 years with Disney, she has worked around the world, including previous stints in Anaheim, Orlando, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Most recently, she oversaw Disney's international parks before returning to Disneyland as its president. 

Estorino acknowledged that Disney California Adventure deserved the attention it is receiving. She was actually part of the Disneyland leadership team during the park's massive transformation more than a decade ago and said DCA has now become a "world-class theme park" capable of standing on its own. With that work accomplished, she said Disney is ready to "really turn our attention and focus on the original park that Walt built."

The first place to get that attention is one that, by its very nature, is constantly needing to be reimagined and developed. What made the announcement particularly unusual was how explicitly Estorino connected it with the conversation taking place among Disneyland fans. She told the assembled media that she has spent months following their work, reading coverage and using those perspectives to help educate and ground herself in how guests view Disneyland.

That included the criticism. Estorino proceeded to read some particularly pointed comments about Tomorrowland that she had encountered. One observed that "there's very little tomorrow in Tomorrowland." Another described the classic land as feeling "a bit tired." Perhaps the most biting was a joke from DisneyTouristBlog that joked that one of Tomorrowland's long-standing construction walls had reached the legal drinking age in some countries.

Rather than dismissing those criticisms, Estorino agreed with them. "All true," she said, explaining that she had personally spent considerable time walking Tomorrowland, speaking with guests and Cast Members, visiting backstage areas and experiencing its attractions. Her conclusion was refreshingly simple: "You're right. You are right."

Estorino was joined by Imagineering’s Emily “Emo” O’Brien, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer, Disneyland Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort to discuss their early vision for a revitalized Tomorrowland. The team is using Walt Disney's original vision for the land as its "North Star," specifically looking toward his description of Tomorrowland as a "vista into wondrous worlds." Rather than trying to recreate a particular historical version of Tomorrowland, Imagineers are focusing on the optimism that was at the core of Walt's concept and considering how that idea can evolve for current and future generations.

While Imagineering stressed that the project is only getting started, there were a couple of tantalizing details. The reimagined Tomorrowland will include new attractions, as well as new open spaces designed to give guests places to gather and experience that optimistic vision of the future together.

There is also an acknowledgment that Tomorrowland presents a different challenge from building a new land elsewhere. This is the Tomorrowland that Walt Disney himself envisioned, designed and walked through. Imagineering described that history as both a responsibility and a privilege, with the team seeking to preserve the land's heritage without allowing that heritage to prevent Tomorrowland from evolving.

Perhaps just as interesting as what Disney is planning is when it is planning to do it.  The Disneyland Resort already has an unusually large collection of projects underway or announced. Avengers Campus is currently expanding, while a Coco attraction and an Avatar destination are both planned for Disney California Adventure. Disney is also working on a new parking structure and resort entryway.

Estorino revealed the order in which Disney currently expects those major projects to unfold. The Avengers Campus expansion will be "first out of the gate," followed by the Coco-themed attraction. After that will come the transformation of Tomorrowland, with the Avatar destination in Disney California Adventure's Hollywood Backlot following later. To be clear, Disney Experience still seems all-in on bringing Pandora to California as they displayed a model at the pavilion on the show floor. This seems more like balancing out the sequence to ensure Walt’s original park gets some attention, particularly in an area where it is so obviously needed.

For Disneyland fans, there is an encouraging larger story here. Theme park enthusiasts are never shy about sharing what they think Disney is doing right and, perhaps especially, what they believe Disney is doing wrong. It can sometimes be difficult to know how much of that conversation actually makes its way to the people making decisions about the parks.

In this case, Disneyland's new president isn't merely saying that she listens to fans. She demonstrated that she has been reading their criticism, quoted it back to them, acknowledged that they had a point and then announced that one of their most persistent concerns is officially being addressed.

Of course, listening to fans doesn't mean simply giving them everything they ask for, nor should it. Disney has to balance nostalgia, creativity, capacity, operational realities and the need to keep Disneyland evolving for guests who may not have decades of attachment to the park. But Estorino's comments suggest that guest feedback is being treated as meaningful information rather than background noise.

We still don't know what attractions will survive, what will disappear or exactly what this new version of Tomorrowland will look like. Imagineering repeatedly stressed that the project is in its earliest stages, meaning it will likely be some time before those answers arrive.

But after years of Disneyland fans wondering when Disney would finally address Tomorrowland, perhaps the biggest news isn't any particular attraction. It is that Disney agrees something needs to be done, has put the project into its development pipeline and, in unusually direct fashion, acknowledged that the people who love Disneyland helped make the case for doing it.