The driving force behind The Walt Disney Co.’s move to place Marvel attractions at Disney California Adventure is not only to meld in a franchise the company spent $4 billion on in 2009, but to also relieve the massive crowds that gather at adjacent Disneyland, theme parks expert say.
Last Saturday, May 20, Disneyland hit capacity in the afternoon and was forced to send arriving guests to its sister park, though that may have been driven by upcoming blackouts for the SoCal Annual Passes, and the expiration of the 3-day admission tickets Disney sold earlier in the year.
And with “Star Wars” land slated for opening in 2019 at Disneyland, there is a legitimate concern that fans of that movie franchise will flood that park, said Jim Hill, who covers the theme park industry.
“The fear is Disneyland will reach capacity at 10 or 11 a.m., and you need someplace else to send them,” Hill said.
“They are not building that giant parking structure for no reason,” said Hill, referring to the planned 6,900-spot facility on the east side of the parks. “More people are coming.”
More than 18.2 million people visited Disneyland in 2015, according to the latest attendance numbers from the Themed Entertainment Association, an industry trade group. Disney California Adventure attracted 9.3 million.
Disney officials seem poised to use super-hero themed attractions to funnel guests over to Disney California Adventure.
On Thursday, Disney unveiled the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout attraction in California Adventure. It’s the first Marvel-themed ride in Disney’s U.S. theme parks, and its location in California Adventure could be perfect.
“Disneyland is very popular,” said Michael Colglazier, the president of Disneyland Resort. “Having Guardians here anchoring this part of the park, absolutely we think will drive a lot of attendance in California Adventure and that helps do some balancing. …
“If you’ve got too many folks coming, that makes it a difficult experience for our guests as well as our cast,” he said.
If a Marvel Land makeover does indeed happen, Hollywood Land is indeed the perfect landing spot, said Seth Kubersky, a co-author of “The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland.” Since the opening of Disney California Adventure in 2001, Hollywood Land has been a revolving door of short-lived attractions.
“Ever since Superstar Limo, which is the only attraction that has received a better guests satisfaction rating closed than opened, that corner of the park has always been a problem,” Kubersky said. “They’ve held dance parties and at one time there were ambitious plans to expand the ‘Monsters, Inc.’ franchise for that area, but nothing has really stuck.”
Hill said there’s pressure among Walt Disney Imagineers for future Marvel rides “to hit it out of the park” to stay competitive with “Star Wars” land.
“(Guardians) is not the tip of the iceberg, this is the first ice cube,” Hill said. “There is some killer stuff coming down the pipeline.”
Colglazier wouldn’t commit to a location for future Marvel rides or what’s next after Guardians of the Galaxy.
“There are not many locations left to make an easy expansion for Disneyland Resort,” he said. “I think Guardians gives us a place to expand.
“We’re excited for this to be an anchor, and there are so many stories in this (Marvel) universe that people are fans of. The hard part is figuring out what to tell.”
