While the idea of a shareholders meeting doesn’t sound terribly exciting, in a COVID world, the Walt Disney Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is one way to get some crumbs on the status of theme park openings and reopenings, and the virtual call on March 9 did turn out a few updates, including news on reopening Disneyland and some new rides coming to parks all over the world.
With the decline in new COVID cases since January and three vaccines now available, Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company, said that they’re hopeful about the ability to reopen the Disneyland Resort Parks with limited capacity by late April, with an opening date announced in the coming weeks. Even though it was recently stated that California theme parks could reopen starting on April 1, it takes time to get the parks ready for guests.
Most importantly, the reopening of the theme parks means that 10,000 furloughed cast members will be able to return to work, once they have been retrained to be able to operate according to the state of California’s new requirements. The excitement from the Anaheim community, Disneyland cast members and fans of the California theme parks is clearly palpable, which means demand will be high once Disneyland and Disney California Adventure open (the “A Touch of Disney” special event will still be running at DCA from March 18 through April 19). But never fear, that doesn’t mean that everyone will suddenly be able to flood the entrance gates and throw safety to the wind, as Disney strictly follows all safety guidelines in and around the property.
Plans are well underway at the parks and resorts on a number of projects that push the boundaries of innovation, storytelling, and the overall guest experience. At Walt Disney World, the 50th-anniversary celebration preparations are moving forward, as is the reimagining of EPCOT, which will include the Marvel-themed roller coaster Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. The Ratatouille ride, which is a 4D attraction with no height requirement that opens to guests on October 1 in the France Pavilion, will allow riders to feel like they’ve shrunk to the size of Chef Remy as they make their way through Gusteau’s famous restaurant.
Over at the Disneyland Resort, the highly anticipated new Marvel-themed land Avengers Campus, originally set to launch in July 2020, is now set to open later this year in DCA. Once inside, guests will be able to partake in themed food and drinks while also slinging webs like Spider-Man and wrangling rogue spider-bots on the Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure attraction.
Internationally, Disneyland Paris is undergoing a multi-year reimagining with three new themed areas, starting with the currently under construction Avengers Campus. Over at Shanghai Disneyland, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, work is moving forward on the first-ever Zootopia-themed land. And Tokyo DisneySea at the Tokyo Disney Resort is undergoing an expansion, where Fantasy Springs will feature new areas and attractions inspired by the worlds of Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan’s Neverland, opening in 2023.
Be sure to note that, after being closed for a year now, when the Disneyland Resort opens in April, it will be at 15 percent capacity and for California residents only, with no indoor dining and limits on indoor rides. As COVID case rates continue to drop, theme park capacity will rise to 25 percent and then 35 percent.
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