Disneyland Resort president Jill Estorino confirmed that Tomorrowland’s reimagining will move ahead of the Avatar destination at Disney California Adventure. The update came during a media session at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Here’s the latest, along with information published by Scott Gustin from the closed media session.
Disneyland Moves Tomorrowland Ahead of Avatar in New Construction Order
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Disneyland’s project order now runs Avengers Campus, Coco, Tomorrowland, then Avatar
- Jill Estorino says the shift lets Imagineering focus on the original 1955 park
- Emily “Emo” O’Brien says Walt’s opening day vision will guide the reimagined land
Estorino laid out the sequence during the closed media session. Avengers Campus and Coco remain the near-term priorities at Disney California Adventure. The reimagined Tomorrowland project comes next. “Avengers Campus is on the way and will be first out of the gate. Then we’re going to have the addition of the new Coco-themed attraction at Disney California Adventure, followed by the transformation of this reimagined Tomorrowland, and then the new Avatar destination in the Hollywood Backlot,” Estorino said.
That order places Tomorrowland ahead of Avatar for the first time. Disney had previously indicated the Avatar destination would replace a portion of the Hollywood Backlot, with Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue closing to make way for it. That Monsters Inc.-themed attraction will now remain open into 2027. Estorino’s comments signal that active development on the Backlot project will wait until Tomorrowland is further along. “In the short term, our development focus is going to shift to Tomorrowland, and then return to the Hollywood Backlot in the future to enable this work,” she said.
Estorino framed the sequencing as a deliberate choice, not a delay forced by other factors. “We believe that delivering the projects this way is the right thing to do for our fans. We’re going to be able to provide a reimagined Tomorrowland in Walt’s park while continuing to invest in Disney California Adventure to bring new stories to life over time,” she said.
Walt’s Original Vision Guides the Tomorrowland Project
Estorino said the Tomorrowland reimagining project draws directly from the land Walt Disney himself designed. “We’re going to start and have started with Walt’s original version of Tomorrowland. That’s going to be our guidepost and our North Star,” she said.
Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort, said the team returned to Walt’s opening day remarks for direction. “We really looked back to Walt’s opening-day speech that he gave, and we were inspired by his vision of Tomorrowland being a vista into a world of wondrous ideas. And we really garnered the sense of optimism that was at the core of everything that he was thinking about in Tomorrowland. And so we’re using that as our basis to go forward,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien also pointed to the balance between preserving what Tomorrowland has meant to guests and updating it for new ones. “We want to keep the heritage and the responsibility of honoring that legacy at the center, but we have to evolve it for our new generations, current and future to come. So that is kind of our guidepost, as Jill said,” she said.
What Guests Can Expect
Disney has not detailed specific attractions for the reimagined Tomorrowland. O’Brien said the project will include new rides alongside more room for guests to gather. “What we will see here are new attractions, for sure. We will have new open spaces, places for guests to really experience together and dream about that optimistic future that was so important to Walt and to us as well,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien described the project as carrying particular weight given Tomorrowland’s place in Disneyland history. “I understand kind of the gravitas and the responsibility that I have with our teams to guide us through this journey of reimagining the only Tomorrowland that Walt actually envisioned, designed and walked in,” she said.
No construction timeline or opening date has been announced for the reimagined Tomorrowland. Disney has not said how long the Avatar destination will be pushed back as a result. We will continue following both projects as more details emerge.
Keep Reading
- We broke down the model on display at D23’s Imagineering: Horizons pavilion, which confirmed the Avatar destination is still moving forward even as its place in the project order shifts.
- Revisit our original report on where the Avatar destination will be located within Disney California Adventure
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!