The “Avatar” experience, first announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger in 2023, will officially be the first new themed area to break ground under the recently approved Disneyland Forward proposal.
During the Moffett Nathanson Media and Communications Summit on Wednesday, Iger confirmed that an Avatar-themed land is coming to the Disneyland Resort.
“We have just gotten approval from the city of Anaheim for the biggest expansion of Disneyland since we opened DCA in 2001,” Iger said during the presentation. “It’s a huge expansion. We haven’t been specific about what’s going to be in it, except for Avatar.”
The Disneyland Forward proposal is a 40-year agreement that would guide where and how future developments would occur. It would allow new attractions, shops, and restaurants to be built within areas of the resort that Disney already owns and operates.
Many proposed themed experiences, ranging from “Tangled” and “Zootopia” to “Encanto” and “Black Panther,” have been teased throughout the years before Disneyland Forward’s official approval, but no specific plans were announced.
Specific details about what the Avatar-themed land will entail have been minimal, but in April, new concept art of what the land could look like was released.
In March, Iger announced that the new Avatar land would be similar to the one in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park in Florida.
It’s likely more announcements relating to what new additions are coming to the Disneyland Resort won’t be unveiled until the D23 fan event, which takes place Aug. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
As for where the new land will be, Disney fans have shared theories online that it could replace Hollywood land in Disney’s California Adventure but the company has made no official announcement.
