Downtown Disney will undergo a major renovation that will see the popular Earl of Sandwich shop, the former AMC Theaters and other stores demolished to make way for a new midcentury modern-designed addition to the Anaheim shopping mall next to Disneyland.
Work will begin in January on a multi-year project that will reimagine the Downtown Disney outdoor shopping center, according to Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro.
D’Amaro made the announcement on Saturday, Nov. 20, during the Destination D23 fan convention at Walt Disney World in Florida.
The Earl of Sandwich shop, Sugarboo store and Starbucks West End coffee shop will close and those locations, along with the former AMC Theaters, will be demolished.
The work will take place in the West End of Downtown Disney once envisioned as the location for a fourth Disney hotel project that was canceled in 2018.
The new Downtown Disney renovation project will be part of the existing development agreement with the city of Anaheim and is not expected to require as many city approvals as the canceled fourth hotel project.
“As we’ve seen during the pandemic, people shopping, dining and visiting the Anaheim Resort is critical to what we do as a city,” City of Anaheim Chief Communications Officer Mike Lyster said in a statement sent via email. “We welcome this project, which will take space now underutilized and bring new ways for people to shop and dine in Anaheim.”
The former ESPN Zone and the Star Wars Trading Post in the former Rainforest Cafe location in the West End of Downtown Disney were not mentioned as part of the renovation project.
The renovation project will broaden the shopping, dining and entertainment offerings in Downtown Disney.
The remodeled section of Downtown Disney will have a Southern California midcentury modern architectural style incorporating a multicultural design aesthetic.
The new Downtown Disney renovations are not part of the recently announced DisneylandForward project that envisions theme park attractions near the West End of the shopping district.
In other news, D’Amaro announced the Hey Disney virtual assistant smart speaker system will be coming to the Disneyland resort hotels and revealed new details about the Disney Vacation Club tower building under construction next to the Disneyland Hotel.
The Hey Disney virtual assistant that works with Amazon Alexa smart speakers will debut at the Disneyland resort hotels in 2022. Hey Disney — already announced for Walt Disney World hotels — is expected to roll out over time at the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.
Hey Disney works similar to Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri with users summoning the system using the phrase “Hey Disney.” Hey Disney will offer vacation planning tips and storytelling entertainment in Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel character voices with more than 1,000 possible interactions.
D’Amaro also revealed that the Disney Vacation Club tower will feature a new pool inspired by an artist’s palette and rooms that include original art inspired by classic Disney films.
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