Will Disney move away from Castle-style parks?

April 15, 2019, 11:21 AM

As the Disney resorts continue to expand across the globe, the castle-style Park (ala Magic kingdom) is at every resort. Do you see Disney moving away from this style and doing more theme-specific parks or will every future Disney resort have a castle park? What parks would you like to see happen?

Replies (6)

April 15, 2019, 11:26 AM

Nope, I think it has become Disney's signature to have a castle park. I don't think it would even feel like Disney without one.

April 15, 2019, 12:30 PM

The Castle park is always the first park at any Disney resort and I cannot imagine Disney building a resort without one.

1955, Disneyland (Castle)
1971, Magic Kingdom (Castle)
1982, Epcot
1983, Tokyo Disneyland (Castle)
1989, Dinsey-MGM Studios
1992, Disneyland Paris (Castle)
1998, Animal Kingdom
2001, California Adventure
2001, Tokyo DisneySea
2002, Walt Disney Studios Park
2005, Hong Kong Disneyland (Castle)
2016, Shanghai Disneyland (Castle)

Non-castle parks only come when Disney wishes to add extra gates to a park. And the second gates for Chinese parks likely will be the DCA/DHS/WDS "studio" model. I don't see Disney doing anything like Epcot, DisneySea, or Animal Kingdom again. (At least not in the foreseeable future.)

June 10, 2019, 8:43 AM

Since their opening logo is fireworks and the castle, it will continue this pattern.

By the way, I’ve gotta give credit for WDW for Epcot being the most unique park in the world. AK is basically the same as BGT and TDS is in the same vein as IOA.

June 10, 2019, 2:52 PM

No castle. No kingdom. The lands around the castle may change, but I believe that castle with the hub and spoke design would always be the first park built if and when the Mouse grows again.

June 11, 2019, 12:36 AM

We're saying it's the signature, it's the logo, it's the 1st park at each resort. All correct. But the main facet of this is that the castle parks generate the most revenue not only for Disney, but the entire industry.
Choosing to start a resort any other way is like benching your ace pitcher in the World Series or folding on a royal flush hand.

June 11, 2019, 1:27 PM

I can see maybe Disney doing a different style of entertainment venue, a sort of Downtown Disney in major cities. But I can't see a Disney Theme Park Resort without a Magic Kingdom park.

I do hope however they realise that Gate 2 shouldn't be another crappy studios park. Why not mash Epcot with the Stark Industries Expo? That park basically designs itself!

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