Disneyland Hit by Another Closure

Disneyland has shut down another area of its world-famous theme park as it undergoes extensive renovations.
Disney’s park in Anaheim, California, announced Monday that Critter Country will temporarily close on May 1 to help make space for construction on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a redo of the classic Splash Mountain ride based on the film The Princess and the Frog.
“Teams are working hard to bring Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to life, and we’re continuing to invest in the improvement of overall pathways and surrounding areas to help provide a great guest experience when the attraction opens,” Disney said in a statement.
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland during the ‘Festival of Holidays’ celebration on November 25, 2023 in Anaheim, California. The theme park is undergoing a number of renovations. Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland during the ‘Festival of Holidays’ celebration on November 25, 2023 in Anaheim, California. The theme park is undergoing a number of renovations. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
The new renovation will include a reworked gift shop called Ray’s Berets, which will replace the current Briar Patch, with Disney saying in a press release it “will be the best place for guests to shop for headwear, apparel, accessories, toys and more.”
Pooh Corner will be replaced by Louis’ Critter Club, another gift store to find apparel, accessories, home decor and more featuring characters from The Princess and the Frog.
“Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will take guests on musical adventures… with Princess Tiana and alligator through the bayou as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind celebration during Mardi Gras season where everyone is welcome,” Disney said in a press release.
The latest closure comes amid a flurry of construction and closures at the Californian park.
The iconic Haunted Mansion closed indefinitely on January 21 to add some new additions, but some Disney fans speculated it would reopen in time for Halloween in October.
Disneyland’s refurbishment comes as part of Disney’s wider plans to invest $60 billion in its theme parks and cruise line divisions over the next 10 years.
“We’re incredibly mindful of the financial underpinning of the company, the need to continue to grow in terms of bottom line, the need to invest wisely so that we’re increasing the returns on invested capital, and the need to maintain a balance sheet, for a variety of reasons,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said at a gathering of Wall Street analysts and investors at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, in September 2023.
“The company is able to absorb those costs and continue to grow the bottom line and look expansively at how we return value and capital to our shareholders.”
Disney has seven out of the top 10 most-attended theme parks in the world, and owns more than 1,000 acres of land for possible future development to expand theme park space across its existing sites.