Walt Disney Co. plans to spend $1.1 billion in the next five years to overhaul its Disney’s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, which has struggled to meet expectations since opening in 2001.
It’s the most extensive makeover the company has given to a theme park, according to a report in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal.
The park originally cost $1 billion to build and Disney has spent more than $100 million on rides and other upgrades to lure more visitors.
Disney offered details on the plan Wednesday morning.
The makeover is set to draw on the history of company founder Walt Disney and on hit animated movies by Disney unit Pixar.
The park, which at 55 acres is smaller than neighboring Disneyland, is set to expand by 12 acres.
The extra space is set to house Cars Land, a section based on the Pixar movie “Cars.”
Disney plans to keep California Adventure open during the expansion, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Last year, California Adventure had about 6 million visitors, versus 15 million at Disneyland and short of the company’s goal of 7 million.
California Adventure was built as part of a plan to get visitors to spend more time and money at Disney’s Anaheim hotels, parks and Downtown Disney shopping center, which was built at the same time.
The park was designed to take visitors on a tour of California, including sections that replicate Hollywood and San Francisco.
But Disney fans and everyday visitors have criticized the park as being too small and unimaginative, particularly compared to iconic Disneyland.
