April is always a busy month at the Disneyland Resort, but this one felt wilder than ever. Between construction all over the place, tons of new concept art/announcements, and spring break crowds piling in, April was…a lot. Let’s take a look back at what happened.
THE SUN SETS ON PARADISE PIER HOTEL
This month, the Disneyland Resort announced a project fans have long been speculating about: the re-theming of the Paradise Pier Hotel. Like the former Paradise Pier land in California Adventure, the hotel will transform into a Pixar-themed location.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
This will not be a demo and rebuild project; as you can see, the hotel as it stands will remain and just be re-themed. However, there will be one “new” feature (it existed long ago but has been gone for many years): the new hotel will have a guest entrance to California Adventure. My guess is the entrance will lead either directly into or close to Pixar Pier, but we don’t have any further details yet. We also don’t technically know the new name of the hotel yet – but it seems likely it would be the Pixar Pier Hotel?
DOWNTOWN DISNEY UPDATES EXTEND BEYOND THE WEST END
The bulk of resort news this month was focused on Downtown Disney. The west end, which formerly housed an AMC theater and Earl of Sandwich, will take on a mid-century modern architectural style and will have a lot more open space. The concept art makes it look like they are not going as heavily on grassy areas as was previously teased, but as we know, concept art is not an exact science.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
This side of the district will also feature a new dining spot: Din Tai Fung. The new restaurant marks the district’s first Chinese offering. We don’t know where this restaurant will go, but it seems possible it will move into the Tortilla Jo’s space. Why?
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Catal Restaurant and its partner Uva Bar will be re-themed. The Mediterranean-inspired dining locations will evolve into Paseo (the indoor restaurant) and Centrico (the outdoor bar and restaurant), serving Mexican cuisine. I find it hard to believe that Disney would keep Tortilla Jo’s operating and have 3 Mexican restaurants within 100 feet of each other, but to date they have not announced any such closure.
Around the corner, Disney also announced that Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen will be getting a makeover.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Personally, I’m pretty baffled by this one. This design strips the restaurant of all its New Orleans theming, leaving a generic facade. Why do this? I don’t get it.
OTHER UPDATES
Character greetings are back! As of April, characters are once again meeting guests up close, including hugs and signing autographs.
For a limited time, It’s A Small World is now lighting up several times a night for a special show. You’ll see (and hear) We Don’t Talk About Bruno from Encanto displayed on the facade of the building. If that’s not enough Encanto for you, you can also meet Mirabel in Frontierland.
Tarzan’s Treehouse is no more. Disneyland confirmed that the attraction will be completely re-themed, but has yet to tell us what that theme is. Could it be Encanto? Or maybe a return to the Swiss Family Robinson? Time will tell.
And finally, nighttime entertainment has returned to the resort. Disneyland Forever fireworks, World of Color, and the Main Street Electrical Parade are all operating, and Fantasmic! is set to complete the lineup this month. I for one am very glad to see more offerings coming back, especially with so much construction and closure going on!
How excited are you for the return of “Disneyland Forever” fireworks at @Disneyland? ? This nighttime spectacular, featuring sparkling pyrotechnics and immersive projections, returns April 22! https://t.co/ydKQ5zPF9c pic.twitter.com/FK5dY1OrW7
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) April 8, 2022