1. Frozen’s bigger – and more permanent? – presence

Just last week, Disney made official what we’ve been reporting on for the past two months:  Frozen will be making a huge presence at the resort for the holidays, primarily centered on Disney California Adventure.

Starting on December 20 (the last Saturday before Christmas), Anna and Elsa will move their meet-‘n-greet over from Disneyland to DCA; beginning on January 7, several new attractions will be erected, ranging from a musical sing-along to a “family dance party,” replete with DJs and alcoholic beverages for the adults.  (And, yes, FastPasses will be available for at least two of these experiences.)

“For the First Time in Forever,” the new musical show, will, indeed, be housed where Muppet*Vision 3D currently sits, just as rumor had said – an important point to make, given the other, more recent rumors that this Frozen replacement will end up being permanent.  According to the Orange County Register, Disney has officially stated that “some” of the holiday attractions will be temporary, implying, of course, that others won’t be.  It’s the closest to an official confirmation one can expect at this point.

In an effort to balance out what is sure to be a huge crush of guests flocking to all the new Frozen activities at California Adventure, Disneyland will also be getting a new attraction starting next month – a retelling of the film’s story by “vaudeville-style” performers Mr. Smythe and Mr. Jones – in addition to a miniature version of Arendelle being added to the Storybook Land Canal Boats.

After being initially caught off-guard by the phenomenal success of Frozen for most of this year, it seems that Disney is using California Adventure as its pivot point, switching from temporary (and typically seasonal) experiences to traditional attractions – making “For the First Time in Forever” the first true test of the company’s ability to translate its short-term successes from 2014 into long-term gain for 2015 and beyond.

All eyes will be on Disneyland Resort to see how well Team Disney Anaheim can pull it off – and how well guests from all around the globe will respond to it.

It’s harder to think of a more important – or more telling – development.