3. WestCOT
As mentioned, following the acquisition of the Wrather Company, The Walt Disney Company acquired a large plot of land adjacent to Disneyland. After the cancellation of Port Disney, the company decided to focus its attention on developing this land into a second theme park. The park was to be called WestCOT and would have been exactly as it sounds: the EPCOT of the west.
The plans for WestCOT were grand, to say the least. The plans to transform Disneyland’s parking lot into WestCOT were announced in 1991. The park would have been divided into the Wonders of WestCOT. These would have included The Wonders of Land, Wonders of Living, and Wonders of Space. Similar to that of the pavilions in Epcot. There would also have been a WestCOT version of Future World and the World Showcase.
This World Showcase would have included four corners of the world rather than individual countries. These would have been The Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. They each would have included attractions and sections inspired by that “corner’s” countries such as New York, London, China, and Egypt. There would have even been a Spaceship Earth replica called Spacestation Earth, and it would have been gold and almost twice the size of its predecessor. Locals were not thrilled with the idea of this giant sphere and complained that it would be an eyesore. Additionally, WestCOT would have been the first park to have a hotel within the park.
Following the disappointing start of Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris) and its risk of closure, The Walt Disney Company was forced to reevaluate the plans for WestCOT. The project was set to be extremely expensive and required the acquisition of even more land. By 1995, it was announced that the plans for WestCOT were no more.
However, soon after WestCOT was scrapped, Michael Eisner and The Walt Disney Company announced plans for a California-themed park in the space occupied by the Disneyland parking lot. This park was much more scaled back from what the plans had been for WestCOT. It required less land and less money. Disney California Adventure opened in 2001 with the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel (which became the first hotel within a park as it has its own entrance into the park). Disney California Adventure had a rocky start and has undergone some major redesigns and expansion over the years. However, attendance increased and now the park is home to favorites like Cars Land and Avengers Campus.
Can you imagine not having Disney California Adventure? Do you still hope to see WestCOT come to life? Which SCRAPPED Disney Park idea are you most disappointed about? Let us know your thoughts and ideas by voting in our poll and leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page!
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