The Walt Disney Company announced its plan to expand its California Adventure park.  Announced by Disney President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger and Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo at a press conference at Walt Disney Imagineering’s Glendale headquarters, the expansion will bring new entertainment and major family-oriented attractions to Disney’s California Adventure and the company plans to spend around 1,1 billion dollars.

The park was meant to provide visitors with a microcosmic view of Californa but never succeeded in attracting the the crowds the company had anticipated. Even with sharply discounted tickets, the park attracted fewer than 6 million visitors last year - short of the 7 million people the company said would attend every year and a far cry from the 15 million who bought tickets to Disneyland.

Disney Imagineers will be bringing more of Walt Disney into Disney’s California Adventure, celebrating the hope and optimism of California that attracted Walt to this land of opportunity in the 1920s. Guests entering the new Plaza will be instantly immersed in the world that inspired Walt during his early days as an animation pioneer. The new, interactive Walt Disney Story attraction will set the stage for the unfolding story of Walt that will permeate the park.

“Our Disneyland Guests have a deep emotional connection with Walt Disney, whose life story really captures the pioneering spirit of California in the 1920s,” said Rasulo. “The creative evolution of Disney’s California Adventure will connect guests to Walt’s own California adventure and reflect the place that he found when he first arrived with a cardboard suitcase in his hand and a head full of dreams.”

The company also plans to unveil entirely a new Cars Land inspired by the hit Disney Pixar animated film Cars.

A Little Mermaid ride is also planned and Disney’s California Adventure will receive new restaurant and retail innovations, landscaping to enrich the placemaking, facade and graphics enhancements, and an extensive menu of entertainment and events.