Disneyland opened in California in 1955, Walt Disney World later opened in Florida in 1971. While the exact reason why Florida has “world” in the name versus “land” is unknown. We do know “Walt” was added to the name by his brother Roy. He wanted people to know that this was Walt’s creation, not his. Now Walt Disney World will be getting a new name, 52 years later.
Disney announced in 2023 they would officially be changing the name of Walt Disney World to Walt Disneyland as part of the Disney 100th Anniversary Celebration. Walt Disneyland will become the new name of Walt Disney World in Florida permanently.
In an official statement, Disney said “We understand changing the name of Walt Disney World to Walt Disneyland comes as a big surprise to many and disappointment to some. We are making this change in an effort to create more synergy amongst the Disney Parks around the globe and have a consistent brand, especially as we celebrate 100 magical years of Disney.”
This means Disney is going to have to do a lot of rebranding. Everything that says “Walt Disney World” will need to be changed. This is going to be a huge overhaul to make all of these changes. It also seems like it will cause a lot of consumer confusion and frustration, especially amongst those who are big fans of the park and don’t want this new change.
The statement from Disney feels like a convoluted answer. It feels very unnecessary to us. We are guessing this is another move by Bob Chapek to make waves and get more PR. We also think this is partially a marketing and retail decision. With this change, Disney can brand everything as Disneyland and be able to sell in any park, since the names will all be the same. This also makes the marketing job easier because Disney can just call the parks Disneyland regardless of the location.
We are shocked Disney is changing the name of Walt Disney World to Walt Disneyland. We expect this to create a lot of confusion and upset guests. What do you think of this name change for Disney World?
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