Rumors swirl; Downtown Disney could soon be revamped, renamed 'Disney Springs'

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There's constant competition among central Florida's theme parks to keep adding new attractions and Channel 9 learned Wednesday Disney's latest makeover magic will be at Downtown Disney.

Ever since Pleasure Island got a family-friendly makeover four years ago, some say Downtown Disney has lacked a little of the usual Disney magic. Some spots were left empty and some restaurants seemed to struggle.

Now, there are a flurry of rumors about a massive re-design that would break Downtown Disney into six distinct neighborhoods, each with their own look and feel.

Getting the most debate from folks watching the speculation is a name change. The word “downtown” would be out as it would be called “Disney Springs.”

“What is Disney Springs? I don't know,” said theme park expert Duncan Dickson. “But I didn't know what Pleasure Island meant either. When they tell the story, that's what they're best at.”

In a statement, a Disney spokeswoman said, “Work continues on bringing our vision for Downtown Disney to life. As with any project of this size and scope, our plans have continued to grow and evolve... We look forward to sharing additional details soon."

Downtown Disney was originally known as the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village when it opened in 1975.

The original Pleasure Island was added in the 80s to compete with the success of Church Street Station.

WFTV