In order to facilitate the construction of the area and the increase in capacity, two large parking structures were constructed in previous surface parking lot areas. Prior to this announcement, the last renovation of Downtown Disney had been in 1997. The 3-year renovation and expansion project would include 150 new tenants, two parking structures, and a near-doubling of mall area. On March 14, 2013, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Staggs announced that Downtown Disney would be redesigned and renamed as Disney Springs. Welcome Center in gabled building on left. The Springs of Disney Springs - Town Center (from The Landing). Similar complexes also exist at other Disney resorts: Disney Village, which opened on April 12, 1992, at Disneyland Resort Paris Ikspiari, which opened on July 7, 2000, at the Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneytown at Shanghai Disney Resort. The Downtown Disney complex gained a sister district in California on January 12, 2001, with the addition of Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort. On September 27, 2008, the Pleasure Island nightclubs closed.
Major changes to the complex also included the conversion of Mickey's Character Shop into the World of Disney, becoming the world's largest Disney store, in addition to the expansion and upgrade of the AMC Pleasure Island Theatres, as well as the opening of Rainforest Cafe and Planet Hollywood. On September 15, Downtown Disney West Side, a 66 acres (27 ha) expansion, opened as a third shopping, dining, and entertainment area featuring venues such as La Nouba (the former Cirque Du Soleil show in residence which closed at the end of 2017), DisneyQuest, and Virgin Megastore. The re-branding was introduced on September 7, 1997. On June 20, 1995, major enhancements and expansions were announced for the area, with the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island being combined into a newly branded district named Downtown Disney. The first World of Disney store opened October 2, 1996, in Marketplace. In the mid-1990s, the growth of Walt Disney World created the potential for further expansion, leading to a $1 billion investment in projects across the resort. Later that year, the complex was renamed Disney Village Marketplace. Construction began the following August and Pleasure Island was opened on May 1, 1989, the same day as the Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
To compete with the popular Church Street Station clubs in downtown Orlando, Disney announced the addition of Pleasure Island, featuring nightclubs showcasing Disney's quality and creativity, to Walt Disney World Village on July 21, 1986. With the advent of new management under Michael Eisner in 1984, Disney began looking for ways to keep vacationers on Walt Disney World property longer, and prevent them from leaving for entertainment beyond Disney's borders. Two years after its opening, the complex was renamed Walt Disney World Village. The Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, which opened on March 22, 1975, was originally envisioned as an area shopping mall. Characters in Flight observation balloon ride