While many eyes were on the opening of the Star Wars Trading Post at Disneyland Resort’s Downtown Disney District, taking over the former Rainforest Cafe location, many eyes were also on the reopening of the Wonderground Gallery.
The Wonderground Gallery, is a place where independent, innovative artists and illustrators put their personal spin on Disney’s rich storytelling legacy, creating limited-edition artwork and merchandise as powerful as the stories that inspired them. Works are based on anything from films to park attractions and locations, and the store has a large fan following who love the works that aren’t the run of the mill park souvenirs.
Since the parks are still closed at this time, many fans also wanted to be able to get their hands on the exclusive merchandise from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but weren’t able to as there is no access to the park. The powers that be at the Disneyland Resort heard those cries, and transformed the Wonderground Gallery into the temporary Star Wars Trading Post. As is the nature of this industry, the removal caused another outcry from the fans, lamenting the loss of the Wondergound Gallery, especially in an area that already has numerous vacant areas that could be transformed into retail space. It took some time, but the Star Wars Trading Post was moved to the former Rainforest Cafe location, and now, the Wonderground Gallery has returned.
The Wonderground Gallery is still a showcase for the artists, like Dave Perillo, Leilani Joy, Joey Chou, Jarrod Maruyama, Jeff Granito, and more, but as of right now, the store is also selling stylized generic Disneyland souvenirs, and even Spirit Jerseys. The official Disneyland website says that the Wonderground Gallery will help guests “Add a dash of Disney style to your life by stopping by this boutique devoted to home décor, accessories and apparel.”
Southern Californian fans of the Wonderground Gallery may notice in the images that, in terms of artwork, there aren’t a lot of new offerings. Much of the newer content developed by Wonderground artists made a debut at the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, and will likely appear in the newly reopened Wonderground Gallery on the West Coast in the coming weeks as the festival concludes, especially since there are newer pieces that actually celebrate Disneyland and Disneyland attractions that, due to the park’s extended closure, were made available for their debut at EPCOT.
While we visited Wonderground Gallery a bit later in the day, we did spend some time at Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street (including the new Star Wars Trading Post) when we were streaming live earlier today, which you can watch a replay of below!