Disney Just Bought Yamaha's Old California HQ
The House of Mouse has taken over.
I'm heading to California next week to take my kids to Disneyland for the first, and maybe last, time. They're stoked, I'm anxious, and the House of Mouse just wants our money. I'm going to give it to them, sure, but the company is also tossing its own money out right now in a rather unexpected way.
It just bought Yamaha's old headquarters in California.
I doubt Disney wants to get into the motorcycling world, but the move is predicated on Yamaha's rather recent announcement that it would be moving said HQ to Georgia, along with a host of other restructuring plans, that shocked pretty much everyone in the industry.
But for those who have been paying attention, it closes a chapter on Yamaha's California dreamin' that's been going good for more than four decades.
The Industry, It Be Changing
The scoop on the sale was reported first by WDW News Today, one of the many sites that report on Disney-based news. According to the article, "The sprawling former headquarters of Yamaha Motor Corp. in Cypress, California, near Disneyland Resort, now belongs to The Walt Disney Company, according to public records."
The sale reportedly cost Walt Disney World $115.29 million, and the sale closed September 23rd, 2026. The documents that the site uncovered also detail that Yamaha has until 2028 to fully remove its presence from the premises, with Disney aiming at a 2030 opening to its own employees. I don't get why they're giving Yamaha that much time, as I've always been forced out of old places within days of my lease getting terminated, but businesses get all the breaks.
WDW also got word from Disney that the 25-acre campus and building will be for back of the house operations, as it's not too far from Disneyland Resort. What that means is anyone's guess, but hopefully there's still some Yamaha magic in the place and we get a Cars-like Pixar film.
A guy can hope, right?
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