Rivers of America (plus Railroad & Dioramas) Re-Imagineered 2017

Stevek

Well-Known Member
Is it this one?

Adventure_Thru_Inner_Space_Poster.png
Yep. And these plus Space Mountain. I would love to have more but wall space is at a premium.
PeopleMover.jpg
13227203_1m.jpg
imagehandler.ashx
 

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
What are those rocks supposed to be?
Like much of TL98, they're a poor man's version of a concept from Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris that was twisted, cut, and contorted to the point that they never made any sense in the final installation in Anaheim.

The original backstory of Discoveryland was tied to it being on top of a volcano, which was integral to the original Discovery Mountain concept, where an Intamin Freefall ride would have dropped guests into an active volcano, among other attractions within the single structure. The rocks themselves are similar to basalt columns often found in volcanic areas, created by the rapid cooling of lava into crystal-like shapes
de305f95f917bbab15b10089e0e02166.jpg


(Side note: similar rock formations have been seen along the north bank of Rivers of America, though I don't think they're accurate to the geology of the American frontier. Our favorite ladyblogger captured them around 5:10 in this video:
)

The rocks at DLP's Discoveryland work as a visual transition from the expansive park-like hub, drawing your eyes to the Visionarium building (now Buzz) and Space Mountain beyond. As a way to move from a flat open space to one that's dominated by buildings, they're very effective at blending what could be a harsh connection, while maintaining long sightlines. And because of the park's overall scale, there's plenty of room for wide walkways in addition to the rocks
8056846892_38744ffd37_b.jpg


Additionally, the rocks are surrounded by pools of water, with various levels cascading into one another (similar to DLP's castle moat). Water begins trickling out near the tops of the rocks, and continues through the various pools below
C7CXAKYWcAATtOI.jpg


When the park opened, there were even smoke and fire effects on the water, further reinforcing the volcanic concept. These effects were lost over time, but were recently recalled with fiery lighting at night. Here's a nifty gif showing the original effects in action
https://twitter.com/CafeFantasia/status/563820079172059139

These rocks are a unifying motif throughout the land, including surrounding the Orbitron, helping to define the queue space within the large plaza. Throughout the land, most of the planters repeat that style
5c13b4c3749e2817f5d06f60ac204344.jpg


By the time Space Mountain was built in 1995, the scope of the project was vastly reduced, leaving just the rollercoaster and ditching all direct volcanic references. The structure was still surrounded by angled volcanic rocks, as though it were thrust up through the earth's surface. The adjacent pond is home to the Nautilus (which visited a volcano in the novel) and uses similar terraced waterfalls to those at the land's entrance.
20161202_startours_02.jpg


Which then brings us to Disneyland's Tomorrowland entrance, where the rocks are plopped down into a narrow walkway for no apparent reason, where there's no need for a large transition due to the smaller scale of the hub and buildings, and there are no similar rocks elsewhere in the land to reinforce the concept
DSC_0618.jpg


If you know where they found their inspiration for the TL98 redo, it kind of makes sense. But with what actually got built, they really don't make any sense at all.
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
LOL. Wasn't it the previous management that initiated the changes? DLP has only been fully controlled by the WDCo for what, a month maybe?

Yes, but Disney started asserting more influence in preparations for the 25th, hence DLRP jumping onto hideous ideas like Hyperspace Mountain. It's not like someone challenged them for control - they basically controlled Euro Disney SCA to begin with. Only now, it's official.

My favorite part of Disney's strategy to take over DLRP completely was letting the resort rot for 10+ years. Guests first, that's the Disney way!
 
D

Deleted member 107043

similar rock formations have been seen along the north bank of Rivers of America, though I don't think they're accurate to the geology of the American frontier.

I'm sure you've heard of Mount Lassen, Mount Shasta, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier, all volcanoes on the west coast, two of which are in California. Also don't forget the Yellowstone caldera, the so-called "super volcano" in Yellowstone National Park.
 

180º

Well-Known Member

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
Here's a new shot; a view of the new walkway that will wind north of the Hungry Bear Restaurant and snake its way under the railroad berm and then back into Star Wars Land.
DSC_0586.jpg


That pathway, once it winds its way under the trestle and then between a landscaped canyon, will eventually lead to the westernmost of the three entrances to Star Wars Land here. The pathway is seen on the upper level of this WDI sketch, going over the bridge above what will be extended queue space for the Alcatraz Battle ride. (WDI artwork always manages to make extended queue switchbacks look dreamy and lightly populated)
swglf23091.jpg
Hopefully more landscaping besides trees are coming to help hide the large flow of guests from the river.
Would be also cool if they had dyed the concrete to look like soil. Maybe they will go back and stain it so it doesn't stand out so much.

It's all looking great
 

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
Like much of TL98, they're a poor man's version of a concept from Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris that was twisted, cut, and contorted to the point that they never made any sense in the final installation in Anaheim.

The original backstory of Discoveryland was tied to it being on top of a volcano, which was integral to the original Discovery Mountain concept, where an Intamin Freefall ride would have dropped guests into an active volcano, among other attractions within the single structure. The rocks themselves are similar to basalt columns often found in volcanic areas, created by the rapid cooling of lava into crystal-like shapes
de305f95f917bbab15b10089e0e02166.jpg


(Side note: similar rock formations have been seen along the north bank of Rivers of America, though I don't think they're accurate to the geology of the American frontier.

Although the largest collection of pillar volcanic rocks or Basalt columns are found in Ireland these Basalt columns are also found on the Columbia river in Washington. They are actually quite a few areas throughout the Country where you can find traces of these kind of rock formation just not in large groups as the ones in Ireland

Also as a side note these same rocks are also found in another area of the resort. They are quite a few of them around the grizzley rapids waterfall right behind the queue


Sorry just noticed other people had mentioned the rock formations as well. I actually had Seen a couple other sites that kept referring to them as alien rock formation as part of the transition for Star Wars in their updates. Having traveled quite a bit it was a bit frustrating to read that
 
Last edited:

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Although the largest collection of pillar volcanic rocks or Basalt columns are found in Ireland these Basalt columns are also found on the Columbia river in Washington. They are actually quite a few areas throughout the Country where you can find traces of these kind of rock formation just not in large groups as the ones in Ireland

Also as a side note these same rocks are also found in another area of the resort. They are quite a few of them around the grizzley rapids waterfall right behind the queue


Sorry just noticed other people had mentioned the rock formations as well. I actually had Seen a couple other sites that kept referring to them as alien rock formation as part of the transition for Star Wars in their updates. Having traveled quite a bit it was a bit frustrating to read that
Those rocks are great looking in the proper environment. Blocking the entrance to TL they do not
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom