Hi Lee! Nice to see you here.
I heard some crazy stuff a year and a half ago that I shelved as farfetched and from an unreliable source (ie, gossip) but I thought I'd offer some of it here regardless as it seems related...
To begin with this entire rumor was based around the idea that Big Thunder Mountain would have to be rebuilt, which you can believe or not. The mountain's "infirmities" are somewhat substantial but nothing that a good long refurb couldn't fix.... Operations simply isn't willing to close it for the months of work it needs. And I wouldn't expect any of that to change until Fantasyland redistributes crowds. Personally I think I heard two unrelated rumors smushed together...
Anyway. I was told that Tom Sawyer Island would be redeveloped into a major new attraction, possibly something like what Hong Kong is getting a'la Grizzly Mountain or whatever it's called. This would involve the entire Rivers of America being more or less removed. There would still be a river and it would appear to go around the existing island but would terminate in the back to allow an access road to reach the new attraction.
This would result in the Riverboat being permanently docked and converted into some sort of restaurant. This has been discussed for years now and I know divers have been in the river as recently as last year to examine the feasibility of this. Then bridges would be built connecting the island to the mainland, allowing access to the E-Ticket. This is why fixing up the river scenes would be unnecessary; they'd be totally removed, along with the river, boat and rafts. This of course would accomplish the goal of opening up a LOT of land to pedestrian access and future expansion.
So Liberty Belle = New Restaurant
TSI = new attraction
new shops = on TSI, which is now accessible by bridges.
I don't have too much to say about all this except that if done correctly, the boat could make a nice restaurant especially if they add a motor to keep the paddlewheel turning and some steam effect to the smokestack to make it look like it's about to steam out of port. I'd be nice to see a more detailed River treatment as well... Disney could add some dynamics like mountainwork and waterfalls and it'd be interesting to see a version of the Rivers of America with clear mountain water and a rocky riverbed bottom instead of muddy green sludge. The MK Rivers of America haven't had any work since about 1998 and must be in terrible shape.
Also, opening up new shops and restaurants in more permanent locations could reduce the need for all those stands along the Frontierland riverfront, which you're hardly able to enjoy these days because of clutter and overdevelopment. This could restore some of the balance and scenic beauty to MK Frontierland.
Anyway. Those are my thoughts. Some stuff lost, some stuff gained. If WDI finds a home for the Beacon Joe showscene I'd be in support of a lot of what I've talked about above. Heck, they could take those River scenes and put them along the train tracks. There.
I don't expect Lee to compromise his standing by commenting on any of this, by the way, and I'm not going to believe any of it or get myself twisted into a fit until WDI goes out there and starts tearing stuff down, so consider this purely speculation.
