These four pieces of concept art for Journey of the Little Mermaid have been on my mind for a while now. The Imagineering book A Behind-the-Dreams Look at Making MORE Magic Real accredits the Helen McCarthy-drawn pictures as being for the Magic Kingdom's Little Mermaid ride, but the ride they allude to isn't simply a rehash of the suspended ride Tony Baxter envisioned for Paris or exactly the ride we're all familiar with...it appears to use an LPS system, indicating that the Imagineers had wanted to bring that trackless tech stateside well before the likes of Rise of the Resistance and Runaway Railway opened (and which could also explain its lavish facade).
Apparently, this incarnation was also considered for California Adventure as well, as evident by this layout showing how it would fit in the Golden Dreams space:
Obviously, the final attraction on both coasts ended up becoming an Omnimover, but I'm thinking that was less a creative choice and more a financial choice; the result of a budget crunch, if you will (not unlike how the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train's layout was cut down from what was initially drawn). Could @marni1971 or anyone else of his ilk be of much insight?
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