Walt Disney World: The Next Chapter

[IAmNotAHufflepuff]

Hey guys, I've been thinking. I'm having second thoughts on moving Indiana Jones to Disney's Hollywoodland. I just don't think it would work well. So, here's what I'm gonna do instead:

First, I'm gonna move Indy back to the Magic Kingdom and restore the Lost Expedition idea. And second, I'm gonna take this moment to introduce you to an all-new take on the style of Disney's Hollywoodland: All the areas in the front and back of the park will become part of two underlying themes.

The front half (Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards, Animation Courtyard and an all-new land I'll get in later) will be used as a Tribute to Hollywood, honoring the Golden Age of Hollywood and the art of filmmaking. The back half (Muppets Courtyard, Star Wars Spaceport and Toy Story Land) will be Where Movies Come to Life, seeing as how you're in the worlds of these films.

Some elements will actually serve to ease guests into each different area of the park (Muppets Courtyard--quasi-studio/IP-based area; Animation Courtyard, honoring Disney/Pixar animation and how it's made; segue into lands based upon Toy Story and an all-new Toontown). In addition, The Great Movie Ride still remains strong, serving as a reminder of both sides of this park: a tribute to the movies and a taste of "movies-come-to-life".

This new land I'm talking about, replacing Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Echo Lake is Production Courtyard, honoring the art of how entertainment is brought to us, in both movies and TV.

So, what do you think of my new plans for the park?

In terms of your new Production Courtyard land, could I make a suggestion?

I'm not sure what it is, but the idea of a Mystic-Manor style Backlot Tour has always clicked in my head, with a cursed film projector bringing movie props and mechanics to life. I'm not sure if it'll work here, but would you care to consider something like this?

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[DisneyManOne]

In terms of your new Production Courtyard land, could I make a suggestion?

I'm not sure what it is, but the idea of a Mystic-Manor style Backlot Tour has always clicked in my head, with a cursed film projector bringing movie props and mechanics to life. I'm not sure if it'll work here, but would you care to consider something like this?

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Thank you very much, my friend! But as for the Mystic Manor-style ride, I'm not sure, since I plan to replicate the ride for Disney's Animal Kingdom. Thank you for the suggestion, anyway!

 

[DisneyManOne]

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Continuing past the aforementioned several story-high Woody doll (which spits out several of his trademark catchphrases every few seconds), we take note of a series of letter blocks and Lego bricks crafted together piece-by-piece to spell out the name of this area of the park: Toy Story Land. This land, much like its sister lands at Walt Disney Studios Paris and at Hong Kong Disneyland, are meant to bring guests into the world of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang in a whole new way. Consider this area a spiritual successor to the former Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, because here, as the story goes, we've been shrunk down to the size of a toy and have been personally invited by Woody, Buzz and the gang to visit a toy-hosted carnival celebrating "National Friendship Day" amid the giant blades of grass and oversized potted plants in Andy's backyard.

Banners composed of tissue paper and paper towels read in crude crayon-lettering "National Friendship Day," whilst a large iPod with its earbuds exposed rather loudly plays Randy Newman hits such as "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "We Belong Together," a cleverly-disguised source of Toy Story-themed background music. Old Christmas lights are strung up from above, giving multi-colored light to the area when the moon rises.

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Our first stop is Al's Toy Barn, labeled (and misspelled) by a large piece of cardboard obviously scribbled on by Andy in crayon. An equally-poor drawing of Al in his chicken suit sits not too far from the entrance to the store, the store itself contained in the plastic confines of a Fisher-Price farmhouse. Once inside the farmhouse, plastic Fisher-Price barnyard animals appear among the toy-lined shelves and displays, in addition to farmers represented by Fisher-Price's popular "Little People" figures. Overhead Scrabble letters hung by fishing string and yarn spell out various phrases and quotes from the films, perfectly lit by glow-in-the-dark star stickers plastered on the walls. Like the human-sized Al's Toy Barn somewhere in the real-world, an entire aisle dedicated to Buzz Lightyear is featured, including a special display for an exclusive utility belt accessory. Across from Al's Toy Barn is Alien Swirling Saucers, a ride that revives an extinct Disneyland attraction that has been ill-fatedly revived time and time again: the Flying Saucers. But this time, things are done a bit differently. This attraction is designed as a toy play set that Andy got from Pizza Planet, inspired by the first Toy Story film. Aliens are flying around in their toy flying saucers and trying to capture your rocket toy vehicle with “The Claw.” As you rotate around the toy planets and satellites as part of the game, you’ll swirl to the beat of fun “Space Jazz” music developed just for this experience. The music, the lighting, and the sound effects will add to the flurry of your adventure while “The Claw” looms ominously over you.

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Nearby, taking over much of the land area, is a full-on roller-coaster. Slinky Dog Dash takes us through the miniature world of Andy's backyard on a fast-paced race through the overgrown lawn. Hopping aboard Slink's back, we dart off into the wild green yonder on a thrill ride we won't soon forget. he attraction features a coaster track that Andy has built all over his backyard using his "Mega Coaster Play Kit", but as you know, he has a pretty amazing imagination, so he’s combined it with some of his other toys. On Slinky Dog Dash, you will zip, dodge and dash around many turns and drops that Andy has created to really make Slinky and his coils stretch to his limits.

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Andy's Toybox welcomes us inside through a "mouse-sized" hole in its base. Inside we are treated to a meet-n-greet with all your toy pals: Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Bo Peep, Stinky Pete, Lotso, Sarge and the Green Army Men, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, Hamm or a major first: Barbie and Ken in the face character format.

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Nearby, Bullseye’s Carnival Cavalcade contains vintage midway games for the whole family, marking the entrance to a carnival midway, Toy Story-style. Prizes range from plush toys to cotton candy. Casey Jr.'s Animal Crackers sells a wide variety of carnival food, including deep-fried anything, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, meat on sticks, circus peanuts, etc. And of course, there’s even more fun to be had! It wouldn't be a Toy Story midway without one of Disney's most popular attractions. Step right into the fun of Toy Story Midway Mania!, a spinning, smashing, popping, dart-throwing adventure that sends you right inside Andy’s newest board game.

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With all these new additions, Toy Story Land will definitely help put Disney's Hollywoodland on the map. Meandering past the blades of grass and giant bushes found in Andy's backyard, things take a drastically "urban" turn just south of our path...Intrigued, we continue forward towards the next area of Disney's Hollywoodland.
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Stay tuned, because in the next post, we'll visit my all-time favorite area of the park: Animation Courtyard!

 

[DisneyManOne]

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Animation Courtyard is a land devoted to the business that has made Disney what it is today - animation. Walt Disney was an innovator, a dreamer, a conceptualist, a designer, but had started his influential career as an animator. Ever since he was a child, he was a drawer and loved the process of putting together images to simulate moving pictures. He had studied all sorts of information regarding this new kind of art. He had created some of the most beloved characters, such as Mickey Mouse, whom he had drawn and provided the voice for in the earliest years of the character.

Animation Courtyard used to serve its' purpose as an actual studios where animated features used to be produced. Beyond the current Magic of Disney Animation building, there is a much larger building, which hosted the Animation production buildings. Ever since 2004, all animation production at the park has been stopped and has been re-routed to the Disney Animation Studios is Burbank, California. With the renovation of Disney's Hollywoodland, this section of the park will see a true re-development of the entire area, something to focus on both the process of animation and Walt Disney's inspiration that had led to a sweeping career. The heart of animation has always been at the heart of The Walt Disney Company, so this area is as important as ever to be represented in the Studios. Animation is a source of inspiration, it creates stories and lovable characters that society finds endearing.

We enter Animation Courtyard from the central hub of Hollywood Boulevard, just off of the Hollywoodland Hills. The archway that used to serve as the entrance into the courtyard has been removed. The entire area has been refurbished to share the same feeling as Hollywood Boulevard, Production Courtyard and Sunset Boulevard. Nestled in the shadow of the Hollywoodland Hills, guests will find the Walt Disney Theatre, the former home of Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Due to the film being featured as a dark ride in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland and because of the show's older quality in the park, I have decided to remove the show from the Studios, unfortunately. The original theater, as well as the In Character shop and The Studio Store, has been destroyed and been re-built in a whole new way. Modeled after the concept art proposed for Disney California Adventure’s Hyperion...

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...the brick-faced clock tower exterior of this theatre betrays its regal grand interior. The iconic theater logo from the Cruise Line, seen below, decorates the entrance to the theater.

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The theater's extravagant lobby is decked out in shades of gold. Two passages lead to the theater's upper level and to the balcony seats.

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Of course, the interior would look like the theater on the Disney Dream and Fantasy cruise ships--recalling a bygone elegance of movie houses, yet behind the curtain you’ll find a technological marvel. Adorned with Art Deco and Art Nouveau flourishes from the 1930s and 1940s, the Walt Disney Theatre is a luxurious venue designed to handle today’s most complex productions. It's also one of Disney's most technologically advanced theatres, boasting an approximately 40-foot-wide proscenium stage, full-flying capabilities for moveable backdrops and scenery, a projection system for animated scrims and stage lifts, pyrotechnic capabilities, state-of-the-art lighting and Dolby sound systems and even orchestra and balcony seating. The theatre has a 1,340-seat capacity, so it's highly recommended to come early if you want a good seat.

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The Walt Disney Theatre is equipped to present hour-long, Broadway-style tellings of Disney’s finest. In fact, the theater plays host to a rotating series of shows, and every two weeks, a different show takes the stage. Plus, two posters will line the entrance doors, advertising the theater's current tenant. Most of these shows come from the Disney Cruise Line and some of the parks around the world. Here's the full rotation of shows that will play at the Walt Disney Theatre.

Hercules: The MUSE-ical: Hysteria reigns over the Walt Disney Theatre in this rip-roaring musical comedy! Discover a true hero, a hilarious villain, two zany sidekicks, a tempting Greek goddess, and the meaning of true love and real belly laughs - all live on stage.

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Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage: This is one of Disney's most iconic theme park stage productions, so I decided it wouldn't be fair to completely remove it from the park, so the show has been moved from Sunset Boulevard to join the rotation here at the Walt Disney Theatre. The heartwarming tale of Belle and the Beast swirls to even greater life with its colorful costumes and gorgeous scenery—and all the songs you’ve come to love. You’ll be swept away all over again! The show will receive a re-worked script expanding on the storyline and featuring more scenes from the movie.

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Toy Story: The Musical: True to the original Pixar film, this show revisits the touching story of 2 toys and their journey to friendship. As the story goes, it’s Andy’s 6th birthday and he receives a present—Buzz Lightyear—an exciting new action figure who is not exactly welcomed by Andy’s favorite pal Woody, a traditional wooden toy cowboy. The plot unfolds as they compete for the attention of Andy, eventually becoming friends along the way. In addition to Randy Newman's classic "You've Got a Friend in Me", songwriters Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn create a score that combines pop, folk and rock elements that result in irresistibly catchy tunes.

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Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular: The mythical Arabian story of boy meets girl raises the bar with special effects and advanced technology. Straight from Disney California Adventure, as well as the Disney Fantasy cruise ship, Aladdin is definitely a cut above most Disney theme park stage shows. The action often spills out into the aisles or above the audience, such as when Jafar transforms into a gigantic snake and then shrinks into the magic lamp, or in the fantastical flying carpet scene that takes place high overhead. Don’t miss this positively spellbinding, feast for the eyes—and ears—Broadway-style production!

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Snow White: An Enchanting Musical: This show brings the world of Walt Disney's first animated feature to life. This musical production brings the story of Snow White to the stage as it follows her from the Evil Queen's castle to the cottage of the seven dwarfs in the Enchanted Forest. Incorporating the iconic songs and impressive set and costume design, this show brings to life the classic film like never before.

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Tangled: The Musical: Come let down your hair for a live re-telling of the 2010 animated smash hit. Follow Rapunzel’s journey as she escapes the confines of her tower and the clutches of her evil sham of a mother who conceals the truth about Rapunzel’s royal roots. Rapunzel and Flynn strike up an unlikely friendship and, when an unexpected romance blossoms between the adventurous pair, together they face down ruffians and thugs. But dare they defy Mother Gothel?

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Journey into the Jungle Book: Rudyard Kipling's iconic jungle world makes its way into the Walt Disney Theatre. This production, which ran for only the first year Animal Kingdom was opened, employs a new breed of humanimals, highly mobile costumed characters combining human performers and innovative puppetry. The result: animals of fantasy that convey life-like realism and emotion. The music and characters from the film step right out of what appears to be a giant, multi-plane picture book on stage. The show is expanded a bit, and re-instates Kaa's scene, which was apparently cut before the show officially opened, but can be heard on an audio recording of the show (listen here). This is one journey you don't want to miss!

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Tarzan: Call of the Jungle: Two worlds...where primitive meets civilized...Feel the power unleashed when emotions, humor and action combine in one sensational production. Direct from Shanghai Disneyland, this uplifting, eye-popping musical features Phil Collins’ iconic score from the Disney feature film Tarzan. Powerful staging and visual effects draw the audience into the gripping story. And breathtaking acrobatic stunts take this classic tale to thrilling new heights.

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Frozen: Live on Stage: If you're from Florida, you probably don't have to bother with cold weather much. But, maybe with a certain snow queen by your side, maybe you'll feel that chill. Direct from Disney California Adventure, this show brings Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf and all the other inhabitants of Arendelle to life on stage. The show stays true to the poignant journey of Anna and Elsa, while also presenting a unique take on the tale through elaborate costumes and sets, stunning special effects and show-stopping production numbers. The show also utilizes a 2,200 square-foot projection screen and special projections that spread out into the auditorium. Don't be surprised if you see the balconies get iced over! It’s truly an unforgettable theatrical experience that will captivate the entire family.

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Plus, during Halloween and Christmas, two special shows are performed here, but I'll save describing them for when the appropriate time comes.

Right across the courtyard from the Walt Disney Theatre, guests will find that since Disney Junior has moved to Production Courtyard, the building the show formerly played in has returned to its old roots. Back in the day, this site was home to the Soundstage Restaurant, a full-service restaurant that was designed to look like a "live set" from Disney films. Well, I'd turn that space into one of Disney's most revered restaurants, the Animator's Palate. However, this version of the restaurant will be the original pre-2011 styling. Here, guests enter into a dining room that is completely black and white. Throughout the course of the meal, the paintings of various Disney characters along the walls are magically transformed into color. The meal ends with a film highlighting great moments from Disney animated classics and then the entire room bursts into an array of colors, with even the servers’ costumes changing from black and white to color. As a nod to the original Soundstage Restaurant, Animator's Palate offers character breakfasts each morning and a buffet the rest of the day. A restaurant of this theme would be a perfect fit in the Animation Courtyard.

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In the center of the courtyard, guests will find the the pinnacle of Hollywood animation: Disney Animation.

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As you all know, the original Magic of Disney Animation has closed to make way for the Star Wars Launch Bay. But, given that it's meant to be temporary until Star Wars Land opens, I've decided to replace the original attraction with an all-new version of the attraction, largely based on the one at Disney California Adventure. Stepping towards the building, you'll notice the first change: the exterior, which has been given an exact replica of DCA's beautiful post-modern Deco-revival style (pictured above). Now, before we go inside the building, let me just take this opportunity to tell you about a special piece of entertainment that occurs every day in front of the building. It's a show called Drawn to the Magic, a show that used to dazzle guests at Disney California Adventure from 2004 to 2010. In the show, we join three animators as they invite guests to see how they get inspiration for their drawings. Three volunteers are even brought up to help them out by posing a certain way. Then, after a medley of songs from the Disney films, the sketches they've been working on are revealed, and in a true bit of magic, the character they've sketched appears before our very eyes! After the show, guests are even invited to meet the characters inside the Disney Animation building's lobby or right outside nearby the animators' easels (perfect photo-op if you ask me).

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Now then, let's head inside the Disney Animation building itself. This video is a look at the DCA Animation building. Most of the exhibits found here will be the same as DCA's, so this is just for reference's sake.

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Held inside an Art Deco studio, Disney Animation gives us a first-hand account at the magic of the pen. Entering the building, we pass by a curved wall in which "Once upon a time..." is inscribed in gold lettering. Once inside the well-sized building, we are greeted by the breathtaking Animation Lobby. This is a beautiful space, and a perfect way to introduce guests to the wonders they're about to see. Completely surrounding the rooms are several scrims, in which projected images from Disney films are seen. Throughout the room, musical scores and songs from several Disney movies are heard, as the projected images on the scrims correspond to the music, showcasing the actual film animation, concept art, character art, screenshots from the film in question, backgrounds and sketches. The films date back from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan, all the way up to current films like Tangled and Zootopia. The loop here at Disney's Hollywoodland will combine elements from both the old (pre-2011) and new (post-2011) loops. But, if you don't want to watch the loops, here are the films that would be featured in Hollywoodland's loop (The films from the original pre-2011 loop are marked with an asterisk).

• The Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast
• Fantasia/Fantasia 2000
• Bambi
• Finding Nemo
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire*
• The Incredibles
• The Jungle Book
• Toy Story trilogy
• Cinderella
• Mulan
• Hercules*
• Monsters, Inc.
• Ratatouille
• Lilo & Stitch
• Tarzan
• A Bug's Life*
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame*
• Pinocchio ("Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee")
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Emperor's New Groove*
• Up
• Lady and the Tramp
• Tangled
• Dumbo
• The Lion King
• Frozen ("Let it Go" sequence)
• Zootopia
• Cars
• Pocahontas
• Sleeping Beauty
• Aladdin ("A Whole New World")
• Peter Pan
• Pinocchio/"When You Wish Upon a Star" Finale

The top video is the original lobby loop, the bottom video is the current loop.
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The Animation Lobby serves the purpose of being a "hub" for the rest of the building's features, starting with the Animation Academy. Visiting the Animation Academy treats us to a demonstration from a trained Disney sketch artist. We are allowed a first-hand experience in drawing the same character, even being allowed to take our sketch home with us.

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Sorcerer's Workshop is where we can get a more hands-on approach to the animation process. Journey through three interactive realms filled with hands-on exhibits that explore the three essential traits that magically combine to make animated Disney characters come to life: drawing and storyboarding, personality and voice. The first realm, the Magic Mirror's Realm, takes us deep into the mysterious quarters of a medieval castle where you create your very own animated drawings. Here, we are able to draw basic animation reels and try them out in "reels," create our own virtual portraits and mosaics, piece together our own Silly Symphony short or create an adventurous and romantic plot to their own animated film.Interactive exhibits teach how the principles of persistence of vision trick the eye into believing that still images are in motion. Also found in Yen Sid's lair is the mesmerizing Toy Story Zoetrope, a constantly-spinning optical illusion that brings to life several sculptures of characters from the film(s). While you work, don't be surprised if a famous visitor appears in the magic mirror on the wall.

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The Magic Mirror's Realm paves the way into Ursula's Grotto, the eerie but humble abode of Ursula the Sea Witch. Rather than stealing our voice for her own benefit, Ursula allows us to do a bit of voiceover work, re-recording our own voices over classic scenes from Disney animation.

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Following Ursula's Grotto is one of the most beautiful areas in the entire park: the Beast's Library. A portrait of Prince Adam overlooks the whole of the monstrous library directly above the ever-wilting enchanted rose. Every so often, the last petal of the rose falls, causing the lights to dim and the unseen Beast to cast a gash clear across his own portrait's face. In the library, Lumiere and Cogsworth allow us to test our personalities and discover which Disney character "we are," often resulting in humorous results.

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Located where Character Close-Up would be at DCA's Animation building, Disney Through the Decades is a meet & greet to end all meet & greets. This innovative character area features different rooms, each themed to a different decade. As you go through the rooms, there are a bunch of different set pieces, each one themed to a different animated movie from that era (and the characters you'll find inside). It's sorta like Pete's Silly Sideshow, wherein each film represented has its own distinct background (See pictures below for a few examples. But, if you want to see more of what I envision the backgrounds to look like, click here).

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There will be five rooms: 20's/30's/40's, 50's/60's, 70's, 80's/90's and 2000's/2010's. The five rooms surround a central courtyard displaying a small light show. I'd prefer to purely stick to the roster below, so we don't have to update things everytime a new film comes out. That's why I added in Casting Call on Hollywood Boulevard, so that the most current film characters can meet guests. Anyways, here are the films that will be represented.

30’s/40’s: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, The Three Caballeros
50’s/60’s/70's: Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers
80's/90’s: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan
2000’s/2010’s: The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia​

Located where Turtle Talk would be located at DCA's Animation building, Mickey's PhilharMagic has moved over here from the Magic Kingdom. Attending a show at a magical concert hall, we pay witness to Donald sneakily steal Mickey's sorcerer cap and unintentionally get warped into the various worlds of Disney animation. Visited locations include Aladdin, Peter Pan, The Lion King, and more.

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When it comes time to leave, you head out past a wall similar to the one we passed when we entered, this time reading "...and they lived happily ever after." Much like DCA, Disney Animation exits out into the Off the Page store, which showcases merchandise from several classic animated Disney films. The exterior will (surprise, surprise) look just like the Off the Page store at DCA.

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A pathway in-between the Walt Disney Theatre and Disney Animation leads to Toy Story Land. But now, we have to leave Animation Courtyard and move on to the final land of Disney's Hollywoodland...
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...which we will be talking about in the next post. See ya then!

 

[DisneyManOne]

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Sunset Boulevard takes guests back to a different side of Hollywood, as well as the different sides of the entertainment industry. Just off of Hollywood and Vine, guests will find the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, a reminiscent take on a classic 1940s Hollywood street. The street is very similar to Hollywood Boulevard, as it is filled with shops and eateries, stretching into the eastern most part of the park. Sunset Boulevard is definitely a place filled with excitement, charm, thrills, all while keeping the classic Golden Age of Hollywood intact.

The buildings that form the exteriors of Sunset Boulevard are meant to portray a theater district in California, for both cinemas and live theater performances. The exteriors feature grand ornamentations and heavy detail work to provide heavy detail throughout the area. Some of the buildings are topped with billboards, showcasing the innovations and entertainment that were all the rage over seven decades ago. The area features more stylistic designs to the architecture, as opposed to Hollywood Boulevard. Sunset Boulevard is inspired by the reviving architecture that was starting to be re-used in California during the decade, showcasing the many different ornate and intricate building designs. The boulevard curves slightly, as lined palm trees align the way to the back of the boulevard, where the tall, inactive Hollywood Tower Hotel rests.

On the left side of the street, guests will find the Starring Rolls Cafe, adjacent to the Hollywood Brown Derby on Hollywood Boulevard. The quick-service location only operates in the morning and in the early afternoon. Starring Rolls offers an excellent array of bagels, crescents, muffins and other breakfast pastries, as well as sandwiches and a selection of desserts. The location makes for one of the best places to grab a light breakfast. Just beyond the cafe, guests will find the Beverly Hills Theater, the home of Sweet Spells, a sweet confectionery, including elements of the Disney Villains, as portraits of Disney Villains hang from the walls of the sweet candy store. In the windows of the store, guests will find figures of the Witch from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Connected to Sweet Spells is Villains in Vogue. That's right--the bland, unoriginal Reel Vogue has returned to its former roots as a shop for all things evil! Beyond Villains in Vogue is an all-new restaurant. The former Sunset Ranch Market area has been removed. On the space formerly held by Anaheim Produce and surrounding seating area is the Sunset Ranch Diner. Despite the closing of Sunset Ranch Market, the restaurant is a food-court style area featuring six stands boasting the menus of the five original components of Sunset Ranch Market--Anaheim Produce, Catalina Eddie's, Fairfax Fare, Hollywood Scoops and Rosie's All-American Cafe. So, if you're a fan of one area, don't fret. You'll still be able to find the food from that area here at the Sunset Ranch Diner.

Just across the street, guests will find Legends of Hollywood, found inside of the exterior of the Academy Theater. The location features generic Disney's Hollywoodland merchandise, as well as a selection of Disney jewelry and watches, including limited edition pieces.

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Nearby is the Planet Hollywood Superstore, features Planet Hollywood brand merchandise including housewares, children's clothing, and three lines of adult clothing: Classic, Contemporary and Sporty. The store also carries "Celebrity Edition" artwork and movie memorabilia. Continuing down the right side of the street, replacing the Sunset Club Couture, Mouse About Town and Once Upon a Time shops, guests will then find the iconic white tower of the Carthay Circle Theatre.

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This iconic theater is where Walt Disney risked it all in 1937, where he premiered the world's first full-length animated feature film. Step inside the theater and be whisked away into the world of that iconic film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. An all-new version of the beloved Magic Kingdom attraction Snow White's Scary Adventures, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs takes us aboard a mine car named for one of the Seven Dwarfs and into a masterpiece in carnival "spook house" dark rides. From the general cheeriness of the Dwarfs' Diamond Mine to the terrifying catacombs and dungeons of the Evil Queen's Castle, the attraction is a solid mix between light and dark that is guaranteed to end happily ever after...

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Moving on down Sunset Boulevard, the remainder of the former Sunset Ranch Market area has been turned into a small park with a gazebo, a perfect place to take a break. Across the street from this park, guests will find the Theater of the Stars. The theater itself has received a significant refurbishment, completely enclosing the theater, improving technical, theatrical and performance aspects of the show. With an enclosed theater, the lighting is better and crisper, weather is no longer a factor--an enclosed theater just creates a better production. The exterior façade of the theater now has the appearance of the grand movie palaces prevalent during the Golden Age of Hollywood. It looks even more opulent sitting atop the beautiful water feature the current theater has.

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Since Beauty and the Beast has joined the Walt Disney Theatre rotation, a new show will move in to the theater. One day, I was thinking "Hey, the park wouldn't be a tribute to Hollywood without having a big awards ceremony." Well, we've got just that, in the form of...The Golden Mickeys!

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The premise of this show is that guests are attending an awards show highlighting achievements by various Disney animated films in several different categories, such as romance, villains, heroes, comedy, etc.

Right from the get-go, the feeling of being at an awards ceremony hits you. The entrance ramp that leads up to the theater is outfitted with a red carpet and banners. There's no mistaking that a special event is about to take place. A velvet rope is set up a few feet away from the entrance doors. Behind this cordoned off area is a video camera. An announcement is made that Rona Rivers, famed red carpet hostess, will be interviewing guests as they arrive for the show. A beautiful woman in a gold evening gown arrives and begins her sound and camera checks. A display of the awards to be presented is set up behind her. As the special guests (aka, us) arrive, Rona selects a few to interview. Each is asked what "designer" line they are wearing, who's their favorite Disney character and other "red carpet" questions. While this is fun to watch in person, you can see these interviews as they're broadcast inside the theater.

The show is hosted by a reluctant young newbie, who finds himself/herself (in this version of the show, I'd like to have this role be able to be played by both men and women, much like the host of the Disney Junior show) in the unexpected role of emcee. It follows the age old show biz tale of the star unable to perform with the understudy stepping into and shining in his/her role. The show does not highlight one movie, but many. In fact, here is a list of movies and songs that will be represented, and what "award category" they will be part of.

Opening: "The Golden Mickeys" (yes, that is the name of the song)
Classic: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

• "Someday My Prince Will Come"
• "Whistle While You Work"
• "Heigh-Ho"

Heroism

• "Son of Man" (Tarzan)
• "I'll Make a Man Out of You" (Mulan)
• Disney Trio (from Animazement): "Just Around the Riverbend/Go the Distance/Out There" (Pocahontas, Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

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Symphony

• "Under the Sea" (The Little Mermaid)

Villains

• "Cruella de Vil" (101 Dalmatians)

Friendship

• "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Toy Story)

Romance

• "Bella Notte" (Lady and the Tramp)
• "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (The Lion King)
• "I See the Light" (Tangled)
• "Beauty and the Beast" (Beauty and the Beast)

Finale: "The Golden Mickeys" Reprise

After watching this show, you'll definitely agree--everyone who attends The Golden Mickeys is a star!

Continuing to the back end of Sunset Boulevard, to the left, guests will find a courtyard leading to the Mercury Radio Studio, circa October 31st, 1938. This was one of the most infamous days in radio history. This was the day that The Mercury Theatre on the Air would produce an adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds...but little did they know about the reaction people would have regarding it...

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Step inside the studio to tour the recording booths. You just may happen upon Orson Welles, who’s reading a news bulletin being beamed to American households everywhere about an alien invasion currently underway. Is it real? Could there truly be lights in the sky over Los Angeles? Proceed through the studio and witness for yourself aboard INVASION!, a launched roller coaster into the dizzying recesses of radio and wonder. To a riveting musical score interspersed by Welles’s narration of an intergalactic attack, you’ll blast into the light and through the stars aboard the ride formerly known as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. This sensational attraction will leave you wondering if we’re alone in the universe.

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At the eastern most part of the park, guests will find the Hollywood Tower Hotel, casting a foreboding shadow against the Hollywood streets. Looking at it from the side, something bad has happened. A giant, cracked hole in the middle of the tower appears, as a complete part of the building has seemingly been ripped from the hotel. Upon entering into the lobby of the former hotel, guests will arrive upon a deserted hotel, everything in order as it was nearly one hundred years ago, left in untouched condition. Legend has it that the hotel was once the pinnacle of the hotels in Hollywood, until lightning struck on Halloween of 1939, sending an elevator and five people into parts unknown. But now, the hotel doors have mysteriously opened up, allowing guests to take an unusual journey aboard that haunted elevator as they plummet, rise and fall through the elevator shafts of the Hollywood Tower Hotel, otherwise known as...The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

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The experience ends through the Tower Gifts store, which showcases Twilight Zone Tower of Terror merchandise, while still remaining in the Hollywood Tower Hotel motif.
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Stick around, everybody, because in the next post, we'll head back to the Carthay Circle Theatre and take a ride through the mysterious world of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

 

[DisneyManOne]

And now, permit me to take you into the world of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs like never before (BTW, I took a bit of inspiration from @MANEATINGWREATH for this, so shout-out to him!)
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Whilst much of Sunset Boulevard appears to be designed with the intention of resembling Hollywood during the late 30s, a land of upward mobility, high fashion, and the latest and greatest in entertainment, the facade of the Carthay Circle Theatre is built with the clear intention of mixing a sense of enchantment with an aura of foreboding. Standing before us is the iconic white tower of the Carthay Circle Theatre, home of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, an all-new version of the iconic Snow White's Scary Adventures. The theater is decked out as it was on that fateful night--December 21st, 1937--when the world met Snow White, the Dwarfs, the Prince, the Witch and everyone else for the first time. The marquee proudly reads "Walt Disney's Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs" in capital letters.

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A fountain bubbles happily nearby the theater.

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Intrigued, we press forward past the ticket booth and through the entrance door, blissfully ignoring two warning signs located on both sides of the door: "Warning--This attraction contains scenes that take place in total darkness, and the witch makes multiple appearances. Small children may be frightened."

Entering through the door, we find ourselves in the theater lobby. This is a place of pure elegance and opulence. Swinging 30's music fills our ears. Spend some time taking in the beautiful decor here, as well as all the fun memorabilia. There are tons and tons of photographs and other fascinating pieces. Be sure to check out the collection of Snow White animated cels that are said to have hung in Walt Disney’s home.

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Finally, we reach the entrance to the movie theater at the far end of the lobby. However, we find ourselves not in a 30's era movie-theater...but rather, our eyes are filled with the majestic sight of Snow White's own Enchanted Forest represented through a magnificent three-dimensional diorama composed mostly of flats, murals, and forced perspective scenery, a near-direct lift of the 1971 Magic Kingdom/Tokyo Disneyland load area (designed by the great Claude Coats).

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An unseen Snow White can be heard perpetually singing "I'm Wishing" from within the well in a slightly distorted, echoey rendition, creating a false sense of security while establishing that the adventures ahead may be unsettling. To our left, we see the courtyard of the Evil Queen's castle, complete with Snow's flower-entangled wishing well, as well as the dispatch point for our journey. In the center, a forested hillside provides our first glimpse of the relatively distant Dwarfs' cottage bathed in a pool of blue light breaking through the overhead trees. Finally, to our right, just past a luscious waterfall, we see the entrance to the Seven Dwarfs' Diamond Mine, which the vehicles exit the ride from. Before we know it, we have hopped aboard a three-row, six-seater wooden mine car named for one of the seven Dwarfs, each embroidered not just with a name (e.g. Grumpy) but also with intricate little carvings of cute woodland creatures and flowers, a stark contrast to the adventures ahead. After a quick safety spiel from a rather regal female voice (is that you, Evil Queen?), our mine car quickly pulls away from the load area, heading immediately for the castle's courtyard, circling around the wishing well and heading towards the Dwarfs' cottage. But sadly, our car quickly pulls away from the cottage, instead turning towards the intimidating gates of the Queen's castle. From an overhead window, the Evil Queen parts the curtains as Dopey did with the facade, making direct red-eyed eye contact with us before drawing the curtains shut. The doors beneath slowly open, beckoning us into the darkness...uh-oh.

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Suspenseful music fills the air as we enter the dark confines of the castle, rattling chains, moaning ghosts, and screeching bats all apart of the unsettling atmosphere. The Magic Mirror's voice rings out... "Alas, Snow White is the fairest of them all." Our car veers right once more as the unseen Queen shouts "No!" Just ahead is the Queen's throne room where we find the Queen facing the Magic Mirror with her back turned to us and her arms outstretched. Nearby, her faithful raven sits perched atop her lavish throne, seeming to be stuck in a state of perpetual shock. Just as our car reaches the Queen, she pivots around with a strike of lightning that illuminates the entire room, revealing the bulgy eyes and boney fingers of the aforementioned Wicked Witch. "I am the fairest of them all! Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!" Our car hastily turns sharply away from the Witch, but unfortunately goes straight into the innermost dungeons and catacombs of the forsaken fortress via the second of the dark ride's many "crash doors."

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Skeletal prisoners of the Evil Queen appear chained to the walls, floors, and ceilings, two going so far as to be crushed by a fallen portcullis. One of the two reaches out for a too-distant pale of water, the other reaching out towards us! One skeleton in particular, chained to the wall by the throat even reanimates for our safety, begging us to "Go baaaaaack... Go baaaaack..." Green eyes peer out from the shadows, whilst spiders of unusual colors lower from the cobweb-covered ceiling. Black lights create an unnatural, unreal sensation of disenchantment as we enter the laboratory of the Evil Queen... The old hag stands behind a cauldron filled with a bubbling, green liquid. Bubbling test tubes and pots, scattered spellbooks, and a multitude of lit candles surround the Witch as she dips an apple into the cauldron, reading from the opened pages of her spellbook. She pulls the apple out to reveal that the fruit has turned into a green skull, an image taken straight from the film. The Queen's raven joins her once more, menacingly cawing from atop a bookshelf filled with lab equipment straight ahead. As she pulls out the apple, the Witch turns to face us. "Apple, dearie?"

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Approaching the bookshelf, it begins to shift forward as if about to fall! But luckily for us, our car immediately turns right and breaks out of the castle, the sound of shattering glass and crumbling wood not-so-far behind us.

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A grey nightsky festers and swirls above us like a hurricane as we exit the castle, racing past several turrets and across a rickety footbridge running above a trickling stream. An archway leading to the sewers beneath the castle appears just to our left, but no sooner have we noticed this architectural achievement does the Wicked Witch dart out towards us on a small boat, clutching a basket of poisoned apples in one hand and an oar in the other. "Just one bite! Hee hee hee hee!" Our car steers us clear of her wrath once more, but sends us towards a couple of logs resembling some hungry alligators that open their jaws and give actual alligator groans. A third "alligator" launches out from behind a nearby tree, ready for munching on an early luncheon. The trees of the forest grow progressively "deader" and "deader," turning our attention towards the Huntsman. "Please! Run! The Queen is after you! Go! Go!" Thunder and lightning crash, illuminating the first in-ride appearance of Snow White, just as equally terrified as we are. This first appearance from Snow kicks off our trip through a haunted forest filled with fluttering bats, blinking eyes (taken from the Haunted Mansion's wallpaper), and dead oak trees...dead oak trees with "claws" and "faces" that slowly move their claw-like branches towards us. The suspenseful music fades out in favor of eerie sound effects; moaning ghosts, screeching bats, howling wolves. Passing one final tree, we face a mural of the now-distant Queen's castle, then turn right, finally coming upon our first friendly sight since the load area: the entrance of the "Dwarfs' Diamond Mine. We enter the mine through yet another set of crash doors...

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Finally, something happy. We're immersed into a scene of happiness and fairy tale whimsy, meeting the Dwarfs once again amid the horrors of the outside world. The Dwarfs sing a rousing rendition of "We Dig-Dig-Dig" as they tirelessly work at the walls of their glistening diamond mine. Dopey, with eyes multiplied by a pair of giant diamonds covering either socket, sits within a jewel-filled cart pulled by a deer; Sneezy and a raccoon attempt to hold up a pile of buckets filled with jewels, Sneezy himself just about ready to sneeze and drop everything; Sleepy sleeps atop a jewel-filled mine car with a skunk on top of him, its tail brushing his nose; adjacent to Sleepy, Happy and Bashful pick away at the walls, while nearby Doc surveys a collection of rather pricey-looking diamonds; finally, we see Grumpy who stands near an open shaft, clutching an unlit keg of blasting powder which might be a little too heavy for him to carry as a couple of squirrels attempt to give him leg support. As the strains of "Heigh-Ho" begin to fill our ears, we head out of the mine and into a scene never seen before in any version of the Snow White ride: a forest scene, but one that is not scary at all (that comes later). "Heigh-Ho" is heard here as you go through the woods at sundown, with the forest animals all around. At one point, you pass below a fallen log across the Dwarfs are marching, just as in the original movie:

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Passing under the log and making a turn, we find ourselves at the Dwarfs' cottage, warmly lit from within. Cutesy woodland creatures peer into the hand-carved and self-decorated cottage of the Dwarfs. From in the other room, we hear the sound of "The Silly Song," and entering the other room we find that the Dwarfs and Snow White are having a little dance party amid their scary adventures. Snow White dances on the floor with a very "tall" Dopey wearing a trenchcoat, whilst Grumpy plunks away at the keys of a miniature organ and the other Dwarfs generally jam out on little instruments. From atop the adjacent staircase, even more woodland critters watch the party, gleefully clapping along and or just smiling, frozen in place. The window below the staircase provides a slight hint of the ominous...the silhouette of a certain old hag... Unfortunately, this moment of happiness doesn't last as we quietly leave the party and head back into the woods, only to be greeted by the Wicked Witch and her all-seeing raven standing just outside the cottage window, cackling wildly as we meet her. Our car makes a sharp turn back into the woods, passing by the Prince atop his horse. "Snow White! Where are you?" The searching Prince is quickly left behind as we head back towards the Cottage, the dwarfs lining both sides of the track, each one warning us not to proceed, others shouting for Snow White to run. Making a left turn explains the shouting: Snow White appears inside the Cottage, popping out of the front half of an opened door, ready to bite into the apple. "That's right, dearie, just one bite, and all of your dreams will come true." Looping around the cottage, thunder and lightning strike. "Now I'm the fairest in the land!" The Witch pops-up from a clearing in the forest, looking a bit overwhelmed with her sin. A pair of mean-eyed vultures from an overhead branch follow our movement as we head off deeper into the woods.

Thunder rumbles above the hills as we hear the Dwarfs' commotion with Doc's flustered voice: "It's the Quicked Ween—the Wicked Queen! Come on men!" Bashful is heard saying "She's getting away... hurry!" We pass through some trees to find ourselves at a mountain, where the Dwarfs are seen on a nearby cliff, scared. Why are they scared? I don’t know, maybe because…the Witch is about to crush them (and us) with a boulder!

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Rain falls heavily (and even seems to run down the side of the cliff). The Witch is seen, ready to dislodge the boulder. "Fools! I’ll crush your bones!" she yells. She laughs wildly, only to lose her footing and fall backwards, screaming in horror (her scream taken directly from the film), a burst of fog and light occurring (this hides the figure which falls backwards into a hole, raising back up for the next vehicle seconds later).

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The scariness is at last over. As we all know in Disney, when the scariness is done, there can only be a happy ending in store. We pass under the mountain. A moving instrumental of "Some Day My Prince Will Come" fills the air as we enter a colorful clearing the enchanted forest. Snow, having been placed in a glass coffin to preserve her beauty, lays out before us, Prince Ferdinand leaning over her, ready for true love's first kiss--the antidote to the Witch's evil spell.​

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As the two animatronics kiss, Snow's eyes open, much to the joy and pleasure of the surrounding woodland creatures. Turning sharply to the right we face an overhead bridge where Snow White and Ferdinand ride away on horseback, turning to wave to the very bald dwarfs standing in a nearby planter, red "smooch-marks" on their foreheads. As a humorous farewell, Dopey appears on the back of Ferdinand's horse, sheepishly bidding us farewell with a little wave. Crashing through one last set of doors beneath the bridge, we pull back into the load area and depart our car for other adventures in Disney's Hollywoodland...hopefully, less scary ones. Say, does anyone wanna check out that tower thing?
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And there we have it! Stay tuned, because in the next post, we'll check out the park's new parade...actually, I shouldn't say new. It's more of a return, if you will.​

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Ahh, my favorite Fantasyland dark ride.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Ahh, my favorite Fantasyland dark ride.

My favorite, too...although Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and "it's a small world" run a very close second.
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No Disney park is complete without a parade. And Disney's Hollywoodland finds its own in the form of Disney Stars and Motor Cars!

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When the stars of Disney travel to a red-carpet Hollywood movie premiere, they don’t travel in boring, conventional limousines. They travel in cars that reflect who they are. That’s the premise of this clever parade. For 25 minutes, you’ll be treated to a cavalcade of Disney stars and their customized cars. Some stars ride in the cars. Others walk along side them, often interacting with guests. The parade route starts in Production Courtyard, goes past the Chinese Theatre, down Hollywood Boulevard, and disappears backstage at Sid Cahuenga’s One-of-a-Kind Shop.

Before the parade starts, announcers come out on the street. The announcers are also Citizens of Hollywood, the streetmosphere characters that can be seen throughout the day. There are several announcers along the parade route, and they introduce the stars as they make their way to that particular area.

When the parade starts, some motorcycle policemen come down the street with their lights flashing, giving an official air to the procession. First come the grand marshals for the parade, often a specially-selected family. The parade is officially heralded by a simple banner.

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The first float featured is Toy Story. Heralded by the Green Army Men, as well as Jessie, Bo Peep, Rex and Slinky Dog, this car is decked out to look like Andy's bed, complete with Woody and Buzz sitting on pillows at the back. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head sit on the car's hood.

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Dancing penguins announce the arrival of Mary Poppins. Mary and Bert ride on carousel horses mounted on the back of their car. And the car is brightly painted, bringing back memories of the "Jolly Holiday" sequence from the movie.

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Next come the Muppets, with Kermit and Miss Piggy riding in a car shielded from the elements by a giant blimp. Typical Muppet fare, with some rockets, sandbags, and a life preserver on the car, along with a movie camera hood ornament. Other Muppets greet guests on the streets.

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Then, from that galaxy far, far away, come Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. C-3PO, R2-D2 and marching Stormtroopers lead the way for this car, made to resemble Luke's landspeeder from his home planet of Tatooine. Darth Vader stalks behind the vehicle.

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Chinese warriors announce the arrival of Mulan, the valiant girl who saved the emperor and all of China.

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And then we have Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan from Monsters Inc., riding in a sporty red convertible.

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Up next comes a new float. Ice harvesters dance along the route (much like the Gravediggers from Mickey's Boo-to-You Parade, their pick-axes make blue sparks when they hit the pavement). Of course, they herald the arrival of the gang from Frozen. Here, Anna, Elsa and Kristoff ride in a car decorated to look like a sleigh. Olaf serves as the hood ornament.

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Dancing harem girls announce the arrival of Princess Jasmine and Prince Ali (aka Aladdin). Of course the car is really the Genie, and the passengers are resting against the Magic Carpet, who is along for the ride.

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When Pain and Panic drop by, that can only mean Hercules is coming! He and Meg ride in a car decorated with ancient Greek designs and columns. The hood ornament is actually a lightning bolt, no doubt placed there by Zeus himself.

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Behind them lurk the Disney Villains: the Evil Queen, Frollo, Jafar, Cruella de Vil, Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, Captain Hook, Hades and the Queen of Hearts. Maleficent rides in a limo that resembles a hearse. Picture this, but without the flames.

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Next come Lilo and Stitch, in a car inspired by their home state of Hawaii. The wood sides, surf boards, palm trees, and torches all add to the atmosphere.

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Dancers straight out of Mardi Gras herald the way for Tiana and Naveen (of The Princess and the Frog fame). Their car is decorated with lily pads and swamp grass.

Behind them is yet another new addition: Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz ride in a car, presumably decorated by Fix-It Felix (if the car’s being made of bricks is any indication).

Ariel is up next in her clam shell vehicle, complete with a large seahorse on the hood. Eric, Sebastian and Flounder ride along with her. The shiny blue paint job looks like the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day.

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Following Ariel is the Disney Junior-based car, full of characters that can be seen in the various Disney Junior shows. Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny and Miles (from "Miles from Tomorrowland") roam the streets, while Sofia and Jake ride in the car.

Behind them is the final new addition to the parade: Winnie the Pooh. Here, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore drive a wheelbarrow-shaped car overflowing with plants from Rabbit’s garden and honey pots.

Next is the fairest one of all, Snow White, sitting in front of a large mirror. Dopey comes along for the ride in this car fit for a princess. The hood ornament on Snow White's car is a golden apple, which is conspicuously missing a bite. Looks like the evil queen has been up to her old tricks...

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And bringing up the rear, being heralded by various Disney characters, are everyone's favorites - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, riding in style in a film-inspired classic limo. And this car differs from the rest in that Goofy is doing double duty as the chauffeur. A great end to a great parade!

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If you think that was something to see, just wait till nightfall, 'cause it's then and only then that the pure unbridled magic of Disney comes alive like never before...
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What do you guys think?

 

[DisneyManOne]

Night has cast its shadow upon Disney's Hollywoodland. The bright lights of Hollywood shine brighter than ever. While some take this opportunity to revisit their favorite rides before the park closes for the night, most gather round to take part in the sheer spectacle that is...Fantasmic!

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First performed at Disneyland in 1992, Fantasmic! is one of Disney's biggest and best nighttime spectaculars. The show takes guests through a magical, wonderful journey through the imagination of Mickey Mouse, through the fantasy and adventure that is sure to follow. However, the Disney Villains are out to take over Mickey's imagination and use their powers to conquer all.

The show is going to go through an extensive refurbishment, improving both technical and show segments to the nighttime production. All around, lighting, fountains and pyrotechnic features are going to be updated and improved. The projection system utilized for these huge water screens is going to be updated to HD projectors, to deliver a crystal clear projection performance (to my understanding, I've heard this has already been done). Also, the sound quality of the attraction is going to be touched upon, just touching up on all of the technical qualities of the show. In addition to the technical qualities of the show, the show will receive some all-new scenes.

What follows is a description of the new version of Fantasmic!, with the new scenes being bolded.
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The show is performed at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, located on the farthest edge of Sunset Boulevard, a few steps behind the Tower of Terror. Accessed via a pathway in-between the Tower of Terror and the Theater of the Stars, the Hollywood Hills Ampitheater is a large place, holding up to at least 6,500 guests, with standing-room for 2,500 more. A second pathway leading to the theater has been added, to improve the placemaking and guest flow of the area. Lining the back of the amphitheater are two concession stands (one for food, one for merchandise), some restrooms and the standing-room area.

The stage is an island, set around a gigantic mountain. The spotlights on the gate in front of the stage have been removed and moved to the back of the theater, out of the way of guests' vision. Trees surround the area from all over. Walls of moss surround the mountain, hiding any backstage views. A sprawling plateau rests at the base of the mountain. There are also a series of trap doors within the stage that allows quicker set and character changes.

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A new pre-show involves the Citizens of Hollywood engaging in improvisational hi-jinks. But then...a hush falls over the crowd. The arena goes dark. In the darkness, we hear...

"Welcome to Fantasmic! Tonight, our friend and host Mickey Mouse uses his vivid imagination to create magical imagery for all to enjoy. Nothing is more wonderful than the imagination. For, in a moment, you can experience a beautiful fantasy. Or, an exciting adventure! But beware -- nothing is more powerful than the imagination. For it can also expand your greatest fears into an overwhelming nightmare. Are the powers of Mickey's incredible imagination strong enough, and bright enough, to withstand the evil forces that invade Mickey's dreams? You are about to find out. For we now invite you to join Mickey, and experience Fantasmic!, a journey beyond your wildest imagination..."

A very faint musical note is heard, swelling into a chord as the chorus sings in darkness. Once the chord strikes, a beam of light shoots into the sky. Twenty-foot lighting/projection towers ascend through the stage on the upstage left and right sides. They glisten as they rise. Mickey suddenly appears from a trap door in the stage. He dances and conducts various water fountain effects to the tune of the show's theme.

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Soon, the giant water-mist screens come up, which, in conjunction with a few flares, fade into the famous "Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene from Fantasia. From there, the falling stars of the Sorcerer's Apprentice scene morph into flowers, and a female voice sings the Fantasmic! theme. Two large groups of people, each wearing a flower petal appear, and form a flower, which changes colors during the scene. The water screens disappear into the air and a variety of trees rise from the trapdoors. Vines hang from the light towers. We are in the jungle...but not just any jungle. This is the jungle, or should I say savannah, from The Lion King. Large puppets representing jungle animals, all-neon-lit, walk about on the stage. An instrumental rendition of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" starts up. Floating in the water are giant water barges decorated with vines and flowers, containing Rafiki, Timon as well as life-like puppets of Pumbaa and Simba and other black-light monkeys. They perform a jungle dance as the music plays and Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa and Simba comment on the action.

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The water screens come back on to reveal Simba and Nala from The Lion King running through the jungle in a short projection which transitions into an electric guitar rendition of "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo, as animated pink elephants appear onscreen and in the form of performers on the island.

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The elephants then seem to be puppets dancing, which transitions into an onstage sequence based on the "Woody's Roundup" sequence from Toy Story 2. Four large puppets (Woody, Bullseye, Jessie and Stinky Pete) are manipulated with fiber-optic "strings" stretching above the puppets. Afterwards, the Genie appears and performs "Friend Like Me", in a segment lifted from Tokyo DisneySea's version of Fantasmic!

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Next, the water screens reveal a series of bubbles, containing scenes and characters from classic Disney movies (The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Dumbo, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, Hercules, Pinocchio, Aladdin, Mulan, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Fantasia, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Frozen, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.) During the sequence, bubbles fly out into the audience, fully immersing guests in this "bubble world".

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In a sequence lifted from Disneyland, the fish from "The Nutcracker Suite" from Fantasia appears and dances to "When You Wish Upon a Star". Onscreen animation shows Jiminy Cricket, stuck in a bubble. Suddenly, Monstro appears, splashing several waves onto the audience! The sea morphs into the flood scene from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". Mickey Mouse, almost drowning in a channel of water, heads down a whirlpood and sucked into darkness. As Mickey looks around in the dark, a ship caught in a storm appears. Suddenly a huge explosion, not unlike that of a ship's cannon, goes off.

This segues into a new sequence based on Pirates of the Caribbean. The island and mountain transform into Isla De Meurta, and in a style similar to the Peter Pan sequence at Disneyland's Fantasmic, the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman battle it out, a la Dead Man's Chest. Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Davy Jones and a whole slew of scurvy pirates all participate in this epic stunt sequence. Following behind the Black Pearl is an escape boat loaded with treasure. The scene ends with Jack swinging from a rope and landing in the escape boat. With all the amazing stunts and epic swordplay, I dare say this could rival the aforementioned Peter Pan sequence.

At the end of the sequence, the water screens show the Black Pearl sailing away as the "camera" zooms up into the clouds, where we see classic dancing scenes with Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Princess Jasmine and Aladdin on the water screens to a reprise of the Fantasmic theme. Three small floats now arrive, with Belle and the Beast, Ariel and Prince Eric, and Snow White and Prince Ferdinand each contained in their own float. As each float reaches the center, the spotlight shines on it, with the accompanying signature melody from each movie — "Beauty and the Beast," "Part of Your World," and "Some Day My Prince Will Come", respectively floating stage takes the foreground on the water. In the foreground, LED lights on each floating stage turn from white to multicolored.

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The music takes on an ominous tone as Mickey's dream takes a turn for the worse. The Wicked Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is on stage, calling for her magic mirror — which appears onscreen in animated form. The mirror informs the Queen that the three princesses are fairer than she, and that "in Mickey's imagination, beauty and love will always survive." Angered by this, she runs to a cauldron, concocts a spell amidst pyrotechnics and other special effects, and turns herself into the hag to turn Mickey's dream into a "Nightmare Fantasmic".

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Upon being told by the Magic Mirror that she now has the power to control Mickey's mind, she invokes an excited Ursula, from The Little Mermaid, who ecstatically joins the plot against Mickey. A large 30-foot puppet of Ursula appears and sings a reprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls, as Flotsam and Jetsam glide across the river.

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Afterwards, Ursula calls on Jafar, from Aladdin, who uses his magic to send Mickey (in his classic attire) to the Cave of Wonders. After escaping a wave of lava, Mickey encounters Jafar, who transforms into a giant black cobra appearing on both the stage and the mist screens.

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Seeing a magic lamp, Mickey rubs it, assuming it will help him, hoping that the nightmare would end. But unfortunately, it only makes matters worse, as Scar from The Lion King appears. A gigantic puppet of Scar appears and menaces Mickey and the audience as he sings "Be Prepared" and the shadows of hyenas march along the mountain. But just before Scar is about to do Mickey in, a large explosion occurs! Rising from out of nowhere, Chernabog from Fantasia appears as a giant, hulking animatronic resting high atop the mountain. He summons the spirits of demons as the iconic "Night on Bald Mountain" score plays. Flame shoots from the tips of the mountain. Spirit forms are projected onto the mountain. Puppeteers with spirit puppets move through the audience.

Chernabog ends the demonic revelry by summoning a blast of fire which appears on stage as Maleficent's classic entrance-by-fire. She prepares Mickey, now in his Brave Little Tailor outfit, to deal with the powers of her imagination.

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She rises into the air and the water screens show her transforming into a dragon as the villains laugh maniacally. On stage, the mighty 45-foot dragon sets the waters ablaze breathing fire onto the river.

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Natural-gas piping allows the flames to burn on top of the water as they spread to take over the stage. Sometimes when the dragon is down for refurbishment, Maleficent stays as herself, still with the evil powers and ignites fire on the moat not by her mouth, but by her glowing stick. She still gets destroyed the same way. Mickey, faces the dragon, claiming "You may thing you're so powerful... well, uh... This is my dream!" He uses the powers of his imagination to conduct the water as he did at the beginning of the show and create a wall of water around the island, smothering the flames. He pulls the sword from the stone which shoots sparks through the wall of water, defeating it, As the dragon screams, and as the water screens show the demise of the Queen/Hag, Ursula, Jafar, Scar and Chernabog, Maleficent also dies as the water splashes with a large firework bang.

Everything is silent, until Tinker Bell appears. Magical stars sparkle on the mountain as a replica of old Steamboat Willie glides past as pyrotechnics rain down the side of it. Then, with a sudden crescendo in the music and a blast of light, Mickey Mouse appears as his "Steamboat Willie" self, steering the riverboat past fountains and fireworks. On the riverboat, classic Disney characters wave ribbons in time to a jubilant reprise of the Fantasmic! theme. The sequence is accompanied by searchlights, fountains, fire, and pyrotechnic effects.

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With another flash of pyrotechnics, Mickey appears atop the highest point of the mountain as the Sorcerer's Apprentice as fireworks, fire, lasers, and water light up the stage. As the finale concludes, Mickey disappears from the top of the mountain with another spark of pyrotechnics, there is a small explosion in the main center stage and Mickey simultaneously reappears in his formal attire from the beginning of the show. Mickey says, "Some imagination, huh? Ha ha!" Pyrotechnics shoot out of the main stage and barges on the moat, as he vanishes one last time to the final notes of the music while a cone of lights and searchlights bright up the stage for a few seconds. On the last note of the musical score, bright low-level mines go off. When the lights come back up, the island is as still as the night. The show has ended.

Here is a list of showscenes for the new show.

• Introduction
• Mickey's Imagination/The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Flowers/Lion King Sequence
• Pink Elephants on Parade
• Woody's Roundup
• Friend Like Me
• Bubble Montage (feat. elements of "The Lion King", "The Jungle Book", "Dumbo", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Alice in Wonderland", "Hercules", "Aladdin", "Mulan", "Cinderella", "Lady and the Tramp", "Fantasia", "The Princess and the Frog", "Tangled", "Frozen", "Bambi", "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid")
• Monstro's Attack
• Pirates of the Caribbean Battle
• Princess Segment (feat. elements of "Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderella", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs")
• The Evil Queen Summons the Magic Mirror
• The Queen's Transformation
• Ursula's Wrath
• Mickey in the Cave of Wonders/Jafar
• Scar's Attack/"Be Prepared"
• Chernabog/"Night On Bald Mountain"
• Maleficent's Transformation/Mickey Battles the Dragon
• Finale: Good Conquers Evil/Sorcerer Mickey's Magic

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An ovation ensues as the lights come back up. Since we're already standing, we join the massive throng of people as we head off to exit the park, past the Tower of Terror and down Sunset Boulevard. As we pass by the Chinese Theater, we see searchlights waving triumphantly from behind it, the perfect way to say "farewell" to this amazing park.

Well, as they say in Hollywood...that's a wrap!

​

Hollywood Boulevard

Attractions & Entertainment
1) Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
2) American Film Institute Showcase
3) CineMagic
4) Disney Stars and Motor Cars**
5) Eastern Gardens
6) The Great Movie Ride FP+
7) Red Car Newsboys**
8) Red Car Trolleys

Shopping & Dining
A) ABC Bistro
B) Cover Story
C) Crossroads of the World
D) The Darkroom
E) 50's Prime Time Cafe
F) Hollywood & Vine
G) Hollywood Brown Derby
H) Keystone Clothiers
I) L.A. Cinema Storage
J) Movieland Memorabilia
K) Mickey's of Hollywood
L) Oscar's Classic Cars Souvenirs
M) Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
N) Sid Cahuenga's One-of-a-Kind Shop
O) Tune-In Lounge
P) The Writers' Stop

Production Courtyard

Attractions & Entertainment
1) ABC Production Stage
2) Disney Junior: Live on Stage!
3) Goofy in "How to Be a Star" FP+
4) Monster Sound Show
5) SoundWorks

Dining & Shopping
A) Award Weiners
B) Fairfax Market
C) Gable's
D) Hollywood Clothiers
E) Hollywood Forever
F) K.A. Putt Talent Agency
G) Phillippe's

Muppet Studios

Attractions & Entertainment
1) Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's Muppet WaterWorks
2) The Great Muppet Movie Ride FP+
3) Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D
4) Jim Henson's Muppet Workshop
5) Muppet Mobile Lab**

Shopping & Dining
A) It Feels Like Christmas
B) PizzeRizzo
C) Stage One Company Store
D) Swedish Chef Video Cooking School Restaurant

Star Wars Spaceport

Attractions & Entertainment
1) Cave of Fates
2) Cave of the Force
3) Cave of Truths
4) Flight of the Rebellion FP+
5) Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple**
6) Millenium Falcon
7) Star Tours: The Adventures Continue FP+
8) Star Wars: Escape the First Order FP+
9) Star Wars Launch Bay

Dining & Shopping
1) Mos Eisley Cantina
2) Scavenger's Hideaway
3) Smiga's Bantha Shack

Toy Story Land

Attractions & Entertainment
1) Alien Swirling Saucers
2) Bullseye's Carnival Cavalcade
3) Andy's Toybox
4) Slinky Dog Dash FP+
5) Toy Story Midway Mania! FP+

Dining & Shopping
A) Al's Toy Barn
B) Casey Jr.'s Animal Crackers

Animation Courtyard
1) Disney Animation

• Animation Lobby
• Animation Academy
• Disney Through the Decades
• Mickey's PhilharMagic FP+
• Sorcerer's Workshop

2) Drawn to the Magic**
3) Walt Disney Theatre** FP+

• Hercules: The MUSE-ical
• Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage
• Toy Story: The Musical
• Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
• Snow White: An Enchanting Musical
• Tangled: The Musical
• Journey Into The Jungle Book
• Tarzan: Call of the Jungle
• Frozen: Live on Stage

Shopping & Dining
A) Animator's Palate
B) Off the Page

Sunset Boulevard

Attractions & Entertainment
1) Fantasmic!** FP+
2) The Golden Mickeys** FP+
3) INVASION! FP+
4) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
5) The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror FP+

Shopping & Dining
A) Legends of Hollywood
B) Planet Hollywood Superstore
C) Staring Rolls Cafe
D) Sunset Ranch Diner
E) Sweet Spells
F) Tower Gifts
G) Villains in Vogue

 

[DisneyManOne]

​

Disney's Animal Kingdom, which opened on Earth Day 1998, is dedicated to all of the animals of the world, real, extinct and imaginary. This park is a real-world experience, taking guests into a world of wonder and knowledge, observing and learning about the lives of the animal species that call Disney's Animal Kingdom their home. From the rolling plains of an African savannah, to the Himalayan mountains of Asia, to being transported to the dawn of the Jurassic era, Disney's Animal Kingdom is filled with adventure just waiting to be discovered.

The Walt Disney Company has always had a committing association to wildlife, as Walt Disney himself pursued his interest in animals during the creation of his True-Life Adventures series, a nature documentation film, edited together to feature hours of nature's landscapes and wildlife. Disney's sentiment decades ago was driven in the creation of Disney's Animal Kingdom, offering guests to see the wildlife and beautiful scenery of the world up close. Disney's Animal Kingdom has been described as "A New Species of Theme Park" and it definitely is. It might be the most distinct theme park, having its' theme solely revolve around nature and wildlife.

Disney's Animal Kingdom, while much more than just a glorified zoo, actually brings these animals to life, telling the stories of these animals and the way that humans interact with them. With this sentiment, guests can actually walk away from the park at the end of the day, learning a valuable lesson about nature, a lesson that might not have been received by just any typical zoo. Each area of the park is an adventure in itself, drawing guests further away from the real world, bringing them into this kingdom of fantasy, nature and adventure.
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Imagine for a moment: you are a traveler, whose trek to get here has been a long, tiresome journey. Think that the trek from the parking lot is akin to that of a trek across the desert. At last, the long journey has ended, and you have finally come to...The Oasis.

The Oasis offers an escape from reality, operating as the entrance to Disney's Animal Kingdom. From first stepping into the entrance of the park, guests immediately find themselves taken away from the everyday world and transported into a beautiful oasis of palm trees and heavy jungles of trees on both sides of the entrance. The Oasis puts the guests in touch with nature and immediately sets the tone for the adventures to come. The Oasis is bountiful with unspoiled nature - to a time when some of the other complex natures found in the rest of the park did not yet exist at the time.

​

While passing through the beautiful Oasis, to the left guests will find a path leading to the Rainforest Cafe, one of the two chain restaurants found on Walt Disney World property (the other found at Disney Springs), where guests dine in a heavily-immersive rainforest environment, complete with raging apes and elephants, beautiful aquariums, rain falls and sudden thunderstorms.

​

Guests proceed to the gated entrance of the park, showcasing the signage for Disney's Animal Kingdom. On both sides of the entrance, new waterfall features have been implemented into the entrance, to make the area look more lush and beautiful. The entrance of the park is also heavily influences by the Arts & Crafts movement, having nature itself being a heavy influence in the Oasis. Embedded in the courtyard of The Oasis is a matted graphic representation of the Tree of Life, something that might go unnoticed if you're not looking for it. After passing through the main gate, guests are then distributed into a promenade filled with lush jungles trees and vines. The sound of a cascading waterfall could be heard just in the distance. Throughout the day, various Disney characters can be found, ready to welcome you to a day of adventure. To the left, guests will find Guest Relations and the right features the Stroller and Wheelchair Rental and Garden Gate Gifts, a merchandise location that offers disposable camera and video belongings, as well as Disney's Animal Kingdom merchandise. There is a path that leads to both the left and right, re-connecting further into the Oasis.

On both the left and right paths, guests will find the Oasis Animal Exhibits. The winding pathways lead through dense vegetation and jungle alcoves. Canopies of tree branches and leaves blot out the sunlight from above. The pathways are filled with serene, peaceful settings and fascinating animals in very close proximity to the guests. The exhibits feature the outdoor animal living inhabitant areas for anteaters, sable antelopes, ducks, parrots, and other sorts of birds, iguanas, gazelles and other types of animals. The exhibits offer just a peek into the many wonderful encounters just waiting to be held further on in the park. Each animal is carefully sheltered into an environment that is reminiscent of their actual living environment. Being able to replicate a living space for a wildlife animal in a theme park can be somewhat of a daunting task, yet Disney's Animal Kingdom puts in the effort, flawlessly.

​

The rest of the animal exhibits are located in-between flowing rivers, serene pathways overlooking lagoons, covered jungle alcoves and rock formations, spouting cascading waterfalls. The entire area is reminiscent of a serene maze through a mystical jungle. There is even a rock cavern that guests can explore, with flowing waterfalls, leading to a rocky wooden bridge. When emerging from the rocky cavern, all of the separate pathways throughout the Oasis converge into one, leading across a wooden bridge, deeper into Disney's Animal Kingdom...
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Wow, what a way to begin a day of adventure here, am I right? Stay tuned, because the adventure is just beginning!

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Can't wait! May I suggest the addition of misters to the queues? AK was unbearably humid.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Can't wait! May I suggest the addition of misters to the queues? AK was unbearably humid.

Although I don't do queues much, I will keep that in mind.
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​

Discovery Island is the central hub of Disney's Animal Kingdom, consisting of the island in the center of a vast flowing river, which seems to flow its' way throughout the entire park. Bridges connected from several section of Discovery Island connect to the other lands of the park. Discovery Island is filled with vast jungles, flowing rivers, cascading waterfalls, encounters with real-animals and plenty of secrets left to be seen. Discovery Island is a place of excitement and adventure. The island honors the greatness of animals and nature, apparent in the buildings and overall thematic influences seen throughout Discovery Island. While Discovery Island is not meant to depict any sort of actual "place", its' architectural influences come from the equatorial islands from around the world, places like Bali, the Caribbean, the South Seas, Barbados and Jamaica. The artwork of the buildings features ornate animals carvings and sculptures.

Continuing on from the entrance from The Oasis, guests walk along an ornate wooden bridge, crossing over the Discovery River. Here guests are then emptied into the main plaza entryway of Discovery Island. Vast jungles, trees, beautiful flowers and ruins of what may have been a once very active building are scattered throughout the perimeter of the area. Trees and plants are even planted backstage, to make the area of Discovery Island seem more expansive, more immersive, as if a whole world could possibly be explored in this jungle. Just ahead, planted in the center of the island is the Tree of Life, the icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom. This centerpiece is one of the most exquisite and elaborate pieces of art that Disney has ever created. It is a piece of art that both captures the beautiful simplicity of nature and the kingdom of wildlife. The Tree of Life itself depicts the Animal Kingdom as it is, it is a metaphor of the park. The tree quite literally features an animal kingdom, featuring 325 animals carved into the wooden tree trunk, even carved into the roots and branched which extend from the tree. It could and will take hours to spot ever detail of the tree, the more the one looks, the more it seems as though the tree is continuing to grow and branch off with new details.

​

When continuing down through the main plaza into Discovery Island, directly ahead, guests will find the Tree of Life Garden, a small garden area, surrounded by tall trees and plants. The garden leads into a small enclosed section of Discovery Island, where guests can get a closer look at the front side of the Tree of Life. The garden also offer glimpses of some of the animal inhabitants, such as flamingos, lemurs and kangaroos. Every day, watch as the skies above the Tree of Life burst with living color during Winged Encounters: The Kingdom Takes Flight, a show featuring macaws. Keep your peepers peeled for all 6 shades of macaw as they’re showcased in flight—from hyacinth, green-winged and military to blue and gold, blue-throated and scarlet. Each awe-inspiring specimen features a wingspan of up to 60 inches, which you can witness firsthand as they soar up and around the heart of the park.

​

To the left of the plaza, guests will find the Island Mercantile store, a shop themed to a shipping company, celebrating working animals, such as camels and elephants. This store features Disney character merchandise, Disney's Animal Kingdom merchandise, clothing and other sorts of paraphernalia. It is one of the main shops of Disney's Animal Kingdom, offering a wide selection of merchandise to choose from. Lilo and Stitch often meet guests nearby. Just across from the store, on the opposite side of the entrance plaza, guests will find the Adventurer's Outpost, a meet & greet location for Mickey and Minnie. Continuing onto the right of Discovery Island, walking parallel to the meet & greet building, guests will soon come across the access point to the park-wide Wilderness Explorers game. Nearby, you'll find a meet & greet area with Carl, Russell and Dug.

Right next door to the Wilderness Explorers is the entrance of a brand-new 3D attraction: Earth. The queue for the 3D attraction leads to the center of Discovery Island, narrowly proceeding through tunnel passageways aligned with roots dangling from the Tree of Life. The queue leads guests through dense, lush forests, proceeding to the heart of the Tree of Life, the very base of the tree. The show takes place in the very trunk of the Tree of Life. The show takes guests through various animal habitats, from the North Pole to the deep sea to the forests and savannahs, revealing how plants and animals respond to the power of the sun and the changing seasons. The show is, of course, largely inspired by the Disneynature film of the same name.

​

The exit of the attraction exposes guest to another main plaza, leading into both Asia and Dinoland USA. We will hold off on these other areas for now. On the right hand side of the plaza, in the direction heading towards Dinoland, the Disney Outfitters store is located, offering nature-themed gifts and an abundance of clothing. The store also features ornately designed totem poles of animals. Quite recently, the Disney Outfitters store has expanded into an all-new store: the Riverside Depot. The store carries a variety of character merchandise, and offerings from many of the stores found in the park. The Disney Outfitters and Riverside Depot combination is basically Animal Kingdom's equivalent of EPCOT Center's Centorium and Magic Kingdom's Emporium.

​

Just beyond the store(s), a small rampway leading down to a dock along the Discovery Lake, guests will find the Character Landing, a meet & greet location for Pocahontas.

​

Just across from the Character Landing, guests will find the Flame Tree Barbecue, which serves up a selection of barbecued entrees, all wood-roasted to perfection. The seating location is also located right along the Discovery Lake, looking upon Expedition Everest. The seating area is a beautiful Balinese water garden and offers one of the most tranquil spots to enjoy a meal in the park. Guests can dine under ornately carved gazebos, overlooking the river.

​

Heading back through Discovery Island, towards the entrance of Earth, guests will find the Discovery Island Trails, a trail which snakes it's way throughout the base of the Tree of Life. The area is actually very well-hidden and is missed by many people completely, it almost seems as a bit of a "restricted" area, but that is a part of the adventure, right? As guests make their way through the ascending paths leading up the slopes of the island, the lush foliage falls away to reveal breath-taking vistas of the Tree of Life. Ornate animal carvings are featured in the branches entangling throughout the path. Guests proceed under neath a tunnel passage, revealing a waterfall, creating a mist effect throughout the cavern. Continuing down the trail, guests will also find other viewing areas for the animals from the Tree of Life Garden, such as kangaroos, birds and even a pool of swimming fish.

The first trail disposes guests into the far-end of Discovery Island, just off of the entrance to Africa. We still have to head back down, to explore the left half of Discovery Island, but before doing so, there is still more to be discovered about this island. There is actually a second path in the Discovery Island Trails, just before the entrance to Africa. I had no idea that it even existed and I had been coming to this park for years, I guess it's all apart of the Imagineers' idea for the guests to actually "explore" the park. The trail leads way through some pelican and flamingo environments, a cluster of parrots, some porcupine, a tortoise and other animals. The path brings guests right down towards Discovery Lake, leading right to the exit of Earth, at the very base of the Tree of Life, offering more breath-taking vistas of the scenery. It is a beautiful sight to behold. Although hidden, they are sure to not be missed as they do offer very intimate, seclusive off-the-beaten-paths that are lush with beauty, while also offering close interactions with some of the animal life. It makes me wonder if there are any more of these hidden throughout the park. The work into making sure that these "animal habitats" are as natural and comfortable for the animals is a testament to the Imagineers' hard work. They wanted these animals environments to be as natural as possible and very similar to the animals' actual living environments, the terrain, the plants, the amount of light, the ability for physical movement and activity, everything. It is all apart of their way to tell the story of Disney's Animal Kingdom, by being able to re-create these environments in a way where guests can be provided with very personal experiences with these animals, but in a way that the animal is in a comfortable setting, similar to one that they would inhabit in an actual wildlife environment.

Back at the exit of the Discovery Island Trails, directly ahead, right before the entrance to Africa, guests will come across Creature Comforts, a Starbucks location for the park.

​

Heading back down towards the entrance of Discovery Island, on the right-hand side of the path, guests will find Pizzafari, a quick-service restaurant specializing in Italian foods and salads. Colorful animal murals decorate the restaurant. The restaurant also includes a small, closed off gazebo area at the back of the restaurant, also open to dine in, which almost appears to be sheltered completely in lush foliage, making it a quiet, relaxing place to take a break in. Located behind Pizzafari is an all-new restaurant: Tiffins. This table-service restaurant will celebrate the art of traveling, featuring a diverse menu drawing from places that inspired the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Open for both lunch and dinner, Tiffins includes waterfront views from comfortable indoor and outdoor seating areas. And if you’re wondering about the story behind the name, “tiffin” is an Indian English word for a midday meal or a type of container used to carry food while traveling. Just outside of the restaurant, to the right, guests will find the entrance to one of the park's newest lands: Pandora. Continuing on from here to the left, guests will then connect back to the central hub of Discovery Island, leading back the entrance bridge from The Oasis, located right by the Tree of Life Garden.
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Now, let's take a break right here. In the next post, we'll explore Pandora...the world of Avatar!

 

[DisneyManOne]

​

Taking the place of Camp Minnie-Mickey, which was located at the park's southwest corner, Pandora: The World of AVATAR brings the world of James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster to life. The space for Pandora will not be terribly too big, but enough to fit some good sized attractions in the area. One of my biggest fears about the Avatar project is that it was a chosen just to introduce a blockbuster into Disney's Animal Kingdom, a park solely based on nature and my main fear is that, with a park that might be considered "simpler", more "natural" than the others, will a blockbuster tarnish that? I don't want DAK to become all about Avatar, because that is NOT what the park is about. In fact, many people don't know this, but a book entitled Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora was published before the movie was even released in theaters. This was a 224-page book in the form of a field guide that helped to introduce readers to the film's fictional setting of the planet of Pandora, its geology, flora, fauna, and the culture of the Na'vi people. It is this book, not the movie itself, that should serve as the inspiration for creating Pandora at Animal Kingdom because it treats Pandora as a real, living ecosystem rather than a movie setting.

In fact, as Joe Rohde once said, "Animal Kingdom is a place about the kind of realism that derives from those animals. We really want to live up to that state of realism to the detail, to the complete immersion which is part of the signature of that park to the sense that these are events that are really happening to you - that it is your adventure. When we translate that into the world of 'Avatar' it presents a whole new series of technical challenges because of the very nature of that world itself."

Pandora is a distant, distant moon, orbiting the closest star to the sun. To the people on Earth, Pandora is known for being mysterious, primal and terrifying. As we continue into this new realm, we slowly begin to embark on a strange and unusual adventure unlike any other. Located just in-between the main plaza of Discovery Island and Pizzafari, also a part of Discovery Island, guests will find the new entrance to Pandora. Guests will walk along a new rocky bridge, lower to the surface of Discovery Lake. Adorning the sides of the bridge, guests will find what look like cherry blossom trees blooming, creating a truly unusual atmosphere at the entrance of the land. The terrain of Pandora is vast, differing from place to place. The Na'vi, the blue creatures of Avatar, are located throughout the dense jungles of Pandora. Tall trees swoop into the air, as canopies of leaves and vines dangle from the sky. It feels as though this dense forest fully surrounds the guests, seemingly entrapping them in a forest cage. Apparently, all of Pandora is seemingly floating, but due to the dense forested areas, that cannot be addressed further. I have no doubt that Pandora will be the most visually stunning land ever seen in a theme park. Everything about its landscape, from its mountains, rivers, and waterfalls to its trees and flowers, is so unique and breathtaking. Guests walking through this land would experience an environment the likes of which they have never seen before. It is an environment that is possibly even more beautiful at night than during the day, due to the bioluminescence of its plant life. New motion sensor technology will allow the plants to respond to tactile guest interaction.

​

We continue further into the dense jungle, extravagant and majestic. The jungles emit a blue hue, casting a somewhat gloomy, but alluring tone to Pandora. The paths are seemingly created from large tree branched and open leaves. The jungle is filled with a variety of strange and unusual types of plants and other flora. From deep within the jungles, the sounds of distant mysterious creatures could be heard. As we continue down the bend into the deep jungles of Pandora, a flowing blue river flows down the right side of the path, before emptying out into a pool, featuring a cascading waterfall.

While creating a completely immersive environment is very important to make this new land a success, it is also going to feature attractions that also capitalize on this beautiful environment. For those people who are not convinced that Avatar can be a major draw for guests, I counter that as long as you deliver state of the art, E-ticket attractions people are not going to care what they are themed after.

The first attraction found here is Na'vi River Journey. On this ride, guests set out in canoes and venture down a mysterious, sacred river hidden within the bioluminescent rainforest. The full beauty of Pandora reveals itself as the canoes pass by exotic glowing plants and amazing creatures. The journey culminates in an encounter with a Na’vi shaman, who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora and sends positive energy out into the forest through her music.

The other attraction here is Avatar: Flight of Passage. This attraction is the staple attraction of Pandora. Here guests hop aboard the back of a Banshee for a simulated experience soaring high over the Pandora terrain. This experience is basically what you get when you combine Soarin', Star Tours and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, utilizing similar technology to Soarin' and using enhanced, more realistic movements and 3-D video on a wrap-around IMAX-style curved screen.

​

Thus this new land of Pandora would deliver two new attractions to Animal Kingdom along with a highly immersive world for guests to explore. It would help to complete Animal Kingdom’s transformation into a full-day theme park while at the same time holding true to the park’s main themes of conservation and harmony with nature. One of the main arguments against Animal Kingdom has been that it needs more rides and Pandora would help provide this while still upholding the park’s legacy of tremendous theming and attention to detail.

 

[DisneyManOne]

​

Walking through the deep jungles of Discovery Island, we continue north until we arrive at a wooden bridge, embedded with stone features. The sounds of distant drumming could be heard just over the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is Africa. The Africa that Disney's Animal Kingdom depicts does not focus on one sort of area, but many different areas that could be found in Africa. DAK's Africa is centered around the village of Harambe, which depicts a real place facing real environmental challenges. Harambe is a Swahili word, meaning "working together". When guests enter into Harambe, they have become a part of the story. When the guests walk the streets of this village, they are greeted by the residents, as though they are tourists exploring the city.

After crossing over the bridge, guests find themselves in the village just on the outskirts of a dense jungle and the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. The buildings are somewhat worn, showing both their age of construction and the natural, simple way that the buildings were constructed. The buildings are inspired from a form of Swahili architecture, a common form of architecture found throughout many parts of Africa. It was researched by the group of Imagineers that had designed the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom that many of the architectural qualities of Africa that they had researched were unpractical work spaces and not conducive for theme park operations. It is all a part of the storytelling aspect of Africa, even just using legitimate building architecture that works for a functioning theme park, but is also a legitimate African architectural style. In the pavement of Harambe, guests will find stone linings, depicting the remnants of old city walls. The only remainder of these walls are the footprints that still lie cemented into the ground. Plastered along the somewhat dilapidated buildings are worn advertisements and tourist attraction signs that help better introduce the sense of story into Africa. On the right side of Africa, there is a path, leading along the back end of the park, traveling along Discovery Lake, leading towards the next land in the park. The pathway features a cluster of drums, as their rhythms sound throughout the entire land.

Just to the right as you enter is Tamu Tamu Refreshments, a quick-service location, offering drinks and a few dessert options. The location also features an outdoor seating area, which has seemingly fallen into disrepair, sheltered by worn rooftops and crumbled walls. Across the way is Tusker House, a sit-down restaurant located alongside Discovery Lake. The exterior of the building is made up of stone and brick accents, inspired by the architectural styles of Kenya. It is a top-notch dining experience featuring a greatly inspired African menu. The restaurant also features carved wooden features on the interior and an outdoor seating area under a thatched roof. The outdoor seating area is also a common location for a local live drum and performance troupe to perform. Nearby the restaurant is Dawa Bar, offering African beers. Off to the right of the Tusker House, guests will find the Harambe Theatre. Ever since Camp Minnie-Mickey closed to make way for Pandora, this place has been the home of Festival of the Lion King.

​

This wildly-popular show, often hailed as one of, if not the, best shows in all Walt Disney World, features the animals and creatures of the kingdom, led by a troupe of four singers--Kiume, Nakawa, Kibibi and Zawadi--welcoming the audience to this celebration of song and dance, hosted by Simba. Performers and puppetry are integrated in the show, as the cast performs the film's classic songs: "Circle of Life", "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "Hakuna Matata", "Be Prepared" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" The show also features a tumbling act by Timon and his tumbling monkeys, fire-dancers, aerialists and audience participation.

​

Continuing into the heart of Harambe, on the right, adjacent to Tamu Tamu Refreshments, guests will find Mombasa Marketplace and Ziwani Traders, an African marketplace and trading company, featuring many safaris merchandise, clothes, African wood carvings, a selection of fine wines, pottery, masks and musical instruments. Opposite of the store, guests will find the Kusafiri Coffee and Bake Shoppe, a perfect location to grab a pastry and a cup of coffee in the morning, in this quiet, tucked away corner of Harambe. Located to the right of the bakery, continuing to the back of the village, guests will find Duka La Filimu, a location for guests to film equipment. Right behind Mombasa Marketplace and Ziwani Traders is the Harambe Market area. The area is set up as an outdoor marketplace with five different walk up windows to order some delectable African-inspired food and drinks. First, you have Wanjohi Refreshments, the window for all your drinking needs. Here you can find specialty drinks in a souvenir mug, wine and beer. Kitamu Grill offers ground beef flatbread and grilled chicken skewers. Both entrees come with a tomato, broccoli and red onion salad in a spicy vinaigrette. Boerewors Famous Sausages features the interesting curry corn dog. The corn dog also comes with the broccoli, tomato and red onion salad. Chef Mwanga’s Ribs serves up a huge chunk of spice-rubbed rib with a chickpea salad. Finally, we have Zuri's Sweets Shop, which features 80 new items, including decorative candy apples, uniquely flavored chocolate bars, African-spiced popcorn, animal-shaped lollipops, animal crackers, chocolate mini crocodiles and other treats. Zuri’s Sweets Shop also offer African spice rubs, a gourmet cocoa set and Flame Tree Barbeque sauce.

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Next, we continue to the back end of Harambe Village, where guests come across Kilimanjaro Safaris, the staple attraction of Africa and one of the most popular in the entire park. It is one of the central elements to Africa, both story-wise and theme park-wise. In the attraction, the Harambe Wildlife Reserve welcomes the tourists of Africa to explore their preservation zones, where animals live their lives as they ordinarily would. The intent of Kilimanjaro Safaris is for guests to enter into a natural environment with animals living in their own world, not on display. The entire attraction is about 110 acres, about the same size of the Magic Kingdom. The Kilimanjaro Safaris takes guests through vast jungles, where life animals roam and anything can happen. The jungle vehicles travel through lagoons inhabited by hippos, crocodile bayous, an African savannah, where giraffes, gazelles, ostriches and other types of non-carnivorous animals call their home, a lion's den, an elephant plain and a watering hole located by a set of zebras.

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Now, I love the addition of zebras but I do not like how it came at the expense of Warden Wilson, Big and Little Red, and the poachers storyline. Nearly every Disney attraction is based on the premise of having a strong story and now I believe that Kilimanjaro Safaris is lacking this. Therefore, I would restore Warden Wilson and the Big Red/Little Red storyline along with an abbreviated poacher scene at the end. This just helps to give the attraction a more cohesive and feel with a beginning, middle, and end. I am also not really a fan of how much the apparatuses for Wild Africa Trek encroach on the Safari and would therefore remove this experience and all the visual intrusions it causes. For that matter, ll the currently-visible man-made fencing is eliminated/disguised/hidden (e.g. Okapi paddock, Hyena paddock, Cheetah paddock, etc.). The park as a whole needs to return to its roots of making animal barriers naturalized and invisible - this for me was/is its greatest asset.

At the northern part of the attraction, the flood control canal is re-shaped into a naturalistic "Masai River". And beyond, in the distance, are seen larger herds of elephants, buffalo, giraffe or other ungulates in what is currently the acclimatization paddock. Having large numbers of animals in the fore-, middle- and distant- ground makes for an awe-inspiring visual experience, that one typically would only see in the real savanna.​

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When the safari trucks turn Southward after this view of herds on the far riverbank, an even greater visual appears, a giant, snow-capped volcano - Mt. Kilimanjaro - and forms the distant backdrop to the Rhino paddock and Lion Kopjes:

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At the exit of the attraction, towards the path leading south back down towards Harambe Village, guests will find the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail right at the exit of Kilimanjaro Safaris. The attraction is a walking trail, taking guests through a research training facility, where researchers and scientists are taught conservation techniques. It is a learning experience for the guests, learning more about the animals, the world and the way that they can make a difference. The trail features a gorilla exhibit, located throughout a series of cliffs. The exhibit can be seen from many different vantage points throughout the trail.

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Back outside, leading back up the trail towards Harambe Village, on the left, guests will find the Harambe Railroad Station, one of many dropping-off points for the Wildlife Express. This attraction becomes story-based and "on-stage". It no longer violates the land's theme by showing the backstage areas. The Harambe Station and train itself are already well-themed. In this idea, the ride includes numerous sights worth seeing. It takes passengers on a journey across the plains of India (where such trains were common), into caves where mysterious creatures dwell and past a wild African setting (via an SFX diorama).

Nearby the station is a dense jungle forest, filled with bamboo thickets and dangling vines. Cascading waterfalls flow into pools of water nearby. The trail then empties out into an area themed around one of Disney's most underrated classics: Tarzan.

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Long-time visitors may remember that Tarzan used to be found at the Tarzan Rocks! stage show, which ran from 1999 to 2006 at the Theater in the Wild in Dinoland. And quite recently, Tarzan has started meeting guests regularly at Discovery Island. But now, Tarzan will be receiving his own area of the park. Entering the area, the first thing guests see is a re-creation of Jane and Professor Porter's camp. The camp settlement is the one seen from the film and more-so, inspired by the "Trashin' the Camp" scene, as the entire campground is filled with tons of interactive elements, instrumental clotheslines, spouting teapots, spinning globes, books, pots and pans, old record players, maps, projection slides and the like.

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Right nearby is Tarzan's Treehouse, a replica of the treehouse Tarzan was found in. Here kids would be able to climb, explore, and swing from vines in the tree.

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The area also serves as a meet & greet location for Tarzan, with Jane and Terk also making appearances.

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And that's where we'll stop for now. In the next post, we'll visit the mysterious land of Asia.

 

[DisneyManOne]

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Continuing on, we will arrive in Asia, one of the largest sections of the park. From Africa, a pathway leads through the jungles at the northern section of Discovery Lake, leading into Asia. From here, guests will trek through the jungles and villages of Asia, to explore and discover the wonder and mystery that are yet to be seen. Guests enter into the village of Anandapur, located at the base and foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. The entire land is heavily inspired from Nepal, India and Thailand, using their influences to inspire a real-life experience of Asia.

Before entering into the village of Anandapur, guests will come across the Caravan Stage, which serves as the home of Flights of Wonder, a live show which features Cast Members showcasing a display of different types of live birds. The caravan has stopped in the middle of the jungles of Asia. This small get away is a welcoming diversion from out trek in-between Africa and Asia. The travelers along the caravan have laid out some carpets and rugs, to add some much needed color amidst the earth-toned architecture. The style for the Flights of Wonder stage's architecture was inspired from real life photos taken from the Tibetan border and northern India.

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Continuing up the edge past the Caravan Stage, guests will enter into the central city of Anandapur, where guests can discover the wonderful sights that are yet to be held in Asia. On the immediate left, guests will find Yak and Yeti, a restaurant that operates as a table service restaurant, while also having a separate quick-service location, as well. Yak and Yeti specializes in Asian Fusion cuisine. Just outside of the restaurant, in the Anandapur Plaza, guests will find the Yak and Yeti shopping units, which offers a wide variety of Asia-inspired merchandise, such as sushi plates and tea pots. Continuing towards the back end of the Anandapur village, guests will come across three of Asia's attractions at the northernmost end of Asia. On the left, guests will find the Maharajah Jungle Trek, a walking tour, taking guests far outside of the village of Anandapur and to the ruins of a former sultan's palace. The walls have crumbled and broken, due to years and years of exposure to the weather. There are small towers and structures that have been clotted out by trees growing from within the the former palace. This attraction is very similar to that of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, where guests experience real life animal exhibits, just feet away. Tigers make up a large part of the Maharajah Jungle Trek, being seen from three different locations, while traveling through the ruined palace chambers. Guests continue walking through the trek, discovering different types of reptiles, gazelles and coloful birds. The trail takes guests through pathways of gushing waterfalls and lush greenery, before taking them back to the village of Anandapur.

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Nearby the Maharajah Jungle Trek is one of the park's biggest headliners--and a perfect way to cool off on a hot Floridian day--Kali River Rapids. This is a rafting ride hosted by Kali River Expeditions that takes you along the Chakirandi River. But during your expedition, you’ll notice a startling change in the scenic forest beauty you encounter. Vivid green vegetation is unexpectedly transformed into a smoldering inferno of charred tree trunks while hazardous debris litters the riverbanks. And, with that, the warning is clear: Illegal logging is destroying animal habitats and disrupting the harmonious balance of nature.

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A new addition to Asia will be found; an all-new dark ride called Journey into the Jungle Book. This addition was placed into Asia because The Jungle Book is one of these films that would perfectly fit into the theme park, alongside with The Lion King and Tarzan, and after the renovation, it would be the only one of these films to not be included in the park. I propose the attraction could be built nearby Flights of Wonder as there is plenty of open space there. This, of course, would expand out Anandapur, but the movie’s locale fits easily into this faux Indian setting. I imagine the ride to be an aerial ride (a la Peter Pan's Flight) through the environment of the film, meeting up with all the characters and all that. I'll post a complete ride-through idea in the next post.

Before you actually get into the attraction, a side path would lead to meet and greets with the characters from the movie, particularly Mowgli, Baloo and King Louie. Plus, I've heard that when the Journey into the Jungle Book show was here, you would often have King Louie’s monkeys causing mischief along the path to Discovery Island, trying to entice guests to go see the show. I would bring those monkeys back for meet and greets and general mayhem. They would be an awful lot of fun. Maybe there could be a rare sighting of Colonel Hathi, as well...or maybe even Shanti (that would be incredible).

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From here, guests then walk back south through the Anandapur Plaza, walking to the right, past a closed off temple, where monkeys are frequently spotted, swinging from the temple structures overhead. The path then curves to the left, leading alongside the Discovery Lake on the right. From here, Mount Everest begins to loom just overhead. Along the lake, a special temple had been built by the people of Anandapur, a possible shrine to show respect to the foreboding creatures of the region. The trail also features telescopes that helps guests receive a closer look at Mount Everest. The path then leads through a dense jungle, featuring small buildings offering some appetizer specials.

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Guests then enter into the opposite side of Asia, the town of Serka Zong. Serka Zong is a small village located at the base of the mountain, heavily inspired by Nepalese environments. Serka Zong features one of Disney's Animal Kingdom most prolific attractions, one of the most visually striking attractions in any of the Disney theme parks, Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. The mountain completes the skyline of Disney's Animal Kingdom, while also completely fitting into its' surroundings. The legend of a Yeti is one of the many folklore tales that travels through Nepal and India. These people believe that the Yeti is a real creature, capable of great destruction and terror. Guests board old tea trains, as they set up to scale Mount Everest. However, the sacred ground of Mount Everest is closely guarded by the watch of the Yeti. Our expedition may not be as simple as our tour guide would have us believe. Upon reaching the apex of the mountain, we find that the Yeti has torn the track apart, leaving the train to reverse through the cavernous chambers of the mountain, before taking a terrifying drop and coming face to face with the fierce Yeti, themselves.

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This attraction will receive an extensive refurbishment to complete several adjustments to the attraction, such as adding in a heavy mist and chill to the peak of the mountain range, to add some interior rocky work to the caverns and to most importantly, fix the Yeti at the conclusion of the attraction. The attraction will be closed for an extended period of time to ensure that the attraction re-opens in top quality. The attraction exits out into the Serka Zong Bazaar, a merchandise location specializing in Expedition Everest merchandise.
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And there we have Asia! In the next post, we'll take a look at Journey into the Jungle Book. Until then, what do you think, guys?

 

[DisneyManOne]

And now, let's talk about Journey into the Jungle Book, Animal Kingdom's newest dark ride.
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Journey into the Jungle Book is an aerial dark ride, much in the style of Peter Pan's Flight, that takes guests through the settings from Disney's 1967 classic. I propose the attraction could be built nearby Flights of Wonder as there is plenty of open space there. This, of course, would expand out Anandapur, but the movie’s locale fits easily into this faux Indian setting. The facade of the building is a crumbling stone temple, like the temple of King Louie. The queue path takes us over the stream and into a cave to the left of the temple. In this cave, you'll find out that the queue actually doubles as an animal exhibit! Among the ruins that are being reclaimed by the jungle, I would put in exhibits for smaller, but no less important, critters of the Asian rain forest. As the ruins are being overgrown, little things like lizards, snakes and spiders would be moving in.

Some examples would include the green snake and the red tailed rat snake. Both of these reptiles are fairly commonly found in zoos and make great exhibits.

A good creepy animal would be a hunstman’s spider. Many kinds of these spiders live in Asia. They are huge and hairy and looking at them makes your skin crawl.

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Perhaps there could be a submerged section of the ruins that is now home to the unusual snake-necked turtle.

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And I wouldn’t leave mammals out, either. Prevost squirrels do well in captivity, are fun to watch and, with their bizarre color pattern (mahogany fur on the belly and black and white up top), they make fun zoo animals.

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We exit back out into the jungle, now inside the show building. We approach load, where we see a line of hanging vehicles, looking like carved tree trunks, hanging by vines from the canopy above. The vehicle seats 2 per row with 2 rows. Of course, the ride takes you through the story of The Jungle Book. Beginning right off quick with the wolves and the pack leader talking about Mowgli and Shere Khan, who hates men.

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The story (and the ride) then moves quickly to introducing Bagheera and then the Dawn Patrol. For this scene, I really want to have the cars vibrate, as if they're being shaken by the thunderous footsteps of the elephants.

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Leaving the elephants behind, we meet Baloo who does an awesome audio animatronic version of "The Bare Necessities.”

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Of course, the plot turns to the monkeys. On this attraction, you will have animatronic monkeys on both sides of you as well as above you with one coming awfully close to the top of your head all the while mocking Baloo and stealing his man cub. At this point, the ride takes you to King Louie himself singing “I Wanna Be Like You.” I envision this scene to be big and wide open, not unlike the Under the Sea part of the Little Mermaid dark ride. The end of this part of the scene would have the stone pillars coming close to crumbling and falling around you.

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Mowgli, of course, runs away again, and we meet Kaa dangling over the river looking at you with his hypnotic eyes.

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We finally meet Shere Khan and the vultures. There's a great big climax scene, where Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and the vultures all fight off Shere Khan. A neat fire effect would come into play.

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The ride then ends with Bagheera and Baloo watching as Mowgli and Shanti go off into the man-village.
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What do you guys think? I'd appreciate the feedback.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Through the course of our journey through Disney's Animal Kingdom, we've visited Africa and Asia, and we will soon visit Australia and North America, but there's one more area of the world that I'd like to take you too: South America.

Guests enter South America from a tunnel in-between Africa and Asia. If you're eagle-eyed, you may spot the Wildlife Express pass atop the rocky formation. However, your first stop won't exactly be the mystic rainforests you may expect to find here. Instead, you'll find yourself at the South American base of S.E.A., otherwise known as the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Although many of these bases are temporary, there's one adventurer who's always here: Lord Henry Mystic. Lord Mystic is a famed adventurer who always goes on excursions with his monkey, Albert, and always comes back with a bevy of artifacts. One of his latest finds is an enchanted music box, that must only be opened with caution. But ever-curious, Albert opens the box and every single thing in the mansion comes to life! It's up to Albert and you to stop the curse quick, before the house lives up to its name: Mystic Manor.

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Lord Mystic is, unfortunately, often away on new adventures, but you can regularly find his house-sitter--namely, his nephew, James--wandering about the base. Nearby the manor is the S.E.A. Freight Depot. Some of Lord Henry's friends from his travels around the world have come back with him, and have to decided to put on a show for the tourists at the S.E.A. Base!

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Right in-between Mystic Manor and the university's village, you'll find the Adventurers Club. You heard me--the Adventurers Club. This iconic hotspot from the glory days of Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney (now The Landing at Disney Springs) has found a new home here. Here, various members of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers--led by club president Pamela Perkins and good ol' Colonel Critchlow Sunchbench--invite new inductees and old friends to join them in their wacky club events. During the day, the door seems to be barred, but at night (yes, this club will retain its operating hours from its days on Pleasure Island)--the place comes alive with the fun and jubilance it did when it was at Disney Springs. With this open again, it will be the perfect place for guests to "come in a stranger and leave a little stranger". Kungaloosh!

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From this base, the path leads towards another settlement: a riverside village made up of a series of thatch-roofed buildings.

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Here, students from a local university have set-up camp to study the creatures and plant life of the rainforest as well as the negative effects of the logging companies that have been chopping down trees at an alarming rate. Thus the message of conservation is very strongly tied with the attractions in this area. This village is the embarkation point for two attractions, both of which emphasize the natural beauty of the rainforest and the importance of protecting this environment. The first attraction is the Amazon River Adventure, a Jungle Cruise-esque attraction that takes you through the rainforest. The back story for the attraction is that students from the local university have prepared a river rafting expedition to study a few of the more remote parts of the rainforest and have invited you along. The first half of the ride is very calm. As the raft passes through the dense jungle, Guests encounter other small fishing villages and a wide variety of birds, monkeys, and other exotic animals.

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But then, things take a tumultuous turn as the raft picks up speed and guests encounter a series of violent rapids as they race past waterfalls, get spun around in whirlpools, and narrowly escape an attack by a school of piranhas before returning back to the village.

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The second attraction is Rainforest Race, a suspended roller coaster that makes you feel as though you were zip-lining through the canopy of the rainforest. The coaster would not be heavy on thrills in terms of loops or drops, but riders would whip narrowly around trees, through caves, and past water falls. The experience would be more of a family coaster, along the lines of a Big Thunder Mountain in terms of thrills. Believe it or not, a rollercoaster similar to this was actually planned for EPCOT Center at one point and would have been a part of a completely re-imagined Land pavilion. I think this new South America section of Animal Kingdom would be the perfect home for it.

If all this exploring has made you hungry, you can get something down at the Campus Cookhouse, a counter-service area seemingly set up by the college students. Expect to see both from that the U.S. and that of South America. There is loads of seating here, spread out over a couple of floors (and thankfully there is an elevator to take you to the lower level should you so desire—helpful if you're carrying a tray of drinks and fajitas). Seats are available indoors and out. I prefer the outdoor seats, as the atmosphere indoors here is not nearly as nice as the scenery you'll find around the area.

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Nearby the settlement, you can explore the lush tropical rainforests of South America yourself, by way of the Amazon Rainforest Trail. Guests walk through a dense rainforest environment, filled with exotic flowers and plant life, past waterfalls and rivers. They also encounter a wide variety of animals, such as two-toed sloths, giant anteaters, spider monkeys, golden lion tamarins, toucans, macaws, jaguars, howler monkeys, capybaras, owls, llamas, sloths and tree frogs.

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The rainforest is home to a wide variety of animals. Most of the animal species are invertebrates, including insects, arachnids and worms. In fact, inside this rainforest, you'll find the entrance to a theater that was seemingly crafted underground. This theater serves as the new home of the 3D show It's Tough to Be a Bug! In the show, Flik, the ant hero from the Pixar film A Bug's Life, welcomes the guests to a show starring the world's most abundant inhabitants: bugs. He introduces a revue of some of his bug friends, before enemy Hopper leaps onto the scene, unleashing a bit of chaos into the show, when he deems the humans as their enemies. The bugs come together quickly to put on a final performance and hopefully save the show! After the show, the theater exit leads to an area featuring exhibits where you can see all sorts of bugs: termites eating wood, ants digging, and spiders making webs.

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Wasn't that fun? Well, in the next post, we'll have even more fun, as we visit the "Land Down Under" itself, Australia!

 

[DisneyManOne]

Hey everyone, thought I'd share something with you. Recently, the amazing S.W. Wilson of Ideal Buildout posted a few ideas regarding Disney's Animal Kingdom. I was thoroughly captivated, so expect to see a few of those ideas popping into my overall vision for DAK.

Next post should be coming soon!

 

[DisneyManOne]

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Australia is quite possibly the home of some of the world's most unique animals, and they will be represented here at Disney's Animal Kingdom quite well. Heading to your right from the center of South America, you'll find yourself in the glory of the "Land Down Under". Australia highlights some of the continent’s more unique animals as well as its Aboriginal culture and traditions. The land would be divided into two distinct areas. In the first area, guests will find themselves in the majestic Australian Outback.

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The Outback is marked by verdant fields of grass and gum trees, dominated by a replica of Uluru, the mighty sandstone rock formation sacred to the Anagu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The Outback is the perfect setting for the Aussie Adventure Trails, where guests can encounter a variety of animals such as emus, platypus, dingoes, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, and koalas.

Beneath the scorching desert sun we find ourselves peering into a remote mud hole, almost an oasis of sorts. However, this oasis is barred-off and ridden with caution signs as it plays home to of a family of actual saltwater crocodiles, or "salties" as the locals refer to them. This mini-zoo sits near the entrance to the Steve Irwin Conservation Centre. As a "satellite extension" of the Australia Zoo, the conservation centre is dedicated to the late Steve Irwin, more famously known as the "Crocodile Hunter." In this well-sized building, we are invited to step inside and learn about Australia's vast collection of colorful wildlife, as well as other wildlife around the world, whether they're endangered or not. Here we learn of the Australia Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom and their efforts to conserve and protect the creatures of the planet as illustrated through demonstrations, videos, and exhibits, not to mention a moving tribute and memorial to the Crocodile Hunter himself. Several varieties of insects and reptiles are kept here in enclosures, allowing an up close and personal glimpse at potentially-deadly creatures. As mentioned before, the crocodiles in the "mud hole" outside are in fact living, breathing creatures. Zookeepers trained through the proper channels at the Australia Zoo are on duty at the Conservation Centre, doubling as hosts at the center and as the keepers of the salties. These same keepers also perform daily demonstrations of crocodile safety and upkeep, as well as a showcase of several birds native to Australia, including the ever-famous kookaburra. This demonstration is appropriately called Australian Animals.

The other part of the land would be more whimsical and appeal more toward families with younger children. This second area is known as the Great Barrier Reef. I have realized in my reimagining that Animal Kingdom is in need of more attractions that would appeal to a younger audience. Australia presents the perfect opportunity for this as it allows for the seamless integration of an immersive area based on the beloved Finding Nemo, which, of course, is set in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Plus, this area will also serve well to introduce animals from the ocean into the park, as the current version of the park does not. This way, the park will fully feature animals from the ocean, sea and sky. I also don't want to introduce too much of the ocean into the park, as it would take a lot away from The Living Seas over at EPCOT Center, so I think just a small area would be nice. So, again, while the area might be small, it is still a needed area for the theme park. However, rather than being out in the open, this sub-land would take a page out of the book of Tokyo Disney Sea. Here they have an area of the park known as Mermaid Lagoon, themed after The Little Mermaid, which is located entirely inside in order to give the illusion that you are under the sea.

Guests would be totally immersed in the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef as seen in the movie as they walk amongst larger-than-life coral.

Separating the Australian Outback from the Great Barrier Reef is a small reef area where waves crash against the sands. The Great Barrier Reef itself finds its home within the interior confines of a massive oceanic rock covered in kelp, seaweed, coral, and other aquatic matter. The salty waves of the tide crash up against the base of the massive rock. Before we enter through a cavernous hole crafted into the side of the rock, we hear the nearby cawing of some beady-eyed seagulls perched upon a rust-encrusted buoy, famously shrieking "MINE! MINE! MINE!"

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Entering the Great Barrier Reef is almost like entering an aquatic dreamworld of sorts...in a mere matter of seconds, the atmosphere around us has been transformed into a near-exact replica of one of Australia's many natural wonders...giant coral, oversized anemones, and the shimmering sunlight reflecting upon the visible oceanic surface above our heads, accomplished via clever lighting, projections, and a rather convincing scrim...luscious orchestrations taken straight from the films provide an ambient environment of realistic fantasy...the silhouettes of passing fish and other sea creatures are cast upon the rocks, hinting at an unseen community of wildlife beyond the limits of our own imaginations...every so often, a boat, otherwise referred to by younger fish as a "butt" can be seen treading water on the waves above, causing the aforementioned silhouettes to scatter and hide until the "butt" is well out of sight. Our adventure has begun.

Most the attractions here would be smaller and nothing really groundbreaking in terms of new technology, but they would be fun options for children. Taking inspiration from Tokyo Disney Sea this area would feature Jumping Jellyfish, a version of the classic parachute attraction. Boarding a large seashell (clutched by jellyfish tentacles), one of several oversized jellyfish pulls us up and down at varying speeds for a "jumpin'" good time, providing stunning views of the aquatic sub-area in the process, not to mention simulating one of the most memorable scenes from Finding Nemo.

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Another attraction is the Blowfish Balloon Race, a gondola-style spinner attraction. Hopping inside a hollowed-out seashell, an overhead blowfish grabs ahold of us via four strands of seaweed and takes us on an "airborne" spin through the "skies" of the colorful reef, a la Flik's Flyers in California.

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Finally, we have The Whirlpool, a variation on the teacups.

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While these attractions may not be anything special, it is the highly immersive theming and detail of the area that would really be the main draw. Nearby Blowfish Balloon Race, embedded into a large volcanic rock, is a screen that plays films about preserving Australia's Great Barrier Reef and all the oceanic wildlife that inhabit it, warning of the dangers of pollution and the motto of "all drains lead to the ocean." This little area is known as the Junior Explorer Academy, managed and operated by Mr. Ray. The Humpback Whale serves as the resident Finding Nemo superstore, strangely held inside the pink bowels of a humpback whale with its mouth agape. You can bet that all the cast members here say "thank you" in the exotic whale language, up until now thought to only be known to whales and Dory. Dory's Tidepool, found just a short distance from Hank's is an indoor-water playground utilizing spitting fish, spinning seashells, and lots and lots of puddles...underwater...which is somewhat ironic I suppose.

A short walk from the edge of the reef (also known as the "Drop Off") brings us into an abandoned graveyard of fallen submarines and warships, the seemingly haunted abode of Bruce, Chum, and Anchor, a trio of sharks with a not-so-carnivorous appetite. Spiked-mines appear suspended in midair, almost like party balloons...but be careful, you wouldn't want one of these balloons to pop...Bruce's Steakhouse is the major point of interest in the area, held within the massive wreckage of an old war submarine. Underneath the proud slogan of "Fish Are Friends, Not Food," Bruce's Steakhouse is a fine-dining establishment composed of old machinery and abandoned weaponry of some forgotten naval battle, a bit of an oddity in a Disney park considering the rather grim subject of war. Despite the vegetarian diet of the sharks, all of the menu items almost all feature meat...although some dishes are in fact made with vegetarians specifically in mind, tofu fish being one of them...yuck. Inside the restaurant, a rather static Bruce figure allows diners to take a photo inside his wide-open jaws. Don't worry, he doesn't bite...I hope...

Back in the colorful hub of the reef, we find the Great Barrier Reef's two major E-ticket attractions. Much like how Tokyo's Mermaid Lagoon features a theater, so too will this area. And, of course, this theater will serve as the new home for Finding Nemo: The Musical, the beloved innovative production, filled with puppetry, aerialism and lighting effects. The show is lush with large sets and an entire ensemble of characters, utilizing puppetry to portray the memorable characters from the Pixar film.

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If Bruce's area is located to one side of the reef, something should be on the other side, as well. This is where you'll find Crush’s Coaster. This attraction is one of the most popular at the Disney Studios in Paris and provides some mild thrills along the lines of the current Primeval Whirl. Guests ride in a turtle shell through elaborate show scenes depicting different events from the movie before going on a high-speed spin through the EAC where the turtle shell itself starts to spin as it moves along the track. The attraction is very much like a more thrilling and more highly detailed version of the Seas with Nemo and Friends attraction currently at Epcot. Of course, the whole "studio" aspect Paris has will be scrapped, so the queue will be themed around meandering catacombs located deep beneath the ocean's floor.

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Off to the side of this indoor cove, guests will find another area. The area is a circular cove, surrounded by think rocky moss formations and coral. The entire area seems like an aquatic grove with a rocky sand sketched floor bottom. Upon entering the great mossy rock, guests will enter into the Undersea Life Exhibits, a great aquarium featuring numerous animals, schools of numerous different types of fish, sharks and stingrays, all of them finding a home here. Cast Members located throughout the great exhibit grounds offer more information on the animals found within.

Thus, this Great Barrier Reef/Finding Nemo area would provide much needed attractions for younger Guests in addition to some mild thrills and its indoor location would make it a great escape from the Florida heat.
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There we go! In the next post, we'll visit the rugged terrains of North America. See ya then!

 

[DisneyManOne]

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Coming from someone who has lived in the Northern United States for most of his life, you can't deny that North America has given the world some highly majestic animals. As such, a whole new area of Disney's Animal Kingdom is devoted to those sorts of animals. Plus, I wanted to give every continent--except Europe--a chance in the spotlight.

As you can tell from the picture above, this land is themed around a redwoods national park. Here, you'll find the Redwood Creek Path, the land's animal trail. This trail features some animals that are more familiar to American tourists, but can still be a good chance to learn more about the animal kingdom. Small animals are first on the path with raccoons and beavers in their natural habitats. Next are some of the largest animals of the park, American bison. After that guests pass a small elk habitat before going across a stream that is the habitat for a family of otters. After that is the main animal of the trail, grizzly bears. This will be a very large habitat that is built up into the rockwork of the mountain. This is meant to be the most impressive animal area of the expansion and possibly of the park, taking you right into an authentic national park.

Nearby is a replica of DCA's Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. It features a network of trails simulating a trail in a redwood forest, a large network of stairs and rope bridges, a traverse rock climbing wall, a zip line, side-by-side slides, and an amphitheater, used for telling traditional Native American stories. Explorers can also visit the "Spirit Cave" to find what spirit animal represents them (bear, wolf, eagle, moose, salmon, and skunk).

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The main building of this land is a heavy timber lodge building, which plays host to the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Its name and inspiration comes from the counter service restaurant in Disneyland. The restaurant is situated on the edge of a river, spreading throughout the redwood forest.

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Overlooking the edge of the river is the Yellowstone Carousel, basically a covered carousel with North American animals. In a secluded area of the deep redwood forest is a stage area, serving host to another former WDW favorite that has returned from the attraction graveyard: Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends. In this show, Pocahontas, Grandmother Willow and a little sapling named Sprig set out to find the fabled protector of the forest. As Pocahontas discovers the path she must take, she interacts with live trained animals such as rabbits, opossums, a skunk, a porcupine, a snake, and rats. All in all, the show is mainly about the importance of protecting and preserving our forests.

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When the theater is not in use, it's often used as a meet and greet space for characters like Pocahontas, Meeko, Thumper, Miss Bunny, Kenai, Koda, as well as Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear.

At the farthest edge of North America is a rustic railroad station. The Wildlife Express often stops here, allowing guests to disembark and visit North America, as well as South America, Australia and Rafiki's Planet Watch. Speaking of which...