Garfield Builder
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I am joining, too.
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WaltWiz's Dream Disney Resort #1 (Help Wanted)
- Thread starter WaltWiz1901
- Start date
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
Maybe some of the Fantasyland dark rides?
Disney Dad 3000
Well-Known Member
I'm fairly open, probably something in the Adventureland or fantasyland area that has piqued my interest.
Are you planning to work this out land by land?
The tour and map definitely will! May or may not do full attraction synopses alongside the walkthroughs of each land, but they will definitely come before we get to Fantastic Realms either way.
Disney-Universal Fanboy
Active Member
I think I might be hallucinating, but in Frontierland, I think I saw Grizzly valley, did that fall by the wayside
Merely a simple name change...the contents of the area itself are the same, as I'll elaborate on when we get to it
Made my move regarding when to post in-depth attraction synopses and concept art...they'll be coming after the walkthroughs of each land.
That might mean it'll take a little while longer to complete both walkthroughs of both parks, but it'll be worth it!
That might mean it'll take a little while longer to complete both walkthroughs of both parks, but it'll be worth it!
Thinking about going a drastically different direction for the second gate; as for what it is, I have a feeling there was a reason I notified that there was "help wanted"...
Overviews of both the Park Promenade and Grand Avenue, by the way, are coming real soon!
Overviews of both the Park Promenade and Grand Avenue, by the way, are coming real soon!
Disney-Universal Fanboy
Active Member
A bit of a shame to lose most of fantastic realms’ lands, but hoping the main disneyland park will be amazing!
Park Promenade
Our tour around the resort has begun at last!But it would be underwhelming to kick off an adventure as grand as this one without a prologue, and ours comes in the form of the Park Promenade. This is a richly forested entryway into the resort, with groups of trees and lampposts from which banners hang lining the way in. These banners are adorned with characters we’re sure to see inside the parks, a perfectly subtle way to foreshadow the wonders that lie ahead of us.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s own Park Promenade provides a model of what this resort's entry promenade will look and feel like
Reference stills from The Band Concert, the cartoon the promenade’s fountain will be based on
If the promenade’s footprint was the compass to a map of the whole resort, then this fountain acts as our compass rose, with arrows in the surrounding pavement pointing north, south, east, and west. Let’s head up north and see where that takes us...
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Disney-Universal Fanboy
Active Member
Nice idea with the Band Concert Fountain! Hong has the perfect plaza cuz of the fountain there! Is Hong kongs fountain based of a mickey short, and which one is it?Our adventure inside the resort has begun at last!
Park Promenade
But it would be underwhelming to kick off an adventure as grand as this one without a prologue, and ours comes in the form of the Park Promenade. This is a richly forested entryway into the resort, with groups of trees and lampposts from which banners hang lining the way in. These banners are adorned with characters we’re sure to see inside the parks, a perfectly subtle way to foreshadow the wonders that lie ahead of us.
View attachment 773818Finely manicured topiaries do their part to decorate the promenade’s walkways, too. Not unlike the banners we saw, they’re cut to form the images of some of Disney’s most popular characters.
View attachment 773833
View attachment 773836
Hong Kong Disneyland’s own Park Promenade provides a model of what this resort's entry promenade will look and feel like
Mickey Strikes Up the Band on the promenade’s central fountain. The fountain takes a lot of visual cues from Mickey Mouse’s first cartoon in color, The Band Concert: bandleader Mickey conducts from atop a tornado in the center from which water spills out, while the members of the band blast more water into the fountain with their instruments...including a mischievous Donald Duck, who has invited himself to the band and is creating a racket on his fife. At night, the fountain becomes a light show, with the lighting around the tornado piece bathing it in a beautiful symphony of color!
Reference stills from The Band Concert, the cartoon the promenade’s fountain will be based on
If the promenade’s footprint was the compass to a map of the whole resort, then this fountain acts as our compass rose, with arrows in the surrounding pavement pointing north, south, east, and west. Let’s head up north and see where that takes us...
Garfield Builder
Active Member
Up north is Capcom City. Based on Capcom's finest games.Our adventure inside the resort has begun at last!
Park Promenade
But it would be underwhelming to kick off an adventure as grand as this one without a prologue, and ours comes in the form of the Park Promenade. This is a richly forested entryway into the resort, with groups of trees and lampposts from which banners hang lining the way in. These banners are adorned with characters we’re sure to see inside the parks, a perfectly subtle way to foreshadow the wonders that lie ahead of us.
View attachment 773818Finely manicured topiaries do their part to decorate the promenade’s walkways, too. Not unlike the banners we saw, they’re cut to form the images of some of Disney’s most popular characters.
View attachment 773833
View attachment 773836
Hong Kong Disneyland’s own Park Promenade provides a model of what this resort's entry promenade will look and feel like
Mickey Strikes Up the Band on the promenade’s central fountain. The fountain takes a lot of visual cues from Mickey Mouse’s first cartoon in color, The Band Concert: bandleader Mickey conducts from atop a tornado in the center from which water spills out, while the members of the band blast more water into the fountain with their instruments...including a mischievous Donald Duck, who has invited himself to the band and is creating a racket on his fife. At night, the fountain becomes a light show, with the lighting around the tornado piece bathing it in a beautiful symphony of color!
Reference stills from The Band Concert, the cartoon the promenade’s fountain will be based on
If the promenade’s footprint was the compass to a map of the whole resort, then this fountain acts as our compass rose, with arrows in the surrounding pavement pointing north, south, east, and west. Let’s head up north and see where that takes us...
HKDL's fountain isn't based on any short in particular, but there are two other international resorts with a short-specific Mickey fountain: The Sorcerer's Apprentice at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel's Fantasia Court and Steamboat Willie at the welcome plaza to the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Hoo boy, will it deliver!
All sarcasm aside, that isn't the next part of the resort I'll be exploring...although what is is to be expected, but really not, at the same time
Alright...after a week, it's time to see where the next stop on our tour is!
We have arrived at the resort’s crown jewel: Disneyland Park.
Of course, no park entrance would be complete without thebearbare necessities, or to be more precise, twelve ticket booths to offer guests admission in (or they could simply get their tickets from the touchscreen vending machines on hand at these booths or on the World Wide Web). Further setting the tone and blending in with the Park Promenade, the Main Gate to the park is filled with gardens, waterfalls, ponds, and a central flower bed with a floral depiction of Mickey Mouse’s smiling face in the middle, while an atmospheric loop of music, ranging from selections from the Disney Animated Canon to the world of Pixar to Disney’s most celebrated theme park attractions, fills the air.
Many of the tracks in the abovementioned loop are shared from the loop that presently plays over Tokyo Disneyland’s main entry gate
If there’s one thing that Disneyland prides itself over, it’s the fact that everything is a form of storytelling. We, the audience, will physically experience one adventure after another, seldom as spectators, but almost always as “participants” in the drama. In contrast to the county fair or carnival known the world over, Disneyland is a seamless, thematic epic. The harmonic blend of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy act in compliment of the wild animals, eccentric inventions, and storybook castles beyond the front gate.
While it admittedly might be a decade or two back from the avenue it leads to aesthetically, Disneyland Paris’s Main Street station gives one an idea of what this park’s station will look likeAhead of us, like most of Disney’s other magic kingdoms, lies a railroad station looking like it was lifted straight out of an urban city at the height of the 1920s. This is the station from which trains on the Disneyland Railroad begin their journeys around the park. Above the tunnel beneath the line is a plaque reading:
Our excitement begins to mount as we pass through said tunnel, further bolstered by the posters which line its walls. Like at every other castle park, these posters give guests a taste of what to expect inside the magic kingdom of Disneyland, namely its headlining experiences and other most noteworthy things to do.
Indeed, upon walking out of the tunnel, we have found ourselves in one world of history - Grand Avenue.
Concept art by Collin Campbell
Imagine stepping back in time to Chicago or New York of the Roaring ‘20s, or perhaps into the reels of Hello, Dolly!, and you’ve got how it feels to be exploring Grand Avenue. This is the park’s Main Street U.S.A.; or, alternately, what one would call the Main Street of the Jazz Age (with a couple of the familiar 19th century influenced architecture sprinkled here and there). Our trip down the Avenue begins at Town Square, marked by a small, quaint park with a gazebo at its center.
City Hall is the home of Guest Relations. Friendly cast members are always on hand to answer questions, provide touring tips, make reservations, and assist visitors with special needs.
G.A. Motors, a service station next to City Hall, serves as one starting point for the Big City Vehicles, which motor up and down the streets of Grand Avenue to wherever you wish to go. There are ten different vehicles available to ride in: two Town Cars, two Limousines, the Midtown Taxi, the Paddy Wagon, the Fire Truck, the Delivery Truck, the Minibus, and the Omnibus.
As an alternate mode of transport, the El Train - or the Disneyland Elevated Electric Railway - gives guests one-way trips to and from Progressland. While most Main Streets’ trolleys are pulled by horse down on the ground, Grand Avenue’s trolleys - in keeping with the era bump and hence the system’s name - are electric and ride the rails from overhead, allowing for nifty onboard views of the street, the Hub, and what else lies beyond.
Ah, but the transportation isn’t the only thing adding life to Grand Avenue. Here, a run-in with some gangsters - or some cops going after the gangsters, in a comical manner not unlike the Keystone Kops - isn’t an uncommon occurrence, nor is a serenade by the Dapper Dans, who might sing a barbershop ballad or a medley of Disney favorites. The gazebo in the middle of Town Square might even be a stage for the Disneyland Philharmonic or a Disney character greeting space.
The Grand Avenue Exhibition Hall is essentially the Avenue’s local museum. On most days, the Exhibition Hall lets us relive The Walt Disney Story, illustrated through things like artwork, (reproductions of) historic materials from throughout his life, movie and theme park attraction props, costumes, and a scale model of what Disneyland looked like - or would’ve looked like - in its opening year of 1955. The experience culminates in a theater where we watch a film about the life of the man who started it all, narrated by Julie Andrews…and Walt himself!
Look! There’s a movie playing down at the Movie Palace! And not just a movie - it’s six different double-bills, each comprised of a film from the 1920s or early 1930s and an animated cartoon from the same year: one screen might be showing 1927’s The Jazz Singer and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit’s screen debut in Trolley Troubles, while another might be showing 1928’s Steamboat Bill, Jr. and the cartoon that both marked the public debut of Mickey Mouse and kickstarted Walt Disney’s success streak, Steamboat Willie. Across the way on the west block is another theater venue - the Broadway Theater, host to a tribute to classic American musicals.
The west block is marked by the Grand Emporium, the largest mercantile in town and, indeed, the whole park. As per tradition, storefront windows display vignettes from some of Disney’s most famous animated classics. Among the other businesses on either block include, most noteworthily but definitely not limited to,
Grand Avenue also has two covered arcades, essential for giving pedestrians protection from extreme weather conditions and secondary routes in case the main street is unbearably crowded. Progress Arcade, on the east block, houses Automata-mericana, an exhibit of mechanically animated miniature scenes of Grand Avenue through the years, while Liberty Arcade, on the west block, doubles as an exit to the Broadway Theater.
As we begin to leave the bustle of the main Avenue behind, we find ourselves in the middle of a more suburban street, with the awaiting Hub just straight ahead. Located here are the Plaza Gardens Restaurant, a leisurely dining pavilion marked by an ornate fountain and serving elegant buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and Character Court, a complex of brownstone apartments inside of which the “Sensational Six” - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto - call (holiday) home.
Also on this street is Walt’s, Grand Avenue’s luxurious signature dining venue and this park’s equivalent of Club 33 in pretty much every regard, except the exclusiveness.
Drenched in dazzling décor, this two-story Victorian manor offers the finest in upscale American fare. Upon entering Walt’s, you find yourself in an extravagant lobby, decorated with a grand piano, a bust of Walt, and relics from the pre-animation days, like a Zoetrope. The staircase leading up to the second floor even has pictures of some of Walt’s biggest achievements! As you can see, the lobby alone is gorgeous and has a ton of cool details. Even if you aren’t able to score reservations, it’s worthwhile to pop inside to check out the various pieces of Disney history on display. You probably won’t be able to go upstairs without dining at Walt’s. But once you get upstairs, it's a whole ‘nother ball game. Within the fanciful estate, silk draperies, ornate floral carpets, crystal chandeliers, silk woven draperies, beveled mirrors, polished brass fixtures, and tufted velvet furnishings compose a lavish sight for the senses, all within seven unique dining rooms – three on the first floor, four on the second floor. Live musicians often accompany a luxuriant dinner by candlelight, often intertwined with a hint of romance. The rooms inside the manor are:
Before we move on, it only seems natural to go over more of the bare necessities...
Gonna credit @DisneyManOne for coming up with most of the shops named for a person who worked for Disney (Toymakers to the World being one example) and Brian Krosnick of Park Lore for coming up with the name "Lamplight Bakery". Hopefully I'll have a map of the Avenue up very soon!
We have arrived at the resort’s crown jewel: Disneyland Park.
Of course, no park entrance would be complete without the
Many of the tracks in the abovementioned loop are shared from the loop that presently plays over Tokyo Disneyland’s main entry gate
Disneyland Park
If there’s one thing that Disneyland prides itself over, it’s the fact that everything is a form of storytelling. We, the audience, will physically experience one adventure after another, seldom as spectators, but almost always as “participants” in the drama. In contrast to the county fair or carnival known the world over, Disneyland is a seamless, thematic epic. The harmonic blend of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy act in compliment of the wild animals, eccentric inventions, and storybook castles beyond the front gate.While it admittedly might be a decade or two back from the avenue it leads to aesthetically, Disneyland Paris’s Main Street station gives one an idea of what this park’s station will look like
Here you leave today and enter worlds of history, tomorrow, and ageless fantasy
Our excitement begins to mount as we pass through said tunnel, further bolstered by the posters which line its walls. Like at every other castle park, these posters give guests a taste of what to expect inside the magic kingdom of Disneyland, namely its headlining experiences and other most noteworthy things to do.
Indeed, upon walking out of the tunnel, we have found ourselves in one world of history - Grand Avenue.
Grand Avenue
Concept art by Collin Campbell
Imagine stepping back in time to Chicago or New York of the Roaring ‘20s, or perhaps into the reels of Hello, Dolly!, and you’ve got how it feels to be exploring Grand Avenue. This is the park’s Main Street U.S.A.; or, alternately, what one would call the Main Street of the Jazz Age (with a couple of the familiar 19th century influenced architecture sprinkled here and there). Our trip down the Avenue begins at Town Square, marked by a small, quaint park with a gazebo at its center.
Ah, but the transportation isn’t the only thing adding life to Grand Avenue. Here, a run-in with some gangsters - or some cops going after the gangsters, in a comical manner not unlike the Keystone Kops - isn’t an uncommon occurrence, nor is a serenade by the Dapper Dans, who might sing a barbershop ballad or a medley of Disney favorites. The gazebo in the middle of Town Square might even be a stage for the Disneyland Philharmonic or a Disney character greeting space.
The Grand Avenue Exhibition Hall is essentially the Avenue’s local museum. On most days, the Exhibition Hall lets us relive The Walt Disney Story, illustrated through things like artwork, (reproductions of) historic materials from throughout his life, movie and theme park attraction props, costumes, and a scale model of what Disneyland looked like - or would’ve looked like - in its opening year of 1955. The experience culminates in a theater where we watch a film about the life of the man who started it all, narrated by Julie Andrews…and Walt himself!
- what appears to be a flower shop, but is really the secret entrance to a Speakeasy: a quick service bar and the local gangsters’ main hideout
- a bakery and a deli - the Lamplight Bakery and the Market House Delicatessen
- the Art Deco-styled Center Street Coffee House
- Disney Clothiers Ltd. and the Chapeau offer a wide wardrobe of apparel and headgear for those who drop by
- Many of the businesses are named after some of Walt Disney Productions’ most famous people, like Sherman Music Co., W.K. Hobbies, Davis, Crump, Gibson & Blair - Toymakers to the World, Iwerks Cameras, and Prof. Atencio’s Fine Art Academy
Drenched in dazzling décor, this two-story Victorian manor offers the finest in upscale American fare. Upon entering Walt’s, you find yourself in an extravagant lobby, decorated with a grand piano, a bust of Walt, and relics from the pre-animation days, like a Zoetrope. The staircase leading up to the second floor even has pictures of some of Walt’s biggest achievements! As you can see, the lobby alone is gorgeous and has a ton of cool details. Even if you aren’t able to score reservations, it’s worthwhile to pop inside to check out the various pieces of Disney history on display. You probably won’t be able to go upstairs without dining at Walt’s. But once you get upstairs, it's a whole ‘nother ball game. Within the fanciful estate, silk draperies, ornate floral carpets, crystal chandeliers, silk woven draperies, beveled mirrors, polished brass fixtures, and tufted velvet furnishings compose a lavish sight for the senses, all within seven unique dining rooms – three on the first floor, four on the second floor. Live musicians often accompany a luxuriant dinner by candlelight, often intertwined with a hint of romance. The rooms inside the manor are:
- Walt Disney’s room (first floor): Reflecting on Walt Disney’s early days, the décor is themed around his childhood in Marceline, Missouri – the town that served as the biggest inspiration for the original Main Street.
- Lillian Disney’s room (first floor): Marked by a fireplace and fine china, this room highlights Walt’s wife. Photographs of the couple line the walls.
- Main Street Room (first floor): Meant to further showcase the connection between Marceline and Main Street, this room features Herb Ryman’s designs for Main Street framed on the walls, and a model of the Main Street train station.
- Frontier Room (second floor): Basically one giant tribute to Marc Davis, this upscale Western library-inspired room features sketches from the Country Bear Jamboree and Thunder Mesa.
- Adventure Room (second floor): Marked by artifacts from Africa and Asia, Marc Davis’s artwork for Pirates and Jungle Cruise, and even replicas of the José, Fritz, Pierre, and Michael animatronics!
- Fantasy Room (second floor): Gothic-inspired, this room features artwork themed around Disney’s fairy tales and the stories represented in Fantasyland - concept art and sculptures of the famous characters from them, art inspired by Fantasyland rides, and striking portraits of many of the castles that mark the way into the charming storybook kingdom around the world.
- Tomorrow Room (second floor): This room is decorated with artwork showing how Walt and his team of animators and Imagineers envisioned the future to be like, from storyboards for Ward Kimball’s animated sequences of the “Tomorrowland” episodes of the Disneyland anthology series to concept art for each incarnation of Tomorrowland worldwide...and even artwork from or inspired by the works of Jules Verne, like a golden Nautilus atop the fireplace!
Before we move on, it only seems natural to go over more of the bare necessities...
Guest Services
- The Baby Care Center and the First Aid Center share a building with Plaza Gardens
- Strollers and wheelchairs are available for rent in spots adjacent to City Hall
- Storage lockers are located just outside park premises around the Main Gate
- Throughout the park, drinking fountains are on hand to quench any parched guest’s thirst or refill a water bottle they might have, while each land has a corral to park strollers away from the main walkways and an accordingly themed phone charging station
- Offering express access onto the park’s most popular or major attractions, Disney Premier Access can be purchased on the resort’s app for approximately US$15 per attraction
Gonna credit @DisneyManOne for coming up with most of the shops named for a person who worked for Disney (Toymakers to the World being one example) and Brian Krosnick of Park Lore for coming up with the name "Lamplight Bakery". Hopefully I'll have a map of the Avenue up very soon!
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Disney-Universal Fanboy
Active Member
@WaltWiz1901 As for the help wanted (No joke) I can request the second gate.
DisneyEarth
A celebration of the planet (without sky and sea)
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A map of Grand Avenue is on its way, as is the next part of the tour (including both the park's main icon and its surroundings). As for that icon, gonna relay out a little hint: it might seem familiar, but at the same time is not exactly.
That would be a nice idea for a park...but I'm not sure if most of the lands I'm keeping for a second gate here would fit entirely in that mold. Could roll with it for another resort, though
Disney-Universal Fanboy
Active Member
Or @WaltWiz1901 you could just use fantasic realms since it was in your book since the project began
As strong as the lands I had within it were (and I might revisit many of the ones that aren't being kept here), I'm pushing towards a different, and more cohesive, direction than just having a rake of mostly IP lands bunched together. As for what that direction is, I haven't yet finalized it, but we will see...
Time to carry on with the tour!
At last, we have made it to Central Plaza - or the Hub for short. Central Plaza celebrates the wonders of nature and the joys of the imagination, offering to visitors an absolute escape from the everyday world. Shooting out from here like the cardinal points of a compass are paths leading to the five main worlds that open to us: Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Progressland, and Tomorrowland.
Like at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the Hub is situated on an island in the middle of a river, so each path has an accordingly designed and themed bridge; Adventureland’s bridge, for example, is a rickety bamboo bridge lit at night with tiki torches, while the bridge that leads to eastern Fantasyland (which is along the parade route) is built entirely from medieval stone and mortar, with snarling gargoyles keeping watch.
As the Hub is an offshoot of the hustle and bustle of Grand Avenue, several musical groups associated with the Avenue often perform here as well - the Dapper Dans might come by riding on a bicycle for four, or maybe the Disneyland Philharmonic might perform a mini-concert in the central gardens. In one quadrant of the surrounding area, the Elevated Electric Railway trundles past, overlooking the greater Hub beyond before making a right turn into (or a left turn out of) Progressland.
It is also in the Hub where we come across up to five of several snack wagons stationed throughout the park: the three Plaza Popcorn Wagons; the Coca-Cola Delivery Truck (pictured), an old-fashioned mobile drink stand which from time to time drives up and down Grand Avenue; and the Carnation Ice Cream Truck, parked in-between the walkways to Frontierland and Adventureland.
Speaking of popcorn…borrowing a practice from the Tokyo Disney Resort, each land has two or three popcorn carts, with each one offering a different special flavor unique to their surrounding land. Grand Avenue, befitting its status as the opening act to whatever journey the Hub directs us towards, merely has the basics: butter, white cheddar, and caramel.
The Hub’s peaceful lawns and gardens are just right for resting and recharging, not to mention picnicking. They’re also a great place to come across some of your favorite friends; you never know who you’re gonna meet here! Hundreds and hundreds of flowers are in bloom in the flower bed in the center of the Hub, while the trees in the surrounding beds (and also on the outer lawns) offer both shade and a curtain obscuring most of the lands beyond from plain sight.
But as beautiful as they are, the biggest beauty of all lies directly ahead…Cinderella’s Castle of Dreams.
The moonlit king’s castle in Cinderella, one of the main inspirations for this park’s icon
The name alone might make it seem like just another carbon copy of the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland’s icon, but don’t let that throw you off - this castle is cut out from the same cloth as Disneyland Paris’s Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, bearing more of a resemblance to the king’s castle in the animated Cinderella film (but with extra influence from real-life castles, as per the norm with Disney park castles). Standing at approximately 178 feet tall, it’s a bit shorter than the Cinderella Castle we’re all familiar with, but the splendor of its spires and turrets (not to mention the artful use of forced perspective to make it look bigger than it really is) more than make up for it.
The castle’s main color scheme of blue, white, and silver harkens back to how Disney Legend Mary Blair rendered it during the development of Cinderella. The influence of the Baroque period is on full display here, maybe even more so than it was in the film, with these largely French palaces from that era being among the structures its architectural design takes inspiration from:
Like with every other castle park icon, the Castle of Dreams has plenty of things to see and do in and around it, perhaps the most striking thing being a series of mosaic murals retelling the story of Cinderella in over a thousand tiles. A little one’s ultimate dream to become their favorite princess or prince can come true in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, while a grand feast is to be attended to - by both guest and princess alike - upstairs in the Royal Banquet Hall. The two most notable things to do, meanwhile, can be found beneath and next to the castle…
The Sorcerer’s Workshop in the castle’s basement is where sorcerer Yen Sid (that’s Walt’s surname spelled backwards) conjures up all sorts of spells. Going down a staircase in a tower on the right-hand side, guests wind up in the secret base of the mighty, mysterious sorcerer, which is full of magic mirrors, spell books, and everything one can possibly imagine to concoct their own magic tricks. Among the wizardry guests can get themselves caught in are brooms which sweep up a corner of the workshop, a well full of water that flashes with color when a coin is thrown into it, rare artifacts from the sorcerer’s travels (some of which come to life when they sense motion), and mirrors which turn an ordinary reflection into something quite extraordinary!
Across the way from the Wish Garden and just past the Castle of Dreams is Tremaine Manor, the château Cinderella used to live in before becoming a princess and where Lady Tremaine and her daughters reside. Though it appears to be less well-kept than the castle nearby, it’s still a good place to stop by and reserve a lunch or dinner. For a perfect parade view, just ask to dine on the outdoor patio on the château’s second level!
The temptation to go straight on into Fantasyland is upon us…but that’ll have to wait for later. We have a few key attractions in Grand Avenue, and two other lands, to go over first…
Giving credit where it's due again, the Wish Garden was devised by Brian Krosnick for his Magic Kingdom buildout.
All aboard for a trip around the Disneyland Railroad, coming soon!
Central Plaza
Like at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the Hub is situated on an island in the middle of a river, so each path has an accordingly designed and themed bridge; Adventureland’s bridge, for example, is a rickety bamboo bridge lit at night with tiki torches, while the bridge that leads to eastern Fantasyland (which is along the parade route) is built entirely from medieval stone and mortar, with snarling gargoyles keeping watch.
As the Hub is an offshoot of the hustle and bustle of Grand Avenue, several musical groups associated with the Avenue often perform here as well - the Dapper Dans might come by riding on a bicycle for four, or maybe the Disneyland Philharmonic might perform a mini-concert in the central gardens. In one quadrant of the surrounding area, the Elevated Electric Railway trundles past, overlooking the greater Hub beyond before making a right turn into (or a left turn out of) Progressland.
But as beautiful as they are, the biggest beauty of all lies directly ahead…Cinderella’s Castle of Dreams.
Cinderella’s Castle of Dreams
The moonlit king’s castle in Cinderella, one of the main inspirations for this park’s icon
The name alone might make it seem like just another carbon copy of the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland’s icon, but don’t let that throw you off - this castle is cut out from the same cloth as Disneyland Paris’s Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, bearing more of a resemblance to the king’s castle in the animated Cinderella film (but with extra influence from real-life castles, as per the norm with Disney park castles). Standing at approximately 178 feet tall, it’s a bit shorter than the Cinderella Castle we’re all familiar with, but the splendor of its spires and turrets (not to mention the artful use of forced perspective to make it look bigger than it really is) more than make up for it.
The castle’s main color scheme of blue, white, and silver harkens back to how Disney Legend Mary Blair rendered it during the development of Cinderella. The influence of the Baroque period is on full display here, maybe even more so than it was in the film, with these largely French palaces from that era being among the structures its architectural design takes inspiration from:
- the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
- the Château d’Haroué
- the Château de Maisons
- the Château de Versailles
- the Palatul Baroc din Oradea in Bihor County, Romania
The Sorcerer’s Workshop
Exploration
The Sorcerer’s Workshop in the castle’s basement is where sorcerer Yen Sid (that’s Walt’s surname spelled backwards) conjures up all sorts of spells. Going down a staircase in a tower on the right-hand side, guests wind up in the secret base of the mighty, mysterious sorcerer, which is full of magic mirrors, spell books, and everything one can possibly imagine to concoct their own magic tricks. Among the wizardry guests can get themselves caught in are brooms which sweep up a corner of the workshop, a well full of water that flashes with color when a coin is thrown into it, rare artifacts from the sorcerer’s travels (some of which come to life when they sense motion), and mirrors which turn an ordinary reflection into something quite extraordinary!
Wish Garden
Walkthrough
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Garden of Wonders and Fairy Tale Forest are two major influences for the Wish Garden
The castle’s Wish Garden is tucked in a corner along the forested pathway into eastern Fantasyland. Finely manicured hedges and topiaries lead the way in, out, and all around this charming hedge maze as guests come across interactive props, dioramas, and photo spots such as:
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Garden of Wonders and Fairy Tale Forest are two major influences for the Wish Garden
- Major the horse’s barn stable
- Cinderella hard at work scrubbing the base of a musical fountain (“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”)
- Lucifer the cat prowling around
- The mice hard at work on a dress for Cinderella
- Oversized pumpkins which can be played with like drums
- Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother working up her magic
- Another musical fountain, topped with a depiction of Cinderella’s dance with Prince Charming (“So This is Love”)
- A spot to try on the glass slipper - can you see if it’s a perfect fit?
- The end of the maze is marked, most fittingly, by the royal pumpkin coach
The temptation to go straight on into Fantasyland is upon us…but that’ll have to wait for later. We have a few key attractions in Grand Avenue, and two other lands, to go over first…
Giving credit where it's due again, the Wish Garden was devised by Brian Krosnick for his Magic Kingdom buildout.
All aboard for a trip around the Disneyland Railroad, coming soon!
Disney-Universal Fanboy
Active Member
Nice update @WaltWiz1901! See that Discovery Bay has been swapped for Progressland. For your second gate, maybe something like DisneySea or E.P.C.O.T.?