News 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' Blue Sky concept revealed for Magic Kingdom

SNS

Active Member
Pirates fits because it's in Adventureland. Encanto doesn't because it's in Frontierland.

Put Pirates in Tomorrowland and see how well it fits.

You would have to make the pirates into Treasure Planet pirates or something for it to work.
 

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Without altering Rivers of America the only viable options would be this:

View attachment 666091


I have for a long time hoped for something like this. I think some insiders called this a "connector" and if it ends up being a full path from the Splash/BTMRR area around the north side of RoA and then to where Liberty Square is (or even connect it to FL) it would be great. Would really help with guest flow especially during parades by offering some other ways to get around and open up a lot of space for much more capacity. Ideally, it would end up like DL's setup with the SWGE addition.

I do have a fear that they would fill in or remove or close the RoA to boat traffic which would be sad. There's plenty of space for this to happen and keeping the RoA intact - just like they did in DL. And they need as much stuff as possible to soak up crowds.

I agree that it would be tough in terms of crowds for the bigger entertainment, but that IMHO could be solved by additional showings of fireworks (and multiple parades each day) plus having projections for the fireworks be done in other parts of the park so you don't just have to be on Main St facing the castle.
 

Horizonsfan

Well-Known Member
IMO there are two good options for an eastern terminus that wouldn't require destroying the river.

Option 1: Build a path along the eastern river's edge, coupled with a truncated northern island. The path would be similar to the Africa to Pandora path, part on land & part boardwalk. It would doom the Keelboat house and the seclusion of HM's queue, but I'd sacrifice those in a second if you can avoid bridging the river.

Option 2: Rebuild IASW closer to the RR or closer to FL, thus opening up the existing IASW plot. While I'm very skeptical they would go to that expense, the current location has always been congested and faulty. Plus a new construction would allow for the IP inclusion from HK & DL. Heck while you're at it, you could rebuild Peter Pan in the remaining portion of this plot, freeing up the existing PPF for M&G or something revenue-generating. This is far more fantastical and costly.

But that's what old Disney would do. Not sure about these new guys...
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
I have for a long time hoped for something like this. I think some insiders called this a "connector" and if it ends up being a full path from the Splash/BTMRR area around the north side of RoA and then to where Liberty Square is (or even connect it to FL) it would be great. Would really help with guest flow especially during parades by offering some other ways to get around and open up a lot of space for much more capacity. Ideally, it would end up like DL's setup with the SWGE addition.

I do have a fear that they would fill in or remove or close the RoA to boat traffic which would be sad. There's plenty of space for this to happen and keeping the RoA intact - just like they did in DL. And they need as much stuff as possible to soak up crowds.

I agree that it would be tough in terms of crowds for the bigger entertainment, but that IMHO could be solved by additional showings of fireworks (and multiple parades each day) plus having projections for the fireworks be done in other parts of the park so you don't just have to be on Main St facing the castle.

It's hard to see where you could link back into Fantasyland short of going all the way around to Storybook Circus.
 

Squishy

Well-Known Member
We can enjoy riding it for 6 months lol

Surely they would not dare only have one connection to this expansion by splash? WDWRR wouldn’t need to close but that would be a crowd control nightmare.
Won't they have to close the railroad anyway? They "concept art" they gave out shows it being pretty close to big thunder and doesn't look to take into consideration the Seven seas lagoon to Rivers of America access route.
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
Won't they have to close the railroad anyway? They "concept art" they gave out shows it being pretty close to big thunder and doesn't look to take into consideration the Seven seas lagoon to Rivers of America access route.

There is space back there to do the land and not impact the Railroad. An additional station would be possible.
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
It's hard to see where you could link back into Fantasyland short of going all the way around to Storybook Circus.
I suspect this would mean filling in the river north of Big Thunder and connecting around to Liberty Square. Find it hard to believe they would loop around the Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World to Fantasyland.
 

_caleb

Well-Known Member
This shouldn't have been announced. I know they prefaced the presentation explaining how Blue Sky this was but casual fans won't understand that.
I don’t think it was so much an announcement as a new pages of their “storytelling” approach to marketing. They’ve seen how well-received the imagineering documentaries are on D+, and now they’re playing to that audience. “What if...” ideas are pre-pre-pre-concept and are free content.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
1662939519031.png

I really struggle to find many east eastern connections because of what is backstage. Most realistic, as mentioned earlier by someone else, I’d to modify the HM queue and have a path along the riverbed.
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
I suspect this would mean filling in the river north of Big Thunder and connecting around to Liberty Square. Find it hard to believe they would loop around the Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World to Fantasyland.
Yeah, if you were to take out the section of the river circled in blue and modified the Haunted Mansion queue you could have to access points to a big piece of land.

1662939725587.png
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
View attachment 666140
I really struggle to find many east eastern connections because of what is backstage. Most realistic, as mentioned earlier by someone else, I’d to modify the HM queue and have a path along the riverbed.
Yes, I think that also means getting rid of Tom Sayer Island and the river north of Big Thunder, then parking the riverboat permanently. I really don't see them building a long path out to a new land just to keep Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle.
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
View attachment 666140
I really struggle to find many east eastern connections because of what is backstage. Most realistic, as mentioned earlier by someone else, I’d to modify the HM queue and have a path along the riverbed.

That is definitely the path of least resistance, it would need a draw bridge over the canal and a way to handle the maintenance spur for Big Thunder, but otherwise not much in the way. I land this size would definitely need a second entrance.
 

MadderAdder

Well-Known Member
I think that also means getting rid of Tom Sayer Island and the river north of Big Thunder, then parking the riverboat permanently. I really don't see them building a long path out to a new land just to keep Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle.
A parked Riverboat should 10000% feature the cast of PATF. 🤷‍♀️
 

hopemax

Well-Known Member
I'm guessing it's either that or redoing the cast entrance & demolishing the Village Haus restrooms. WDWRR is a cursed railroad at this point.
That's why I think ROA is toast. IMO, the path will run from the dead-end at the exit of Big Thunder, to alongside the queue for the Haunted Mansion. They could scrap the existing HM queue, and redo it farther "up river". They could make boardwalks and bridge to and from the south bits of the north island. Bad drawing, but Blue = new HM queue area, Grey = main connector, and they build the actual land(s) in the space North of the grey line.

I see someone else posted their plot faster, but I'm keeping mine. :p
 

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ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
I think that also means getting rid of Tom Sayer Island and the river north of Big Thunder, then parking the riverboat permanently. I really don't see them building a long path out to a new land just to keep Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle.
I think it is more likely that we lose TSI and they shorten the riverboat route. Perhaps they could build a cool replacement for TSI in the expansion?
 

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