MK Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Rosso11]

ToT has said explicitly that these plans have changed from when we were first told about them.

I can back up that there were still a few variations competing when this was initially announced last summer. Not drastically different but they did finally land on the option with the most water.

 

[Incomudro]

You don’t seem to be following the conversation

It's what they are choosing to do with it. Cars setting is "Contemporary" in an area that is not. If Disney had chosen to refresh with Brother Bear, actual Ranger Woodlore, Humphrey and the bears from the In the Bag animated short, Camp Woodchuck Donald & his nephews from Tokyo Disneyland, and / or to launch a brand new Frontier / Wilderness franchise "coming soon to a theater near you" or just for the Magic Kingdom, in a timeless setting, people would be feeling a whole lot better about a Frontierland refresh project.

In Disney's defense from a guy who hasn't been defending them: I don't believe this will really be a cars setting unless you are inside the land.
I hope I'm correct about that.
For me, I don't have an issue with that, as long as I'm not seeing the cars from the Frontierland side of the water - and hopefully not from the Haunted Mansion's perspective.
If I only see the cars from inside the land, I have no more issue with that than I do with singing bears and trumpet playing alligators.
Yes, I realize the time frame is completely different but I'm ok with that if it isn't a visual clash from the outside.

 

[Incomudro]

I’m merely pointed out that there is a difference.

You don’t seem to be following the conversation.

I'm following it perfectly.
I disagree with you.
I know that's hard for you to accept, as only your position is ever the correct one.

 

[DisDude33]

They've had almost a year to let it leak, to reassure people, that the water along the central corridor would remain. Why didn't anyone say something? People misreading concept art would have been an easy thing to remedy rather than let people simmer in angst unnecessarily.

But then they wouldn’t get to watch people simmer in angst unnecessarily and that just so happens to be a lot of top executives favorite hobby.

 

[Agent H]

You're really reaching back in time and cherry picking, arenchya?

Toy Story Land - no rocks
Ratatouille - no rocks
Cosmic Rewind - no rocks
Tropical Americas - no rocks

Won’t tropical Americas have some rocks behind the casita to represent the mountains that keep them from the outside world?

 

[mattpeto]

Like I said

First art piece showed some water and you were adamant there was plenty of water features.

Do you know if they shifted to include even more water or was this the original plan the whole time?

 

[Bulldozza]

They’re not which confirms that this particular version of the land is stepping away from being locked the wild west style that Frontierland has been stuck in for years.

Back when Disneyland and Magic Kingdom were built, the idea of a land based around the aesthetics and vibes of the wild western frontier and the time of cowboys and natives, that ideas was a novel one. It tapped in to an interest that many in the country had. In today’s world, though that idea is not novel.

Not only can you step into a frontier style land in multiple Disney parks, you can step into one in literally dozens and dozens of other amusement and theme parks around the country and even around the world. Today you even have some parks that are built completely around that idea.

Disneyland, and by extension Magic Kingdom, had its lands and attractions based around a lot of Walt Disney’s interests and ideations. A lot of those passions and interests of his have stood the test of time. His his love and interpretation of America’s frontier just hasn’t. When you’re running the busiest theme park in the world you can’t hang onto something solely because of what Walt was interested in.

You have a duty to respond to guests’ changing desires and attitudes. You have to take into account the unprecedented access that guest traveling to Magic Kingdom these days have to other experiences, and that includes other experiences, park lands, and attractions just like current Frontierland.

I understand people may not be comfortable with this change. But the wonderful news is that the Disney parks have grown much further beyond the boundaries at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. There are traditional Frontierlands in Anaheim, Tokyo, and Paris for people to still enjoy. But with there now being so many parks around the world, Disney’s job—dare I say responsibility even—is to diversify them and create unique offerings for them.

I am not sold on every part of this project. While I have been in support of doing something else with the land that the Rivers of America sits on for years before this announcement, I have not necessarily been in support of that thing being Cars. While this breakdown of information does help to settle that idea with me more, I still think their execution is what matters the most, and there’s a lot of room from mistakes in that. On that front, I understand the skepticism.

However, I just really cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would see an overhaul of Frontierlsnd to be a bad thing. Magic Kingdom’s has needed it for decades. It has been tired and stagnant for my whole lifetime and beyond, and the same cannot be said for other versions.

It’s not as if this is the only Disney park in the world. If it was, I would understand why everyone would want it left alone. But you can get the classic Frontierland experience, (that are even better than Magic Kingdom’s) at multiple other parks around the world. I think it’s good that Magic Kingdom’s is the one that gets a change. We’ve all talked for years how Magic Kingdom seems to he the last castle park to ever be considered for something that is completely it’s own. It’s finally getting that, and it’s also addressing a longstanding area of issue with the park.

Whether or not this specific change is the right change I won’t know until it’s open and I can see it. But those who are totally closed off to the idea of something drastically different in the area entirely I feel are at this point refusing to look at the multiple valid reasons for it.

It may not turn out well. It may turn out great. We won’t know until we get there. But pretending Frontierland has been fine and dandy and without need of reinvention to me is just completely ignoring reality.

Well said Mr. Sullivan. I’m optimistic about the project and will withhold judgement until I see it.

 

[mattpeto]

I'm way more optimistic about this project after getting additional details.

 

[peter11435]

First art piece showed some water and you were adamant there was plenty of water features.

Do you know if they shifted to include even more water or was this the original plan the whole time?

The original plan always included plenty of water.

 

[Brer Panther]

whether they just do dinosaurs or grand canyon like in DL

Dinosaurs in Bob Iger's Disney World? I wouldn't count on it.

If this project was going into the America pavilion at Epcot or into HS, it would be so much more defensible.

I agree about Hollywood Studios, but I don't think this would work in the American Adventure either.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

As long as they blow that whistle every 10 minutes. Maybe they think it would be a sad reminder of having a boat that moved around the river that guests could actually ride? I could see how it could make some sense to not include the docked riverboat initially and then bring it back years later where people will just be happy to see it again.

We don’t need this in MK, we have whistles from the ferry infront of the park with the seven seas lagoon

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Won’t tropical Americas have some rocks behind the casita to represent the mountains that keep them from the outside world?

Looks like some rock work but more covered with trees (but some rocks poking through)

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Dinosaurs in Bob Iger's Disney World? I wouldn't count on it.

Bob Iger hates dinosaurs?

Is the 'no dinosaur mandate' the new 'IP mandate'?

 

[ToTBellHop]

The original plan always included plenty of water.

Do you happen to know if this will still connect to Seven Seas Lagoon then? I have wondered for the last year how they could just disrupt the flow of water in the park. Perhaps they could have just buried the connections but it seemed strange to leave the Frontierland deck but limit water views just to…spite us?

 

[Cliff]

Well said Mr. Sullivan. I’m optimistic about the project and will withhold judgement until I see it.

If Glendale can assign this project to the team that built Epcot's "World Celebration" and "Dreamers Point" and Moana's Water attraction or maybe even the "Tiana's Bayou Mountain" team?...we should be in great shape. The "Avenger's Campus" team is another one of Imagineering's very best.

Yep, I got lot's of faith in today's current people in Glendale. I'm just glad they pushed out so many of their oldest, most experienced and expensive Imagineers. Y'know,...the ones that were grabbed by Universal and used to make Epic Universe. Those folks.

We are MUCH better off with the new and younger Imagineers, the ones that actually understand today's "modern audience", which is soooo important to every company today.

 

[mickEblu]

We don’t need this in MK, we have whistles from the ferry infront of the park with the seven seas lagoon

You’ve mentioned this a few times in regards to WDW in regards to having all those other bodies of water/ boats across the resort and I think it’s one of the best counter arguments I’ve heard. Disney would be wise to push that narrative a bit. At Disneyland losing the ROA would be absolutely soul crushing and all we’d be left with is the Pixar Pipe lagoon.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

You’ve mentioned this a few times in regards to WDW in regards to having all those other bodies of water/ boats across the resort and I think it’s one of the best counter arguments I’ve heard. Disney would be wise to push that narrative a bit. At Disneyland losing the ROA would be absolutely soul crushing and all we’d be left with is the Pixar Pipe lagoon.

Theres something very magical about hearing the ferry as you walk in the entrance gates to MK

 

[dmc493]

Wowza everyone’s getting real spicy with the back and forths. Here’s my random thoughts after going thru the last 30 pages and sitting on the news for half the day

• Still very sad about ROA removal, I’m thrilled that water has a larger focus now but ROA is very stately in its current form.
• Very fortunate I can say my goodbyes on my trip this weekend. Throwing myself to the wolves but I’ve been to MK many many times over my life and haven’t ever ridden riverboat. Will do it this weekend but it’s never held a special place in my heart. Same for TSI. I’m not old but not super young either - just tossing it out there that there’s many ppl that have little attachment to the experiences. Doesn’t change my opinion about the body of water.
• I’m assuming (hunch only) that the new body of water will be isolated from seven seas lagoon water that’s currently tied into ROA, and instead be a man made pond. No justification behind that train of thought but we’ll see.
• Really hoping HM gets the chance to be wrapped into a more forested condition on the left hand side. Makes it more tucked into the woods and isolated from cars. I can’t imagine they won’t take the chance to completely redo the queue and courtyard in front of HM to expand left at least a little bit.
• A Grizzly Peak esque path experience along the parade route will be incredibly nice if they can pull it off.
• I’m very interested how much they rework the facade of bears, pecos bill, and that run of bldgs if at all
• I really hope they don’t use Piston Peak National Park in any kind of land naming. Breaks horribly from naming convention of MK. It’s just as cringe to me as saying Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a land in Disneyland amongst all the classic land names.
• Paddlefish II: Electric Boogalooo Bar and Grill coming soon to Lakeshore Lodge waterfront!

Don’t yell at me tonight it’s been a long day. I’ll fight back. You’ve been warned haters

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

And Paris has a bigger Eiffel Tower then EPCOT.

You may have missed the point of theme parks.

Not really a fair comparison because no one is crying over the eiffel tower being taken down, in fact people generally dislike

 

[MisterPenguin]

In case if anyone needs Disney to confirm that Villains Land is being worked on concurrently with Cars...

Imagineers are also hard at work beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad bringing to life the first-ever land inspired by the Disney Villains with two major attractions, dining and shopping all on an incredibly twisted grand scale.   ​

Piston Peak National Park Tell Story of Cars at Frontierland

Learn how Piston Peak National Park will continue the storytelling tradition in Frontierland as we get ready for Cars at Magic Kingdom.

disneyparksblog.com