MK Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[TrainsOfDisney]

I imagine it's going to fit into the same menu niche as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Which is also my tactful way of saying it's exactly how you'd classify that attraction.

I agree. 7 dwarves is nice for what it is. But remember how they raved about the swinging coaster cars? They aren’t that big of a deal - novelty yes. Reminds me of how they talk about the “drifting” ATV’s and all.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Ummm…… surprises aren’t always good. Haha

Like when we were ALL told Tiana was going to be so superior to Splash…

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Like when we were ALL told Tiana was going to be so superior to Splash…

It does look pretty at night…. I’ll give them that!

 

[Smiley/OCD]

The EXTERIOR isn’t the issue, lol…

 

[JoeCamel]

The EXTERIOR isn’t the issue, lol…

Have the plants blown to downtown yet?

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

The official locations of the occupants of the Rivers of America are:

• Haunted Mansion: Upstate New York and the Hudson River Valley
• Liberty Square: Colonial America
• The Diamond Horseshoe: The Midwest, specifically St. Louis
• Tom Sawyer's Island: Missouri
• The Country Bear Jamboree: The North Woods
• Pecos Bill: The Southwest States
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure: New Orleans
• Big Thunder Mountain: The West & Arizona
• Cars: The Rocky Mountains

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Not entirely the current conversation, but I'm doing some research for a convention panel presentation I'm doing in a few weeks, and I came across this:

So it seems the Country Bears have always been from the "North Woods"- even before they opened at Disneyland. Interesting!

 

[John park hopper]

So my old MK maps will be worth something

 

[WorldExplorer]

I agree. 7 dwarves is nice for what it is. But remember how they raved about the swinging coaster cars? They aren’t that big of a deal - novelty yes. Reminds me of how they talk about the “drifting” ATV’s and all.

Every time I went on that ride, I got through the entire thing, then the vehicle came to a halt and made the bucket wiggle a bit, at which point I remembered "oh yeah, the car swings" right before pulling into the exit area.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Four?

If all goes to plan, there's gonna be some surprises

If they somehow manage to open Villains land (is there even an official name yet?) with more than just a single E-Ticket and a basic coaster I'll be impressed. 2-3 attractions seems to be the new standard for new lands at Disney and Universal. I'm hoping for a highly themed coaster, an impressible but reliable dark ride, an attraction for younger kids (maybe a simple dark ride to contrast with an elaborate one?), and maybe a stage show (bring over the villains show from DHS so Muppets can move into that theater).

Either way I have higher hopes for Villains land than Cars, and I'm hoping and praying that they both truly add to the park. I'm feeling a bit heartbroken over loss of the river's ambience, but I'm hoping that the new river and waterfalls will be an acceptable visual replacement. The riverboat is the biggest loss, imo, because the park NEEDS quiet, simple things to do that don't have long waits. I'm afraid of a future where Magic Kingdom is entirely IP E-Tickets that have low reliability and capacity, demanding you buy LLs if you even hope to get more than a handful of rides in per day. What has to change for Disney to make the parks visitor-friendly again?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Not entirely the current conversation, but I'm doing some research for a convention panel presentation I'm doing in a few weeks, and I came across this:
View attachment 869450
So it seems the Country Bears have always been from the "North Woods"- even before they opened at Disneyland. Interesting!

I believe that was to fit in when they were going to be at the Mineral Springs ski resort - that they came from the Nort Woods to the ski town

 

[Animaniac93-98]

An idealized vision of America is at the core of the US castle parks (and EPCOT and even MGM).

Animal Kingdom also has (had) Dinoland USA. A nostalgic throwback to both mid-century roadside attractions, and American culture's fascination and interpretation of dinosaurs.

All the Disney parks have it to some degree, even the international ones.

 

[HMF]

This isn’t about the best business decisions. It’s about a guy who doesn’t like the park wanting the map to look different so he can say “I did that.”

Like Bob Chapek did when he turned California's Tower of Terror into a hideous oil rig.

 

[HMF]

So what should be in the parks? Only movies? That WAS Universal until Iger came in.

fixed.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I believe that was to fit in when they were going to be at the Mineral Springs ski resort - that they came from the Nort Woods to the ski town

That was so early on in their development, it was before we even had any finalized characters, but I could see them keeping that backstory as an homage to Mineral King, tying them to Walt a bit more than just being his last theme park project before his passing (funny that his last animated project he had a hand in before he died also had a singing bear). They probably came up with the more specific backstory for the Disneyland version, since they built an entire land for them- crazy to think the Country Bears were the first Disney IP to ever get their own dedicated land!

This isn’t about the best business decisions. It’s about a guy who doesn’t like the park wanting the map to look different so he can say “I did that.”

It's a shame that these men have such an obsession with legacy. Bob Iger's legacy would've been a positive one (even if it wasn't) in the eyes of people if he hadn't come back after Chapek. But whether he wanted more money or more glory, he came back, and now we see him for the "creative" he truly is: someone more concerned with making money than making magic. And for some reason, he really, really loves Pixar's Cars.

Can we get a new Walt/Roy duo like we had with Eisner and Wells? Please?

 

[HMF]

“At some point, if you remove the essential elements of a park, it’s no longer the same place.”

Which I have been saying about EPCOT and DHS for years.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

If Cars is such a blockbuster franchise, you would think they would have fast-tracked a new film when they recently panicked about the box office and sought refuge in sequels, announcing new films in the Coco, Incredibles, Toy Story, Frozen, and even Ice Age series - or perhaps they could have greenlit it earlier like the Zootopia and Moana sequels.

Sure seems like a mixed message.

Cars 3 was not a box office smash. I'm not even sure it recouped its production cost in theatrical grosses alone.

Planes: Fire and Rescue made less than $150 million globally.

All 3 Cars movies are near the bottom of Pixar movie rankings on RT among critics

The real monetary value of Cars as a property comes from merchandise. An irrelevant metric for theme park attractions.

Disney has totally failed to understand why Cars Land at DCA is so popular. They think it's the brand recognition. The excellent quality of RSR, the beauty of the canyon and the charm of the town are totally lost on the executive team who don't like theme parks and don't see how the quality of an experience can transcend the appeal of its source material.

It's why they keep building Toy Story Lands that are just regional amusement park areas with iconographic props.

 

[mlayton144]

Like Bob Chapek did when he turned California's Tower of Terror into a hideous oil rig.

It is worse than hideous looking, in fact all of avengers campus fits that description

 

[mlayton144]

It is worse than hideous looking, in fact all of avengers campus fits that description

Don’t forget Pixar pier - another travesty

 

[HMF]

You know they’re itching to gut ROA and TSI at DL too, they’re just not bold enough yet.

Well, Kim Irvine just retired.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Ok, good on them getting everything already up, etc , but this doorway does look a little funny on its own

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"You unlock this door with the key of imagination"