MK Villains Land Announced for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

[James Alucobond]

What is the visual for “villains” then, if not maleficents castle? That seems the obvious choice so then what is the architecture going to be?

Nothing about this suggests the architectural inspiration is changing. Even if the plan is altered in the ways indicated, nothing stops it from being an art nouveau-inspired village with Maleficent's castle in the distance.

 

[MrPromey]

All I’ll say is, I don’t find it particularly likely that about two months ago, Imagineers were told to totally rework the land with budget secondary to make it bigger and bolder

……and they finish the plans in less than 2 months and the only major changes were the coaster was downgraded and the dark ride was slightly enhanced.

The timeline just isn’t adding up nor is the central rumor of the land getting a balls to the wall upgrade.

Kind of reminds me of back in the day when the first Suicide Squad movie was suddenly getting all those reshoots and the director was on Twitter basically saying "Don't worry guys - the movie was awesome but now we're just making it awesomer!".

... and then it came out.

 

[Bleed0range]

You highlight a key point here - people’s conception of this area seem to be that it will be “Maleficentland,” with most of the aesthetic taken from that one character. That’s not unreasonable, because that’s largely what the art we’ve seen has shown. It just isn’t very interesting and shortchanges the more entertaining villains.

Well, I’m just curious then, what is the architecture and look of the land then exactly?

 

[Casper Gutman]

This is actually kind of what I’m thinking with the coaster idea I posted right above you though I didn’t specify it. That ride would be a bit more light hearted and show some funny interactions between the “lesser” villains.

The Shanghai boat ride that would include Maleficent, Hades, Jafar and other more powerful threats would be less lighthearted but nothing terrifying. Just more of these guys meaning a bit more business.

I agree with you and Agent and many others that I’d rather the dark/ boat ride feature an ensemble cast. Perhaps it’s just hosted by Maleficent. It’s not a dealbreaker, but we’ll have to wait and see.

 

[Tha Realest]

Expectation: It’s going to be sooooo cool when they say “pull the lever!” and the ride vehicle drops!

Reality: “Pull the lever!” (Wait 30 seconds, nothing happens) “Pull the lever!” (Wait thirty seconds). “Dear guests please stay seated in your ride vehicle-“ “Pull the Lever!” “-as we are working through a brief operational issue. Please stay seated.”

 

[Casper Gutman]

Well, I’m just curious then, what is the architecture and look of the land then exactly?

Something designed by the best artists in the business and not a bunch of yahoos on social media. There’s an infinite number of ways to go.

 

[DrStarlander]

I think people may need to rewatch some Disney films. Hook, Gaston, Cruella, Facilier, Yzma, Ursula, Hades, Queen of Hearts - they aren’t “dark and twisted,” they’re flamboyant and excessive. They get the big showtunes and the funny lines. A few, like Ursula or Gaston, get darker in the last ten minutes, but that’s not the element of the character people like or remember. Posters here and elsewhere want a tone that doesn’t match the IP and would mangle the things that make the characters work.

Even if the land doesn't look this "dark" outdoors, walking around, they better take me to a place/tone like the below in the dark ride. If not, why bother?

 

[SirLink]

Something designed by the best artists in the business and not a bunch of yahoos on social media. There’s an infinite number of ways to go.

Lets be real here, the best artists either left Disney and are doing freelance themed entertainment projects or working for Universal Creative. The rest retired.

 

[Mike S]

Even if the land doesn't look this "dark" outdoors, walking around, they better take me to a place/tone like the below in the dark ride. If not, why bother?
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Another one.

 

[Tha Realest]

This feels like Tianas Bayou Adventure all over again. From first concept art to final result. We all know how that went. Back then people also said Disney wouldnt mess it up because they knew how important that one was.

Has the gaslighting over how much merch the film moves started yet?

 

[Casper Gutman]

Even if the land doesn't look this "dark" outdoors, walking around, they better take me to a place/tone like the below in the dark ride. If not, why bother?
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Are those interesting environments to walk through? To eat and shop in? I’m seeing a lot of dark rock work.

 

[MrPromey]

What the heck is with people wanting “edgy?” The Magic Kingdom isn’t “edgy.” Frankly, Disney villains aren’t “edgy.” They’re flamboyant and a bit spooky. Stop trying to make the Disney parks adult-oriented thrill parks!

I’m skeptical of this lineup, but if it’s real, it makes me more excited for the land. A ride based on a great movie with a unique tone that Disney barely acknowledges? Great! My only trepidation is that I expected several villains in the headliner and, if it’s going to focus on just one, Maleficent isn’t particularly interesting or amusing compared to Ursula, Hades, Hook, or several other villains.

To me, Disney "edgy" is Haunted Mansion - an excellent classic attraction that I don't think would ever be considered as a new concept (IP themed or otherwise) by modern management. It's clearly meant for an audience over the five year range and has themes that young children might consider scary without there being anything truly offensive or offputting for most riders on it.

Not something with crazy height requirements or that will give anyone motion-sickness or result in an experience like Alien Encounter but the kind of dark humor and quirkiness that the Splash redo could have had with the IP they chose but that they clearly went out of their way to dodge.

MK used to house attractions like SWSA and MTWR.

Are you of the opinion that it's better without those kinds of attractions? (honest question)

Personally, that's the kind of feeling I'd want from a land like this. A dark mirror to the modern fantasyland (which really, it could be argued, could be the old fantasy land with updated tech) - not essentially a repeat of it just with more green and purple or the modern trend towards unbalanced lands anchored by a single popular attraction and one to two attractions most people treat as filler.

... and I don't think D and C ticket attractions automatically have to be filler. I see people already getting excited by the idea of the ENG coaster being similar to Slinky but thinking it'll be more because of a potential animatronic scene, imagning elaborate indoor dark ride elements. I'd like to remind those folks that Slinky Dog has an animatronic, too. If they were truly leaning towards that level of design/immersion, I'd think the comparison would have been to 7DMT.

 

[Tha Realest]

Fun fact: TENG fits better thematically in Tropical Americas than Indiana Jones.

 

[Incomudro]

This feels like Tianas Bayou Adventure all over again. From first concept art to final result. We all know how that went. Back then people also said Disney wouldnt mess it up because they knew how important that one was.

Feels like it right down to taking the villain out.
To paraphrase Ian Malcolm, "Eventually do you plan on having villains in your Villains Land?

 

[Tha Realest]

Feels like it right down to taking the villain out.
To paraphrase Ian Malcolm, "Eventually do you plan on having villains in your Villains Land?

Much like the island of Berk’s main character, this will also be toothless.

 

[Dranth]

All the rides should feature multiple villains. It shouldn’t be an Emperors New Groove coaster, it should be a coaster in this land they live in and Kronk pulls the wrong lever to start the coaster. But the coaster and boat ride both pass other scenes of villains just doing their thing.

Why? It doesn't seem to be an issue for the rest of the MK.

 

[Casper Gutman]

To me, Disney "edgy" is Haunted Mansion - an excellent classic attraction that I don't think would ever be considered as a new concept (IP themed or otherwise) by modern management. It's clearly meant for an audience over the five year range and has themes that young children might consider scary without there being anything truly offensive or offputting for most riders on it.

Not something with crazy height requirements or that will give anyone motion-sickness or result in an experience like Alien Encounter but the kind of dark humor and quirkiness that the Splash redo could have had with the IP they chose but that they clearly went out of their way to dodge.

MK used to house attractions like SWSA and MTWR.

Are you of the opinion that it's better without those kinds of attractions? (honest question)

You’ll have to help me out - SWSA? MTWR?

I’ve made long posts on here lamenting the removal of any sort of “dark” humor from the parks. I hate it and consider the removal destructive, leaving the park a less interesting place. I was never expecting “Mama Don’t Whoop Little Buford” or the Pirate auction scene from Villains land, however, and a Yzma ride sure looks like a turn towards humor over super-serious, so-mature stuff.

I’m not sure why folks would think HM didn’t fall under Disney’s idea of family friendly.

 

[spresso81]

For all of those who cheered; the Rivers of America closed for a 2nd rate Cars ride and a version of Villains land that nobody wanted.

I wish I lived in an alternate reality with Michael Eisner built the Bald Mountain version of Villains Land plus Fire Mountain, never left Disney and kept Splash Mountain around.

The original California Adventure was awful, but Iger ruined what he fixed anyway!

 

[MrPromey]

You’ll have to help me out - SWSA? MTWR?

I’ve made long posts on here lamenting the removal of any sort of “dark” humor from the parks. I hate it and consider the removal destructive, leaving the park a less interesting place. I was never expecting “Mama Don’t Whoop Little Buford” or the Pirate auction scene from Villains land, however, and a Yzma ride sure looks like a turn towards humor over super-serious, so-mature stuff.

I’m not sure why folks would think HM didn’t fall under Disney’s idea of family friendly.

Snow White's Scary Adventure and Mr Toad's Wild Ride.

I think HM absolutely fell under what Disney's idea of family friendly was at the time it was conceived.

Of course, it was developed at a time when both the original Adam's Famly and Musters shows were considered prime-time entertainment.

Can you imagine what something like that would end up as today if they were starting totally from scratch? It still surprises me the end to the stretching room scene has lasted.

 

[DrStarlander]

Are those interesting environments to walk through? To eat and shop in? I’m seeing a lot of dark rock work.

As I said, the land you walk around in might not reach those tonal levels, but the dark rides scenes should.