Fantasyland Expansion Phase III: Escape From Tomorrow(land Speedway)

[FettFan]

With all the hub-bub over Splash Mountain and the ill-conceived idea of re-theming Splash for Princess and the Frog (from some Facebook schmuck who admitted to not actually knowing anything about New Orleans), it got me to thinking.

PatF would make for a GREAT boat ride, just not a 50' tall log flume (for reasons obvious to anyone who lives in or around southeast Louisiana and/or lived through a gamut of hurricanes from Andrew to Katrina).
And there is a prime piece of real estate just sitting there for the taking...currently occupied by the noise pollution and exhaust generator that is the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Let's face it...the Speedway has been in a sorry state for quite some time. It was already a truncated version of the much better Autopia at Disneyland, but was truncated even further back in the late 80s to make way for Mickey's Birthdayland (now Storybook Circus).

So....time for it to go.

Replace that sucker with a new mini-land: New Orleans Square (since NOS was never planned for the Magic Kingdom, the Haunted Mansion was shuffled over to Liberty Square and the latecomer Pirates of the Caribbean exists in Caribbean Plaza).

Why? Because it's too good an opportunity to pass up. You could build a gentle PatF boat ride (maybe with a drop if needed for a larger show building outside of the park), and also have a themed restaurant. Disneyland's Pirates has the Blue Bayou restaurant next to its load/unload area...

what better way to go all-out with the theming than by having Tiana's Palace next to PatF's load?

 

[Yoshifumi]

I really do like this concept! You get something out of the way that is less popular and make it something better. I feel like Tom Sawyer island is a good place too for a Patf attraction of some sort.

Still worried that they might go the route of Splash being re-themed though, even if it is highly unlikely with everything going on.

 

[FettFan]

I really do like this concept! You get something out of the way that is less popular and make it something better. I feel like Tom Sawyer island is a good place too for a Patf attraction of some sort.

Still worried that they might go the route of Splash being re-themed though, even if it is highly unlikely with everything going on.

TSI's problem is in the logistics of actually getting people TO TSI.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

When you think about all the attractions that have been removed from MK over the years, it's kind of amazing that the Speedway still exists at all. Especially when you consider the amount of space it takes up, how often the track has been revised and how much work goes into maintaining the cars.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I really do like this concept! You get something out of the way that is less popular and make it something better. I feel like Tom Sawyer island is a good place too for a Patf attraction of some sort.

Still worried that they might go the route of Splash being re-themed though, even if it is highly unlikely with everything going on.

It'll pass. Next week it will be something else the mob is mad about. Arguably the best ride in the park is going to get demolished all because some people who live in their parent's basement doesn't like it? Disney is soft, but not that soft. I doubt in a week you'll even be hearing about this idea. The mere idea that Princess and the Frog HAS to be put in would be just a major eye roll. Theme a ride because it makes sense, not because you are trying to be "woke".

 

[cookiee_munster]

Gosh, replace it with anything! it's such an eyesore and screams the past and not even in a nostalgic way. I'm certain if Walt were brought back from the dead and had a good walk round the park i bet he'd ask why the heck that thing hadn't been replaced with something far more cutting edge.

 

[Mickey5150]

Gosh, replace it with anything! it's such an eyesore and screams the past and not even in a nostalgic way. I'm certain if Walt were brought back from the dead and had a good walk round the park i bet he'd ask why the heck that thing hadn't been replaced with something far more cutting edge.

Actually he'd probably see all the children smiling in the cars with their parent and realize how good the attraction is.

 

[cookiee_munster]

Actually he'd probably see all the children smiling in the cars with their parent and realize how good the attraction is.

If you went off that notion the park would still be stuck in the 1970's and parks like universal would be leading the way with cutting edge attractions...

 

[G00fyDad]

With all the hub-bub over Splash Mountain and the ill-conceived idea of re-theming Splash for Princess and the Frog (from some Facebook schmuck who admitted to not actually knowing anything about New Orleans), it got me to thinking.

PatF would make for a GREAT boat ride, just not a 50' tall log flume (for reasons obvious to anyone who lives in or around southeast Louisiana and/or lived through a gamut of hurricanes from Andrew to Katrina).
And there is a prime piece of real estate just sitting there for the taking...currently occupied by the noise pollution and exhaust generator that is the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Let's face it...the Speedway has been in a sorry state for quite some time. It was already a truncated version of the much better Autopia at Disneyland, but was truncated even further back in the late 80s to make way for Mickey's Birthdayland (now Storybook Circus).

So....time for it to go.

Replace that sucker with a new mini-land: New Orleans Square (since NOS was never planned for the Magic Kingdom, the Haunted Mansion was shuffled over to Liberty Square and the latecomer Pirates of the Caribbean exists in Caribbean Plaza).

Why? Because it's too good an opportunity to pass up. You could build a gentle PatF boat ride (maybe with a drop if needed for a larger show building outside of the park), and also have a themed restaurant. Disneyland's Pirates has the Blue Bayou restaurant next to its load/unload area...


what better way to go all-out with the theming than by having Tiana's Palace next to PatF's load?

I'd rather not have Princess and the Frog there. That area is still firmly entrenched in Tomorrowland. The theme would suffer.

Instead they should replace it with something more fitting the area and theme. Maybe an altered version of the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. Instead of having it replace ToT maybe they can design it to be more like Dinosaur. An indoor Dark ride in the footprint the current speedway takes up. They could even build the building around the section of TTA track.

 

[MrConbon]

TSI's problem is in the logistics of actually getting people TO TSI.

A bridge?

 

[FettFan]

A bridge?

A bridge WOULD help...but you’d have to permanently stop the Liberty Belle.

 

[MrConbon]

A bridge WOULD help...but you’d have to permanently stop the Liberty Belle.

Easy sacrifice to make if it means replacing TSI with something actual popular and worth doing. Or just make the liberty bell run less often and make it a draw bridge.

 

[Mickey5150]

If you went off that notion the park would still be stuck in the 1970's and parks like universal would be leading the way with cutting edge attractions...

You realize there are rides in the Disney parks that Walt built, right?

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

With all the hub-bub over Splash Mountain and the ill-conceived idea of re-theming Splash for Princess and the Frog (from some Facebook schmuck who admitted to not actually knowing anything about New Orleans), it got me to thinking.

PatF would make for a GREAT boat ride, just not a 50' tall log flume (for reasons obvious to anyone who lives in or around southeast Louisiana and/or lived through a gamut of hurricanes from Andrew to Katrina).
And there is a prime piece of real estate just sitting there for the taking...currently occupied by the noise pollution and exhaust generator that is the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Let's face it...the Speedway has been in a sorry state for quite some time. It was already a truncated version of the much better Autopia at Disneyland, but was truncated even further back in the late 80s to make way for Mickey's Birthdayland (now Storybook Circus).

So....time for it to go.

Replace that sucker with a new mini-land: New Orleans Square (since NOS was never planned for the Magic Kingdom, the Haunted Mansion was shuffled over to Liberty Square and the latecomer Pirates of the Caribbean exists in Caribbean Plaza).

Why? Because it's too good an opportunity to pass up. You could build a gentle PatF boat ride (maybe with a drop if needed for a larger show building outside of the park), and also have a themed restaurant. Disneyland's Pirates has the Blue Bayou restaurant next to its load/unload area...

what better way to go all-out with the theming than by having Tiana's Palace next to PatF's load?

Ok hands down this would be just amazing.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

PatF would make for a GREAT boat ride, just not a 50' tall log flume (for reasons obvious to anyone who lives in or around southeast Louisiana and/or lived through a gamut of hurricanes from Andrew to Katrina).

I was born in Louisiana and think Princess & the Frog could work fine. You’re welcome to your opinion but know that you don’t speak for everyone with knowledge of Louisiana.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Gosh, replace it with anything! it's such an eyesore and screams the past and not even in a nostalgic way. I'm certain if Walt were brought back from the dead and had a good walk round the park i bet he'd ask why the heck that thing hadn't been replaced with something far more cutting edge.

Not everything needs to be "cutting edge" to be a popular attraction. The line up is always long at the Speedway, I never go on it anymore because of the wait times. I'll admit that Autopia in Disneyland is far better and truth be told there wasn't any reason why they couldn't have made the track longer and weaved underneath and such to save space. I go to Cedar Point or Darien Lake and their "old fashioned cars" rides have a longer track than the one at WDW. But what are you going to put there?

 

[KaliSplash]

Methinks the kiddies love to "drive" the cars.

 

[cookiee_munster]

You realize there are rides in the Disney parks that Walt built, right?

Walt was a man of progress and innovation. If he were still around today, there's no way a lot of the rides that went into the park originally would still be around now.

 

[BubbaisSleep]

Not everything needs to be "cutting edge" to be a popular attraction. The line up is always long at the Speedway, I never go on it anymore because of the wait times. I'll admit that Autopia in Disneyland is far better and truth be told there wasn't any reason why they couldn't have made the track longer and weaved underneath and such to save space. I go to Cedar Point or Darien Lake and their "old fashioned cars" rides have a longer track than the one at WDW. But what are you going to put there?

It doesn’t need to be cutting edge. It just needs to actually reflect Tomorrowland and not relfect some old picture of a car ride I saw in a magazine 40 years ago and shocked that it’s still around. I literally just think of NASCAR when I see this attraction as I have no idea how this ride is still around beside nostalgia. It’s probably the only ride you can literally drop in Six Flags with no problem. Actually some CF & Sixflags parks have better scenic routes than the Speedway. Disneyland’s version is so gorgeous I still drive it time-to-time even though the ride isn’t very exciting.

 

[BigDlover]

Tomorrowland Speedway is cute but it does take up a lot of space and I'd love to see other things on that land. Plus a lot of theme parks have those self-driving car attractions so it's not exclusive and there's hardly any themeing so it's not uniquely Disney.