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

[James Alucobond]

IMO, if they ever loop out of the Villains area, they're going to go in the opposite direction toward Frontierland Station and the Adventureland expansion pad. That's where the laydown yards are going, and there are far fewer infrastructural obstacles over there.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

. Oh look. Another Fairfield/Marriott reference. How original.

Well, Disney keeps removing the character from their hotels so some unoriginal criticism of some unoriginal work is not out of order.

 

[MickMinn22]

With the speculation on a fantasyland entrance, imagine the fantasyland entrance was a dark ride. For example, sleeping beauty. You get on in fantasyland and it’s the beginning of sleeping beauty. It takes you through the maleficent curse, some fun scenes in the woods, once upon a dream song scene, then fun scenes in the house with the fairy godmothers making the cake etc. then it ends with aurora pricking her finger call this height of maleficent power in the movie. Then you get off the ride in villains land.

To return to fantasyland you then get back on the ride after exploring villains land. You go through the dragon fight scene and end with the kiss. Then when you get off, you’re in fantasyland.

Obviously probably a million reasons this can’t work but just something I thought would be cool as opposed to a walking path as the transition.

 

[UNCgolf]

I

i don’t necessarily disagree that some of the rooms are under themed but I’m beginning to think no one on these boards knows what a Marriott looks like.

I don't know... slap a few fake looking mansard roofs on top and add some colored awnings over some of the windows and this could pass as the Riviera.

 

[Conor.Nam15]

This is incredible! And yes… that’s exactly where I imagined placing the fantasyland entrance. I also thought about the gap between HM and small world, making it a leaking dam is a super cool concept. A very creative way to solve the issue of creating an interesting walk way between two massive buildings.

You put a lot of time into this document, well done. Very cool

Something like this?

Villains Village by Wow Factor

docs.google.com

!

 

[Conor.Nam15]

I can’t stop thinking about how awesome a second entrance to villains would be between the Pinocchio bathrooms and enchanted tales with belle. What if to create a land bridge over the utilidoor entrance, the bridge was an enclosed elevated tunnel? The entrance could be a cave, made by extending the rock work next to enchanted tales with belle, and the interior could be themed to a long dark cave. The cave could have a big gate in front of it, that they could keep closed until the land was finished. Contributing to the story that the villains have been banished.

Making it a tunnel could allow for lots of sound proofing to block out noise from trucks below. You could fill the tunnel with ambient sound to assist with sound proofing. Add some mood with occasional skylights to allow in natural light, annd to minimize claustrophobia. Another benefit, it could be relatively cost effective when it comes to theming. The outside would be un themed of course as it would be hidden from guest areas.

Imagine the small details relating to different villains they could hide in the cave on in the rock work… maybe even windows looking into small scenes created on the sides of the tunnel.

There is a similar tunnel/pedestrian bride in Tokyo Disney sea. It allows guests to leave mysterious island through a long cave and come out at the back of port discovery. I’ll attach a screen shot of it from Google earth.

 

[plutofan15]

I don't know... slap a few fake looking mansard roofs on top and add some colored awnings over some of the windows and this could pass as the Riviera.

What’s your point? Add a funky roof and some fancy railings on the balconies and you got the Poly longhouses.

 

[UNCgolf]

What’s your point? Add a funky roof and some fancy railings on the balconies and you got the Poly longhouses.

You're making my point for me. Disney went the extra mile by putting the roof on to actually theme those buildings (plus it's the Eisner era resorts that are bar; not the Polynesian).

The Riviera doesn't have that. It doesn't look any different than regular hotels/condo buildings in major cities (I drive past a condo tower every day that's just a slightly nicer version of the Riviera). It doesn't have any theming at all.

I was being tongue in cheek about adding the terribly fake Mansard roofs and awnings, because those don't look good/realistic and don't add anything to the building. It's basically indistinguishable from that Marriott.

 

[BrianLo]

It's basically indistinguishable from that Marriott.

If that were true, we’d have a deluge of people mistaking the B hotel or Drury plaza for RIV.

I just personally find it silly… and very tired… instead of actual cutting criticism, that can and should be made.

Or at least use Westin. Marriotts look like the contemporary or mildly chicken and the egg Disneyland hotel. Neither PIT or RIV fit in with brand standards of Marriott, they just don’t scream 80’s grey downtown tired conference tower hotel to me.

That doesn’t mean they are good in the eyes of those who like the over the top theming of the 90s.

 

[UNCgolf]

If that were true, we’d have a deluge of people mistaking the B hotel or Drury plaza for RIV.

I just personally find it silly… and very tired… instead of actual cutting criticism, that can and should be made.

Or at least use Westin. Marriotts look like the contemporary or mildly chicken and the egg Disneyland hotel. Neither PIT or RIV fit in with brand standards of Marriott, they just don’t scream 80’s grey downtown tired conference tower hotel to me.

That doesn’t mean they are good in the eyes of those who like the over the top theming of the 90s.

It wouldn't be surprising if they did -- the Riviera certainly wouldn't look out of place if it was off Disney property. It's an unthemed concrete tower.

The Polynesian Tower at least has more character than the Riviera, but it still looks like a condo building.

It's fine if someone doesn't care if a hotel is themed. That's not a necessity. However, it feels disingenuous at best when someone suggests the Riviera isn't more or less a standard hotel tower you could find any number of places.

As an aside, I think saying the 90s hotels had over the top theming is a poor choice of phrase because over the top generally has a negative connotation. It's almost like calling them gaudy. They're certainly not gaudy; they're just detailed and well-themed.

 

[Orange is the new Red]

you can also be assured if it did happen, it would look like yet another Fairfield or Marriott Aloft...

The roof top bars on Aloft are a nice add!
lol…

You want to see a grouping of really cheap Fairfield like hotels go see what Uni did to I4? Now that’s closer to the Fairfield than what Disney is doing.

 

[BrianLo]

As an aside, I think saying the 90s hotels had over the top theming is a poor choice of phrase because over the top generally has a negative connotation. It's almost like calling them gaudy. They're certainly not gaudy; they're just detailed and well-themed.

I was admittedly being obstinate for the use of the word "indistinguishable". It was a very subtle tit for tat jab. I can clearly distinguish between RIV and that photo of a Marriott. Everyone can.

And again, I'd never in a million years claim Riviera is well-themed. But it's clearly distinguishable. PIT more-so, which I see as of late sort of died down.

I'll meet you at well-themed if you meet me at similar.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

What does everyone think the chances are that Villains land has a second entrance located in fantasyland between enchanted tales with belle and the Pinnochio bathrooms? This would move a portion of the new land just behind the haunted mansion and small world show buildings.

Potential benefits would be improved crowd flow by creating a loop rather than a dead end. A more logical story as you could access the land by passing through fantasyland and traveling through some kind of dark corridor. Maybe it would be a spooky forest, or a cave? They would have to accommodate the service road back there that goes behind small world and HM, but they have built themed guest pathways that go under or over service roads before, especially in Tokyo DisneySea.

I like the idea because it would create some breathing room around the east and north side of big thunder mountain by shifting villains further east. Which may allow them to leave a section of the river as a divider between BTMRR and Villains. Parts of the track go over the RoA currently, and if they remove the river in that section it would require a lot of extra theming or some kind of boundary. Whereas leaving a stretch of the north west portion of RoA as some kind of water feature/narrow lake seems like it would be a viable option if Villains land was further east behind those show buildings. Water in this area is potentially supported by the concept art.

Thoughts?

Before they even announced the land, whenever I armchaired it I imagined an entrance exactly in that spot, themed to the woods from Snow White. Start with normal trees, then trees with vague face features, then the full on trees with glowing eyes. Plus, like you said, I’d make for better guest flow.

 

[UNCgolf]

I was admittedly being obstinate for the use of the word "indistinguishable". It was a very subtle tit for tat jab.

I'll meet you at shared similarities and well-themed.

Indistinguishable is only a slight exaggeration, though. While it may not look identical to a Marriott, if a hotel that looked exactly like the Riviera was built in any relatively major city it would blend right in (there are already buildings here in Atlanta that look quite similar). There's nothing about it that stands out as unique or different to the ordinary, which is the problem I have with it. Marriott (or another hotel chain) absolutely could build a hotel just like it and no one would bat an eye.

As I said, if someone doesn't care if a hotel is themed, that's fine -- there's certainly nothing wrong with that. What becomes silly, though, is when people argue that there's no difference between it and the standard Disney previously set.

 

[Agent H]

I’d say what the Rivera lacks in over the top theming it makes up for in the little things. Great artwork everywhere. Charming and intimate grounds. Some of the best food on property.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

With the speculation on a fantasyland entrance, imagine the fantasyland entrance was a dark ride. For example, sleeping beauty. You get on in fantasyland and it’s the beginning of sleeping beauty. It takes you through the maleficent curse, some fun scenes in the woods, once upon a dream song scene, then fun scenes in the house with the fairy godmothers making the cake etc. then it ends with aurora pricking her finger call this height of maleficent power in the movie. Then you get off the ride in villains land.

To return to fantasyland you then get back on the ride after exploring villains land. You go through the dragon fight scene and end with the kiss. Then when you get off, you’re in fantasyland.

Obviously probably a million reasons this can’t work but just something I thought would be cool as opposed to a walking path as the transition.

Kinda like the Hogswarts Express! It could work if the capacity was large enough (large omnivmover- 4-6 people per car), and if there was still a walkable entrance/exit.

 

[UNCgolf]

I’d say what the Rivera lacks in over the top theming it makes up for in the little things. Great artwork everywhere. Charming and intimate grounds. Some of the best food on property.

I think you mean lacks in theming, period -- no Disney hotel has over the top theming (well, maybe the values, but I don't know that I'd call what they do theming). Riviera just doesn't have theming.

Anyways, the rest of that is a separate discussion from the architecture/theme aspect. I don't think the Riviera is a bad hotel in a vacuum (well, I guess it's technically a timeshare building, not a hotel); it's relatively nice. If I'm going to stay in a Disney deluxe, though, it would definitely be at the bottom of the list other than maybe the Contemporary. I don't think it's really comparable to any of the others.

 

[BrianLo]

Indistinguishable is only a slight exaggeration, though. While it may not look identical to a Marriott, if a hotel that looked exactly like the Riviera was built in any relatively major city it would blend right in (there are already buildings here in Atlanta that look quite similar). There's nothing about it that stands out as unique or different to the ordinary, which is the problem I have with it.

As I said, if you don't care if a hotel is themed, then that's fine -- there's certainly nothing wrong with that. What becomes silly, though, is when people argue that there's no difference between it and the standard Disney previously set, though.

Perhaps the broader issue is that it is themed as a generic broad-based European hotel to begin with. If it was a building in Europe, they'd slap a Le Meridien or Westin branding on it. I know it's splitting hairs, but Riviera just isn't what Marriott's actually look or feel like. I know the brand standards well, I'm a Lifetime Platinum. I'm literally in a Courtyard right now.


I'm actually on your side in the grander sense, they could have done a much better job. I just think the hyperbole over Riviera is so silly. There's a complete disconnect between older fans and newer fans. Riviera is shockingly embraced by new guests to the resorts, which I know probably is what causes so much consternation. I personally rather dislike a whole slew of the timeshares a lot more than Riv. Saratoga for starters. Or really anything with external hallways being pitched as "deluxe"

For comparison, here's the Westin Anaheim.

 

[Agent H]

I think you mean lacks in theming, period -- no Disney hotel has over the top theming (well, maybe the values, but I don't know that I'd call what they do theming). Riviera just doesn't have theming.

Anyways, the rest of that is a separate discussion from the architecture/theme aspect. I don't think the Riviera is a bad hotel in a vacuum (well, I guess it's technically a timeshare building, not a hotel); it's relatively nice. If I'm going to stay in a Disney deluxe, though, it would definitely be at the bottom of the list other than maybe the Contemporary. I don't think it's really comparable to any of the others.

“No Disney hotel has over the top theming “? When was the last time you visited wilderness lodge?

 

[UNCgolf]

“No Disney hotel has over the top theming “? When was the last time you visited wilderness lodge?

That's not over the top, though. Over the top implies cartoony garishness.

The Wilderness Lodge is detailed and highly themed, but over the top isn't the phrase I would use.