MK Piston Peak and Villains Land Construction Thread

[ToTBellHop]

Considering the area is Piston Peak, we should expect some sort of tall structure that won’t be hidden from view in Frontierland. I don’t expect to see it from Adventureland. Views from HM are interesting. A mountain peak is fine. Cars with eyes? Less so.

 

[Incomudro]

I do think has been designed for this specific space. We won't really know until it opens exactly how well it all actually fits together, but it was certainly created to fit exactly here.

It's designed for this space after the fact though.

 

[Incomudro]

Agreed. How can we say it’s shoehorned in when they bulldozed everything? If they were trying to build a rapids ride on top of Tom Sawyer Island, it’d be shoehorned in. But, clearing several acres down to dirt and building something new is a custom build. It’s not unlike what they did to build MK in the 1960s/70s.

It's shoehorned in because viewing a Piston Peak from the distance of Frontierland was not a plan from the outset.
It may - and I hope it does - turn out great, especially given what was taken way.

 

[_caleb]

I wasn’t talking about the retaining wall… The entire landscape barrier functions as a solid edge condition.

I see.

I guess it's difficult for me to read the elevations in the aerial images. I thought they were essentially sinking the river below approach grade and building the Piston Peak area up into a "mountain." This would make the "mountain" seem taller and add depth of terrain to the "National Park" area.

I totally agree that if the whole thing amounts to a barrier to create discrete areas in a small space, that's going to be bad. I'll be interested in how they manage transitions between the themed areas converging here.

 

[James Alucobond]

Is it possible they're going to backfill the near side of that retaining wall to the height of the wall?

In other words, the wall is to hold dirt, not to block view?

I'm not exactly sure why they'd want to do that. Fill it to the level of the rest of Frontierland, sure, but the purpose of the rockwork ringing the area is to hide the cars from the areas where they're not temporally appropriate.

 

[Purduevian]

It's designed for this space after the fact though.

isn't that true of everything?

Would you say the designed pandora for it's space after the fact?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

isn't that true of everything?

Would you say the designed pandora for it's space after the fact?

Pandora didn’t have to fit within such a small area. So no.

7 dwarves mine train did - but of course that was cut down because of budget not a space issue.

 

[ChewbaccaYourMum]

I've never wanted something new that Disney was doing to ever work more than this whole Piston Peak/Villains thing. I hope it is so beautiful and the rides are amazing just so we can all gather hands around it and sing in blissful harmony with no more fighting

 

[Incomudro]

isn't that true of everything?

Would you say the designed pandora for it's space after the fact?

No.
It isn't true of the Magic Kingdom (or any of the other parks) where sight lines, structures etc., were all planned to work cohesively as part of the original plans.
Frontierland, Libert Square etc., were planed with a river and a boat, as was the location of Haunted Mansion.
Now that is removed, and a mountainous structure is being constructed where one wasn't.
Now... As a counter to my argument Splash wasn't always at MK and it worked great where they fit it.
Though... Splash was a smaller mountain than Piston Peak is meant to portray.
We'll have to see.
I'm hoping for the best.

 

[Incomudro]

Pandora didn’t have to fit within such a small area. So no.

7 dwarves mine train did - but of course that was cut down because of budget not a space issue.

Exactly.
Pandora had the blessing of space.
Plenty of room to work the perspectives, forced and otherwise.
Same with Galaxy's Edge.

 

[DrStarlander]

When you walk through Adventureland, you have the structures (F&B, shopping) on one side, the walkway, and the then "the wilds" (the jungle) off to the other side, stretching as far as your imagination goes. You feel surrounded by the theme.

With redeveloping Rivers of America (not something I wanted), they had the opportunity in Frontierland to create "the wilds" where the river is (which the RoA/TSI already was, but achieve that again but with an E-ticket). This could have been thematically tied to the Frontierland setting/buildings, and accessed from that (an attraction).

Instead, they are putting a figurative, if not literal, wall up around this RoA area, turning their back on Frontierland (giving up on it?), and guests will access this walled-off cul de sac zone from near Haunted Mansion.

It will be interesting to see how it turns out but I can't help think they missed a huge opportunity, and by turning their back on Frontierland proper have foreclosed any future where Frontierland proper achieves greater -- rather than less -- purpose or relevance.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I think Frontierland could slowly merge with piston peak and the only “western frontier” area would be big thunder.

That would allow pecos bill to become a Tianas Restaurant for example.

 

[DCLcruiser]

No.
It isn't true of the Magic Kingdom (or any of the other parks) where sight lines, structures etc., were all planned to work cohesively as part of the original plans.
Frontierland, Libert Square etc., were planed with a river and a boat, as was the location of Haunted Mansion.
Now that is removed, and a mountainous structure is being constructed where one wasn't.
Now... As a counter to my argument Splash wasn't always at MK and it worked great where they fit it.
Though... Splash was a smaller mountain than Piston Peak is meant to portray.
We'll have to see.
I'm hoping for the best.

All I will say is that at DCA, the Grizzly Peak area is very well hidden and seamless. Now, I’m sure someone can post a picture from a point where it messed up a sightline, but as a guest, I found it to be very well themed and hidden.

So, there is hope.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

All I will say is that at DCA, the Grizzly Peak area is very well hidden and seamless. Now, I’m sure someone can post a picture from a point where it messed up a sightline, but as a guest, I found it to be very well themed and hidden.

So, there is hope.

Hidden from what? It was an opening day attraction and one of the icons of the park.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Hidden from what? It was an opening day attraction and one of the icons of the park.

The near by areas which are not forests. It’s not a big eyesore that doesn’t mesh. At least from what I remember.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

so we can all gather hands around it and sing in blissful harmony with no more fighting

What is this sick, twisted world you speak of?

 

[Haymarket2008]

With the retaining wall in the middle of the supposed river.....is that even a river at all??

 

[James Alucobond]

With the retaining wall in the middle of the supposed river.....is that even a river at all??

The retaining wall is likely where the rockwork will be added, with water outside it and the Cars attractions inside. As has been shown in all art to date, you're getting more of a stream. Think Grizzly Peak.

 

[Tha Realest]

Yeah, I'm gonna go there ~ the same was assumed about TBA.

I don’t doubt any of the creators really wanted to make a great attraction. It’s entirely possible to be really passionate about something and not very good at it. For example:

 

[_caleb]

With the retaining wall in the middle of the supposed river.....is that even a river at all??

I don't think the retaining wall is in the middle of the river...