EPCOT Announced: Mary Poppins Attraction in UK Pavilion

[JohnD]

Oh, wow! That just sparked all kinds of ideas in my head. I just love the idea of riding a carousel horse for a dark ride. It could be an omnimover type ride and still be unique.

Assuming they have room for a show building, which they probably don't, the start of the ride would be similar to the original imagination. You're going around in a circle with a moving horse next to you. When your horse descends, the AA horse ascends and vice versa.Then your horse turns away into the show building for the various scenes while the AA horse continues around to match up with another horse omnimover.

 

[Timothy_Q]

You all forget that there's a carousel in the movie.

Did anyone forget this?

 

[JohnD]

Did anyone forget this?

Don't know. The last several pages are laughter at the idea of a carousel. Even one with Mickey bowing his head in shame. While the idea of a dark ride is blue sky to me, putting in a carousel wouldn't be a surprising move considering there is one in the movie.

 

[SirWillow]

A great point that many on here continue to fail to see. I welcome all of these changes for my 8 and 9 year old kids, and the kids that come after them, to enhance their experience.

I think that's what many are missing. They're so focused on what THEY want that they are forgetting there are tens of thousands of others of different ages and tastes in the park. It's one reason why it's nice to have a variety- so there is something there that everyone wants to do.

But I really, really hope they don’t scrap Christopher Robin’s bedroom. am I right in thinking at one point you could actually go inside the bedroom? And if I am right, why did they close it and make it just a window to peer through?

The bedroom was where Winnie the Pooh and friends used to meet guests. it was honestly one of my favorite places to work as a photopass photographer. I thought it gave a great background, great atomosphere, and just provided a fantastic place for the guests. The problems with it were that the line was either outside with no cover, or in the middle of the shop, which didn't work well.

Alice would sometimes hang around inside there as well in the window landing if it was raining.

 

[rle4lunch]

You all forget that there's a carousel in the movie. Now what would really be neat is you start off on a carousel and detach into a dark ride while still on your horse.

floating horses would be a neat effect.

 

[JenniferS]

Correction, it's going to be a Mary-Go-Round...


*I apologize if this joke has already been used...

It has, but it’s still funny.

 

[Andrew C]

Now what would really be neat is you start off on a carousel and detach into a dark ride while still on your horse.

I believe that was the essence of Tony Baxter's idea when he was a young lad, prior to joining Disney. Think most have seen this...

 

[JohnD]

I believe that was the essence of Tony Baxter's idea when he was a young lad, prior to joining Disney.

I remember reading that in my Imagineering book somewhere. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Missing20K]

I believe that was the essence of Tony Baxter's idea when he was a young lad, prior to joining Disney. Think most have seen this...

I had never seen that. Thanks for posting.

 

[BeckieTheGinger]

But I really, really hope they don’t scrap Christopher Robin’s bedroom. @marni1971, am I right in thinking at one point you could actually go inside the bedroom? And if I am right, why did they close it and make it just a window to peer through?

It was a Pooh meet and greet. This was my cousin and I back in 2012. I’m sure it was budget cuts that closed it. That would have made three m&g’s in the U.K. I was really sad it was closed last time I visited in 2017 though.

 

[HauntedPirate]

(Names changed to protect the guilty)

"Bill" - We need a Mary Poppins attraction in the UK, there's unused land there that we could profit from.
Random WDI employee - There's a carousel in the movie, but why don't we...
"Bill" - A carousel?? That's more timeless, more family, more classic, more Disney!!! DO IT!!!

 

[disneygeek90]

You all forget that there's a carousel in the movie. Now what would really be neat is you start off on a carousel and detach into a dark ride while still on your horse.

Stop being creative and imaginative! Carousel only.

 

[JohnD]

Stop being creative and imaginative! Carousel only.

Probably.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I believe that was the essence of Tony Baxter's idea when he was a young lad, prior to joining Disney. Think most have seen this...

Every new imagineer has a Poppins dark ride idea because the film is so beloved and lends itself so well to the genre. It’s kind of an inside joke at Imagineering.

But we’re getting a carousel. An element from the film minus everything that makes it special in the film. It’s kind of like Star Tours being a brief uneventful flight on a commercial spaceship or ET being a calm Earthbound ride through the woods without an alien passenger.

It’s actually worse than nothing, because it pretty much guarantees we will never get a dark ride based on one of the Disney features that most lends itself to a dark ride.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

You all forget that there's a carousel in the movie. Now what would really be neat is you start off on a carousel and detach into a dark ride while still on your horse.

This was my first thought when I heard Mary Poppins carousel. That just didn't sound like what was being discussed, unfortunately...

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I think that's what many are missing. They're so focused on what THEY want that they are forgetting there are tens of thousands of others of different ages and tastes in the park. It's one reason why it's nice to have a variety- so there is something there that everyone wants to do.

Do kids really prefer carousels to dark rides, though? I don't have any, so who knows, but I am finding it hard to understand this argument that if all the rides at theme parks are too elaborate people will be disappointed.

The other thing I keep thinking is that they will no doubt find a way to spend millions on this.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Do kids really prefer carousels to dark rides, though? I don't have any, so who knows, but I am finding it hard to understand this argument that if all the rides at theme parks are too elaborate people will be disappointed.

The other thing I keep thinking is that they will no doubt find a way to spend millions on this.

We've been going to WDW about 2-3 times a year since my son was 15mos, before my daughter was born (they're 12 and 13 now). They each went on the carousel ONCE. Cannot count how many times they rode HM, Pooh, Peter Pan, etc.

I think there are some little kids who seem spooked by almost anything but a carousel, so I guess that would be preferable to that group... ... but I agree -- I don't see how a sizable audience would prefer a carousel to a solid dark ride.

 

[rle4lunch]

You know, the carousel isn't set in stone. There's alot of assuming going on the last few pages.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

That’s fairly similar to the BatB singalong at France. And it needs a theatre, which is going to take a big footprint. Someone suggested a “Tales with Mary” which I think could be fun in the absence of a dark ride. And needs a less intrusive building. Not sure if they could use some of the space behind the facades they currently have.

But I really, really hope they don’t scrap Christopher Robin’s bedroom. @marni1971, am I right in thinking at one point you could actually go inside the bedroom? And if I am right, why did they close it and make it just a window to peer through?

Of course, the new “attraction” could be changing the bedroom into a nursery, with cardboard cut-outs of Mary and the children (from either movie).

Where is the Christopher Robin’s bedroom located at in the UK?

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

We've been going to WDW about 2-3 times a year since my son was 15mos, before my daughter was born (they're 12 and 13 now). They each went on the carousel ONCE. Cannot count how many times they rode HM, Pooh, Peter Pan, etc.

I think there are some little kids who seem spooked by almost anything but a carousel, so I guess that would be preferable to that group... ... but I agree -- I don't see how a sizable audience would prefer a carousel to a solid dark ride.

Maybe there can be two carousels!! One can dream