News Announced: Mary Poppins Attraction in UK Pavilion

[Disstevefan1]

I was secretly hoping for that too but alas. If they could copy and paste from Disneyland mr toad to UK and Pinocchio to Italy it would make Epcot pretty well rounded for relatively cheap. The rides already exist, and bus bar attractions require extremely low cast count, if I recall correctly there’s usually only one cast member working the load area while monitoring the control panel. Seems like it could be a cheap win.

Great ideas!

Toad BACK in WDW! Folks would go crazy in a GOOD way!

Your great ideas will greatly please the guests! You are thinking about the guest experience.

These ideas do seem to be low cost for high value in return!

These ideas are too good, too smart. TWDC would never go for it

 

[James Alucobond]

I've been advocating for Toad to come to the UK for a long time. Given the IP mandate, I think its a great aesthetic fit.

The exterior is great, but I do think it’s a bit too rudimentary now to be accepted as a new build.

 

[Streetway]

I've been advocating for Toad to come to the UK for a long time. Given the IP mandate, I think its a great aesthetic fit.

It probably wouldn’t have hell, so why even bother.

 

[Bocabear]

The building and overall theme could be great, but in 1971 Mr Toad was already an unknown historic Disney footnote... not a well know Disney IP. We all oved the attraction, and probably would have bought the merch if they ever had any back then.... Which of course goes to show that an IP's popularity is not necessarily an important thing. I can see them doing Mr Toad if they came up with a new film or series...but no other way... Not when there is Mary Poppins and the newer versions of Alice...
Though I personally would love to have the adorable tiny version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride from the 1980s remake of Fantasyland at Disneyland.... It is just too small by today's standards without a double track and new tech...digital mapped projections, etc.

 

[Surferboy567]

This project when it was first announced holds a special place for me. It’s the reason I started posting on these forums I used to just lurk for many years. This was the project that made me start talking and being engaged in the disscusion.

Shame it never came to be, Mary Poppins deserved more then Tea Cups though.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I think I would be ok with a Mad Hatter's Wild Ride. Even in the UK pavilion. You should enter via a bookshop on a new street (ala Diagon Alley), though, IMHO.

 

[Haymarket2008]

I have some ideas:

*opens up the old chest of defunct ideas*

THAMES RIVER CRUISE

CHRISTMAS CAROL DARK RIDE

But in actuality, those would have been amazing. (If we MUST go IP...why not Mickey's Christmas Carol dark ride). I know this would never happen but a man can dream.

In all seriousness, the correct choice for the UK pavilion would be a Fantasyland style bus-bar dark ride themed to Mary Poppins. Nothing grand. Something CHARMING.

 

[etc98]

I have some ideas:

*opens up the old chest of defunct ideas*

THAMES RIVER CRUISE

CHRISTMAS CAROL DARK RIDE

But in actuality, those would have been amazing. (If we MUST go IP...why not Mickey's Christmas Carol dark ride). I know this would never happen but a man can dream.

In all seriousness, the correct choice for the UK pavilion would be a Fantasyland style bus-bar dark ride themed to Mary Poppins. Nothing grand. Something CHARMING.

MUPPET Christmas Carol dark ride!

 

[Haymarket2008]

MUPPET Christmas Carol dark ride!

oh…..my god

 

[Surferboy567]

MUPPET Christmas Carol dark ride!

We're Marley and Marley
Averious and greed
We took advantage of the poor
Just ignored the needy
We specialized in causing pain
Spreading fear and doubt
And if you could not pay the rent
We simply threw you out

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

MUPPET Christmas Carol dark ride!

And use the Paul Williams songs for the ride

 

[Disstevefan1]

MUPPET Christmas Carol dark ride!

OK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA!!!!

To make it even more special, its only open seasonally!

This makes it special and creates demand!

 

[Bocabear]

We also do not have an Alice ride at the WDW parks... Alice meets at the UK Pavilion... that would always fit well too... Queue in Lewis Carrol's house and we walk through the looking glass into the queue that takes us on a journey to Wonderland.... That could fit nicely...But to me, Mary Poppins feels more British... It takes place in London...feels more culturally British.... better fit.....

 

[Disstevefan1]

We're Marley and Marley TWDC
Averious and greed
We took advantage of the poor
Just ignored the needy
We specialized in causing pain
Spreading fear and doubt
And if you could not pay the rent
We simply threw you out

FTFY

 

[wannabeBelle]

We also do not have an Alice ride at the WDW parks... Alice meets at the UK Pavilion... that would always fit well too... Queue in Lewis Carrol's house and we walk through the looking glass into the queue that takes us on a journey to Wonderland.... That could fit nicely...But to me, Mary Poppins feels more British... It takes place in London...feels more culturally British.... better fit.....

I'd happily take either one as long as it is done right. Marie

 

[osian]

We also do not have an Alice ride at the WDW parks... Alice meets at the UK Pavilion... that would always fit well too... Queue in Lewis Carrol's house and we walk through the looking glass into the queue that takes us on a journey to Wonderland.... That could fit nicely...But to me, Mary Poppins feels more British... It takes place in London...feels more culturally British.... better fit.....

Well, hate to bring this up, but it's a bit of a stereotype! It might be how Americans see Britain/UK, but that's the point, it's not actually representative.

I'm already quite miffed that there is so much Poppins, Alice, Pooh and London in the UK pavilion.

To me (in north west Wales), London and Poppins are so far, far removed from what life is like. And a huge amount of the UK is rural, rugged or mountainous (Wales and Scotland especially) and we don't all speak with Potter accents. Remember that the UK is four separate nations, and London is one tiny (geographically) part of only one of them.

At least Alice has connections to North Wales, however that's not really surfaced in the UK pavilion. I can't think of any Disney IP that could represent Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland - the UK pavilion is essentially England if it has to have IP. In fact, the whole architecture of the pavilion is already mostly English, the only building that could be considered as UK-wide is the pub.

 

[wdrive]

I can't think of any Disney IP that could represent Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland - the UK pavilion is essentially England if it has to have IP.

Brave

Although I’d be surprised to see them green light any permanent Scottish addition with the years of Scottish independence debate.

Also it’s not like any of the other pavilions represent more than one city/area of the country. The French pavilion is distinctly Parisian etc

 

[osian]

Brave

OMG, it's a princess too, perfect!

(The thought had crossed my mind that Prometheus opens in the highlands of Scotland...)

 

[Bocabear]

All of Germany is not Bavaria, All of Italy is not Venice... You need to choose something that is recognizable at a glance and evokes the feel of the country or location... So yeah, all of the US is not New York City...I get it... How do you represent a country with a pavilion and showcase every diverse bit and encapsulate it into a tiny plot of land in a theme park? I think they did pretty well considering... And as far as attractions for each pavilion, with the IP mandate, Mary Poppins, Pooh, Alice, Mr.Toad and Brave are all candidates... Which one feels the most quintessentially "British" to you?

 

[osian]

All of Germany is not Bavaria, All of Italy is not Venice... You need to choose something that is recognizable at a glance and evokes the feel of the country or location... So yeah, all of the US is not New York City...I get it... How do you represent a country with a pavilion and showcase every diverse bit and encapsulate it into a tiny plot of land in a theme park? I think they did pretty well considering... And as far as attractions for each pavilion, with the IP mandate, Mary Poppins, Pooh, Alice, Mr.Toad and Brave are all candidates... Which one feels the most quintessentially "British" to you?

None actually! I look at Brave and see Scottish. I look at the others and see English. For a UK pavilion, I don't think any of those characters represent "UK" well at all. I don't think there is a quintessential British at all although quite ironically, in some ways if you look at British identity closely in the literal meaning of the word it would probably consist of the Celts and exclude the English! For what most people think of as British, they are probably thinking of something English, which is a stereotypical view of what the UK is.

I know this sounds like I'm overthinking it, but this does relate to the stereotyping and caricature argument that we've seen in the Peter Pan thread. How do natives see themselves vs. how people outside see them, and should they be represented in stereotypical form because that's how the outside people are used to seeing them?