News 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' Blue Sky concept revealed for Magic Kingdom

[Elijah Abrams]

??? Huh? This doesn’t make any sense

In my opinion. My bad.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

In my opinion. My bad.

I figured. But Coco & Encanto are not going to Epcot, yes this is my opinion as well but it’s just not logical. If we’re going to see Coco/Encanto attractions/lands in the near future it’s going to be as part of Beyond Big Thunder

 

[BlakeW39]

Ideally they'd do both - a path around Haunted Mansion that gives us a Sleepy Hollow Attraction (or a Hocus Pocus one -- or both!), making a great transition from Liberty Square into Villains Land, and then another entrance next to Gaston's Tavern in New Fantasyland. Usually you've got more than one entrance to a land anyway, so that would solve that nicely.

Some sense could be made out of connecting Villains Land to the Coco area, given the mutual cemeteries of Coco and A Night on Bald Mountain (Chernabog's in the concept art, so I assume they plan on doing something with that), but connecting to Encanto would be less organic. Doesn't help that I really feel like Encanto belongs either in Adventureland or another park entirely rather than "Beyond Big Thunder".

I definitely wouldn't be on board for Hocus Pocus, seems like a cheap IP to use in the parks, but Sleepy Hollow would be absolutely perfect. Ditto for Villain Kingdom.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Gotcha, I had made this more spread out + ambitious layout for the lands so that may have been why I got that response. Closing Villains Land at night would definitelyView attachment 710354 not be ideal.

Hopefully Encanto and coco won’t be that big by themselves they would be somewhat merged in comparison to Villains having way more possibilities

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Hopefully Encanto and coco won’t be that big by themselves they would be somewhat merged in comparison to Villains having way more possibilities

I also would hope that they devote more land/resources to the Villains, a well executed Villainsland would be incredible

 

[GhostHost1000]

It still concerns me they would put this much into the most visited theme park they have rather than continue to expand the others and give WAY more life to AK along with a legit nighttime show to draw more guests out of MK

 

[James Alucobond]

It still concerns me they would put this much into the most visited theme park they have rather than continue to expand the others and give WAY more life to AK along with a legit nighttime show to draw more guests out of MK

This feels pretty necessary in addition to beefing up the other parks. Magic Kingdom will always be a critical component of a WDW vacation for the average guest. Making the other parks full-day affairs might ease added evening congestion from hopping, but they should put some money everywhere regardless. An expansion plus some dollars toward rebooting the Tomorrowland refresh are worthy expenditures in MK, though it certainly shouldn't be done in isolation.

 

[GhostHost1000]

This feels pretty necessary in addition to beefing up the other parks. Magic Kingdom will always be a critical component of a WDW vacation for the average guest. Making the other parks full-day affairs might ease added evening congestion from hopping, but they should put some money everywhere regardless. An expansion plus some dollars toward rebooting the Tomorrowland refresh are worthy expenditures in MK, though it certainly shouldn't be done in isolation.

I personally just don’t want mass expansion in MK without mass expansion in AK and the other parks as well. They will only spend so much money and I’m concerned MK will get most of the attention and AK is over here on life support (with the number of attractions) begging for more and a night show

 

[James Alucobond]

I personally just don’t want mass expansion in MK without mass expansion in AK and the other parks as well. They will only spend so much money and I’m concerned MK will get most of the attention and AK is over here on life support (with the number of attractions) begging for more and a night show

Eh, as long as AK gets something back where Primeval Whirl was plus a night show, it'll be fine. Another Avatar ride would help too, but you're kind of flirting with disaster if you ask for too much else to change under this regime. It probably needs the least work of the parks. Hollywood Studios, meanwhile, has a completely barren Animation Courtyard and empty theaters, and EPCOT has multiple dead or dying pavilions with horribly low attraction density in World Showcase.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Eh, as long as AK gets something back where Primeval Whirl was plus a night show, it'll be fine. Another Avatar ride would help too, but you're kind of flirting with disaster if you ask for too much else to change under this regime. It probably needs the least work of the parks. Hollywood Studios, meanwhile, has a completely barren Animation Courtyard and empty theaters, and EPCOT has multiple dead or dying pavilions with horribly low attraction density in World Showcase.

If they want people to pay for Genie+, they need all parks with enough attractions

 

[James Alucobond]

If they want people to pay for Genie+, they need all parks with enough attractions

True, but as a guest, I'd like to continue not paying for it as I've thus far had success just completely ignoring it.

 

[GhostHost1000]

True, but as a guest, I'd like to continue not paying for it as I've thus far had success just completely ignoring it.

You’d have even more success with more attractions at AK

 

[BlakeW39]

This feels pretty necessary in addition to beefing up the other parks. Magic Kingdom will always be a critical component of a WDW vacation for the average guest. Making the other parks full-day affairs might ease added evening congestion from hopping, but they should put some money everywhere regardless. An expansion plus some dollars toward rebooting the Tomorrowland refresh are worthy expenditures in MK, though it certainly shouldn't be done in isolation.

DEFINITELY agree that they need to resume the Tommorowland refurb. That area needs work. But I still maintain that Fantasyland is really weak, no E-ticket, ni single artistic direction, just kind of a hodgepodge with varying degrees of quality.

Eh, as long as AK gets something back where Primeval Whirl was plus a night show, it'll be fine. Another Avatar ride would help too, but you're kind of flirting with disaster if you ask for too much else to change under this regime. It probably needs the least work of the parks. Hollywood Studios, meanwhile, has a completely barren Animation Courtyard and empty theaters, and EPCOT has multiple dead or dying pavilions with horribly low attraction density in World Showcase.

DAK needs the least work of all the parks? Idk...I mean most of what's there is strong, but it definitely needs new attractions, and badly. Really all the Disney parks do. Major, headline attractions too, ones that will attract huge crowds and garner major excitement.

 

[GhostHost1000]

DEFINITELY agree that they need to resume the Tommorowland refurb. That area needs work. But I still maintain that Fantasyland is really weak, no E-ticket, ni single artistic direction, just kind of a hodgepodge with varying degrees of quality.



DAK needs the least work of all the parks? Idk...I mean most of what's there is strong, but it definitely needs new attractions, and badly. Really all the Disney parks do. Major, headline attractions too, ones that will attract huge crowds and garner major excitement.

Animal Kingdom and HS needs more family dark rides too.

 

[Brer Panther]

"Beyond Big Thunder" is, at this point, guaranteed to be "New Frontierland" (plus Villains Land). Coco and Encanto are most likely headed for Epcot.

What could they even do for a "New Frontierland" at this point? Disney doesn't have any popular "western" IPs, and the chances of Iger's Disney greenlighting a non-IP based attraction are pretty small...

 

[James Alucobond]

DEFINITELY agree that they need to resume the Tommorowland refurb. That area needs work. But I still maintain that Fantasyland is really weak, no E-ticket, ni single artistic direction, just kind of a hodgepodge with varying degrees of quality.

I think they should just continue to enhance or plus what's there as the density is good. For instance, a lot could be done to Little Mermaid during a refurb to make it more attractive to guests. Plus, Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan certainly have the wait times of E-tickets even if they aren't actually in that category.

DAK needs the least work of all the parks? Idk...I mean most of what's there is strong, but it definitely needs new attractions, and badly. Really all the Disney parks do. Major, headline attractions too, ones that will attract huge crowds and garner major excitement.

Right, but other than the Primeval hole which looks to be getting addressed, it's the only park that doesn't have a section that feels legitimately abandoned and broken. Animation Courtyard, Imagination, Wonders of Life, Spaceship Earth, and parts of Tomorrowland are just sad. More rides are always welcome, but still.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I personally think the "Disney shouldn't invest more in MK without investing more in the other parks" narrative needs to go. It's been discussed a million times, but there is not a single thing in the world that will draw guests away from MK to the other 3 parks, MK needs more capacity. Over at DAK, they're planning the Moana/Zootopia thing, and hopefully further expansion comes to DHS in the somewhat near future. Ultimately, any expansions/new attractions are a win for Disney fans like us.

I think "DAK at night" unfortunately died with Rivers of Light, when/if they further expand the park, maybe they'll revisit a nighttime show to keep guests there. Right now, I don't know if it would even be worth it. Personally, I don't think I've ever stayed at DAK longer than 4-5pm. Especially with the Park Reservations/hopping, I usually book DAK, ride FOP, and Everest, maybe see FOTLK, grab a drink at Nomad Lounge and hop to my next park.

 

[KingMickey13]

I personally think the "Disney shouldn't invest more in MK without investing more in the other parks" narrative needs to go. It's been discussed a million times, but there is not a single thing in the world that will draw guests away from MK to the other 3 parks, MK needs more capacity. Over at DAK, they're planning the Moana/Zootopia thing, and hopefully further expansion comes to DHS in the somewhat near future. Ultimately, any expansions/new attractions are a win for Disney fans like us.

I think "DAK at night" unfortunately died with Rivers of Light, when/if they further expand the park, maybe they'll revisit a nighttime show to keep guests there. Right now, I don't know if it would even be worth it. Personally, I don't think I've ever stayed at DAK longer than 4-5pm. Especially with the Park Reservations/hopping, I usually book DAK, ride FOP, and Everest, maybe see FOTLK, grab a drink at Nomad Lounge and hop to my next park.

It’s almost as if Disney doesn’t care that much about the other parks and just wants to focus on MK. Though, admittedly, I’m very excited for this!

I’ve only stayed at AK once past dinner, for Rivers of Light. There’s no reason to go because it closes so early.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I personally think the "Disney shouldn't invest more in MK without investing more in the other parks" narrative needs to go. It's been discussed a million times, but there is not a single thing in the world that will draw guests away from MK to the other 3 parks, MK needs more capacity. Over at DAK, they're planning the Moana/Zootopia thing, and hopefully further expansion comes to DHS in the somewhat near future. Ultimately, any expansions/new attractions are a win for Disney fans like us.

Responding to the bolded - these things don't exist in a vacuum. Magic Kingdom is the best attended because it's the most famous park, has the most to do, caters to the broadest age range, offers the widest array of appealing themes, and has some of the most classic attractions in the world. Most of these are not immutable traits.

While it's difficult to imagine any other park ever eclipsing MK for fame, the simple truth is that the other three parks haven't been given any real chance to stand anywhere but in MK's shadow. They all have far less to do, are more niche in the themes they present, have fewer attractions that all ages can ride, and while they each feature some strong marquee E Tickets no lineup comes close to the onslaught of elaborate and nostalgic attractions at MK that can both take guests back and still hold up today.

But - and this is a big but - for most of those problems all it takes is money and the will to do it. Shockingly, Disney only has one of those, and, frustratingly, it's the one that's usually harder to come by. They don't need to knock MK off its own pedestal, but getting the other three parks onto the podium with it isn't as mythically impossible as some make it out to be. Disney just isn't trying.

 

[BlakeW39]

I think they should just continue to enhance or plus what's there as the density is good. For instance, a lot could be done to Little Mermaid during a refurb to make it more attractive to guests. Plus, Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan certainly have the wait times of E-tickets even if they aren't actually in that category.

Right, but other than the Primeval hole which looks to be getting addressed, it's the only park that doesn't have a section that feels legitimately abandoned and broken. Animation Courtyard, Imagination, Wonders of Life, Spaceship Earth, and parts of Tomorrowland are just sad. More rides are always welcome, but still.

Yeah they have long waits but that's not my problem with Fantasyland. The issue isn't that there isn't enough to do, it's that not much of it is worth doing. It needs quality attractions— its quantity is fine. Aesthetics are still my main issue with the area, though.

Also, all the rest of your response is correct, but that doesn't change that DAK has other problems that also need immediate attention. Namely, its lack of rides.

I personally think the "Disney shouldn't invest more in MK without investing more in the other parks" narrative needs to go. It's been discussed a million times, but there is not a single thing in the world that will draw guests away from MK to the other 3 parks, MK needs more capacity. Over at DAK, they're planning the Moana/Zootopia thing, and hopefully further expansion comes to DHS in the somewhat near future. Ultimately, any expansions/new attractions are a win for Disney fans like us.

I think "DAK at night" unfortunately died with Rivers of Light, when/if they further expand the park, maybe they'll revisit a nighttime show to keep guests there. Right now, I don't know if it would even be worth it. Personally, I don't think I've ever stayed at DAK longer than 4-5pm. Especially with the Park Reservations/hopping, I usually book DAK, ride FOP, and Everest, maybe see FOTLK, grab a drink at Nomad Lounge and hop to my next park.

Agreed. MK has higher attendance and therefore needs higher capacity compared to the other three parks. The solution to crowding at MK isn't (just) adding to the other parks, it's adding to the MK itself.

I also definitely agree that DAK at night needs to come back. Past 6 or so, that park is just so dead. It doesn't have to be that way.

And you go to DAK without looking at animals!??