I think it could have a few evil villain attractions that are really suspenseful, including shows, but on the whole the park would have to be more fun and family friendly. Otherwise you end up with a highly rated park that nobody goes to.
Wasn't a "land" the only thing actually mentioned as a possibility? Where did the idea of a park come from? There are several issues with a full park devoted to villains that people have pointed out on here. I honestly think a "Dark Fantasyland" is much more realistic. This could include a roller coaster or perhaps a ride using whatever system is being used for the new Peter Pan E-Ticket in Tokyo. Plus a C-ticket. That's what I could see them doing for real.
You make a lot of great points here, and I fully agree. The goals/aims of the villains are also very different. Many have very specific visions that would have nothing to do with each other: to win Belle's love, to defeat Peter Pan, to make a fur coat, seeking revenge on not getting invited to a birthday party, to stay young forever. Or they want power/riches (Prince John, Lady Tremaine, Ursula, Scar, Hades, Jafar, Dr. Facilier, Hans, etc)- hmmmm maybe there is something to that. But then wouldn't they be in competition with one another? If you want to be supreme ruler then wouldn't anyone who wants the same thing be seen as an enemy? Haha, I know I am looking too far into this but that becomes the problem- as cool as it would be, and it is cool, when you peal back the layers it does not truly work. Unless they just go cartoony "let's destroy Mickey Mouse" but even that gets old after a while. The characters become caricatures and what made them special starts to fade. You get a "House of Mouse" villains episode which is surface-level satisfaction. The only way I see it working is if the lands are separate and the villains do not interact with one another. But, is that what people want???
They'll put in a theater that just shows the "House of Villains" special from House of Mouse on repeat. "It's Our House Now!" has been stuck in my head for two decades.
There is precedent for this, and it's the Hocus Pocus show at MNSSHP. Maleficent is the ruler, and everybody else has their own side hustle. So she gets the castle, but there can be other territories/lands that have their own flare.
There are posts earlier in the thread that are being re-referenced with the "Dark Kingdom" post from a page or so ago wherein folks were lamenting the fact that the villain area would "only" be a land, not a complete fifth gate.
I like it.
How is this not on D+!!!
Imagine the riverboat going between the two mountains.
Fixed that for you
That could be a thing...though the Disney Villains brand could be a big draw...Like Fantasyland, it doesn't need to have an elaborate backstory as to why each villain is there or how they relate to each other... Just a gathering of Villains related attractions housed in beautiful evocative architecture... It could live on the backside of the Rivers Of America/ Haunted Mansion, or even a huge new land in Hollywood Studios... I would prefer Magic Kingdom though.
Oh yes it would be very cool! Thats what makes me question "why now"? This is something that people have been begging them to do for ages. I may be thinking too much into it, but I feel a lot of Disney Parks moves are reactionary ever since Potter happened. Maybe we can finally get an original attraction if Universal decides to do one first
Five bucks says that DisneylandForward will have a clone of whatever they put in this spot.
It seems like a simple thing to add an entrance to Villain Land/Square/Whatever behind HM, and move the HM ride queue, like Toy Story Mania in Toy Story Land.
See, and this is where I think the argument is completely wrong...a really good, well done and on the dark side Villains Land, even if it is a little too intense for smaller children, would still be a colossal hit. Having it segregated into it's own "land" would be easy to avoid with small children, Marketing could actually promote it as what it is, it would not interfere with the children-friendly rest of the park... I kind of love the idea of the alternate universe tucked around the backside of the ROA... Add some amazing set pieces along the shoreline for the Riverboat to see... It would be the first ever thing of it's type, it would pick up a HUGE audience...and it doesn't need to be grisly or too horrible... None of the Disney Villains are that frightening...but it sure could be amazing...
For better or worse, our Magic Kingdom gained the reputation of being more or less a "kiddie" park (or at least kiddie-friendly). It's why Alien Encounter didn't survive. AE would have done OK in literally any other park - even Disneyland - but not here.
