If I was in charge this is what I'd do, assuming that IPs must be used, opening in three phases. Everything is to scale.
This is purely spitballing and to get an idea of how much room there is back there!
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Firstly, I'd have the Haunted Mansion Restaurant, pictured below as Pinocchio Village Haus open alongside a nicer queue re-oriented on the side of the Mansion, shown below as Disneyland Paris' line for Phantom Manor. The queue being re-oriented allows for a much better managed queue space along with its beautification and of course, freeing up space for a walkway to a Villain's Land. This of course would also create a brilliant transition.
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While this is being built, the infrastructure work for Beyond Big Thunder would commence.
I opted for two lands: Cars Land, serving as a flawless transition from Big Thunder Mountain and a happier counter to the darkness of a Villains Land, and because it is already one of the best lands ever made. While I'd love California Adventure to keep it as an exclusive, I'd much rather take a surefire hit than something mediocre. Going through rockwork/a tunnel leads to outside the Villains Land from there, providing a decent transition. Perhaps this could be phase 3.
Now, it's possible Disney is going full-blown Galaxy's Edge in scale for the Villains Land, but I honestly feel it could be effectively handled perhaps only being 10 or 15% larger than Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida so you could cram in more detail. I feel it should definitely open before whatever other land they put in the park if they decide to do multiple.
I figure, with an expansion of this size, realistically two headlining E-tickets are all we are going to get, but where the King's Cross Station is at Diagon Alley on the northside of the land, there's an easy expansion plot for a major ride or an opening day C-ticket.
Further, if Cars Land is used, the right side of it already has a walkway which leads to Pacific Wharf, now San Fransokyo Square. You'd only have to minorly shrink RoA and have this be the main walking path to the Villains Land and then Liberty Square beyond that. The train would have to be re-routed, however, likely cutting between the lands with Cars Land being outside of its perimeter and Villains being within it.
The only thing is the walkway leading to Cars Land from Tiana's Bayou Adventure might be difficult to pull off. Putting it to the right of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an option too.
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The Villains Land intrigues me the most. Now, Diagon Alley isn't as massive as Galaxy's Edge, but it's arguably the best-themed land in Orlando (I don't even think it's close). I felt it is a perfect land in tone for how Disney's land should be, and with Monsters Universe on the way at Epic Universe doubling down on this and is likely to be the park's best, they really do need to have a similar offering as a darker land like this is sorely lacking from Disney parks.
Diagon Alley is already largely covered and has Knockturn Alley. Its more reasonable footprint lends itself to that design. I say, why stop there? Just make the entire Villain's Land indoors. And rather than a Londonesque exterior that you stumble through to Diagon Alley, you could make it mischievous, perhaps to look like the side of a mountain.
The new Haunted Mansion queue and restaurant would be a perfect transition to the land as well!
And now, I'm not advocating for just copying and pasting Diagon obviously, but it could serve as a really good blueprint for how to go about this land.
In place of Escape From Gringotts I imagine should be a similarly thrilling dark ride, and a large-scale experience featuring either Maleficent or Chernabog. If it is Chernabog/Fantasia-themed, then I'd at least hope for a dragon walkthrough like DLP has for Maleficent.
And here's a list of
Diagon Alley's shops! Everything from an ice cream parlor to a candy store is featured. Importantly, the kinetics in each window and the whimsicalness of the land's design are very effective.
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Here are some things Diagon Alley has equivalents of and imagine it would be fantastic at MK too. Just letting you know, that I'm not selecting names, just ideas for what they could be. There's quite a lot to work with under the overarching theme of Disney Villains. Diagon Alley has even more individual places to explore than I am going to mention as well, so I think this is actually quite realistic.
And now, I don't think they should only be selling merch/food from these specific properties, but that the shops themselves are just themed to said IP.
Candy Store = The Poison Apple from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, themed to the Evil Queen.
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Toy Store = A Toy Story Shop, perhaps with many of Sid's horrifying creations (but without featuring Sid). You could also have a second store themed to Making Christmas from the Nightmare Before Christmas.
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Butterbeer Cart = Some unique beverage stand from Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog.
Quick-Service Restaurant = Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall or perhaps a Headless Horseman Tavern (I'd put Gaston but he already has representation in New Fantasyland).
Ice Cream = Heffalumps and Woozles from Winnie the Pooh.
General Merch = Big Bad Wolf Shop, perhaps outside the land on the pathway around RoA appearing as his house, maybe with a back entrance into the land, serving as an alternative to the main entrance.
Very Unique Clothing Store = Cruella de Vil's, perhaps it could also sell Halloween costumes.
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Jafar, Ursula, Captain Hook, Judge Frollo, Scar, Mother Gothel, and even Gaston also definitely need representation.
Some other additions I think would be great.
Diagon Alley has an indoor Butterbeer shop, but I say for a Villains Land go even further and make it like an
Oogie Boogie Gamblin' Bar. I'm thinking more like Trader Sam's than Oga's Cantina, but obviously much larger, with an Oogie Boogie Animatronic in the center and a fair share of blacklight and chaos throughout.
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And finally, if this land only opens with one land, I feel a small-scaled show (but infinitely better themed and executed) like an American Idol Experience or Stitch's Great Escape could be a good idea. Honestly, why not theme it to a Hades, Pain, and Panic Comedy Show, the levity provided with some dark humor sprinkled throughout could be very fun!
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If it opens with two rides, I'd kill for a Nightmare Before Christmas Trackless Ride or even an Arabian Nights Coaster with Jafar.
There are very few things I feel an overabundance of IPs would be amazing for, but
THIS is one of them.
There's so much lore to explore. Halloween has one of the coolest aesthetics there is, and man would I kill for a land like this. Even if it takes 6-7 years for it to open, the fact that a massive land themed to Villains is really in the pipeline just has me so excited. It's an infinitely better concept than just throwing Encanto and Coco there and calling it a day, and I'm glad it has seemingly taken priority despite the
