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

seabreezept813

seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
Touchdown said:
The French onion soup/fillet/dessert trio is very solid. I don’t get the hate for BOG. Is it overpriced? Yes, but you’re getting a solid B+ meal for it. There are far worse places, and I eat here regularly (but not every trip.)
Click to expand...
I’m a seafood person. I think if the scallops or clams were back on the menu I’d feel differently. But the seafood offering was not good. I understand people love steak, but there should be an equally luxurious seafood option if they stick with the more upscale menu.
 
K

Kev1982

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
I think he was indeed excluded for the suspected reasons. He was definitely one of the elements of the film that has been criticized by some as "problematic". And he has been making fewer and fewer appearances in the parks from what I hear. It wouldn't surprise me if he's phased out eventually. He's not quite as much of a concern as Splash itself, but the fact that the best and most universally popular thing about the film is absent from the ride is very telling.

How Mama Odie managed to escape this same criticism is beyond me. I really love her and she's an endearing and entertaining character (I even know people IRL like her), but she's the embodiment of a racial stereotype. Also surprised Big Daddy and Charlotte haven't gotten a similar thrashing from people and an exclusion from the ride. Again very fun characters, but they're wealthy sugar barons. I probably don't need to elaborate on the morals and dark history of that profession especially from that time period.

Another factor in Facilier's exclusion is likely related to Disney's softening of "scary" elements of kid friendly attractions. Particularly the reduced presence of villains in new and redone rides. Gaston being relegated to a shadow projection in the background of Tokyo's BATB ride is one example. Or the further softening of Snow White's Enchanted Wish. Not including Facilier seems to also reinforce that trend.

Including Facilier in TBA would have fixed some of the more glaring issues with the ride. Make the third drop function as a portal into the "Other Side", and have Facilier appear in spirit form in his skeleton makeup. This would have been an incredible opportunity to use a lot of contrasty black lighting. Could have been a very visually striking room. Ray could even be included as a friendly spirit trying to guide us back up the lift to safety, ample opportunity to include some really nice looking fiber optics for the firefly effects. Mama Odie still serving as a means to pull us back into the living world via the big drop. The final lift and big drop itself would also retain the dark tension it had in Splash.
Click to expand...
These days everything is problematic 🙄. Im 100% sure that when my 4-year old rides this, his first question will be: where is Dr. Facilier?
 
Gusey

Gusey

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
I think he was indeed excluded for the suspected reasons. He was definitely one of the elements of the film that has been criticized by some as "problematic". And he has been making fewer and fewer appearances in the parks from what I hear. It wouldn't surprise me if he's phased out eventually. He's not quite as much of a concern as Splash itself, but the fact that the best and most universally popular thing about the film is absent from the ride is very telling

Another factor in Facilier's exclusion is likely related to Disney's softening of "scary" elements of kid friendly attractions. Particularly the reduced presence of villains in new and redone rides. Gaston being relegated to a shadow projection in the background of Tokyo's BATB ride is one example. Or the further softening of Snow White's Enchanted Wish. Not including Facilier seems to also reinforce that trend.
Click to expand...
Or could it be that he died in the film and the ride takes place after the film? The same reason that Ray is going to be in the attraction?
 
MerlinTheGoat

MerlinTheGoat

Well-Known Member
Gusey said:
Or could it be that he died in the film and the ride takes place after the film? The same reason that Ray is going to be in the attraction?
Click to expand...
There were two solutions to this problem (and yes it is indeed a problem)-

1- Have the ride adapt the film instead of this stupid salt dome co-op nonsense.
2- Use the ideas I presented in the parts of the post you cut out and ignored.

Nothing about the ride taking place after the film is even incompatible with bringing back Facilier. Far from it. Aside from the fact that he's widely regarded as the best part of the film (same with his song), Facilier's particular brand of magic is also connected to the realm of the dead. So it would be entirely reasonable to either come up with a plot point to bring him back to life, or better yet have the riders stumble into the Other Side to meet him there. And I do like the latter idea better.

The boats travel too deep into the darker parts of the bayou and come across a mausoleum for Facilier. A stone relief of his face overhead in the center (for a fun detail, they could also add some subtle facial animations to the face ala the talking skull from Pirates and Leota's tombstone). This results in the third minor drop, which transports us into the netherworld of the Other Side. And what could have been one heck of a cool and visually interesting scene with ample opportunity for creative art and effects. It would also justify the final lift and big drop and maintain a dark and moody edge that is likely going to be missing in what they settled on.

A lot of people (kids and adults) are going to ride this expecting to see Facilier and to hear his song, and come away very disappointed and confused. Almost everyone was at least expecting the final lift to play Friends on the Other Side.
 
Last edited:
Tha Realest

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
In the next decade, WDW is supposed to get $17B in capex. To put 3 more rides in the other three plus all the other non-ride infrastructure... at their bloated budgets, they just might make it.
Click to expand...
But are these 3 more rides, or merely replacements of existing attractions?

Take DAK, and let’s keep in mind they’re down Primeval Whirl. Dinosaur -> Indy is going to be a roughly 1:1 trade for operational capacity. It’s not clear what Encanto is going to be (a ride attraction? An “experience” a la Moana? Who knows?) maybe it has a higher hourly capacity than PE’s 900. Undoubtedly anything that’s done is going to cost a big chunk of money. But it’s not clear these new attractions in that park will, when all said and done, give guests more to do as compared to now or a year or two ago.
 
GhostHost1000

GhostHost1000

Premium Member
Touchdown said:
The French onion soup/fillet/dessert trio is very solid. I don’t get the hate for BOG. Is it overpriced? Yes, but you’re getting a solid B+ meal for it. There are far worse places, and I eat here regularly (but not every trip.)
Click to expand...
imo the previous menu and food was better

that dessert trio is honestly a joke.... their cupcakes were actually better
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Original Poster
yensidtlaw1969

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
Nick Jonas Wow GIF by Jonas Brothers
 
Skibum1970

Skibum1970

Well-Known Member
I realize that this has been discussed ad nauseum but expansions need to go in Hollywood Studios. The Kingdom is packed enough and has a wide assortment of rides whereas Studios really needs to be developed further. Some people-eater rides, such as omnimovers or boat rides similar to PoTC, would really help spread the crowds out. I see this being built at MK as really clogging up the crowds. Plus, unless they had a back pathway to connect to Storybook Circus, this would be a crowd disaster with one way in/out.
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Skibum1970 said:
I realize that this has been discussed ad nauseum but expansions need to go in Hollywood Studios. The Kingdom is packed enough and has a wide assortment of rides whereas Studios really needs to be developed further. Some people-eater rides, such as omnimovers or boat rides similar to PoTC, would really help spread the crowds out. I see this being built at MK as really clogging up the crowds. Plus, unless they had a back pathway to connect to Storybook Circus, this would be a crowd disaster with one way in/out.
Click to expand...
They really should have a four-year cycle where an addition opens yearly, cycling through the parks…and not every addition needs to be an E-ticket.
 
yensidtlaw1969

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
Skibum1970 said:
I realize that this has been discussed ad nauseum but expansions need to go in Hollywood Studios. The Kingdom is packed enough and has a wide assortment of rides whereas Studios really needs to be developed further. Some people-eater rides, such as omnimovers or boat rides similar to PoTC, would really help spread the crowds out. I see this being built at MK as really clogging up the crowds. Plus, unless they had a back pathway to connect to Storybook Circus, this would be a crowd disaster with one way in/out.
Click to expand...
My understanding is that the new expansion would connect on either sides of the existing River, with a path near Big Thunder and another by The Haunted Mansion.

Not to suggest that the River would remain intact.
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
yensidtlaw1969 said:
My understanding is that the new expansion would connect on either sides of the existing River, with a path near Big Thunder and another by The Haunted Mansion.

Not to suggest that the River would remain intact.
Click to expand...
It gets its water from a canal that feeds into SSL. The Electrical Water Pageant barges are stored there. There would have to be a bridge that goes over or around it.

1706816071515.png
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Any major expansion to the Magic Kingdom would almost require some new firework viewing location with a place for projections.

There's already not enough room for fireworks viewing, and anything that substantially increased attendance would be a disaster. People would still want to see fireworks from in front of the castle (as they always have) but having a secondary location would be incredibly helpful (they basically eliminated the previously existing secondary locations when they made projections a major part of the show).
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom