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

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is like the Hong Kong Disneyland expansion...Pushed out beyond the train loop... But why not just put Coco in the Mexico Pavilion where it fits nicely and expand beyond Big Thunder fo a more fleshed out and spectacular Villains Lair...Neither Coco or Encanto are quite the right vibe for Magic Kingdom...But World Showcase is and is in need of more attractions...

It’s not an expansion…you get the semantics, right?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Rise of the Resistance is like 20 minutes long.

Have you ridden that thing?
Follow up: with your eyes open/awake?

And a good bit of that might reasonably be put into the category of “glorified queue.” I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just that the trend over the last generation has been to blur the lines between “themed area/experienc” and “rides.”

Yep

 

[fgmnt]

And you think they'll break ground and have it completed within three years?

Dude, no offense but it's 2022 and Disney we're talking about.

If its actually greenlit by the end of this year, I think you can set a low bar for what counts as opening in DAK in 2025 and them crossing it. For what it’s worth, where they want to build is more primed for construction than TRON or World Sandpit in EPCOT.

 

[Ismael Flores]

There are 21 pages of people imagining what this place will look like. That's far more work than has been done in Imagineering on any of these projects so far. What we saw yesterday was a company unable to make announcements so it put up a few drawings and said, Who knows maybe we'll do something like this some day? Then again, maybe we won't. Josh was so incredibly clear that these were not announcements--but something closer to an art show.

I was watching the news today and one station was talking about the companies financials and announcements and i found it funny when the person said something like

We need to keep things in focus because Disney said these are ideas and blue sky so it could very well mean that non of this is ever built. The company gave no concrete information of expansion and meanwhile Universal does have something concrete with a new huge park opening in three years.
what they did announce happening is meet and greets and again the expansion of Marvel ride but that was also announce and put on hold a few years ago.

i kind of laughed because they pretty much got called out for showing us several projects but no substantial promises that they would be built.

 

[SNS]

There are 21 pages of people imagining what this place will look like. That's far more work than has been done in Imagineering on any of these projects so far. What we saw yesterday was a company unable to make announcements so it put up a few drawings and said, Who knows maybe we'll do something like this some day? Then again, maybe we won't. Josh was so incredibly clear that these were not announcements--but something closer to an art show.

Maybe they are seeing what Disney fans come up with online so they can pick the best idea of how to do the layout from that.

 

[MrPromey]

If its actually greenlit by the end of this year, I think you can set a low bar for what counts as opening in DAK in 2025 and them crossing it. For what it’s worth, where they want to build is more primed for construction than TRON or World Sandpit in EPCOT.

No offense but that's cute. It's been over two years since they announced the PATF change to Splash Mountain which at the time they announced, said had already been in planning for "years".*

How close are we to that opening date?

This is blue sky which means that illustration and some words is probably all they have at this point.

Three years or less for something to be designed and built that will actually require ground being moved around?

Disney?

This is the problem with D23 - They have to announce something on an annual schedule which has in the past, resulted in them announcing stuff long before they probably should have resulting in huge waits, people becoming aware of the budget cuts because things they committed to having/doing end up opening without stuff they promised or things just never get built at all (Main Street Theater) but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that at the time of the announcement, they believed what they were saying.

Now, since they have nothing to announce, they're showing maybe concept art of something that is... possible? Heck, this could be stuff they're already decided not to build - that's how hollow and pointless these couple of announcements really were.

*Yeah, I realize what they said in that initial announcement was likely complete and total BS but they're not even pretending they're close to announcing anything with this one. Either way, it's the same company we're talking about.

 

[Amidala]

Opening. It’s very close to green light (and may have just gotten it).

I'm just confused as to how the Animal Kingdom project can be close to green light when D'amaro seemed unsure whether Zootopia or Moana (or both? or some other IP entirely?) would be the replacement for Dinoland, and had only one piece of concept art to show for it. I mean, I'm sure there's more to the talks going on behind the scenes than what we were shown yesterday but still...I would think if there was even a frontrunner IP, they would have zeroed in on it instead of waffling like that.

Such a bizarre way to conduct an announcement panel, I can't stop thinking about it.

 

[ToTBellHop]

And you think they'll break ground and have it completed within three years?

Dude, no offense but it's 2022 and Disney we're talking about.

When it is penciled in on the MASTER PLAN and when it opens are different things. It can be built in 2 years. If they want.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Maybe they are seeing what Disney fans come up with online so they can pick the best idea of how to do the layout from that.

We bullied them into cancelling Harmonious so maybe we can bully them into canceling Zootopia.

 

[Tha Realest]

It will have taken them 6+ years to build a cloned rollercoaster.

I have no confidence any of this will be finished until the late 2020’s.

 

[MrPromey]

$200 park tickets will be a thing if this gets greenlit.

At the rate things are going, I'm sure $200 will be a thing even after it's not greenlit.

 

[MrPromey]

Psst. They were talking about a premium experience where you could see what 'powers' you get get when you get 'your' door .

So... MK's version of LEGO® NINJAGO® THE RIDE Spiderman Web Slingers?

 

[SNS]

It will have taken them 6+ years to build a cloned rollercoaster.

I have no confidence any of this will be finished until the late 2020’s.

To be fair that was greatly delayed with the pandemic.

 

[MrPromey]

Negativity on this forum should be about as shocking as a Disney price increase.

With that said, I will be more excited about this when there is more of an indication that it's actually going to happen.

EXACTLY!

This is like going to your kids and saying "How 'bout we book an exclusive jet to Orlando, stay in the Walt Disney suite at the Grand Floridian for two weeks and do VIP packages for each day so we can do whatever we want, however much we want without waiting in any lines?"

Then you pause for a moment to soak in their excitement and then follow up with.

"I'm still trying to scrape together the money to get the car fixed so it's just an idea but some day we might just do that!"

and then walk out of the room patting yourself on the back as the best dad ever.

 

[FigmentFan82]

It fits thematically but doesn’t actually fit in Mexico. They can’t fit a headliner there.

I think the thinking based on the things that were said in the panel was Coco pretty much being a FoP clone, yes?

I'm fine if all the new stuff is a clone, just please execute it well!!

 

[SirLink]

So... MK's version of LEGO® NINJAGO® THE RIDE Spiderman Web Slingers?

No think a paid experience M&G.

 

[FigmentFan82]

The good thing at least about the potential of Beyond Big Thunder is that for the most part it won't impact much of the rest of the park (RR and RoA aside) Maybe being off the grid unlike Epcot spine gives them opportunity to work more openly without feeling like guests are forced to listen to construction noise

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm shocked about the negativity on this forum. Disney villains, Coco and Encanto are all popular Disney properties and the fact that this would be an expansion and not a replacement makes this seem like a no-brainer. This is a fantastic idea and you all are needlessly negative.

No winning on this forum.

They did NOT announce an expansion. As it stands it’s a business/publicity stunt

Negativity on this forum should be about as shocking as a Disney price increase.

With that said, I will be more excited about this when there is more of an indication that it's actually going to happen.

But you of all people understand what they did here…
How many permits are there in orange and Osceola for “blue sky developments”

Easy answer

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Ok…already we are in fantasyland…spitballs firing all over the place.

My time to push toward the exits.

 

[danlb_2000]

This is how you know they really didn't have anything - instead of announcing something years before they break ground, they're now making announcements of stuff they've sort of thought about!

I'm surprised the last slide wasn't ideas he was considering for lunch but hadn't decided on yet.

Next D23 the Imagineer is going to come on stage, say that he was drunk in a bar last night and here is what he sketched on a napkin.