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

[Dranth]

I get it for Hollywood but there’s no reason to directly lift it to Orlando other than cheapness. Wasted opportunity and I’m surprised Nintendo signed off.

I'm surprised many of the same people who accuse Disney of being cheap for plopping in cut and paste rides seem to be so high on the Nintendo section of Epic Universe. Every ride in that area will exist elsewhere in the world before EU opens.

 

[Pancho]

I'm surprised many of the same people who accuse Disney of being cheap for plopping in cut and paste rides seem to be so high on the Nintendo section of Epic Universe. Every ride in that area will exist elsewhere in the world before EU opens.

I don't remember anyone saying it was cheap of them to do a cut a past ride, but that it was crazy that it took them 6 years to cut and paste a ride.

 

[James Alucobond]

I'm surprised many of the same people who accuse Disney of being cheap for plopping in cut and paste rides seem to be so high on the Nintendo section of Epic Universe. Every ride in that area will exist elsewhere in the world before EU opens.

Not defending the Nintendo rides, but I think there’s a nuanced difference in that Epic Universe is at least an all-new park that can be appropriately designed to accommodate a cloned land or attraction, whereas something like TRON is shoehorned into Tomorrowland in such a way that it both disturbs sightlines from other lands and isn’t even terribly discoverable within its own land.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Not defending the Nintendo rides, but I think there’s a nuanced difference in that Epic Universe is at least an all-new park that can be appropriately designed to accommodate a cloned land or attraction, whereas something like TRON is shoehorned into Tomorrowland in such a way that it both disturbs sightlines from other lands and isn’t even terribly discoverable within its own land.

There is zero reason to copy that tiny Mario area into EU. It should be dramatically scaled up. At least Disney added TRON to an existing park. That limited options a bit. Universal has acres upon acres of sand and is doing copy/paste.

I’m excited for the other three areas, though. And the racing coaster looks sick.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

The EU Mario area will be bigger than the others even before you consider the DK area according to Alicia Stella.

 

[Dranth]

Not defending the Nintendo rides, but I think there’s a nuanced difference in that Epic Universe is at least an all-new park that can be appropriately designed to accommodate a cloned land or attraction, whereas something like TRON is shoehorned into Tomorrowland in such a way that it both disturbs sightlines from other lands and isn’t even terribly discoverable within its own land.

TRON doesn't bother me much so maybe that is part of the problem from my point of view. Sure, I wish the sightlines were better handled in some areas (I'm looking at you Storybook Circus) but some of that will improve over time as bushes/trees grow.

 

[celluloid]

I'm surprised many of the same people who accuse Disney of being cheap for plopping in cut and paste rides seem to be so high on the Nintendo section of Epic Universe. Every ride in that area will exist elsewhere in the world before EU opens.

The difference to many probably is just about everything else in that park will be brand new and the resort doubling its size as a whole. So it kind of outweighs that.

I would have been far more ok with Tron if it was one aspect of an entirely new Disney Park.

Being the only thing Magic Kingdom has had from ground up in nearly a decade is a different story.

 

[celluloid]

There is zero reason to copy that tiny Mario area into EU. It should be dramatically scaled up. At least Disney added TRON to an existing park. That limited options a bit. Universal has acres upon acres of sand and is doing copy/paste.

I’m excited for the other three areas, though. And the racing coaster looks sick.

Nintendo actually has an expansion plot. So if it is as big of hit as they are hoping, expansion pads can accommodate growth rather than replacing. Japan's and Hollywood's will not have that.

It sure is interesting that we are flipping of Universal having size and WDW somehow being limited. I know what you mean, but it is funny to think about.

 

[KingMickey13]

Has anyone heard what the attractions would be in the Encanto/Coco area if it does happen?

 

[Door Coaster]

Has anyone heard what the attractions would be in the Encanto/Coco area if it does happen?

Coco is FOP system, Encanto is either a walk through or the Mystic Manor system.

 

[Dranth]

The difference to many probably is just about everything else in that park will be brand new and the resort doubling its size as a whole. So it kind of outweighs that.

I would have been far more ok with Tron if it was one aspect of an entirely new Disney Park.

Being the only thing Magic Kingdom has had from ground up in nearly a decade is a different story.

Fair, though I agree with @ToTBellHop about fitting in a ride vs. being able to plan the entire park.

It just looks like a lot of times people are letting Uni slide of things they would call Disney out on. Maybe that is due to the PR problems Disney has had with the changes/pricing, or maybe people just expect more from Disney. Don’t know but it is interesting to watch.

As for TRON, it would certainly not have been my first choice to build but if they were going to run with it without consulting me (their loss) then it isn't a bad location.

 

[celluloid]

Fair, though I agree with @ToTBellHop about fitting in a ride vs. being able to plan the entire park.

It just looks like a lot of times people are letting Uni slide of things they would call Disney out on. Maybe that is due to the PR problems Disney has had with the changes/pricing, or maybe people just expect more from Disney. Don’t know but it is interesting to watch.

As for TRON, it would certainly not have been my first choice to build but if they were going to run with it without consulting me (their loss) then it isn't a bad location.

Well to be fair also, the two are not comparable. There is no reason Universal should be even close to touching Disney as they have, as Disney has so many more resources and time in the industry.

I don't think the location is most people's "meh" attitude for Tron, it is the fact that more should have been going in besides nothing the last 8 years and more venues have closed in a time where even with their misses, Universal continues to grow.

No one complained about The Barn Stormer just being a short kids coaster because it opened in the park just three years after Splash Mountain was built ground up, and Barn Stormer was ground up. There were also three new Tomorrowland Attractions were in the works to open, and soon after that, a fourth. Magic Kingdom was getting something new annually, and every five years or so was a big ground up attraction, and or a really innovative original attempt.

Different times and Disney has rested on laurels.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Coco will be FoP pt.2. A big screen as you ride Pepita.

Is this inside information or armchair imagineering?

 

[Touchdown]

Is this inside information or armchair imagineering?

The presentation specifically said a ride similar to FOP.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

The presentation specifically said a ride similar to FOP.

That’s not really what he said. D’Amaro said it would be so cool to fly on the back of (whatever the name of the flying creature from coco was). So people have assumed it will be like FoP. We have no idea

 

[UNCgolf]

Is this inside information or armchair imagineering?

I recall someone else mentioning that was discussed as an option here, and I think it was an insider, but I'm not sure who.

Either way, if that is what they build, it'll be a big mistake IMO. I don't think that's a ride system that will work well in multiple iterations -- Flight of Passage is a fun ride (if overrated), but I think replicating it with a different video will water both down quickly.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Either way, if that is what they build, it'll be a big mistake IMO. That's not really a ride system that works well in multiple iterations to me -- it's mostly just watching a movie on a giant screen. Flight of Passage is a fun ride, but I think replicating it with a different video will water both down quickly.

I’m with you here. Granted that FoP is basically Soarin but you have 3D Glasses and you’re sitting on a bike. I think it would be a mistake to replicate a FoP ride system anywhere at WDW

 

[Elijah Abrams]

After seeing a satellite image of the Magic Kingdom park on Google Maps, I think this whole "beyond Big Thunder" project will be difficult to pull off, leading to it getting scrapped, because trying to build a pathway or two to the new lands will be challenging unless some stuff like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad get torn out.

 

[celluloid]

After seeing a satellite image of the Magic Kingdom park on Google Maps, I think this whole "beyond Big Thunder" project will be difficult to pull off, leading to it getting scrapped, because trying to build a pathway or two to the new lands will be challenging unless some stuff like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad get torn out.

They wouldl just kill and fill Tom Sawyer's Island to make the rest of it work.

Even though realsitically, this project is not lilkely to happen.

 

[ToTBellHop]

After seeing a satellite image of the Magic Kingdom park on Google Maps, I think this whole "beyond Big Thunder" project will be difficult to pull off, leading to it getting scrapped, because trying to build a pathway or two to the new lands will be challenging unless some stuff like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad get torn out.

The path would be west of BTMRR and the WDWRR station. There’s an opening heading north just east of the Tiana restrooms. The East connection is harder. I presume it would involve changing the HM queue.