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

[yensidtlaw1969]

If they follow-through and complete this plan, these areas would be a tad bigger but yes. Coco can be under construction while they are re-routing the railroad and shortening the RoA to create space for the other two areas.

Maybe they’ll be ambitious and announce all three areas at once but my money is on villains being a “phase 2”. Track record on Phase 2s is poor but they are building the Avengers e-ticket so who knows.

Would we get a nice Trestle along the back of the River like Disneyland did? I don't particularly love the idea of shortening it, but at least they did a bang-up job with placemaking the new route:

I had kinda thought Villain's Land would have been further East, behind The Haunted Mansion either inside or outside the train tracks. Putting it that far North of the park seems so distant - not to mention that it really feels like the most sense would be made by connecting it to Fantasyland, but at least having a connection near The Haunted Mansion would be on-brand too. Seeing it sandwiched between Coco and Encanto seems very odd.

I think I would have preferred something like this:

 

[doctornick]

It’s the problematic part with Indians…

While I get that issue and concern, the easier solution is removing the Indians.... Or even replacing them with a more acceptable scene.

 

[Door Coaster]

Would we get a nice Trestle along the back of the River like Disneyland did? I don't particularly love the idea of shortening it, but at least they did a bang-up job with placemaking the new route:

View attachment 697832

I had kinda thought Villain's Land would have been further East, behind The Haunted Mansion either inside or outside the train tracks. Putting it that far North of the park seems so distant - not to mention that it really feels like the most sense would be made by connecting it to Fantasyland, but at least having a connection near The Haunted Mansion would be on-brand too. Seeing it sandwiched between Coco and Encanto seems very odd.

I think I would have preferred something like this:

View attachment 697833

One, IDK why the showbuilding is so far from the land. Two, I'm not sure but it looks like that show building, the land or both are on areas currently used for shooting up fireworks.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

One, IDK why the showbuilding is so far from the land. Two, I'm not sure but it looks like that show building, the land or both are on areas currently used for shooting up fireworks.

In that case it's because of the waterway - I sort of imagined they might have the open land in the lower lot and a showbuilding bridging over the water to the Northern plot. But that's entirely speculative at best; I just like the idea of there being a nice big open land area for Villains rather than, like, a pathway with a showbuilding taking up most of the plot.

Fireworks are indeed shot off in proximity to my marked areas - part of why I labeled some of it a deeply unreaslistic dream.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Would we get a nice Trestle along the back of the River like Disneyland did? I don't particularly love the idea of shortening it, but at least they did a bang-up job with placemaking the new route:

View attachment 697832

I had kinda thought Villain's Land would have been further East, behind The Haunted Mansion either inside or outside the train tracks. Putting it that far North of the park seems so distant - not to mention that it really feels like the most sense would be made by connecting it to Fantasyland, but at least having a connection near The Haunted Mansion would be on-brand too. Seeing it sandwiched between Coco and Encanto seems very odd.

I think I would have preferred something like this:

View attachment 697833

This is the best take I’ve seen on this concept. Still not crazy about Coco and Encanto mini lands being in Magic Kingdom (and I think both properties fit better in Adventureland), but I guess this is just a reflection of how the company is now.

Side note: Coco and Encanto would be labeled as Frontierland probably right? It would be really weird if they were just their own thing.

 

[Door Coaster]

This is the best take I’ve seen on this concept. Still not crazy about Coco and Encanto mini lands being in Magic Kingdom (and I think both properties fit better in Adventureland), but I guess this is just a reflection of how the company is now.

Side note: Coco and Encanto would be labeled as Frontierland probably right? It would be really weird if they were just their own thing.

ToTBellhop suggested that they could actually be New New Fantasyland.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

ToTBellhop suggested that they could actually be New New Fantasyland.

Huh. So these would have to physically connect back to Fantasyland in some way right? It’s not a bad idea by any means, I just don’t know how they’ll do it.

 

[Door Coaster]

Huh. So these would have to physically connect back to Fantasyland in some way right? It’s not a bad idea by any means, I just don’t know how they’ll do it.

My train of thought is that Liberty Square will be abolished or downsized and HM made into part of Fantasyland to allow the connection.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

My train of thought is that Liberty Square will be abolished or downsized and HM made into part of Fantasyland to allow the connection.

This is definitely not happening

 

[Door Coaster]

This is definitely not happening

Yeah good point

 

[No Name]

In the rare event that this actually happens, one of the three things as part of this plan will go from being an E-ticket attraction to a meet and greet facility. I suspect that’ll be the villains part.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

In the rare event that this actually happens, one of the three things as part of this plan will go from being an E-ticket attraction to a meet and greet facility. I suspect that’ll be the villains part.

I personally would rather them prioritize the villains land but I know that’s not what’s going to happen. I would hope they won’t fumble the opportunity if they do start to build a Villainsland, which should have 2 attractions, a TSR and a QSR or themed bar, and merch store(s)

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

This is the best take I’ve seen on this concept. Still not crazy about Coco and Encanto mini lands being in Magic Kingdom (and I think both properties fit better in Adventureland), but I guess this is just a reflection of how the company is now.

Side note: Coco and Encanto would be labeled as Frontierland probably right? It would be really weird if they were just their own thing.

I feel like there *could* be a way to make sense of Coco in Frontierland, though I think Magic Kingdom probably is actually just not the park for that property - but I definitely agree that Encanto feels more like Adventureland to me.

Think how different Walt Disney World would look if instead of these Beyond Big Thunder and Moana/Zootopia in DAK concepts we got Moana and Encanto in Adventureland, Villains Land wrapping behind Fantasyland to Liberty Square, Coco in Mexico at EPCOT with 3 Caballeros moving to a Brazil Pavilion, Zootopia land north of Animal Kingdom connected by "Bullet Train", and Dinoland USA refurbed and amped up into a legitimate Dinosaur destination.

This isn't all exactly what I'd want (Personally I don't think Zootopia fits AK at all, and I'd prefer less Animated IP in EPCOT rather than more), but if they're committed to bringing these IPs to WDW couldn't they at least do it in a way that makes half-decent sense and/or doesn't put out existing attractions?

 

[UNCgolf]

I feel like there *could* be a way to make sense of Coco in Frontierland, though I think Magic Kingdom probably is actually just not the park for that property - but I definitely agree that Encanto feels more like Adventureland to me.

Think how different Walt Disney World would look if instead of these Beyond Big Thunder and Moana/Zootopia in DAK concepts we got Moana and Encanto in Adventureland, Villains Land wrapping behind Fantasyland to Liberty Square, Coco in Mexico at EPCOT with 3 Caballeros moving to a Brazil Pavilion, Zootopia land north of Animal Kingdom connected by "Bullet Train", and Dinoland USA refurbed and amped up into a legitimate Dinosaur destination.

This isn't all exactly what I'd want (Personally I don't think Zootopia fits AK at all, and I'd prefer less Animated IP in EPCOT rather than more), but if they're committed to bringing these IPs to WDW couldn't they at least do it in a way that makes half-decent sense and/or doesn't put out existing attractions?

I think it's been established there's no easy way to put Coco in Mexico. They'd have to shut down half of the pavilion (if not the whole thing) and do major construction to make it work, because there's nowhere to put a queue.

I guess they could eliminate the tequila stand and shove something in between the Odyssey and the current building, but they'd still have to do some significant renovations to the existing pavilion to connect back in.

 

[Door Coaster]

Think how different Walt Disney World would look if instead of these Beyond Big Thunder and Moana/Zootopia in DAK concepts we got Moana and Encanto in Adventureland, Villains Land wrapping behind Fantasyland to Liberty Square, Coco in Mexico at EPCOT with 3 Caballeros moving to a Brazil Pavilion, Zootopia land north of Animal Kingdom connected by "Bullet Train", and Dinoland USA refurbed and amped up into a legitimate Dinosaur destination.

Moana almost made it into the Tiki Room. Encanto was rumored (but never confirmed by insiders) for an Epcot Colombia pavilion. Coco into Mexico and Cabs into Brazil was actually planned. That land both of Kali is allegedly not suitable for development, but that didn't stop a "Northern Project" from being proposed there for the mid 2020s.

 

[Door Coaster]

I think it's been established there's no easy way to put Coco in Mexico. They'd have to shut down half of the pavilion (if not the whole thing) and do major construction to make it work, because there's nowhere to put a queue.

I guess they could eliminate the tequila stand and shove something in between the Odyssey and the current building, but they'd still have to do some significant renovations to the existing pavilion to connect back in.

Coco if it happened would've been a Gran Fiesta overlay. The Fiesta queue would have been extended through some of the shops.

 

[co10064]

It’s the problematic part with Indians…

Honest question:
I haven't been on the Riverboat (and obviously the train has been down for quite a while now)... are the Native Americans depicted in a negative light?

 

[co10064]

If it's like DL's, the railroad closure will only be a year.

Unfortunately I have no faith WDW would take the same urgency

 

[MagicHappens1971]

This is a rough estimate, but according to Google Earth, there's about 35 acres of land back here. I'm not an architect but, if they could build a bridge between the edge of Big Thunder and these new "lands" and a pathway between Fantasyland they could have the best of both worlds. I honestly have no idea how realistic this is but

 

[UNCgolf]

Coco if it happened would've been a Gran Fiesta overlay. The Fiesta queue would have been extended through some of the shops.

I know, but I believe Martin confirmed that's one of the reasons they didn't do it. There's just not room to expand the queue enough without basically shutting down half of the pavilion.