News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[phillip9698]

It's only unpopular because it's a hassle to get over there. There's plenty of ways they could've solved that issue. Additionally, TSI and the RoA are experienced by EVERY guest who visits that area of the park, because they are the grounding visual element. They add immersion and beauty to the area. You can't quantify that in numbers. Replacing them with a thick tree line, snowy rocks, and the muffled sounds of "Kachow" will take away so much from the area.

I keep seeing this but how do you explain the chill areas in Epcot and AK, which are extremely easy to get to, being empty as well?

Why should anyone assume the chill and quiet area of MK would be more popular when those areas are also abandoned in the other parks?

There is absolutely no evidence that making TSI easier to get to would increase its popularity enough to warrant its continued existence.

 

[Raineman]

Fantastic perspective.



"I remember when my family started going to Disney, it felt like there were *so many* lesser-known secrets to discover that kept us coming back. Interactive card games & scavenger hunts, pin trading, Hidden Mickeys, little museums & exhibits, beautiful secluded spots to chill out.

No, that stuff isn't all must-do for the family there for one day trying to max out their number of attractions-ridden. But the obscure things were *why* my family often desired more days at the parks, and kept coming back. Because there were little treasures to stumble upon too. [...]

It gives you a sense of agency and identity in a theme park to know that you can discover the things *you* like to do and enjoy the experience in a way that's different to others. When everything is a super must-do attraction with a 120-minute wait, there are no hidden gems.

In terms of hidden gems, Tom Sawyer Island & The Riverboat were the pinnacle of that idea to me. Some people have said "you never ride them," but I do. Every time. Because when I go to a theme park, I'm not just interested in rides—I'm interested in atmosphere, beauty, discovery..."

Disney would love it if everyone at the parks had that park commando mentality-rush from ride to ride, thinking about the next ride even before they are on the current ride, and never wanting to slow down and look, or explore, or discover. This is the kind of people that Disney is remolding the parks for, and this is why the parks will be unrecognizable to people like us in 20 years.

 

[mickEblu]

I guarantee you this is the kind of thing where a casual fan will show up to the park and feel the loss of the river. Maybe not TSI or being able to ride the riverboat so much but that vista. It’s the DNA, soul of the park or however you want to phrase it. It’s part of the quintessential castle park experience. Not to be tossed out lightly for a Cars ride.

 

[Snapper Bean]

I mean I get the "hidden gem" concept. But I think we're beyond that at this point. Maybe if Disney hadn't spent the last 20 years building a kajillion hotel rooms and zero new parks.

 

[Quietmouse]

Sure, I understood what you meant. My opinion is that such a feat is impossible when you have Cars in Frontierland. It doesn’t matter how great the fake mountains and waterfalls and real trees look.

The Safari is a wonderfully designed attraction with great care and attention applied to the entire thing. It’s amazing. But if Tow Mater was your tour guide it would be absurd.

Ips can change. Lands cannot (at least for not many decades). As long as the wilderness theme is nailed that’s all that matters. Cars will die out and it will become mickeys frontier racing..whatever, theme is critical more than anything else .

 

[disney fan 13]

One thing to keep in mind is that when discussing a mega corporation like the Walt Disney company, not all online discussion about it is organic. Any company in this position would likely be running a large online influence campaign around such a controversial decision.

 

[Incomudro]

Rise of the Resistance is incredible. The Skyliner is a amazing achievement that is free and fun. Ratatouille and the France expansion is gorgeous and lovely. Cosmic Rewind is one the best rides in Orlando, hand down.

So yes...we have.

Rise is excellent.
Galaxies Edge in which it resides is a shell of what Disney promised us.
The Skyliner is a great addition, if an off the shelf item.
Ratatouille is a serviceable ride in an otherwise nicely done expansion.
Cosmic Rewind is a fun ride hideously housed in a way Disney of 'yore would have never done.
Matter of fact Cosmic Rewind kind of personifies the new Disney way.
Just put a square peg in a round hole, who cares what it looks like?
They had the same thinking with the barges in Epcot - fortunately those were removable.
There again, they proved they didn't understand the human mind and how water views affect it.

 

[Wall-e]

Not saying I like this, but it sort of makes sense to me.

I had been wondering how they were going to attempt to transition between Fantasyland to Villains and from the American desert to Villains, and had assumed that it would be through a scary/haunted forest. So, turning Frontierland into a more American Northwest/US National Parks theme helps them get there easier.

Now, I still don't really know how Cars fits, but the thematic change I guess makes sense if that's the thought process.

He gets it. This isn’t just about one area. It’s about bringing them altogether for what’s to come. So much unknown at this point, just looking forward to what we do.

 

[Raineman]

He gets it. This isn’t just about one area. It’s about bringing them altogether for what’s to come. So much unknown at this point, just looking forward to what we do.

The areas were already brought together-every land at MK, since 1971. There was no need to change things and have to bring them together again. Create brand new areas, and bring them together, not overlap on current areas that do not need that.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

 

[James Alucobond]

Hundred percent agree. It’s a natural fit for frontier land. Everyone is so focused on the ip attached, but I could care less because the ride itself is very interchangeable to whichever ip they want to rethink in the future.

I think if done right, this could be the perfect juxtaposition between a pleasant, beautiful forest, and “accidentally strolling” into s nightmarish forest that gets darker and darker the more you continue to walk thru until it reveals itself as villains land.

I mean, it's clearly not that natural a fit considering they're going to great lengths to hide everything to do with the cars themselves from view when standing anywhere else in Liberty Square and Frontierland. The buffer could indeed end up looking good, but ideally, an attraction would seamlessly integrate into a land without having to erect a bunch of barriers to hide its core content.

 

[Dear Prudence]

THAT LAST SENTENCE, RIGHT THERE

Edit: I think this especially true given the DAS pass fiasco, and the absolutely horrifying new page they have for neurodivergent guests. "Practice waiting in line at home," etc. They hate us, ans I don't understand why.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Not saying I like this, but it sort of makes sense to me.

I had been wondering how they were going to attempt to transition between Fantasyland to Villains and from the American desert to Villains, and had assumed that it would be through a scary/haunted forest. So, turning Frontierland into a more American Northwest/US National Parks theme helps them get there easier.

Now, I still don't really know how Cars fits, but the thematic change I guess makes sense if that's the thought process.

It also allows for a wooded path between Cars/HM to access Villiansland.

 

[Wall-e]

Sure, I understood what you meant. My opinion is that such a feat is impossible when you have Cars in Frontierland. It doesn’t matter how great the fake mountains and waterfalls and real trees look.

The Safari is a wonderfully designed attraction with great care and attention applied to the entire thing. It’s amazing. But if Tow Mater was your tour guide it would be absurd.

I’m right there with you. As much as I like the franchise, mater is my least favorite character in many ways. If you could have seen my reaction to the initial news I was completely against Mater in FL as we know it. However this won’t be FL as we know it and everything we’ve seen from the Cars franchise on screen and in the parks (including AOA) says this will have theming and cohesiveness.

I don’t think (based on the concept art) that Mater will be that integral to the ride. He and McQueen appear to be commentating the rallye from their position at the finish line for Radiator Springs Network (RSN). Maybe you’ll hear his voice on the ride vehicle but I don’t think he’ll be intruding on some of the other natural areas of the land.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Disney would love it if everyone at the parks had that park commando mentality-rush from ride to ride, thinking about the next ride even before they are on the current ride, and never wanting to slow down and look, or explore, or discover. This is the kind of people that Disney is remolding the parks for, and this is why the parks will be unrecognizable to people like us in 20 years.

That's how we vacation. We don't all spend multiple days at each park. 1 day, ride everything. The more new rides the better.

Not that I don't appreciate the water views and nostalgia.

 

[Ragerunner]

Wow, this thread has been interesting to watch.

I say, bring on the new Frontierland. Disney knows how to do amazing rock work and waterfalls. Add a lot of pine trees and this will be a big win.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I keep seeing this but how do you explain the chill areas in Epcot and AK, which are extremely easy to get to, being empty as well?

Why should anyone assume the chill and quiet area of MK would be more popular when those areas are also abandoned in the other parks?

There is absolutely no evidence that making TSI easier to get to would increase its popularity enough to warrant its continued existence.

So just because they aren't as packed as the E-Tickets, that means they don't deserve to exist? People don't deserve quiet areas off the beaten path to discover and explore? Every square inch must be used to its maximum potential? At that point, why not just go to a Six Flags instead?

Theme parks, especially Magic Kingdom, NEED quieter areas. They need somewhere you can go and escape the chaos. Magic Kingdom is getting more and more stressful to visit, and Cars isn't going to make it less stressful. That ride is going to be VQ+LL for a long time because it'll make money. As a result, now there's no place in MK you can go and not be surrounded by hundreds of people all stressing that they can't fit everything in one day because Disney refuses to actually address capacity issues.

You talk about there being no evidence for TSI being more popular if it were more accessible, but there's equally no evidence that getting rid of it will make the park better. There's no numbers or statistics quantifying the amount of atmosphere and beauty they bring to the park. You can't count exploration and discovery on a spreadsheet. But you can acknowledge what makes the "theme" and "park" aspects of "theme park"- having space for worlds and environments to tell a story and come to life. If I'm standing outside Grizzly Hall and looking off across the way, I see a vast river and a quaint island. I might not go to it every visit (though I will say I've gone on it every visit to MK except my last), but just the view increases the immersion of the area tenfold. Now imagine the view when Cars is done- I'm standing outside Grizzly Hall, a 1800s theater set in a 1920s Wild West town, and right on the edge of the walkway I see a dense tree line I can't quite see through and snowy rocks peering above. The openness of the rivers is gone, the immersion is diluted. The area feels cramped and claustrophobic. No longer are there people standing looking out on the water and taking a much-needed breather, soaking up the atmosphere and waving to people on the steamboat. No longer can you see people exploring Tom Sawyer Island or enjoying the quiet of Aunt Polly's patio. It's just a thick mess to obscure the race cars on the other side and a thin and crowded walkway through Frontierland. But hey, shareholders get more money because they're selling more T-shirts and toys, so it must be worth it, right?

 

[Nickm2022]

What also really surprises me is were getting so much Cars yet none of it is going to the cars area in AdventureWorld (Paris). I park that desperately needs more and a Cars ride (making that area a proper land and not a retheme of the studio tour) would go such a long way

 

[Wall-e]

I was engaged in this thread initially for new information as it was being announced. Without any new information we are on a loop of the same discord unfortunately. Im going to hope for the best outcome and looking forward to the future. I’ll take my one more visit to the park to soak in what is there now while I have the chance and hope most of you get to do the same. Maybe in 5 years I’ll see you all on the other side of this project as we smile and stroll through a wonderful new land together

 

[Nickm2022]

Wow, this thread has been interesting to watch.

I say, bring on the new Frontierland. Disney knows how to do amazing rock work and waterfalls. Add a lot of pine trees and this will be a big win.

I agree! Especially if its more like Grizzly Peak where it focuses on the American nature and western architecture