News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[MrPromey]

Work starts next year. And I don’t think this cars buildout would take as long as GE, simply due to it seemingly looking like a less complex build, based on concept to art. I’m still going with 2 maybe 2.5 years for it. 2027, early 2028 at latest.

I'm sure that could happen but the last 15-20 years of how they've chosen to manage builds suggests otherwise.

From experience watching what they do, I just don't share your optimism they'll move at that pace but maybe this time will be different.

 

[Stripes]

What you're describing as "unique beauty" involves a mountain in the shape of a piston as the centrepiece and cars with big cartoon faces zooming around.

As always, though, beauty is subjective.

That’s all going to be hidden behind a beautiful landscape of trees, rocks, and waterfalls. Sightlines. It’s why you can’t see the Tangled tower from the Haunted Mansion.

And genuinely, I don’t know why the Cars movies get so much hate. Cars Land at DCA is to this day my favorite theme park land anywhere. It’s beautiful.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Potentially the latter. I hope I’m wrong (things are a right mess behind the scenes at the mo)

Dare I ask (if you’re willing to humor me) what else might be on the chopping block?

 

[IMDREW]

Potentially the latter. I hope I’m wrong (things are a right mess behind the scenes at the mo)

Because they didn't expect the publics shock? Or because they never had solid plans and 'dirt moving' in the first place with some 'what have we done' realizations?

 

[Sir_Cliff]

That’s all going to be hidden behind a beautiful landscape of trees, rocks, and waterfalls. Sightlines. It’s why you can’t see the Tangled tower from the Haunted Mansion.

Look at the concept art: the mountain is not supposed to be hidden, you're supposed to see it when you walk into the land from the hub. They're not planning for it to be hidden behind a wall of trees.

 

[marni1971]

Dare I ask (if you’re willing to humor me) what else might be on the chopping block?

Muppets for one. It’s too soon to talk about MV and more though until things are more definite.

 

[MrPromey]

Look at the concept art: the mountain is not supposed to be hidden, you're supposed to see it when you walk into the land from the hub. They're not planning for it to be hidden behind a wall of trees.

Yeah, pretty sure it's meant to be the "weenie".

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Muppets for one. It’s too soon to talk about MV and more though until things are more definite.

Thank you!

In hindsight, I think the lack of a Muppets/Jim Henson presence at D23 (even during the Frank Oz legacy award) this years should have been a hint this was on borrowed time.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Because they didn't expect the publics shock? Or because they never had solid plans and 'dirt moving' in the first place with some 'what have we done' realizations?

To some extent they knew what the reaction would be because they didn't reveal their specific plans.

They presumably also thought they would get some blowback but people would ultimately prefer a shiny new nighttime spectacular featuring their favourite Disney songs over the views across World Showcase Lagoon. At least in that case, though, they could correct the error. Once Rivers of America is replaced by Cars, there's no going back.

 

[xxbradonxx]

I was very excited when this was announced. Seeing its replacing the roa and tsi, I hope it doesn’t happen. Mk is going to turn into a mass of concrete. That entire section is beautiful and should not be taken away. Fingers crossed they move this project somewhere else or cancel it completely.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Potentially the latter. I hope I’m wrong (things are a right mess behind the scenes at the mo)

Their decisions and directions on things now adays really don’t give us much faith they know what they are doing to make things better. At all.

I don’t know if it’s the newer folks in the inner circles making decisions now that some of the older legends aren’t around or as involved, or just complete incompetence on their part not understanding what guests want.

There’s no doubt the main shift over the years is more about $ and not the guest experience.

 

[Gusey]

You really think one small section of water makes up for them bulldozing the entire river? That that small piece makes this all okay?

No, I'm saying that there is water there, and that there could be some behind the trees in the concept art to make a small water buffer between Frontierland and the Cars Attraction.

 

[psherman42]

If you think we are getting what is shown in the concept art, I don't know where you've been the past few years.

This is how I feel as well. The actual product lately always gets watered down from the original concept art. I hate to say how much faith I’ve lost in Imagineering but I just have no hope that this “expansion” will end up being good.

This seems to me like someone is who actually informed on the subject speaking about how we got here. It does actually line up with talking points I’ve heard for several years now about the actual physical state of the river itself, the consequences of the way it was built, and the logistical and operational issues associated with those issues. If someone here with more knowledge refutes, by all means do it, but this all makes sense to me and I’ve been hearing about problems with the river bed for awhile.

I read his entire feed and it didn’t make me feel better about it at all. In some ways it makes it worse. It sounds like they’re taking the lazy approach to this expansion which is a shame considering what they’re replacing. It just reiterates to me that if they wanted to preserve the river front along the walkway they could if they wanted to. But they don’t want to which is upsetting. He also later said the water features won’t be anywhere near the scope of the river and he wants to “temper expectations.” I don’t see how anyone can expect anyone to be happy about them draining the river for a few puddles.

Haha, I searched Google Images for “Rivers of America Magic Kingdom” and I picked the nicest photo I saw of Rivers of America. Trust me, I could’ve chosen something worse.

You’re not just getting Cars, you’re also getting Villains out of the river. And a frontierland with more kinetic water.

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How do you know it’s going to be “more kinetic”? And “more kinetic” doesn’t automatically translate to better.

 

[Kamikaze]

It's not really 70 years, though -- especially not in terms of merchandising. It's probably more like 15-20 years realistically, considering there were only 3 Disney princesses until Ariel in 1989, and they weren't really pumping out a ton of merchandise until this century.

Still a head start, but saying 70 years feels misleading.

It includes movie revenue.

 

[BenJacobs]

The Cars movie franchise has generated $21.5 billion in merch and ticket sales.

Unless I'm reading that wrong, Cars is the highest-grossing Disney franchise without an actual ride in Walt Disney World.

This NYT article from 2023 says Pocahontas has earned about $707 million in ticket sales. Let's go Snoop-Dogg-with-the-Olympic-Torch wacky[1] and say Pocahontas earned 10x that in merch sales. Humor me. So Pocahontas has earned $8B.

So consumers are willing to part with 2.5 times as much money for Cars as for Pocahontas. And it's probably 7x TBH.

Cars has multiple theatrical sequels. They could easily make more. Pocahontas has had none. It has no clear future.

I'm not saying Cars is the perfect franchise. I'm not saying I agree with IP in the parks. But c'mon given what we know about how the company makes decisions about the parks, this is as clear-cut as it gets.

[1] In all sincerity, I have never been more proud to be an American than that moment.

My point was if it were more thematically appropriate in Magic Kingdom and Frontierland, I’d be more in favour.

Cars certainly deserves a ride or land at Disney World, but why not put it in Hollywood Studios.

And while it isn’t at all what Disney likes to do these days, it would be better to base attractions off of more established properties that we know will be reasonably popular well into the future (and Pocahontas could well get a live-action remake at some point). Cars has performed well in the past, and the first film at least should be popular well into the future, though Cars 3 didn’t perform well at the box office, and so might any subsequent sequels.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

That’s all going to be hidden behind a beautiful landscape of trees, rocks, and waterfalls. Sightlines. It’s why you can’t see the Tangled tower from the Haunted Mansion.

Again, all of Liberty Square and Frontierland is designed as a riverfront town, with docks and buildings that reference nautical settings on one side and a contrast to the openness of the river on the other.

Having a wall of trees and rockwork is an inelegant solution that doesn't take into account how that looks next to the existing buildings and pathways.

Sightlines are more than just about hiding things, it's how your field of vision perceives a space. There's the wide shot, medium shot and close up as you navigate the area and the RoA was meant to look good both up close and as a vista.

 

[LSLS]

Again, all of Liberty Square and Frontierland is designed as a riverfront town, with docks and buildings that reference nautical settings on one side and a contrast to the openness of the river on the other.

Which brings up another question, will this impact Columbia Harbour House?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Possible and realistic are two different things.

Flimsy and bogus reasons tend to point to less difference between the two.

 

[Brer Panther]

Would Expedition Everest fit with a generic mountain coaster?

Well, we know that Bob Iger sure thinks so...

Wdw has tons of lagoons

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...for now.

Because that worked so well for Splash

It sure worked to get it rethemed.

Now we have Moana, where does that go? Animal Kingdom! Right, into Epcot.

I'd argue Moana does not fit in Animal Kingdom and would be better off in the Magic Kingdom. Specifically, in Adventureland. Surely there's room.

Leaning towards a retheme of RnR.

Let me guess... Zootopia? Simpsons?

 

[jason976]

Well, we know that Bob Iger sure thinks so...

...for now.

It sure worked to get it rethemed.

I'd argue Moana does not fit in Animal Kingdom and would be better off in the Magic Kingdom. Specifically, in Adventureland. Surely there's room.

Let me guess... Zootopia? Simpsons?

I like the Simpsons okay but having it in a Disney park is not exciting. It still feels like Universal regardless of ownership. My fear is that someone said “hey. We already have a donut on RnR. Let’s just turn all the signs in the ride to Springfield and change the audio track and be done.”