News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[easyrowrdw]

To be honest, this announcement has been clarifying to me in the way you are suggesting. It’s time to stop suggesting (and buying their marketing hype) that Walt Disney World is any more ‘special’ than any other resort or theme park complex. They do some things better than other places, some things worse. However, we should really not be blinded by nostalgia or BS like Josh D’Amaro’s story about his father saying it’s “like you’re really flying” when he was a kid going on Peter Pan to imagine they’re doing anything other than running numbers. Sometimes they’ll get it right and sometimes they’ll get it wrong, but I do think we need to be more clear eyed at approaching things such as all the nods to Epcot’s ‘heritage’ in the recent redevelopment with all the insincerity that lies behind them.

This doesn’t come from a place of saying TSI needs to be preserved at all costs. It comes from the complete disregard they have shown to even trying to maintain the atmosphere and theming of one of the classic MK lands by sticking Cars of all things right in the middle of it. If Cars is now considered worthy as the main theme of a land at the Magic Kingdom, that is clarifying in terms of what the Magic Kingdom now is.

Overall, I still feel like this is a monumentally terrible idea and I think you really said it well. The plan just seems so far out of line with what I thought Disney parks were supposed to be. I told my kids about the plans to remove the river and Tom Sawyer's Island. They were all unhappy, as they love the island. My youngest is worried it will be gone before we can go back again.

Others have said this won't be anyone's breaking point, but I think it's mine. We've spent an unreasonable amount of our vacation time and money at Disney World. We bought annual passes and DVC and were looking to buy more. I'm definitely not buying more now. I'll play out my AP and give my kids what we've already planned but I really don't see Disney World being a part of our vacations once the destruction begins.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

I’ve been on the riverboat at Disneyland when it was that crowded - they also have a live jazz band and Tiana on the riverboat frequently.

I remember many years ago when the Banjo Brothers would ride the Liberty Belle - they were cut many years ago sadly cause MK can’t afford banjo players - toooooo much money! Haha.

Stop it! All this talk about “free” entertainment (sans the *modest* cost of admission) and you’re going to make the folks at TDO lose their lunch. They’ll be calling out of work Monday after having panic attacks.

 

[DisneyNeighbor]

Guys,...EVERY Disney Castle park in the world has a similar water/river feature to it's design. ALL of them! It's for a good reason. This portion of every park is there to create an ATMOSPHERE. It's not there to be measured in attraction que metrics, it's not there as an "attraction" to lure guests in from around the world to "ride" something. It's not there as something add into Genie+ for guests to PAY to see it. It's there in the same way that the castle is. It creates an iconic atmosphere.

MK is now going to be the ONLY castle park to destroy it and NOT have this main feature that Walt's original Disneyland had???

Burbank is licking their chops and drooling saying: "Oh.......YES!!"

This is insane....I have been an absolute Disney obsessed, Pixie Dusting, fanatic, WARRIOR for Walt Disney and this company brand ever since I was 10 years old. (I'm 55 now) What Burbank has done to this company ever since (about) the Fox purchase...is KILLING a lifetime of me loving this brand. Burbank's HORRIBLE and TOXIC business decisions are destroying this logo and it's 100 year old halo for millions of people.

It's not just me,...third party surveys and studies ARE showing that Burbank is turning Disney into a highly polarizing company and I hate seeing this happen.

It's absolutely heart breaking....and NOT necessary.

Well said!

 

[LittleBuford]

I disagree - the castle didn’t originally look surprising or fantastical at the end of Main Street - that is a modern WDW change.

I don't understanding. Are you saying that people did not consider Cinderella Castle a fantastical, fairytale sight before the hub was redesigned?

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

View attachment 810112
The Frontierland name will be staying it seems! I'm glad because it's pretty iconic, and at the very least, "frontier" also means "wilderness." I guess we'll have to see what happens to Liberty Square though...

Where is this from? What construction wall is this?

 

[Incomudro]

There are rivers back there. There won’t be soon if this plan keeps steaming ahead.

I’ve been on the riverboat at Disneyland when it was that crowded - they also have a live jazz band and Tiana on the riverboat frequently.

I remember many years ago when the Banjo Brothers would ride the Liberty Belle - they were cut many years ago sadly cause MK can’t afford banjo players - toooooo much money! Haha.

You know...
Isn't it a bit odd that they built Tiana's Bayou, which is adjacent to a river with a riverboat on it - fitting the theme - as a riverboat featured heavily in the film, and the waterway does fit well with the outdoor theming of Tiana's - and now they are going to take it away?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I don't understanding. Are you saying that people did not consider Cinderella Castle a fantastical, fairytale sight before the hub was redesigned?

Correct. I mean within reason of course. Cinderella Castle as a design was pushing it - the original Disneyland castle got it right 100% to me.

But yes, looking down Main Street you saw a park at the end of the street and beyond the park, through and above the trees you’d see a portion of the castle - which called you into the park - the weenie.

Once you got to the hub and walked through or around the trees, you’d see the entire castle towering over you, which of course called you further into the park to explore fantasyland.

The castle paint job has continued to get more cartoon and fairytale like as well. Not necessarily bad - I kinda like the current paint at both WDW and DL. But it’s very different than the original design.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

You know...
Isn't it a bit odd that the built Tiana's Bayou, which is adjacent to a river with a riverboat on it - fitting the theme - as a riverboat featured heavily in the film, and the waterway does fit well with the outdoor theming of Tiana's - and now they are going to take it away?

Very. I still say worst case scenario the boat gets docked back there and becomes a mint julep bar or stage.

 

[haveyoumetmark]

I think they're making the point that Disney's more than happy to exploit it where they can and it's pretty obvious the only reason they're not doing it here is because they literally can't.

I don't agree with everything being argued and leaning into this discussion may be a shifting of the goal posts as it relates to Tom Sawyer's Island, Rivers of America, and the ferry boat but as an independent discussion, I can still see what they're saying.

... Again, not saying I think it has much bearing on the main point of this discussion.

Agree with you re: the thread but the Deadpool stuff is disingenuous and a stretch at best.

Overall, I still feel like this is a monumentally terrible idea and I think you really said it well. The plan just seems so far out of line with what I thought Disney parks were supposed to be. I told my kids about the plans to remove the river and Tom Sawyer's Island. They were all unhappy, as they love the island. My youngest is worried it will be gone before we can go back again.

Others have said this won't be anyone's breaking point, but I think it's mine. We've spent an unreasonable amount of our vacation time and money at Disney World. We bought annual passes and DVC and were looking to buy more. I'm definitely not buying more now. I'll play out my AP and give my kids what we've already planned but I really don't see Disney World being a part of our vacations once the destruction begins.

I respect your opinion and you’re certainly entitled to it, but I think if you give the replacement a chance, your family may be pleasantly surprised. Like it could very well be a net improvement, if for nothing else then navigation alone. Not to mention Villains Land and whatever eventually comes to the expansion plots in the future.

 

[RosR9]

Soooo do we have different threads for wanting to talk about the new Cars stuff and talking about the thematic integrity of the Disney parks or is it just all on one thread? I just want to talk about potential rock work man.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

You know...
Isn't it a bit odd that the built Tiana's Bayou, which is adjacent to a river with a riverboat on it - fitting the theme - as a riverboat featured heavily in the film, and the waterway does fit well with the outdoor theming of Tiana's - and now they are going to take it away?

Pocahontas, Brother Bear, Bambi, Robin Hood, or even UP all would have fit a backwoods national park theme better. Unlike at DL where Tiana fits quite well.

They really should have had better foresight if they were going to take Frontierland in this direction.

Another option would have been to bring Western River Expedition to this corner of the park to blunt the loss of RoA. Build Tiana dark ride as an extension of Fantastland where Speedway is.

 

[LittleBuford]

Correct. I mean within reason of course. Cinderella Castle as a design was pushing it - the original Disneyland castle got it right 100% to me.

But yes, looking down Main Street you saw a park at the end of the street and beyond the park, through and above the trees you’d see a portion of the castle - which called you into the park - the weenie.

Once you got to the hub and walked through or around the trees, you’d see the entire castle towering over you, which of course called you further into the park to explore fantasyland.

The castle paint job has continued to get more cartoon and fairytale like as well. Not necessarily bad - I kinda like the current paint at both WDW and DL. But it’s very different than the original design.

I think yours is very much a minority view. I'm confident in saying that to most people, the castle looks as it was supposed to—a wonderfully surprising fairytale vision at the end of an American high street. It still appears that way to me even after all the multiple times I've seen it.

For what it's worth, this is how the castle is discussed in Disneyland's opening-day broadcast:

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Where is this from? What construction wall is this?

Not sure exactly where. If I were to guess, I'd say it's at the dead end by BTM, as the rivers and TSI are still open and will be until sometime next year, but they've supposedly already started clearing land back there- which makes me feel that Cars and Villains will be opening relatively close to each other.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Pocahontas, Brother Bear, Bambi, Robin Hood, or even UP all would have fit a backwoods national park theme better. Unlike at DL where Tiana fits quite well.

They really should have had better foresight if they were going to take Frontierland in this direction.

Another option would have been to bring Western River Expedition to this corner of the park to blunt the loss of RoA. Build Tiana dark ride as an extension of Fantastland where Speedway is.

Or, an IP specific to the parks that's already in WDW, one that has proven to be successful when effort is put in to keep it relevant, one that even received its own land that was themed to a national park... The Country Bears! Could've made Frontierland more visually in line with Bear Country, plant some pine trees and add cascading waterfalls... think Grizzly Peak, but more rustic and western.

Western River Expedition would've been awesome, but let's face it- there's a decent chance it'd be gone by now. There's also a decent chance it could've been the next Pirates and Mansion and be a super popular parks IP (though at the same time, if WDW never got Pirates, there's a chance it wouldn't have become a successful movie franchise).

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I think yours is very much a minority view.

That wasn’t really a “view” everything I said was a fact. The visuals and reveal of the castle has significantly changed.

I’m not arguing for or against - although the hub in MK is very unpleasant now with no shade.

 

[LittleBuford]

That wasn’t really a “view” everything I said was a fact. The visuals and reveal of the castle has significantly changed.

I’m not arguing for or against - although the hub in MK is very unpleasant now with no shade.

It's not a fact that guests used to consider the castle a more mundane sight than they do now. That's very much your own opinion.

No-one is denying that the framing of the castle has changed. The alterations you're referring to have not, however, made the castle look more fantastical. If anything, the presence of more trees in the past only enhanced the storybook aesthetic.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It's not a fact that guests used to consider the castle a more mundane sight than they do now. That's very much your own opinion.

I never said that? Haha. Anyways!

 

[LittleBuford]

I never said that? Haha. Anyways!

You wrote that "the castle didn’t originally look surprising or fantastical at the end of Main Street". I'm not sure how else to interpret that.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

But yes, looking down Main Street you saw a park at the end of the street and beyond the park, through and above the trees you’d see a portion of the castle - which called you into the park - the weenie.

Once you got to the hub and walked through or around the trees, you’d see the entire castle towering over you, which of course called you further into the park to explore fantasyland.

You wrote that "the castle didn’t originally look surprising or fantastical at the end of Main Street". I'm not sure how else to interpret that.

it didn’t look surprising or fantastical from Main Street - it did after you passed the hub and it was towering over you.

 

[LittleBuford]

it didn’t look surprising or fantastical from Main Street - it did after you passed the hub and it was towering over you.

OK, thanks for clarifying; I misunderstood what you were saying. I still disagree with you. Cinderella Castle in particular is far too grand ever to have just blended in, and I don’t think Sleeping Beauty was sufficiently inconspicuous either.