News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[donsullivan]

These are big laydown yards and one right up against the railroad..

View attachment 808832

Once this gets rolling in earnest, I suspect we'll lose the railroad for another couple of years.

 

[Quietmouse]

This is somewhat dismissive considering a big part of the appeal of the original Disneyland was the nostalgic look back it offered to parents and grandparents of that era. Maybe thats an argument for why some of these things should be replaced as time does march on, but the appeal of nostalgia should not be completely ignored (nor, similarly, overdone).

I get the appeal of nostalgia, but one could argue that nostalgia handcuffs you into the past while denying you the opportunity to embrace change.

 

[BrianLo]

The crowds at DL and WDW are completely different. And, no, I don't think that people at DL are "enjoying" RoA/TSI more than at MK - the island there is just as sparse when I have visited it.

Fantasmic is a key differentiator.

 

[DCLcruiser]

EPCOT's American Adventure fills this role. It's literally its purpose.

There was a time that I thought they were the same show! If HOP was ever in danger, they should expand the US pavilion.

 

[donsullivan]

So this is stormwater control and laydown yard, not the actual construction yet.

The stormwater retention has to be built and fully operational to take over the storage capacity provided by RoA before they can start removal of that. However many gallons of runoff capacity RoA provides to the site needs to be replaced and in operation first.

 

[mightynine]

I was just thinking back to a few short weeks ago when everyone was fretting about how a Louisiana bayou fit into Frontierland... Ah, those were the days!

It's easier when nothing fits! ;-)

 

[JD80]

I gave it the 24 hour rule before posting on here and like I said earlier…I wasn’t initially on board but my 11yo son was BEYOND excited and engaged in the conversation of what comes next (with construction, etc) to the point that it caused him to be emotionally invested in this in a positive way. We’ve been fortunate enough that he has been to MK at least 5 times now and his eyes see this as advancement and something his generation will enjoy for years to come with his kids.

I think a lot of people forget this perspective.

 

[doctornick]

I imagine it's a long term decision so they can make villains land bigger or have more room for an additional land in the future.

They literally will have to replace the river with other water reservoirs for storm management. They aren't creating more land out of this. If they wanted to make Villains bigger or add other stuff there is literally the "blessing of size" and acres of land to the north they can use. MK does not have any issues with not enough land. Not even remotely.

 

[Dear Prudence]

I am sorry to call Liberty Square problematic from a political standpoint is "PROBLEMATIC." The Hall of Presidents exists so all presidents regardless of their political party or views are represented to discuss about our collective history as a country. Most countries from around the world have issues but to simply ignore history is simply ignorant or the bad parts will easily come back to haunt us all again.

The Disney difference was that their parks offered items for all families, individuals and guests. You could ride a roller coaster, take a cruise past dolls representing various nations, sit in a mansion full of ghosts or actually learn something while staying cool in the HoP or CoP.

I get their current strategy is to charge more so a cut in attendance is noticeable but not hurting the bottom line. However, Wall Street, social media and people are starting to see trends they do not like. Taking the magic out of Disney World which made it a premium resort for so many years to replace the heart of the parks is starting to burn the company.

I am not sure how anything with Andrew Jackson still exists. I am more concerned about that than Tom Sawyer Island.

 

[billy023]

As much as I hate to see the rivers of America and Tom sawyers Island go. I am excited for because let's be honest our ROA and TSI are by far the worst versions of them and most people will probably prefer this. Also there were massive issues with how people were going to back there without getting rid of the river boat. It looks like it'll still have a lot of water elements so hopefully it won't feel like a "concrete jungle".

I suppose there is the water fall, and ice? I think what struck me is how the meandering of the river which speaks to frontier and the Mississippi, is gone. I just don’t see the new vision clearly. In the past, I’d trust their direction, but I suppose I am frightened now considering how new Epcot turned out. I just don’t know if they have a handle on things. You can take Incredibles out of Contemporary fairly painlessly if that was ever decided, but these kinds of things are structural and exhaustively expensive so the land’s vision has to be spot on.

 

[DCLcruiser]

These are big laydown yards and one right up against the railroad..

View attachment 808832

You're going to have to define what a laydown yard is.

 

[doctornick]

They’ve got far more fails than wins as it stands right now.

Honestly, this is not on WDI and the Imagineers. I think Cars and Villains will likely be well designed. This is all about the idiots calling the shots on what to spend money on and where to put it.

And what to destroy.

 

[MrPromey]

While building out the other side of the path would create a stronger pedestrian experience, it would do so in isolation and in contradiction to the story. Frontierland doesn’t have a lot of chronological separation from Main Street, USA. The shootout on Main Street is a classic western trope. But Frontierland wasn’t telling an urban story like Main Street, USA. Even with these new attractions, it’s still supposed to be telling a story of great expanses of land. Adding a second block creates a very urban typology.

... a second block with autonomous SUVs no less - very frontier land feeling, eh?

 

[Kamikaze]

Solutions jump right out at you when you look at an overhead map. The area in purple (below) could easily be used to make a massive Villains Land, while still keeping a functional Rivers of America so as to not disrupt themeing for Liberty Square and Frontierland. And the Villains Land could now semi-incorporate the Haunted Mansion. This area is massive - matching the size of current Fantasyland. Even if you kept the entirety of the Rivers of America, the footprint is still big enough to match the size of the other lands in the park.

The Cars attraction could be placed in the area of the Tommorowland Speedway (in orange on the map) and, if you were willing to spend the money, you have plenty of room to build one hell of an attraction.

Of course, this took 45 seconds for me to create using Google Maps and Adobe Illustrator, so it's understandable that modern day WDI couldn't figure it out.


View attachment 808829

How do you get guests back to that area?

 

[J4546]

sorry does anyone know what this shows? is it water retention ponds or more space for expansion?

all i make out of these permits is there is a massive amount of land being graded and ready for expansion behind big thunder. Perhaps something way out of left field is coming and they are moving all the backstage stuff behind Tianas/potc and gonna make room for a land and pathway around tianas

 

[Disney Analyst]

These are big laydown yards and one right up against the railroad..

View attachment 808832

Laydown yard meaning... a place to go laydown and nap when construction worker tired?

 

[RobbinsDad]

I never understood the Speedway in Tomorrowland. It was tucked away enough where I could ignore what I thought was misplacement. There’s no way to ignore Cars (with cartoon faces) in Frontierland. It’s so odd, and I can’t think of how even re-naming this land will really work in a real way.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt with the Epcot re-do and their vision for the new sections and in turn their naming. How that turned out, I truly don’t trust that this land re-do will land right.

The artists are being subverted by “spreadsheeters”. The grand spectacle that were each of the parks are being broken down into circus tent shows - the antithesis of what Walt set out for. I felt the spread of this approach was contained to things like Beauty and the Beast being shoe-horned into Grand Floridian or Ratatouille gently folding into France. Things that might interrupt my sensibilities but the whole staying cohesive enough.

But this expansion feels like the walls of un-visioning have finally broke into Magic Kingdom - a continuation of the horrendous new sight lines of the Polynesian tower, the absurdity of the grey box of the Riviera, Incredibles floating through Contemporary.

When we combine the ignorance of aesthetic and place with the gaul of raising prices so high and insulting add ons, well they’re really losing their grip on both fantasy and reality.

They should be listening to core fans. Their intensity of view on these things are what the “common” visitor cannot articulate themselves but are paying for when they visit. When you lose your core, it’s a race to the lowest common denominator. “Core” demographics and growth demographics might not align, however there is an artists’ way to lead that overlap and its up to the business side to follow. Right now, it’s reverse.

I get your apprehension, and when it's all over the area could look like a horrible, Cars version of TSL. But the renderings, again as shown, appear to focus more on the mountain/forest aesthetic of the Rocky Mountain West and not the Cars themselves, except the Piston mountain of course.

 

[DCLcruiser]

... a second block with autonomous SUVs no less - very frontier land feeling, eh?

The final frontier.

 

[Obi-Ron-Kenobi]

Which could be fine if they manage to keep the beautiful views the rivers currently offer intact. I hope more of the water is saved than the concept art makes it look like.

Also, despite all the talk about them renaming Frontierland as a whole, I can see the name "Frontier" still fitting with a more American nature inspired area. It's literally the American frontier- dusty western towns, lush southlands, and the green and cold pacific northwest. If they changed the name it would be a bad choice.

I agree with this take on all fronts. I think it's odd that so many are worried about Rockies/Cascades feel seeming out of place, but had no issue with Splash Mountain (set in the old South) being stuffed between a wild west town and BTM. Like what are we even doing here?

In my opinion the loss of a scenic vista and a open-play space that is lightly used is a big bummer, but entirely understand Disney's need to make more money quarter over quarter. This is the life of a publicly traded company.

Lastly (also my opinion), people saying this has anything to do with Disney being anti-American are victim-shopping. And what's more American than tearing down natural beauty if it's the way of progress and profits?

 

[Horizons '83]

You're going to have to define what a laydown yard is.

I want to say that those will be staging areas for materials, off-site construction of show elements etc.