News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Bocabear]

I have no desire to take my family back to what WDW has become.

well I guess the only tiny bright spot I can see is it takes them forever to build anything... so we have a few years to enjoy it.

 

[danlb_2000]

People clutching their pearls over something that no one gave a crap about until yesterday is comical. Tom Sawyer island is a ghost town. The riverboat is only used by people killing time until their actual fun ride is available.

Disney does not and should not make rides for a few hundred people on wdwmagic. They make rides based on what the general public wants. And the general public wants rides like this. Virtual queue will be sold out in seconds and the ILL will sell out just as fast for these new rides. This is how companies should be run, appealing to the masses vs the small fandom of wdwmagic.

People generally only want better versions of what they already have. Innovators provide people with what they didn't know they wanted.

 

[Kamikaze]

Because it hurts to see beauty destroyed.

Beauty is a little strong. The trees on TSI and the rest of the river are way overgrown and kind of a mess.

They're definitely removing tranquility and general ambiance because of the river.

 

[Bocabear]

This is an area of the park that no one cares about except a few online die hards. Disneys job is to make money. That’s it. Nothing else. This will make them more money than the existing, dead land that no one cares about. Again, no one cared about this part of the park until yesterday, now all of the sudden it’s the greatest thing in world history and should always be saved regardless of the fact that that the real customers dont care about it.

that is patently false. People do care about it. Disney has land... They can build this attraction in any of the other parks that need the capacity WAY more then the Magic Kingdom does...They can also expand the footprint of the park and build this where it does NOT completely change the atmosphere and iconic layout of the flagship Disney Castle Park. THere is no going back once this is done...

 

[Kamikaze]

well I guess the only tiny bright spot I can see is it takes them forever to build anything... so we have a few years to enjoy it.

Supposed to be done by the end of 2027. That means visible construction and the closing of the areas will most likely happen sometime in the first half of 2025.

 

[Wall-e]

I hope this comes across the right way. This is gonna sound contrary to all of the ROA/TSI supporters but the suggestions by some to amend the current plans for the Cars area to leave some of the river and dock area would likely create something that, in the end, doesn’t completely fit either theme they are going for, current (past) or future.

Gosh, I worry that if WDC actually listens to those here who want this area to remain as is, and in an effort to appease them, they bastardize the original concept plans to the point that we get a finished product that doesn’t meet their original vision. And ironically in the end doesn’t meet anyone’s expectations and causes more disdain.

Disney is definitely going to take all of this feedback into account and I hope what we end up with isn’t some mish mash of ideas that leads to a product that is less then what the imagineers envisioned.

As someone already said, Let them Cook! I am exicited to see the concept art come to fruition. If they can move it Beyond BTM and keep ROA/TSI as is then fine! But don’t give me a combination of the two.

 

[Jrb1979]

I still can't quite get over the fact that they are planning to completely redo so a large section of the Magic Kingdom to pay homage to cars. I guess they imagine that the imagination of current and future generations is as activated by the theme of cars as past generations were by adventure, the American frontier, fantasy, and the future.

I just find it so weird that this is what they think the Magic Kingdom is.

IMO it comes down to Igers ego. He wants people to remember the parks for him.

 

[Kamikaze]

I hope this comes across the right way. This is gonna sound contrary to all of the ROA/TSI supporters but the suggestions by some to amend the current plans for the Cars area to leave some of the river and dock area would likely create something that, in the end, doesn’t completely fit either theme they are going for, current (past) or future.

Gosh, I worry that if WDC actually listens to those here who want this area to remain as is, and in an effort to appease them, they bastardize the original concept plans to the point that we get a finished product that doesn’t meet their original vision. And ironically in the end doesn’t meet anyone’s expectations and causes more disdain.

Disney is definitely going to take all of this feedback into account and I hope what we end up with isn’t some mish mash of ideas that leads to a product that is less then what the imagineers envisioned.

As someone already said, Let them Cook! I am exicited to see the concept art come to fruition. If they can move it Beyond BTM and keep ROA/TSI as is then fine! But don’t give me a combination of the two.

They don't listen. Not a concern.

 

[bwr827]

It would be good if others who might know can pipe in, but @PREMiERdrum indicated that what they are doing is not the cheapest option at all and was not chosen for cost savings reasons

That’s not how I read it. The Beyond version was too expensive, and then of the remaining alternatives this was not the cheapest.

 

[Ellen Ripley]

As I lay in bed last night, before I drifted off, I thought, " If they rip out ROA, I never need to go back."

 

[danlb_2000]

that is patently false. People do care about it. Disney has land... They can build this attraction in any of the other parks that need the capacity WAY more then the Magic Kingdom does...They can also expand the footprint of the park and build this where it does NOT completely change the atmosphere and iconic layout of the flagship Disney Castle Park. THere is no going back once this is done...

Even if you don't go on the Riverboat or Tom Sawyer Island, this area still impacts your park experience whether the guest consciously knows it or not.

 

[Jrb1979]

Disney's doing what it thinks will maximize the money it makes for shareholders over the next 5-ish years.

To your point, there are other ways of approaching these kinds of decisions. And as I said upthread, those discussions are really about what flavor of capitalism you prefer.

I get what you're saying. Attractions to them now isn't about making the parks better but how much ROI they can get New attractions is all about the LL money.

 

[doctornick]

Even if you don't go on the Riverboat or Tom Sawyer Island, this area still impacts your park experience whether the guest consciously knows it or not.

That is the thing. My big gripe isn't losing the riverboat ride or TSI per se but that the atmosphere will be absolutely ruined by this. I would imagine the cars area will look nice enough on its own but having physical land abutting what was designed as waterfront in LS and Frontierland will make those areas seem extremely awkward. Unless they are planning to add new buildings along what is currently the waterfront (which would just add to the expense), the whole thing will be off putting.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I really think this is a mistake personally. But, regardless, some interesting numbers. I did some quick rough measurements off Google maps. Here are some comparisons to DCA locations. I think scale is going to be a bigger issue than people realize.

This new area (basically from the river in) compares to DCA as follows:
-The new area is approximately 40% the size of Cars Land
-The new area is approximately 75% the size of RSR itself (no other parts of CarsLand)
-The new area is approximately 75% of the size of Grizzly River Run (just the ride - not any area around it).
-The new area is about 35% of the Condor Flats/Grizzly Peak area.

I think GRR is the best comparison, because it is in the middle of the park. That is a great ride, but it's not a huge area. Let alone adding in a second smaller attraction. I don't think this has the scale or grandeur a lot of people think it will.

 

[the_rich]

@lentesta can you elaborate as to what the other option was?

 

[Incomudro]

I feel this way of thinking about the parks antithetical to what made Disney parks different from their competitors. Based on reading the numbers this way, you could justify all sorts of weird things like sticking a roller coaster in the middle of World Showcase lagoon because the Friendships don't rate as highly on guest surveys as Cosmic Rewind.

For years, they've been producing glossy books and documentaries explaining how much thought went into colours, sightlines, transitions, research, etc. to suggest that it was this kind of attention to detail that actually made people happier in Disney parks than those of their competitors.

I find it so strange to just say to hell with all that, surveys show people prefer rides. I even don't understand being that enthused about the possibilities it opens up for the future. With this kind of management and Imagineering, we'll have the Incredibles building a training camp at the foot of Big Thunder.

For sure.
Great art and great things be they paintings, music, movies, food etc., isn't designed, isn't great - just because they sell.
McDonald's sells billions of hamburgers but it is not a great culinary experience in food nor ambience.
Many a pop music princess sells millions of downloads of generic, soulless dreck.
Paving over my local farm and erecting a strip mall brings in so much more money.
But is any of this good?

 

[Incomudro]

I have no desire to take my family back to what WDW has become.

I've largely lost it.
I doubt I'll go back until my son's have children of their own and my wife and I go with them.

 

[Jrb1979]

This is an area of the park that no one cares about except a few online die hards. Disneys job is to make money. That’s it. Nothing else. This will make them more money than the existing, dead land that no one cares about. Again, no one cared about this part of the park until yesterday, now all of the sudden it’s the greatest thing in world history and should always be saved regardless of the fact that that the real customers dont care about it.

It's not about Cars coming to the park. I'm all for it. I feel even if only a handful of people used TSI or Rivers, it was something that kept people out of other lines. Not everything needs to be an E ticket.

From the way many are talking a lot you don't do Dumbo, Mickey's Philarmagic, Carousel of Progress or Laugh Floor. It sounds like all anyone rides is just E tickets.

 

[flyerjab]

I've been on the forums now since Test Track 2.0 photos started surfacing. That was during the heyday of @WDW1974. This expansion brings me back to a point he made one time. In fact, it was one of the last bold predictions/statements he made. He said that all usable space within the MK was going to be utilized. That it was going to be filled up with rides, stores, restaurants, etc. It gave me the impression that all breathable space was going to disappear…very much like the impression this project is giving. I wonder if this is part of what he was forecasting?

 

[Lou Filerman]

that is patently false. People do care about it. Disney has land... They can build this attraction in any of the other parks that need the capacity WAY more then the Magic Kingdom does...They can also expand the footprint of the park and build this where it does NOT completely change the atmosphere and iconic layout of the flagship Disney Castle Park. THere is no going back once this is done...

I should rephrase. The VAST majority of the general public doesn’t care. When this thing opens it will be a monster hit. The lines will be massive and the ILL will sell out in seconds. That’s the people Disney cares about pleasing. A few hundred die hards who all say they aren’t going anymore anyway do not play in disneys plans. I agree it could go in another park and possibly fit better but again, when it opens and it’s a huge money maker Disney will get what they want, a new money making machine and getting rid of an absolutely boring part of the park that was generating zero dollars.