News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[PizzaPlanet]

Anyone else concerned this ride won’t have a significant dark ride portion? It’s such a key part of what makes RSR work, but the art makes it looks like this is almost entirely outdoors.

 

[radiorae]

No it doesnt. What do 90s Toys have to do with the Frontier or the wild wilderness??

“90s toys” don’t. The scenario he set up, focusing on Bullseye and Woody, who is literally a cowboy with a frontier themed Wild West show, does.

To be clear, I am in no way saying we need another Toy Story land, in fact, my post argued against it.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

In a way you could say Dark Universe is an original park creation.

I think this is fair, but it would also make Fantasy Springs an example of an “original creation” which I likely wouldn’t agree with.

Although I imagine it doesn’t really come from a place of generosity. Universal really loves building the 1:1 recreations of scenes and landscapes from their IPs — if there was a notable enough place in the Universal monster catalogue, they probably would have done it.

 

[Streetway]

Josh Damaro liked this post on his Instagram.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Josh Damaro liked this post on his Instagram.

I think that's more of a "there there, it's gonna be okay" pat on the back, kinda like.

 

[Captain Neo]

“90s toys” don’t. The scenario he set up, focusing on Bullseye and Woody, who is literally a cowboy with a frontier themed Wild West show, does.

To be clear, I am in no way saying we need another Toy Story land, in fact, my post argued against it.

right im just saying bullseye and Woody are toys based on a toyline in a film that takes place in the mid 1990s.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Anyone else concerned this ride won’t have a significant dark ride portion? It’s such a key part of what makes RSR work, but the art makes it looks like this is almost entirely outdoors.

Worried about this too. I don’t think it’s the prevailing reason as to why RSR works but I sure would miss it. Maybe the ride system really is more interesting than “slot car go fast”. We’ll see…

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I think I was fair in characterizing that not everyone is using these arguments — but a lot of people clearly are, and it’s the reason that emotions are running highly in the first place. If the opinions were just “I’m happy/sad to see this go” this thread would not be 140+ pages deep.


Yes and no. It would not have been my first choice either, but I’m eager to see if they can pull it off. My standards of enjoyment for theme parks are quite low and I’m willing to go to some pretty bad ones. To say I have full confidence in Disney is a lie considering the way EPCOT turned out, but I’m still pretty excited to see the change and the impact it has on the worst Frontierland and RoA in the Disney parks, even if it turns out as slop.

I just get irritated by the holier-than-thou attitudes.

Fair points. I’m with you in hoping they can make something good out of it. Not to be a broken record, but all I need out of this is something that captures the same aesthetic and feeling the view of the river currently has. Have it been more New England-y on the LS side and transition to more Klondike-y for Frontierland. If they redo the facades of Country Bear Street to be more Grizzly Peaks/Klondike inspired it would pull it together. Just leave Grizzly Hall the same!

 

[RoysCabin]

As a dedicated fan, I find almost all of my time visiting the parks is dedicated to classic attractions. Mansion, Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, etc in MK; Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, Figment in Epcot, etc.Rarely am I stampeding to the latest IP attraction.

I had a pretty big hit of that when I went back for the first time in a few years this past February, chaperoning a school trip: we walked down Main Street, started at Adventureland, and promptly hit up the Tiki Room, Pirates, walked around to Haunted Mansion, got to Space Mountain and the PeopleMover...and man, when we were hitting the classics it felt really good. Heck, had the same feeling going down Hollywood and Sunset at Studios, and, of course, World Showcase, which remains my favorite area overall.

Doesn't mean all the new stuff stunk or anything; TRON was pretty sweet! But there's a timelessness to a lot of the classics that can be very tough to replicate, for sure.

On the question of Disney and Universal acting more like one another or whatever, my big takeaway has been that Universal's been smarter about which properties it licenses and utilizes to build themed IP lands around. I've said it many times before, but Potter, much as I don't care for it as a franchise, works for theme parks since it has "literary DNA" with built in references to things that impact all five senses for guests to interact with. Nintendo works because of the very immersive/interactive nature of video games. The Monsters will likely work in large part due to the established mood and atmosphere of the classic movies being something that can translate into a vibe that works for real life moving around...and, importantly, by having the separate Islands of Adventure and now the separate "Universes" they're not creating IP logjams where it feels like stuff is being forced into areas where they don't belong, trampling all over thematic cohesion, etc. Might actually explain why the original Universal park in Orlando feels the weakest: you can feel the IP hodgepodge there, it just feels all so disconnected and weird, since it had been designed with specific areas in mind but it's just pretty much ignored by now, for the most part.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

On the question of Disney and Universal acting more like one another or whatever, my big takeaway has been that Universal's been smarter about which properties it licenses and utilizes to build themed IP lands around. I've said it many times before, but Potter, much as I don't care for it as a franchise, works for theme parks since it has "literary DNA" with built in references to things that impact all five senses for guests to interact with. Nintendo works because of the very immersive/interactive nature of video games. The Monsters will likely work in large part due to the established mood and atmosphere of the classic movies being something that can translate into a vibe that works for real life moving around...and, importantly, by having the separate Islands of Adventure and now the separate "Universes" they're not creating IP logjams where it feels like stuff is being forced into areas where they don't belong, trampling all over thematic cohesion, etc. Might actually explain why the original Universal park in Orlando feels the weakest: you can feel the IP hodgepodge there, it just feels all so disconnected and weird, since it had been designed with specific areas in mind but it's just pretty much ignored by now, for the most part.

I’m really hoping the portals at Epic work better mentally in separating, because I really don’t think it works too well at IoA. The transitions from Comic Book to Kong/Jurassic Park, or Seuss to Lost Continent, have always felt super jarring. And it’s irritating hearing the Jurassic Park theme play in Forbidden Journey’s queue.

 

[Quietmouse]

How do they feel about cars? Honest question.

I have 2 daughters and they could care less.

 

[GenChi]

I’m honestly worried about mansion…. It’s gonna be smack in the middle of this. It COULD be an anchor / portal to villains land but it’s also a huge show building……..

This is going to be one of those unintentional side effects that's going to linger over WDW for decades.

Splash made it so supposed invincibles could fall with enough negatives. The river made it so all attractions feel like they can fall at anytime.

WDW fans have had paranoia before, the entire Figment fandom is just paranoia. But filling in the entire river is really going to kick it in because it makes it so if the right IP or attraction comes along they will take out anything. At any prior time any discussion about Haunted Mansion removal would be seen as insane, that ride gets a lot of ridership and sells merch greatly. But losing the river puts it in a very real discussion. Maybe Nightmare Before Christmas sells more merch. Maybe they decide HMH at DL shows NBC is more lucrative. Maybe NBC would synergize the film/D+ to park connections more and bring more attendance and LL. Maybe they need to move the building anyway for villains and this would differentiate it from DL...

Not that I think it would ever happen. But that people think it can now is a major impact of this. MK doesn't have the DL advantage of being the classic original for most attractions, if they want to keep one they'd remove MK's. MK is supposed to have some nostalgia that as you age certain things will stick around, and that's supposed to feel good. But I feel more confident in regional parks preserving their historical attractions then MK, and that negative doubt will get to the major park fans against what they parks should feel. The only thing that might be eternal is the castle. Everything else is for sale.

 

[Quietmouse]

I’ve always wondered this. If Disney is obsessed with ips connected to rides/lands and it helps drive merchandise sales for that ip, I’m curious why Disney world/land have yet to get a something that Disney sea ended up with.

It seems like a no brainer for the states.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Totally agree The Chatbox Ghost.

I think some of the potential political reasoning questions stem from trying to understand the logic beyond TDO trying to fill up as much land as possible in the MK to make more profit.

I will really miss the view from BTM looking over ROA to the castle!

Also, the riverboat was such a gem. Where can you ride a working riverboat even if it went along a rail. So relaxing. I did not go for years and the in 2017 for my parents 50th anniversary we all went on and it was a blast. My wife who never went on before loved it more than anybody.

Losing the riverboat truly is a loss. I hope they can bring it somewhere else.

 

[el_super]

I’m curious why Disney world/land have yet to get a something that Disney sea ended up with.

They tried to bring Duffy to the US but it didn't catch on.

 

[Quietmouse]

They tried to bring Duffy to the US but it didn't catch on.

 

[Quietmouse]

I’m talking more frozen. It’s one Disney most successful ip in history. My kids still watch the first and second movie for the past 4 years. They are still absolutely obsessed.

Likewise you could argue that their presence at Disney land and Disney world are quite lacking.

 

[psherman42]

I think they will based on the art. Of course we will have to see when its actually built, but at least the at has a river and waterfalls and geysers

Geysers and maybe a waterfall does not make up for the complete loss of the river. They are not even close to comparable.

Gotta wonder if this was originally considered for DLP since WDW has Cars elsewhere, but they changed their minds and just slapped Tiana's in the background.

Which kind of makes it worse if that *is the case. It’d come across like Disney doesn’t care about WDW enough to come up with a new idea for it. Even when they’re doing the most significant reimagining in the parks history.

This. There will be water in this area and there’s still the chance we have remnants of ROA between BTM and Villians.

At that point, what’s the point of keeping the river at all if it’s between BTM and Villains? The issue here for me is preserving the waterfront.

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.

But if they have all of these ideas for the future, at what point do you just build a fifth gate? People have been begging for it for YEARS and Universal building EU gave them the perfect excuse to finally do it. To me, planning them all for MK gives them the perfect justification to axe them when budget cuts hit. But hey who cares. At least they got rid of RoA. Which I guess is what they really want.

I can only hope that they have walking trails through the Cars attraction, not that it'll be quieter, but at it'll probably be less packed. Disney seems to be against benches and shade for whatever reason, likely because those allow people to not be doing anything that requires actively spending money.

i have read through most of this thread and one thing I haven’t seen mentioned is crowds. Sure, Disney may have plans for “quieter areas” or “walking trails” (tbh I doubt it but what do I know) but this area is going to be packed and it’s very likely those “quiet” areas will become extended queues (kind of like Pandora at DAK) which will completely ruin that vibe.

I think there's a near (but not) zero chance that the Mansion gets replaced. It moves too much merchandise, and if you thought people were upset about RoA/TSI or Muppets...

If RoA being bulldozed is generating backlash along with the possibility of muppets being replaced, mansion being replaced would lead to outright revolt. I shudder at that thought.

Poll question:

If this ride was not attached to the cars ip, but was rather called “mickeys off road racing”, and the cars were skinned to be old classic looking cars with the same racing wilderness theme would there be less back lash?

Or is this all to do with getting rid of the boat and river ?

Absolutely not. In my opinion cars of any kind have no place in Frontierland. But I am most upset about the loss of the river and the views.

Seems like significant water features planned

The fact that this is considered “significant” when they’re taking out an entire river is sad.

A waterfall or small pond or puddle is not the same thing as a huge river, I'm sorry. It is not going to add the same atmosphere or vibe or kinetics. Is it better than no water yes, hopefully they follow through and place it in locations that maximize the visibility and kinetics. But, this is a huge loss no matter what.

This. Thank you.

I found this:
Folks, we still have the originals in Disneyland. We're giving up a seldom-used copy for new(ish), more popular attractions. And we still have the entire north area for "Beyond Big Thunder."

We can argue about whether Cars belongs in Frontierland, and what "Frontierland" means. But on the whole, this is a net positive.

I have seen the point of the original still being there a few times and it actually really upsets me. It feels like those of us who grew up with WDW not DLR aren’t allowed to feel sad to see their park ruined. I could go to DLR every year and it’ll never garner the memories for me that WDW does. Not to mention it’s not that easy to travel across country (I live in FL) to go to Disneyland regularly.

What I’m hearing from Disney twitter insiders is that this land is supposed to look like grizzly peak lite at dca.

With waterfalls, streams and proper foliage this honestly can look just as fitting for frontier land.

Yes , the ip is questionable.- but the general theme seems to be very much a fit for the land.

I think “lite” will end up being the keyword in that sentence.

When rockwork is involved, it usually makes the cut. I also don't think the specific development woes that struck the EPCOT spine really translate to anything else.

What would stop them from keeping the rocks but eliminating the water feature? Literally nothing. And again, like I said earlier and others have said, a waterfall is not the same thing as a river.

I’ll reserve judgement until I see more concept art. I think it’s very easy to get wound up using the images they’ve given us so far because they’re so busy. They look loud. The Birds Eye view is straight up chaos. But i think from the ground, on the perimeter by liberty square or CBJ looking in, it’ll be much more peaceful and fitting than people are expecting. With the mountains and trees and water, it’ll be really pretty to walk up to. People forget that half of the point of Cars 1 and 3 was about going back to a quiet time and enjoying the slow life, taking it easy to enjoy the beauty around you. I suspect they’re going to try very hard to preserve that sense of peace a lot of us are afraid of losing with the river/liberty belle/TSI gone.

And I’ll bet money now that the car noises and “ka-chows” will be from in-car speakers that can’t be heard elsewhere, so anyone fretting about Mater extolling the virtues of quality mud flaps while they’re trying to enjoy their turkey leg in peace need not worry.

It can be as pretty as can be but it still does not fit. Cars do not fit in Frontierland. They could have revealed this same concept art and drop it basically anywhere else on Disney property and I, along with most people complaining, would be happy.

That’s what I was thinking. That Cars is just going in a space but Villains is the real reason this choice was made. I’m a fan of the choice regardless but I get why some don’t like it.

That just makes it worse for me. I’ve never quite understood the appeal of the villains or a villains area but to each their own. But if they’d announced a villains area on its own, I’d be intrigued. But I also feel like a better placement would be near fantasyland. Not behind BTM.

 

[ednamodedarling]

I actually am very excited for this addition ... but I must say ... when imagining being at the top of TBA and not seeing the rivers of america, but instead the new Cars land will be pretty wild. That view from the top of splash will look so wildly different.

 

[erasure fan1]

Pokémon alone will be absolutely massive for them.

Since it seems people are placing a franchise's relevancy on revenue generated. If we're going by the Wikipedia stats that have been posted by a few here. Pokemon kicks the snot out of ANYTHING Disney. Even Mickey is about 40bil away. So for everyone who seems to discount epic, and it won't impact Disney. If we're talking about relevancy based on dollars earned, hold on to your butts because Pokemon is the king. I know it's not going to epic, but it's part of the Nintendo expansions. And it will disrupt Disney.