News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[celluloid]

But you’ll notice that there hasn’t been a rush of western games or new copycat IPs. RDR and RDR2 are the very blunt exceptions to the norm, and I think you can convincingly make the argument that RDR2 was so popular because of the Rockstar brand.

We also notice there are not a lot of films/tv/video games like Buck Rogers or African Queen romance adventures either.


Yellowstone is a show that harkens back to outlaws and western atmosphere although set more recent(but has spin offs) and is one of the most popular shows in the world.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The “western” is both aesthetic and thematic, a collection of tropes and conventions and ways of thinking about things. Yellowstone is aesthetically a western but thematically it’s more a mafia or prestige-TV-antihero program with some western elements. Mandalorian is thematically a western and also shares a lot of aesthetic similarities, despite being ostensibly sci-fi. In fact, science fiction is where a lot of “western” elements thrive - Avatar, Aliens, Firefly, Rebel Moon, etc. Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek as, “Wagon Train to the stars.”

This is all a gross oversimplification, of course. The fact is that aspects of the “western” archetype finds their way into a huge range of American pop culture, even when they aren’t the dominant element. Of the themes in Magic Kingdom, it’s probably the most profoundly culturally significant, the one that has most directly affected how Americans think about themselves and their world. Arguably, Tomorrowland and Adventureland are just variations on the theme of Frontierland played in a slightly different key.

 

[celluloid]

The “western” is both aesthetic and thematic, a collection of tropes and conventions and ways of thinking about things. Yellowstone is aesthetically a western but thematically it’s more a mafia or prestige-TV-antihero program with some western elements. Mandalorian is thematically a western and also shares a lot of aesthetic similarities, despite being ostensibly sci-fi. In fact, science fiction is where a lot of “western” elements thrive - Avatar, Aliens, Firefly, Rebel Moon, etc. Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek as, “Wagon Train to the stars.”

This is all a gross oversimplification, of course. The fact is that aspects of the “western” archetype finds their way into a huge range of American pop culture, even when they aren’t the dominant element. Of the themes in Magic Kingdom, it’s probably the most profoundly culturally significant, the one that has most directly affected how Americans think about themselves and their world. Arguably, Tomorrowland and Adventureland are just variations on the theme of Frontierland played in a slightly different key.

While all of the original kingdom theme park lands from Walt are are staples of the American cultural mythos,
for me, Frontnierland and Tomorrowland were the hallmark players of MK after you go thorugh Main Street so I agree with most culturally Signiant.

The same way The Wild West was never a place as I pointed out even historically earlier, but a movement and subject matter.

 

[FiestaFunKid]

It isn't.

I must have missed all those cars when the west was considered a frontier - it's a joke

 

[Brer Panther]

Leave the MK themed to classic Disney films...not muddy it up with Pixar and other studio offerings...

Buzz and Monsters Inc. in Tomorrowland already makes that ship sailed (though I find Buzz in Tomorrowland more fitting than Cars in Frontierland).

 

[Mike S]

But you’ll notice that there hasn’t been a rush of western games or new copycat IPs. RDR and RDR2 are the very blunt exceptions to the norm, and I think you can convincingly make the argument that RDR2 was so popular because of the Rockstar brand.

“Grand Theft Auto with Cowboys” certainly plays a part in its popularity but I don’t think it’s the only thing it has. Another studio could definitely make a good western that’s successful in its own right but the video game industry is in a creative rut where most studios are chasing the same trends.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

It’s interesting, what we are seeing is simply a shift of nostalgia, up 50-75 years. As cloying as it is, that means the nostalgia is now focusing inward. Walt has been dead nearly as long as Lincoln.

I really didn’t think Frontierland was a problem and easily could have survived another couple generations. But for better or worse the parks are now being made to appeal to Millennial nostalgia and millennial manufactured nostalgia. We only have to look at the age demographics of Yellowstone to see the writing on the wall. Cowboys and Indians are a very, very dead genre. I don’t think anyone is advocating for Mandalorian to be added to Frontierland.

I see your point, however this is again somewhere I see Disneyland and the way it is managed suggests an understanding that nostalgia that goes beyond what people remember from their youth still has an appeal. In particular, Disneyland really leans into mid-twentieth century nostalgia. Precisely that kind of nostalgia around mid-twentieth century westerns also features pretty heavily in the Toy Story franchise and I think it very much adds to the charm and depth of those films rather than being alienating for younger viewers. Beyond that, there is now also significant nostalgia around Frontierland itself.

As for the Cars area, this seems more to me little like the Mr Toad's Wild Ride situation writ large in that it's a pretty cold decision to rip out a cultural touchstone in favour of a more marketable IP. From what I can tell, the decision was mostly about the most logistically easy and cost effective way of adding new attractions to that side of the park and sticking in a property that has the best chance of selling more merchandise. Where considerations of nostalgia come into play at all, it's more about placating the fans by trying to convince them the decision is all about expanding the definition of Frontierland.

I don’t have a horse in the race to justify cars. I wasn’t super for it when it was being first floated. But I would never, ever accuse Radiator Springs of lacking charm. It’s probably the or secondarily most charming part of DCA.

I've said this before and I think I'm in the minority, but I think the charm of that area is largely in spite of the Cars IP. A straight Route 66 area with the same care and attention to detail without trying to make everything look like it was from the world of Cars would, at least for me, be even more charming.

 

[JackCH]

Gotta be honest, the more I look at the concept art... I kind of like it.

 

[DisneyHead123]

The “western” is both aesthetic and thematic, a collection of tropes and conventions and ways of thinking about things. Yellowstone is aesthetically a western but thematically it’s more a mafia or prestige-TV-antihero program with some western elements. Mandalorian is thematically a western and also shares a lot of aesthetic similarities, despite being ostensibly sci-fi. In fact, science fiction is where a lot of “western” elements thrive - Avatar, Aliens, Firefly, Rebel Moon, etc. Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek as, “Wagon Train to the stars.”

This is all a gross oversimplification, of course. The fact is that aspects of the “western” archetype finds their way into a huge range of American pop culture, even when they aren’t the dominant element. Of the themes in Magic Kingdom, it’s probably the most profoundly culturally significant, the one that has most directly affected how Americans think about themselves and their world. Arguably, Tomorrowland and Adventureland are just variations on the theme of Frontierland played in a slightly different key.

From Rohdes X account in 2019:

All of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is based on three themes. The intrinsic value of nature. Psychological transformation through adventure. And a personal call to action.

I actually think the last two could apply pretty well to Frontierland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland. (I do not think it applies to humanoid cars with fixed smiles and frozen eyes.)

I guess we’re all kind of guessing what the secret ingredient in Disney’s magic has been so far. Nostalgia? Psychological themes? Pretty scenery? Luck? IP? Architecture? And on and on. My feeling is that some important but ethereal element will be lost with Cars over Rivers - but maybe the next generation will love it, who knows?

 

[splah]

I go back to the dedication of DL Frontierland

“Frontierland. It is here that we experience the story of our country's past. The color, romance and drama of frontier America as it developed from wilderness trails to roads, riverboats, railroads and civilization. A tribute to the faith, courage and ingenuity of our hearty pioneers who blaze the trails and made this progress possible.”

With the hodgepodge we are getting it certainly doesn’t fit the above description. They should rip the bandaid and rename it.

 

[celluloid]

I've said this before and I think I'm in the minority, but I think the charm of that area is largely in spite of the Cars IP. A straight Route 66 area with the same care and attention to detail without trying to make everything look like it was from the world of Cars would, at least for me, be even more charming.

And Is what it was designed to be originally!

 

[WorldExplorer]

I've said this before and I think I'm in the minority, but I think the charm of that area is largely in spite of the Cars IP. A straight Route 66 area with the same care and attention to detail without trying to make everything look like it was from the world of Cars would, at least for me, be even more charming.

Isn't Dinoland USA already Route66land, just with a fake Route 498 instead?

 

[BrianLo]

Isn't Dinoland USA already Route66land, just with a fake Route 498 instead?

A good example about how everything “in our imagination” can be perfect. Such as a unique Route 66 land. But may not be the end reality.

Carsland isnt charming in spite of Cars. The offshoot attractions are charming. The holiday decore is charming. Maybe it can also be charming in its own right, even if the movies are so-so. I feel good about Yosemite and less so if we were merely getting a Cars nascar race plopped in lieu.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

A good example about how everything “in our imagination” can be perfect. Such as a unique Route 66 land. But may not be the end reality.

Carsland isnt charming in spite of Cars. The offshoot attractions are charming. The holiday decore is charming. Maybe it can also be charming in its own right, even if the movies are so-so. I feel good about Yosemite and less so if we were merely getting a Cars nascar race plopped in lieu.

For a start, I think it's a stretch to suggest Dinoland USA is essentially Route 66 without the Cars franchise attached: it is a different take on a similar concept.

I understand my view on Carsland is not the majority one, but I don't actually find all the references to cars themselves especially charming. What I find charming about the area are the nods to mid-twentieth century roadside architecture, neon lighting, and the desert landscapes. I don't think the references to the Cars film or the idea it is taking place in an alternative cartoon world inhabited only by cars ruins the land, but I would personally prefer a take on the land that was closer to the park's take on Yosemite/the Sierra Nevada over at Grizzly Peak. I also prefer the Grizzly Peak approach over "Yosemite as it would look in the world of Cars."

 

[mickEblu]

For a start, I think it's a stretch to suggest Dinoland USA is essentially Route 66 without the Cars franchise attached: it is a different take on a similar concept.

I understand my view on Carsland is not the majority one, but I don't actually find all the references to cars themselves especially charming. What I find charming about the area are the nods to mid-twentieth century roadside architecture, neon lighting, and the desert landscapes. I don't think the references to the Cars film or the idea it is taking place in an alternative cartoon world inhabited only by cars ruins the land, but I would personally prefer a take on the land that was closer to the park's take on Yosemite/the Sierra Nevada over at Grizzly Peak. I also prefer the Grizzly Peak approach over "Yosemite as it would look in the world of Cars."

This is also what I love about the land. Not to mention the music and everything associated with the setting/ time period. Who doesn’t love a 1950’s themed diner? I can think of few things more charming. With that said the cartoon cars don’t get in my way of enjoying the land. They re just kind of there. I’d imagine the new area at MK might end up feeling the same way. My biggest issue with it aside from the fact that they re getting rid of the beautiful ROA/ TSI and Riverboat is that they are taking a bunch of attractions/ areas that were designed to be facing a river/island and now having them face a ring of trees. I think people could have got past the cartoon cars in Frontierland thing (as ridiculous as that is) especially if it was placed beyond Big Thunder.

 

[BrianLo]

For a start, I think it's a stretch to suggest Dinoland USA is essentially Route 66 without the Cars franchise attached: it is a different take on a similar concept.

I understand my view on Carsland is not the majority one, but I don't actually find all the references to cars themselves especially charming. What I find charming about the area are the nods to mid-twentieth century roadside architecture, neon lighting, and the desert landscapes. I don't think the references to the Cars film or the idea it is taking place in an alternative cartoon world inhabited only by cars ruins the land, but I would personally prefer a take on the land that was closer to the park's take on Yosemite/the Sierra Nevada over at Grizzly Peak. I also prefer the Grizzly Peak approach over "Yosemite as it would look in the world of Cars."

That's fair. It's more the argument that I cannot possibly evaluate or speak against the what if in your minds eye. Rather than feeling like the land succeeds in spite of Cars, I also like to give some credit that because of Cars, its creator who cherishes many of the things you do, was allowed sufficient oversight and budget to get us all those great things. Dinoland is more the endpoint of what happens when we don't really get that budgetary support.

I still don't really know if we get Maters and Luigi's without the Cars franchise attached. I would still personally ascribe a certain level of charm to those experiences, but I'm ok if you disagree.

For the record, I still don't even like the Cars franchise. But the land certainly raises my opinion of it.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

It's too bad they won't put the bulk of the Cars Land Beyond BTMR and have a tunnel go under the river

This isn’t really feasible in Florida.

 

[wdwmagic]

Disney Gains Extension for Cars-Themed Land Permit Review Until January 2025​

Disney Gains Extension for Cars-Themed Land Permit Review Until January 2025

Disney Gains Extension for Cars-Themed Land Permit Review Until January 2025

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[Bocabear]

While I do not care for the idea of Cars in Frontierland, I could get around that if it were built truly Beyond Thunder Mountain and were not destroying the main basin of the river and it's riverboat... If the entire mess were moved out and beyond the ROA, the park would actually fully expand it's footprint. I have a lot of nostalgic feelings for Tom Sawyer's Island and spent a lot of time there as a kid... That said, I often wonder why it never expanded it's offerings like the Disneyland version with the tree house, Cascade Peak, the Pirates additions... It would have added more reason to go out there... and a draw bridge for the Riverboat would make the rafts unnecessary allowing easier access and maybe Aunt Polly's could be a real restaurant ...which would be lovely...

 

[Gusey]

It does feel like access to beyond the Rivers of America gave them the excuse to get rid of Tom Sawyer's and the Rivers. Before the announcement of Cars, we were speculating how would they access the land as both Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder are built on the river's edge, so the Rivers were going to be altered no matter what.