News Cars-Themed Expansion at Magic Kingdom

[easyrowrdw]

Sorry kiddos….we’re not riding this new technologically cutting edge ride, grandma and grandpa can’t get past the thematic inconsistencies from the park in 1975. I know you’re only 8 but go read your Mark Twain.

That’s funny. But if you ever visit Tom Sawyer’s Island, you’ll see a lot of 8 year olds having a blast.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

If they had more details, they wouldn't have time for the too-long MUSIC segments!

I think my favourite was bringing out All 4 One to sing "I Swear" to signify that Josh swears they have big things planned for the cruise line, following the song by having them sing numbers from 1 to 4 to announce 4 more ships, and then swiftly moving on without giving any further details about the ships.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Yeah, but there are plenty of autonomous vehicles out there right now that handle conditions like this in much more uncontrolled environments.

I'm aware, but the problem is that they aren't safe (especially when it comes to turns). That tech is probably at least a decade or two away from being something that Disney and their lawyers would even consider risking in a theme park ride. And I would assume this ride is going to begin construction sometime within the next 5 years.

 

[2600loop]

They can permanently park the Riverboat and transform it into a DVC kiosk!

A club 33 lounge that us peasants aren’t allowed to even look at jk

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Was this a pretty last minute decision? I’m almost thinking they were ready to announce Coco for MK instead of DCA and then abruptly changed course?

Where would the coco attraction have gone in comparison?

 

[Magicart87]

Dark Rides – Dynamic Attractions

dynamicattractions.com

See: AGV ALL-TERRAIN DARK RIDE

 

[lazyboy97o]

The water functionally needs to remain as it connects to other waterways. But it doesn’t need to form a loop around an island.

The same way you’d get rid of some of the Rivers of America is the same way you’d get rid of all of the Rivers of America. The function gets moved.

 

[TheRealSkull]

It's not just the shift in time period from the rest of Frontierland, it's the whole conceit of Cars as a concept.

Cars Land at DCA works because it's a self contained land, its own thing separate from the rest of the park.

Frontierland is about humans, animals and their history, narratives and relation to real world settings. Cars is a universe where everything, even little bugs, are vehicles. There are no humans in Cars and nothing is human scaled. The Country Bears may be talking, anthropomorphic animals, but they don't live in a universe where everything is a bear. The New Orleans of Tiana's Bayou doesn't have living cars, the dinosaur bones on BTMRR are not the skeletons of Cars etc. You could have an off road trip through Nature's Wonderland that carries the established time progression of FL/LS, but because every speck of the parks has to be IP, we're stuck tying this to a Pixar franchise that aesthetically and conceptually doesn't fit the location.

Then there's the simple fact that the vehicles have big cartoon eyes on them, and just look silly next to the rest of Frontierland and Liberty Square.

If you look at the Disney Parks as a whole from those lens, not a lot makes sense then.

 

[danlb_2000]

I'm aware, but the problem is that they aren't safe (especially when it comes to turns). That tech is probably at least a decade or two away from being something that Disney and their lawyers would even consider risking in a theme park ride. And I would assume this ride is going to begin construction sometime within the next 5 years.

Self driving cars are allowed to test on public roads, if they are safe enough for that I can't imagine they wouldn't be safe enough for a small closed, unchanging course.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Self driving cars are allowed to test on public roads, if they are safe enough for that I can't imagine they wouldn't be safe enough for a small closed, unchanging course.

It depends on what Disney and their lawyers want to risk, not what the government does. They are not the same, and their opinions don't always line up. Not to say Disney doesn't play fast and loose with safety either given their own record with upkeep, but this sounds like the sort of thing that would give them pause when designing a brand new attraction.

If they went with a trackless all-terrain system here, then I would admittedly be hesitant to ride it. Whether or not people think i'm being unreasonable or not, it would make me nervous.

 

[lazyboy97o]

We may have different definitions of subtle.

One of the odd things I figured out a long time ago is that for a sizable subset of Disney fans, very noticeable and a major focus is somehow subtle.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I was told it's a different ride system. And the concept art is very notable that it's not showing any signs of track or guide rail, and a very off-road surface. May just be artistic license, or not.

Dynamic Attractions has been trying to sell an offroad trackless ride system for a few years now.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

It's not just the shift in time period from the rest of Frontierland, it's the whole conceit of Cars as a concept.

Cars Land at DCA works because it's a self contained land, its own thing separate from the rest of the park.

Frontierland is about humans, animals and their history, narratives and relation to real world settings. Cars is a universe where everything, even little bugs, are vehicles. There are no humans in Cars and nothing is human scaled. The Country Bears may be talking, anthropomorphic animals, but they don't live in a universe where everything is a bear. The New Orleans of Tiana's Bayou doesn't have living cars, the dinosaur bones on BTMRR are not the skeletons of Cars etc. You could have an off road trip through Nature's Wonderland that carries the established time progression of FL/LS, but because every speck of the parks has to be IP, we're stuck tying this to a Pixar franchise that aesthetically and conceptually doesn't fit the location.

Then there's the simple fact that the vehicles have big cartoon eyes on them, and just look silly next to the rest of Frontierland and Liberty Square.

I think it is a combination of the time period and the specifics of Cars as an IP centred around humanised cars.

The way Josh D'Amaro described it, they're re-thinking Frontierland as a whole with this addition to become a land that considers exploring encompassing things like off road driving, which suggests a contemporary setting. That changes the whole conceit of the land, implying that you're now basically in a contemporary tourist town somewhere in the Western United States. It's honestly not that far off from what Dinoland USA was supposed to represent.

 

[doctornick]

Definitely a vocal minority kind of complaint. I’m guessing the bulk of the casual guests have no idea what’s a clone and what’s not, and have no immediate or future plans to visit other Disney parks, especially those outside the US.

Yep. I think the "nothing announced was a clone" isn't necessarily a positive. I'm more than happy to have clones if it ends up reducing costs and allowing more or better stuff.

 

[ChrisFL]

From what I understand, not really no. Existing trackless rides are said to rely on extremely smooth and flat terrain without elevation. You can get a traditional busbar or slotted EMV-like system to work with elevation, but getting trackless system to work with complex slopes and such would be much more troublesome. I would also imagine having such a ride outside where weather and other environmental variables are at play would present further challenges to such a system.

Weather might not be a huge issue as Aquatopia is outdoors and....under water

 

[danlb_2000]

Dynamic Attractions has been trying to sell an offroad trackless ride system for a few years now.

This sounds like exactly what this ride would need..

Dark Rides – Dynamic Attractions

dynamicattractions.com

 

[ChrisFL]

Guys, Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters can't operate in the rain. You really think trackless would be an option here?

Because of the track or because of the soaked guests?

 

[lazyboy97o]

The reason I’m bullish on ROA staying is this; Disney has primed prepared and mostly unhindered land ready behind BTM, way would they choose the more expensive route of having to altered existing infrastructure (draining the rivers, filling, demolition) when they just build where there is less cost to prep the land?

For all their obsession about cost there are times when want does end up driving the train. The Festival Center at Epcot was never a fiscally responsible project but Iger wanted to make a mark. Altering the Rivers of America has also long been a sort of perverted dream project, a radical way to reshape the park for the purpose of reshaping the park.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I think it is a combination of the time period and the specifics of Cars as an IP centred around humanised cars.

The way Josh D'Amaro described it, they're re-thinking Frontierland as a whole with this addition to become a land that considers exploring encompassing things like off road driving, which suggests a contemporary setting. That changes the whole conceit of the land, implying that you're now basically in a contemporary tourist town somewhere in the Western United States. It's honestly not that far off from what Dinoland USA was supposed to represent.

Except Tiana's takes place in the 1920s and Big Thunder Mountain before that.

I understand how they want to change Frontierland, but the end result will still be a mix of unrelated ideas whose only commonality are that they are set somewhere in the USA (not even the west).

 

[danlb_2000]