Disneyland’s Frontierland vs Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

Just like the other two lands, which is the better land in your personal opinion?

Disneyland’s Frontierland

Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland

 

[Californian Elitist]

I’m assuming Fantasyland or Tomorrowland is next.

Maybe you could create DL v. MK thread and have the lands be subsections?

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

I’m assuming Fantasyland or Tomorrowland is next.

Maybe you could create DL v. MK thread and have the lands be subsections?

can you explain a little more

 

[Californian Elitist]

can you explain a little more

You should create one thread comparing the similar lands between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, and maybe just comparing the two parks in general, instead of creating individual threads for each topic of discussion.

Put everything in one thread.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

You should create one thread comparing the similar lands between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, and maybe just comparing the two parks in general, instead of creating individual threads for each topic of discussion.

Put everything in one thread.

oh, i see. i’m going to make an individual thread though for each land and than do a park vs park in general.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

Magic Kingdom in Florida gets my vote especially since there isn't much of one in Disneyland now that Galaxy's Edge took some of its property.

 

[TP2000]

What a fun midsummer fad this is! Thank you @chriss.moyer for coming up with this concept.

And this one is tougher than the previous ones.

Magic Kingdom Park's Frontierland scores major points for still retaining the Country Bear Jamboree. Tokyo's Frontierland also has the Country Bear Jamboree, and the maintenance and showmanship standards are clearly superior in Tokyo compared to Florida, but at least Magic Kingdom Park survived the Paul Pressler era without losing their Bear show.

Then there's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 20 years ago the Magic Kingdom Park had a better Big Thunder owing to the slightly larger scale of the ride. But Disneyland took a big leap forward a few years ago with its all-new special effects and reworked scenes. Disneyland has edged ahead in the Big Thunder Mountain subcategory for Frontierland.

Splash Mountain is in Frontierland at WDW, and directly next door to Big Thunder Mountain. That juxtaposition is awkward at best, psychedelic and sloppy at worst. Non-Fictional Desert Southwest right next door to Fictional Singing Chickens In The Swampy Southeast. I've always thought the storytelling of WDW's Splash Mountain made a lot more sense than the frenetic pace of Disneyland's Splash Mountain, so WDW gets the nod there despite the weird placement next door to Big Thunder.

But then there's the Rivers of America. WDW's river complex has been left to decay and atrophy over the last 20 years. There's only one riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island at WDW. The trees have been growing wildly in the Florida swamp for decades, and it shows.

Disneyland has the iconic Mark Twain Riverboat (where Walt celebrated his wedding anniversary on July 15th, 1955), plus the unique Sailing Ship Columbia, the fun-and-rowdy Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and Tom Sawyer's Island. And it's all been updated and improved and freshened thanks to Star Wars Land. Disneyland wins this contest hands down with twice as many rides on a far more compelling and exciting Rivers of America environment.

The irony is that Star Wars Land has made huge physical and aesthetic changes to Frontierland and the Rivers of America, even rerouting the Disneyland Railroad and putting the railroad into the middle of Frontierland for the first time in 60 years. My vote may have been different three years ago, but in 2018 and through the 2020's my vote for best Frontierland goes to Disneyland USA.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

What a fun midsummer fad this is! Thank you @chriss.moyer for coming up with this concept.

And this one is tougher than the previous ones.

Magic Kingdom Park's Frontierland scores major points for still retaining the Country Bear Jamboree. Tokyo's Frontierland also has the Country Bear Jamboree, and the maintenance and showmanship standards are clearly superior in Tokyo compared to Florida, but at least Magic Kingdom Park survived the Paul Pressler era without losing their Bear show.

Then there's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 20 years ago the Magic Kingdom Park had a better Big Thunder owing to the slightly larger scale of the ride. But Disneyland took a big leap forward a few years ago with its all-new special effects and reworked scenes. Disneyland has edged ahead in the Big Thunder Mountain subcategory for Frontierland.

Splash Mountain is in Frontierland at WDW, and directly next door to Big Thunder Mountain. That juxtaposition is awkward at best, psychedelic and sloppy at worst. Non-Fictional Desert Southwest right next door to Fictional Singing Chickens In The Swampy Southeast. I've always thought the storytelling of WDW's Splash Mountain made a lot more sense than the frenetic pace of Disneyland's Splash Mountain, so WDW gets the nod there despite the weird placement next door to Big Thunder.

But then there's the Rivers of America. WDW's river complex has been left to decay and atrophy over the last 20 years. There's only one riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island at WDW. The trees have been growing wildly in the Florida swamp for decades, and it shows.

Disneyland has the iconic Mark Twain Riverboat (where Walt celebrated his wedding anniversary on July 15th, 1955), plus the unique Sailing Ship Columbia, the fun-and-rowdy Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and Tom Sawyer's Island. And it's all been updated and improved and freshened thanks to Star Wars Land. Disneyland wins this contest hands down with twice as many rides on a far more compelling and exciting Rivers of America environment.

The irony is that Star Wars Land has made huge physical and aesthetic changes to Frontierland and the Rivers of America, even rerouting the Disneyland Railroad and putting the railroad into the middle of Frontierland for the first time in 60 years. My vote may have been different three years ago, but in 2018 and through the 2020's my vote for best Frontierland goes to Disneyland USA.

thanks! are you being sarcastic or serious?

 

[BrianLo]

What even is Frontierland? I know what it is, but it's basically turned into three micro-lands in Disneyland (Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Critter Country), versus two in MK (Liberty Square and Frontierland). Mostly important because WDW forgoes critter country to count Splash and Country Bears into its total.

The lands surrounding the banks of the Rivers of America are sheer perfection in Disneyland. Never has there been such a glorious loop of headliners (with two more forthcoming).

Splash is one of my all time favourites and since this arbitrary line drawn in two different parks includes one, but forgoes another by technicality, it's an impossibly unfair comparison.

Can I settle on the Rivers of America are superior in nearly every way at Disneyland? From the multi-boat inclusion, to the new layout, to the amazingly superior new train scenes, to the only true Fantasmic!

But because Splash (which is actually superior), Country Bears Jamboree and larger scale Big Thunder are arbitrarily included in the MK I guess it wins?


Like a lot of these debates though the best one is actually Paris.

 

[Stevek]

This is a pretty close to a tie for me with DL getting the slight edge:
Rivers of America - DL, easy given the redo, canoes, original Mark Twain & Columbia
TSI - WDW, they have a working fort
Country Bears - WDW, they have it, we don't
Splash (yes, I'm including it) - WDW, just a better version
BTM - Tie, like their ride better but we have the dynamite explosion (when it works)
While I like the boardwalk along the WDW ROA, I prefer the entry to the DL version with shops/attractions on both sides...feels more like a town the WDW's version.

 

[Phroobar]

I vote for Knott's Ghost Town. That is real immersion.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Like a lot of these debates though the best one is actually Paris.

DLP's Frontierland is better than Harry Potter or Cars Land. There, I said it.

Or at least it will be once Phantom Manor reopens, the Mark Twain is put back into service alongside the Molly Brown and the new Chaparral Theatre opens.

 

[Jedi Stitch]

Again, I feel for the size of MK, they just slapped the lands together and never really planned sight lines. I feel like you really transition into FL, but in MK you start into RoA and then just keep going into FL.

 

[nevol]

WDW's frontierland along the ROA is actually quite nice and quiet, with the majority of the action taking place on the western edge. Despite magic kindgom's picturesque quality, the whole western half of disneyland is the best theme park environment on earth and there is really no competition.

 

[kevlightyear]

While Country Bear Jamboree is a big plus for MK, I think DL wins this round. I prefer the DL BTMRR queue, and Rivers of America at DL is far superior with 3 different aquatic transport. I also love Rancho Del Zocalo.

 

[NateD1226]

I love DL Frontierland! The new train scene is really pretty in sight and I love our BTMRR better.