I've been silently following this forum and thoroughly enjoyed many of the creative theme park concepts, and thought it time to share one of my own.
I know it's exceedingly unlikely Disney would ever open a new resort in Europe after its troubles in Paris, let alone one in such close proximity that would potentially divert visitors across the English Channel. But it's always nice to dream that you might one day get a Disney park practically in your backyard. Plus it occurred to me that so many classic Disney properties draw inspiration from great British literature, whether it's medieval Arthurian legend or the mythical worlds of Narnia and Prydain; and the only place you would assemble those properties into a single resort would be in Britain itself.
Now I'm sure some will say - a park themed to Great Britain in Great Britain is falling into the California Adventure trap. Why would you visit Britain only to see mock-ups of British buildings and landscapes within a theme park setting when the real thing is right outside? But I hope that the overwhelming focus on literary worlds and careful curation of real-world buildings that no longer exist will help alleviate that problem. For instance, I am choosing to base the resort's flagship hotel on the grand British railway hotels of yore - not one that still exists, but rather one that has been demolished. Other buildings, such as the High Street entry land, will not directly replicate buildings found in any British city but instead emulate various British architectural styles in some semblance of harmony. After all, most British high streets do not have a uniform architectural style, having been assembled over a number of decades, even centuries, before urban planning codes demanded consistency.
Location-wise, I'm envisioning this to be somewhere on the outskirts of London - perhaps the plot allotted to the London Resort. Or it could be further afield, as long as it has good connections to major urban centres. I wouldn't mind placing it somewhere near Ashford in Kent, which is served by the Eurostar - which would allow Disney fans to visit both the Paris and London resorts in the same trip - a very elaborate "park hop", if you will, traveling between Disney resorts in two different countries!
So here's a preview of what Disney's Great British Adventure, the flagship park of a two-park resort with three hotels and an entertainment district, would entail:
I know it's exceedingly unlikely Disney would ever open a new resort in Europe after its troubles in Paris, let alone one in such close proximity that would potentially divert visitors across the English Channel. But it's always nice to dream that you might one day get a Disney park practically in your backyard. Plus it occurred to me that so many classic Disney properties draw inspiration from great British literature, whether it's medieval Arthurian legend or the mythical worlds of Narnia and Prydain; and the only place you would assemble those properties into a single resort would be in Britain itself.
Now I'm sure some will say - a park themed to Great Britain in Great Britain is falling into the California Adventure trap. Why would you visit Britain only to see mock-ups of British buildings and landscapes within a theme park setting when the real thing is right outside? But I hope that the overwhelming focus on literary worlds and careful curation of real-world buildings that no longer exist will help alleviate that problem. For instance, I am choosing to base the resort's flagship hotel on the grand British railway hotels of yore - not one that still exists, but rather one that has been demolished. Other buildings, such as the High Street entry land, will not directly replicate buildings found in any British city but instead emulate various British architectural styles in some semblance of harmony. After all, most British high streets do not have a uniform architectural style, having been assembled over a number of decades, even centuries, before urban planning codes demanded consistency.
Location-wise, I'm envisioning this to be somewhere on the outskirts of London - perhaps the plot allotted to the London Resort. Or it could be further afield, as long as it has good connections to major urban centres. I wouldn't mind placing it somewhere near Ashford in Kent, which is served by the Eurostar - which would allow Disney fans to visit both the Paris and London resorts in the same trip - a very elaborate "park hop", if you will, traveling between Disney resorts in two different countries!
So here's a preview of what Disney's Great British Adventure, the flagship park of a two-park resort with three hotels and an entertainment district, would entail:
- The flagship hotel, Disney's Grand Albion, across the entrance to the park
- The supercharged entry land of High Street, boasting not just guest services, retail, dining, multiple transportation options, a large West End-style theatre, but also attractions themed to Peter Pan and Mary Poppins (both of which are set in offshoots of High Street that could be considered their own sub-lands: Kensington Park Gardens and Cherry Tree Lane, respectively) as well as an interactive game inspired by The Great Mouse Detective
- High Street culminates in the central hub, crowned by the castle of Cair Paravel (from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia) with sub-lands themed to 101 Dalmatians (Hell Hall) and The Wind in the Willows (Toad Hall) located off to the sides
- The Land of Narnia, at the top of the park (where Fantasyland is traditionally located in a castle park), is accessed via the castle drawbridge or the Underground train (itself an attraction, not unlike Universal's Hogwarts Express) from High Street, with a further two attractions located in the land itself
- Castleborough, a medieval "catch-all" land built around a castellated village, can be found immediately to the right of Narnia, with attractions based on The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, The Black Cauldron, and Pixar's Brave (which is effectively in a DunBroch sub-land)
- The Hundred Acre Wood, one of two lands intended for younger children, is found immediately to the left of Narnia, with a trio of attractions themed to Winnie the Pooh
- Below the wood, and backing on to the Kensington Park Gardens sub-land (whose Peter Pan ride exits here), is Pixie Hollow, the other land targeted at young children, with a couple of attractions themed to Tinker Bell and friends
- Alice's Wonderland, merging both the classic Disney animated film and Tim Burton's live-action versions, is located on the right-hand side of the park, between Castleborough and the Cherry Tree Lane sub-land (whose main Mary Poppins ride exits here)
- Encircling the park, a steam engine railway - an absolute necessity for a park set in the country that gave birth to the railways, with stops in High Street, Hundred Acre Wood and Castleborough. High Street station is also home to an Underground station that provides an "experience" travelling to the Land of Narnia (not unlike the Pevensie children's experience in Prince Caspian)
Last edited: