Do you think Disney will ever make a really impressive playground again?

[Lilofan]

We live in a society that people want something for nothing so they will sue over any little thing and there are enough sleazy lawyers out there to accommodate them. Playgrounds are a breeding ground for bogus lawsuits. Can't blame Disney for getting rid of them

In the USA there is little protection for workers , consumers , environment etc so next step to get results and payback is to sue the other party. We are a lawsuit happy nation. All levels of income brackets are involved. If a guest gets injured at a neighbors house that guest can sue and probably win.

 

[Angel Ariel]

This is the real answer of why playgrounds are going away. Not LL, not monetization, liability.

People have to remember that we don't live in a world now where parents see their kids get hurt and say "oh that's just part of being a kid". They see dollar signs. If their kid gets hurt on a Disney playground, they will sue. Will they win? More often than not, no, they won't. But that doesn't mean Disney constantly wants to be involved in a case over a kid's bruised knee.

Disney just opened a brand new playground in toontown in Disneyland last year. Just because TDO isn't doing it doesn't mean it's because of liability concerns - those would exist for TDA too, and TDA clearly didn't care. The new playground is beautiful.

 

[Lilofan]

Disney just opened a brand new playground in toontown in Disneyland last year. Just because TDO isn't doing it doesn't mean it's because of liability concerns - those would exist for TDA too, and TDA clearly didn't care. The new playground is beautiful.

Probably more enjoyable to enjoy the playground at DL with beautiful weather year round low humidity as opposed to oppressive heat sticky heat and humidity WDW.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Disney just opened a brand new playground in toontown in Disneyland last year. Just because TDO isn't doing it doesn't mean it's because of liability concerns - those would exist for TDA too, and TDA clearly didn't care. The new playground is beautiful.

It does seem to me that the Toontown playground is more based around interactive displays and things like character houses, vs traditional climbing, jumping, and swinging structures? I haven’t seen it in person so not sure. In the pictures I saw a couple of low slides but the rest looked like it was more of a walkthrough experience.

 

[KaliSplash]

Disney used to make really awesome playgrounds, with really elaborate theming.

The Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground:

View attachment 811820

The Boneyard:
View attachment 811828
(Not pictured: Its sandpit.)

Arguably the entirety of Tom Sawyer Island:
View attachment 811825

One of these is long gone and two of them are getting removed. Meanwhile, the Monsters, Inc. land concept art has this;

View attachment 811826

Which...I'll gladly be wrong, maybe it'll turn out to actually be part of something super elaborate, but it doesn't exactly look like it's living up to prior attempts.

We do still have the Mission: Space playground and the one you can wait in to get on Dumbo, but I think it's fair to say neither is really on the level of the removed/leaving ones. The theming is much lighter and they're much less sprawling.

So is this a dead art? Especially when there's really no reason why there isn't a Boneyard replacement planned other than just not wanting to do it?

Don't really care about playgrounds.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It does seem to me that the Toontown playground is more based around interactive displays and things like character houses, vs traditional climbing, jumping, and swinging structures? I haven’t seen it in person so not sure. In the pictures I saw a couple of low slides but the rest looked like it was more of a walkthrough experience.

There is climbing (rope - like boneyard, but smaller, but also some rock-esque climb areas but soft material), slides, flower pot things that you sit in and spin. It's geared towards a younger age than the boneyard, for ex, but very much useable by all ages.

 

[DisneyHead123]

There is climbing (rope - like boneyard, but smaller, but also some rock-esque climb areas but soft material), slides, flower pot things that you sit in and spin. It's geared towards a younger age than the boneyard, for ex, but very much useable by all ages.

Thanks! Not a lot comes up on Google Images as it’s new, so wasn’t sure.

 

[_CJ]

That is exactly the problem with these areas. Parents can sit on their phones while their children run free unsupervised.

We banned going to these areas long ago after my daughter said it was “wet” in the tunnel at the Dumbo Play area. Another instance, my Daughter was at the top of the slide, apparently taking too long for the child behind her to go down, and she was pushed and tumbled all the way down. I was watching, the other parents? Nowhere to be found…..

Children and parents today are not civilized enough too support these.

I was at Dollywood recently in this exact place and it was exactly what I needed at the time. I saw no uncivilized behavior.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thanks! Not a lot comes up on Google Images as it’s new, so wasn’t sure.

If you search goofy's how to play yard on YouTube, a lot of vloggers did walkthroughs of the area when it reopened - March 2023ish.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Disney used to make really awesome playgrounds, with really elaborate theming.

The Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground:

View attachment 811820

The Boneyard:
View attachment 811828
(Not pictured: Its sandpit.)

Arguably the entirety of Tom Sawyer Island:
View attachment 811825

One of these is long gone and two of them are getting removed. Meanwhile, the Monsters, Inc. land concept art has this;

View attachment 811826

Which...I'll gladly be wrong, maybe it'll turn out to actually be part of something super elaborate, but it doesn't exactly look like it's living up to prior attempts.

We do still have the Mission: Space playground and the one you can wait in to get on Dumbo, but I think it's fair to say neither is really on the level of the removed/leaving ones. The theming is much lighter and they're much less sprawling.

So is this a dead art? Especially when there's really no reason why there isn't a Boneyard replacement planned other than just not wanting to do it?

The boneyard was our kids and then our grandkids favorite. They loved digging in the sand and climbing on things. The parents/grandparents appreciated the rest they got and the kids loved it. Is it really going away?

 

[Club Cooloholic]

The boneyard was our kids and then our grandkids favorite. They loved digging in the sand and climbing on things. The parents/grandparents appreciated the rest they got and the kids loved it. Is it really going away?

I mean they plan to retheme the whole area. Honestly, I can't see why a similar archeology themed playground couldn't be placed, themed to Indy.

 

[WorldExplorer]

The boneyard was our kids and then our grandkids favorite. They loved digging in the sand and climbing on things. The parents/grandparents appreciated the rest they got and the kids loved it. Is it really going away?

There's no equivalent to it on the model for the replacement land, so sadly, yes, it seems like they're removing it and not replacing it. Which sucks; it was really cool and losing the bridge and skeleton definitely makes the entrance less interesting.

(Can't find the picture of the model; presuming it includes the entrance and I didn't miss a dynamic one on there.)

 

[Epcot81Fan]

Did somebody say really awesome playgrounds, with really elaborate theming?!

Bam!

WDI has still got it!

 

[J4546]

Did somebody say really awesome playgrounds, with really elaborate theming?!

Bam!

View attachment 813478

WDI has still got it!

I like this area quite a lot and kods are always running around playing on it, plus toon town overall is one of the nicest areas in any disney park. Sucks fl doesnt have anything like this.

 

[lentesta]

The Boneyard will almost certainly go away as part of the Tropical Americas re-do. It's a great chance to put in a new place better themed to the new land.

A great chance.

A GREAT CHANCE.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Disney just opened a brand new playground in toontown in Disneyland last year. Just because TDO isn't doing it doesn't mean it's because of liability concerns - those would exist for TDA too, and TDA clearly didn't care. The new playground is beautiful.

I suppose it technically fits the bill for a playground, but I don't think it's the kind of playground that OP had in mind with their question. It is a very safe, sanitized, relatively risk free version of a playground that is absent a lot of the major things one would imagine in a big old playground.

It's beautiful yes, I agree, but it's also a very different sort of space than the kind of playground they were building back in the 80s and 90s with lots of things to climb and fall off of.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I suppose it technically fits the bill for a playground, but I don't think it's the kind of playground that OP had in mind with their question. It is a very safe, sanitized, relatively risk free version of a playground that is absent a lot of the major things one would imagine in a big old playground.

It's beautiful yes, I agree, but it's also a very different sort of space than the kind of playground they were building back in the 80s and 90s with lots of things to climb and fall off of.

It's intended for a different age group, so yes. However the age group they intended it for can absolutely still climb what is to them a good distance and fall. So from a liability standpoint, the liability is still there.