Fantasyland expansion a go - CONFIRMED

[Disneyson 1]

Is it just me? Or is there a pretty big show building behind what I beleive Scar described as Cinderella's house?

Yeah, we're basically getting a clone of the Tokyo Disney Cinderella walkthrough, where the story of Cinderella plays out (you see her transform into her ballgown with the FG's help, you walk through the ballroom, "The shoe fits OMFG!", etc.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I think the main thing that will determine whether the new princess meets succeed or not is the degree to which parents (who have to be there) can get involved. We all know by heart the story of Walt feeling sidelined while his daughters rode the carousel and wanting a place that didn't leave parents out.

It sounds like these meets might have some serious integration of the "show" element, with detailed facades/interiors, Cinderella's transformation, etc. Even though they are just character meets at the core, if there are enough details to keep adults from being bored, then it will at least be the "right" kind of character meets, with something for the whole family.

 

[marni1971]

Why all the clown pics? Will they be picture posing in the Dumbo tent??

C'mon guys, leave it owt as we say over here. We`re talking about the amazing MK expansion plan. Or something.

 

[Skyway]

The Dumbo "no queue" concept sounds more like a deli counter with an arcade.

From the description, it appears you'll be given a number. Rather than zig-zag back and forth in a queue, you will have free reign to run loose in the circus tent playing games while waiting for your number to be called.

I'm guessing when you enter there will be a "wait time" sign (which should be highly accurate since they'll know how many tickets have been handed out)

The X-factor is people who get a ticket but then leave before their number is called. Will their seat be left empty? Or will they have a mini standby line for those rare occasions when a guest is a no-show?

 

[donsullivan]

When do you think they will redo the snow white and pooh bear queues. I am hoping it won't be July 2011 as I go back then?

The indications from the concept art suggest that the Snow White queue would not be changing since it remains within the castle 'walls'. That area including Peter Pan, IASW, SW and Philharmagic are said to be maintaining the medieval fair theming. It's seems reasonable that Pooh facade would be changed to match the new theming but no details yet since the artists rendering doesn't reflect that facade given the viewpoint.

I would guess that even Disney doesn't know the details of the construction schedules yet so nobody will know during what stage of the construction the Pooh facade would be updated (if it's even planned). They likely have a high level timeline they are thinking of but that is likely far from firm yet, especially since they aren't even planning to start until next year.

We probably won't hear much about construction timelines until at the earliest some time next year when the construction walls go up.

 

[WDWFigment]

Did I miss The OCnumdrum eating some crow somewhere? Someone link it! Gotta see that!

To be fair, he has rather substantially changed his tune as of late, and has been calling this weekend the 'rebirth' of Disney (or something of the sort).

Oh I know how you work, take a selective narrow point of view and spin it, don’t respond to any post that highlights the holes in your arguments, resort to insults when shown to be a cretin, again, and at all costs defend the mouse and all he stands for, insert cliché of choice here.

Your logic only works for families with the very young and primary school age girls, what about those who have passed the dressing as princesses stage? Your about to spend many millions of $$$ on what basically amounts to a load of aesthetics. The world has changed since Walts death and being passive observers is not what it was. I know you refuse to recognise this but to be honest I couldn’t give a toss.

But so we are clear, as I know youll do your best to spin a turd, I’m happy with the ride, and the restaurant, fairly happy with the carnival, if its not all for the very young, delighted about Star Tours, I just can’t go all doe eyed at some fake facades when there are so many other things needing attention. EE a good coaster in a great looking facade, but it could have been better, Disney got where it is by paying attention to both aspects. But thats just my opinion.

I understand the criticisms that can be levied against the expansion, but I'm not sure if the categorization of it being a young female driven expansion is entirely fair. The portions of the expansion you named with which you are satisfied likely constitute the bulk of the monetary expansion. The princess and fairy meet and greets, and the areas that will house said meet and greets likely won't cost anywhere near as much as the Little Mermaid dark ride, the restaurant, and Dumbo. Money-wise, the bulk of this expansion should appeal to all ages.

Regardless of whether they appeal to us, princess meet and greets are immensely popular. At the very least, I'm pleased that the parks have added capacity so those who want to engage in meeting the princesses won't be waiting an hour to do so. If that doesn't make you happy, think of the shorter lines elsewhere while other individuals flock to those sections of the park.

I don't know what to say about the complaints that a lot of this is aimed at aesthetics. I am pleased that Disney still seeks to expand in ways that focus on rich details and theming. I think that's one of the things that separates Disney from other parks, and is a reason why many of us are here in the first place. I agree with you in that I don't think detail should take precedent over substance, but I think there is plenty of substance here as well.

 

[unkadug]

Did I miss The Conumdrum eating some crow somewhere? Someone link it! Gotta see that!

She wont be back.

 

[jt04]

Oh I know how you work, take a selective narrow point of view and spin it, don’t respond to any post that highlights the holes in your arguments, resort to insults when shown to be a cretin, again, and at all costs defend the mouse and all he stands for, insert cliché of choice here.

Your logic only works for families with the very young and primary school age girls, what about those who have passed the dressing as princesses stage? Your about to spend many millions of $$$ on what basically amounts to a load of aesthetics. The world has changed since Walts death and being passive observers is not what it was. I know you refuse to recognise this but to be honest I couldn’t give a toss.

But so we are clear, as I know youll do your best to spin a turd, I’m happy with the ride, and the restaurant, fairly happy with the carnival, if its not all for the very young, delighted about Star Tours, I just can’t go all doe eyed at some fake facades when there are so many other things needing attention. EE a good coaster in a great looking facade, but it could have been better, Disney got where it is by paying attention to both aspects. But thats just my opinion.

Whoa! Pumbas can have a discussion. Who knew?

Your right. Modern audiences don't care as much for the passive dark ride experience. That is why Disney is going with the new immersive and participatory meet and greet. These attractions will be E-tickets for children. They will be amazing and the word will spread. Disney is about creating a sense of place more than rides and I am sticking to that viewpoint. It's proven itself for decades. And this new Fantasyland has at least 5 new places. But really much more than that. It is entirely over the top. And I will be proven right. I actually think people are trying to create doubt in Disney's minds about this because they want the money to go to what they want because they want it. Well that won't work.

As for the target audience "growing out" of the new FL for the other parks, well that is a failing argument. Because when they grow up and have children they will be right back at FL having a magical time watching their children have a magical time!

So, though your children may have outgrown the concept Pumbas, someday you will be spending hours there watching your grand-daughter make birthday cards for Sleeping Beauty and she will be "requesting" you make one with her. I'll make sure the pic gets loaded to the forum.

 

[hrcollectibles]

I am really excited for these plans.. But I do wonder .. How do all of those cast members that lost their jobs feel? Or do the funds for these expansions come from a different budget.

 

[unkadug]

Just wondering if the expansion will relocate Philharmagic. The blueprints does not mention this show at all. Furthermore the blue print does not mention peter pan or small world?

None of the existing Fantasyland attractions located inside a building will be affected.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Regardless of whether they appeal to us, princess meet and greets are immensely popular. At the very least, I'm pleased that the parks have added capacity so those who want to engage in meeting the princesses won't be waiting an hour to do so. If that doesn't make you happy, think of the shorter lines elsewhere while other individuals flock to those sections of the park.

I don't know what to say about the complaints that a lot of this is aimed at aesthetics. I am pleased that Disney still seeks to expand in ways that focus on rich details and theming. I think that's one of the things that separates Disney from other parks, and is a reason why many of us are here in the first place. I agree with you in that I don't think detail should take precedent over substance, but I think there is plenty of substance here as well.

At the risk of labouring a point, I have always been talking about what impact the changes are likely to have on my park visits and those of someone with a grown family, perhaps being presumptuous, and drawing on post from UK tourist sites, felt that my view point was not unique, especially as Jt pointed out from a British view.

I hope you are correct and that I am wrong, and that sufficient resources are made available to ensure that we get the correct mix of experience and visual stimulus.

 

[magicmaya]

She wont be back.

he's a she!?!?!?!

 

[unkadug]

he's a she!?!?!?!

It's an enigma. Check it's profile! :wave:

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Yeah, we're basically getting a clone of the Tokyo Disney Cinderella walkthrough, where the story of Cinderella plays out (you see her transform into her ballgown with the FG's help, you walk through the ballroom, "The shoe fits OMFG!", etc.

Not really, only one scene from the movie will be acted out before you go to the activity room. It's not a walk though attraction by any stretch and hardly a copy of what's going into Tokyo's castle.

As for the expansion it has two of the three elements used to create the original one but missing one key factor. Looking at Disneyland's Fantasyland in 1955 we see properties that were new (Peter Pan was released just 2 years earlier and Sleeping Beauty was still years away), retained popularity over a period of time (Snow White) and ones that were unpopular but were chosen because they fit the themeing and Walt knew that the park would be a good place to expose the public to them (Alice getting 2 rides even though her movie was not a box office smash).

This new plan uses a new property in the from of the Fairies, and others that have remained popular over time, but doesn't have anything that could be popularized in this context. This is where the missed opportunity for boys comes in. Why not use The Black Cauldron, a western European based adventure, or Hercules or even Treasure Planet? All have interesting environments to exploit without coming off as overly feminine and could provide many an active/interactive experience for the guest.

Unfortunately the attitude relating to pushing merch that has a 100% chance of selling in making park developments may have kept these plans from begin as fantastic as they could have been. Even just one more actual ride based on an arguably more male oriented attraction would be perfect.

I'm still excited for all that's coming as it is alot for sure but those not interested in just seeing characters should have been given a bit more.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

It's an enigma. Check it's profile! :wave:

Lady Gaga is a site member, in more ways than one?

 

[Tom]

My turn...

Stop bickering. Take it outside you kids!

I was hoping that not even this board could take the most amazing news we're heard in a long time, and ruin it. How depressing.

I for one am overjoyed. MK has been neglected since the addition of Splash Mountain, and the "refurb" of New Tomorrowland. I'd like to make some points, if I may:

1) Property value has just quadrupled. They're tearing down ToonTown and doubling the size of a "real" land. How awesome is that?!?!

2) They're catering mostly to girls. Yup. It's Fantasyland. It's where the princesses live. Give the poor little girls something to be excited over in the MK. They sure haven't been catered to in the other lands.

3) It's hard to incorporate any "boy" characters other than villians into a land that's based around the animated fairy tales. Villians are the perfect "boy" incorporation into this theming.

4) The official wording said that Mickey and Minnie would get homes closer to the front of the park. First, I hope that they don't ruin Main Street USA by dropping their gaudy houses in like the wicked witch's. I think a remodel inside Expo Hall would be perfect. Besides, they can't go to DHS - everyone knows that Mickey lives in the Magic Kingdom!

4a) Expo: Also, a grand place to put models.....

5) LM is my fav Disney animated feature. I've been hoping for a LM E-Ticket forever. I'll be sad if they close VotLM at DHS (my absolutely favoorite show on property), but if the new ride makes up for it, I'll survive.

6) It doesn't seem as if the current wall around the castle has much to do with this project, since it just encompasses the castle, alone.

7) Some of you are putting WAYYYYY too much stock in the renderings. For all we know, the painting was done hastily over night, just like the original Disneyland matte. It's an artist's interpretation of what 100 Imagineers were explaining to him. If he missed a few spokes on Dumbo, so be it. Let's not jump to conclusions and chastise WDW for putting in two mis-matched Dumbo spinners. Good grief! It's just a painting by someone who probably doesn't design rides for a living. It's called CONCEPT art for a reason. (besides, they're surely just trying to double capacity, so that one loads while the other rides, and vice versa.)

8) The current dark rides in FL can clearly be seen at the bottom edge and lower left corner of the blue print. They won't be disturbed. I WOULD bet that they get new exteriors, because a medieval courtyard doesn't fit the theming at all anymore. At least for Pooh, since that queue will be inside the new castle wall.

9) I have no interest in meet-n-greets, but these intrigue me. They're all "interactive", and they're dumping a TON of money into them, so they're obviously going to be more than "stand in queue, take pic, leave". I have high hopes.

10) To all of you who can't appreciate a half-billion-dollar refurb because it didn't have TWO e-tickets and THREE restaurants and THREE dumbo spinners - get a life. Learn to appreciate something. All some of you do on the board is trash Disney and say that they don't spend any money. They're about to dump their own "stimulus package" into the oldest WDW park, and you just want one more of everything....or more boy stuff....or whatever. It's depressing.

This is going to be the most amazing thing that's ever happened to the MK. I am beside myself with excitement. Even if I never have a little girl to use as an excuse to visit FL, I'll go appreciate it anyway. I wish some of you would too.

:sohappy: to Disney!

 

[packrat]

It's going to be a couple of years at least before I can get back to the Parks but this makes the wait a little more tolerable if it all happens as planned!!!!!


:sohappy::sohappy:

 

[unkadug]

I'm wondering how they are going to treat the odd transition from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. Will there be another "Castle Wall" or is it going to be the same odd transition from one land to another. poof!

 

[djkidkaz]

Are they moving the carousel? I notice in the art the castle is to the right and the carousel is to the left, not behind it anymore. I always liked seeing the carousel through the castle from Main Street.

 

[jt04]

I'm wondering how they are going to treat the odd transition from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. Will there be another "Castle Wall" or is it going to be the same odd transition from one land to another. poof!

That is one of the coolest things they have done. They are now going to back the massive circus tents up to the edge of the race track to create a very clear boundry. And, I would imagine from the race track side they won't look like circus tents. That is one of my favorite things about the swapping of Dumbo with PH from what was seen on the blueprint.