Has there ever been any legitimacy to the long-standing "rumor" of a Villains-themed park?

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I always wonder if building a 5th gate would ever help with the overpacked 4 parks that are already there? I mean if someone or a family comes to Florida to check out the new 5th gate they’re probably going to spend a week or a few days to check out the other parks as well while they’re there and it’ll be even more crowded.
Hmmmmmmm...
The existing parks are so crowded in large part because they are intentionally under built. A fifth park would be similarly under built, if not more so due to the absolutely ridiculous cost it would likely require. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also failed to significantly increase lengths of stay, and there have not been large enough cultural shifts to assume a new park would increase length of stay.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Night Kingdom was a legitimate concept that was explored for WDW. Night kingdom had nothing to do with villains though. It obviously didn’t happen but it got further than you’d think through the design phase.
Granted...I’m not disputing that...especially about the early WDI work and some financial (insider access) at that time.

But it is/was the closest thing to a “villians” project that they have tip toed near...even though it wasn’t
 

JMcMahonEsq

Well-Known Member
I always wonder if building a 5th gate would ever help with the overpacked 4 parks that are already there? I mean if someone or a family comes to Florida to check out the new 5th gate they’re probably going to spend a week or a few days to check out the other parks as well while they’re there and it’ll be even more crowded.
Hmmmmmmm...
That is why I would think the better idea is expansion of the existing 4 parks, larger footprint/more to see would hopefully think out the crowds in the parks more, rather than opening of a brand new park, which I would see as more a way to drive up attendance rather then dealing with congestion.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
The existing parks are so crowded in large part because they are intentionally under built. A fifth park would be similarly under built, if not more so due to the absolutely ridiculous cost it would likely require. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also failed to significantly increase lengths of stay, and there have not been large enough cultural shifts to assume a new park would increase length of stay.

Agree on the recent under builds. When it takes $10 bil to start due to poor budgeting...parks are essentially off the table.

People fail to look that Disney has built 3 complete parks: Epcot, magic kingdom and euro

All the others outside Tokyo (daddy warbucks) have been significant underbuilds.

That wouldn’t change now.


But I think the crowd problem is that they abandoned the typical investment schedule after the 90’s builds. Each park needs an addition or solid draw on about an every 1-3 year schedule. They haven’t come close in Florida since the Eisner collapse. And bob closed stuff...a lot of it...without replacement.
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
Granted...I’m not disputing that...especially about the early WDI work and some financial (insider access) at that time.

But it is/was the closest thing to a “villians” project that they have tip toed near...even though it wasn’t
I think you have a misunderstanding of what the Night Kingdom Project was. It really wasn’t anywhere near a villains project, tip toe or not. The concept wasn’t based on villains or anything related to villains.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
I think you have a misunderstanding of what the Night Kingdom Project was. It really wasn’t anywhere near a villains project, tip toe or not. The concept wasn’t based on villains or anything related to villains.

No...I’m not at all. I was at TDO for a bit when that got some tread.

I think that if it manifested it would have been the only shot at more villain centric things.

I just don’t see the appetite for a Villians all the time. especially after they have perfected how to sell them at upcharge.
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
No...I’m not at all. I was at TDO for a bit when that got some tread.

I think that if it manifested it would have been the only shot at more villain centric things.

I just don’t see the appetite for a Villians all the time. especially after they have perfected how to sell them at upcharge.
Again I’m pretty sure you’re mixing two concepts.

There were some proposals in the 90’s and the 2000’s for attractions/lands involving villains.

Night kingdom was a separate project altogether that had no connection to villains.
 

nol_dur

Member
That is why I would think the better idea is expansion of the existing 4 parks, larger footprint/more to see would hopefully think out the crowds in the parks more, rather than opening of a brand new park, which I would see as more a way to drive up attendance rather then dealing with congestion.
Yeah, i like what they're doing with Hollywood studios and trying to evolve and expand it with these themed lands. It works for that park especially with their new idea on what it is.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Again I’m pretty sure you’re mixing two concepts.

There were some proposals in the 90’s and the 2000’s for attractions/lands involving villains.

Night kingdom was a separate project altogether that had no connection to villains.

One was more blue sky...the other had more serious thought based on my recollection.

I think you’re believing/debating the semantics of the WDI nonsense a little bit...people chirp there a lot powered by 100% pure, USDA grade Wishful Thinking.

Credibility is always suspect.

I’m not saying they planned to build a villians park...just thinking that subject matter would have been more conducive there than at magic kingdom.

Maybe studios...I suppose. But they have really screwed the footprint up there -making their longterm plans known.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Either one of y’all want to tell the rest of us what Night Kingdom was? You’ve got my curiosity piqued.
It was an early/intermediate concept for a more adult concentrated, “adventure” type park that would have had hard cap attendance by reservation and high cost. Minimum attendance age.

Discovery cove at sea world had proven that type of endeavor could work.

The early 2000s/post tech recession killed any realistic possibility.

But we saw some tinkering along those lines a bit. The “special safaris” at DAK being an ode to that type of thing.
 

MaximumEd

Well-Known Member
It was an early/intermediate concept for a more adult concentrated, “adventure” type park that would have had hard cap attendance by reservation and high cost. Minimum attendance age.

Discovery cove at sea world had proven that type of endeavor could work.

The early 2000s/post tech recession killed any realistic possibility.

But we saw some tinkering along those lines a bit. The “special safaris” at DAK being an ode to that type of thing.


Cool. I had heard the “dark kingdom” rumor before, but had never heard of “night”. At first, I thought they might be one and the same.
 

Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
With the success of the three Disney Descendants Films, I thought that would be a perfect tie in to a Villains Park/Isle of the Lost feature. I don't know if it could support a full 5th gate, but as an addition to MK I think it would allow areas for expansion.

I also assume WDW will be watching the Zootopia Land in Shanghi for possible expansion of AK.

Ohhhh, don't hate me but turning Tom Sawyer's island into an Isle of the Lost would be kinda interesting. Put some villain meet and greets out there and you have an instant hit.
 

nol_dur

Member
Ohhhh, don't hate me but turning Tom Sawyer's island into an Isle of the Lost would be kinda interesting. Put some villain meet and greets out there and you have an instant hit.
That could work but it wouldn't really fit into the theme of Frontier Land
 

Thingamabob

Active Member
I do think a Villain section would work in either HS or MK, but not an entire new park. As for thinning out the already 4 parks by adding an additional 5th park I don't see that happening at all because Disney will continue to try and get as many people in to all the parks as they can get to get as much money as they can get each day. Adding a 5th park is not going to thin out that much at all because Disney will figure out some way to keep attendance up in the other 4 as well.
 

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