HKDL gets new castle, frozen land and marvel land.

ParkPeeker

Well-Known Member


and more photos from twitter search
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apparently today (sep 12th hk time) is hkdl's birthday, hbd!
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
Oh I did not know that.. I'm going to Indonesia for my work and was planning to add a little stop there on the way back. Via Tokyo is considerably more expensive than Shanghai and HK (I live in the Netherlands), but maybe it would be wiser to avoid china for now. It's so hard to decide now, in a year the whole situation could be different, for better or worse.. Thanks for your reply btw!

I'd not fret about it and just go wherever works out.
 

Stevie Amsterdam

Well-Known Member
Oh I did not know that.. I'm going to Indonesia for my work and was planning to add a little stop there on the way back. Via Tokyo is considerably more expensive than Shanghai and HK (I live in the Netherlands), but maybe it would be wiser to avoid china for now. It's so hard to decide now, in a year the whole situation could be different, for better or worse.. Thanks for your reply btw!
Great to see more Dutchies here :D
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
If this pair of pics is his evidence of the castle ruining the scale of the park, it looks fine to me 🤷‍♂️.
A picture won’t be able to fully capture the experience and feeling of being in a space. The Guggenheim in NY might look pretty, but the physical experience of being in the space is so much better than I’d ever imagined from the images of the building. I haven’t seen the new castle in person, but in terms of design fundamentals, it will do irreparable harm to the park.

Castle parks are designed at a scale that dictates the approach for the rest of the park. We may call it a weenie, but it’s really a keystone. Every Main Street* is a framing device for the castle. DL/HKDL Main Street is designed to fit SBC’s scale and so on and so forth. (Just google images of DLP, TDL, and MK Main Streets to see this at work) The new castle is hilariously out of scale for its Main Street and the rest of the park.

Did you know in terms of building height, HKDL has the smallest Space Mountain? Why? It’s placement means it is visible from the hub so it must not overwhelm the environment and that particular vantage point whilst also being, well, as impressive and evocative as SM needs to be upon direct approach. This can go on to the additions like Mystic Manor and Big Grizzly Mountain. Disney theme park design is all about balance and harmony. Big is ok, but a big castle should be reserved for a physically large park (MK, TDL, DLP), among other considerations.

If you really want to see in an image how the now topped off castle effects the scale of the park, this is the one.
409990

Via MRB Page on Facebook
 

halbjobri

Active Member
If this pair of pics is his evidence of the castle ruining the scale of the park, it looks fine to me 🤷‍♂️.

I was lucky enough to get tickets to Disneyland today, and I have to say it looks so much better in real life (especially at night!). I don't think it throws Main Street off scale since it is so slender; in fact I was surprised to see it in the distance while in Adventureland and Tomorrowland.
 

ParkPeeker

Well-Known Member
Every Main Street* is a framing device for the castle. DL/HKDL Main Street is designed to fit SBC’s scale and so on and so forth. (Just google images of DLP, TDL, and MK Main Streets to see this at work) The new castle is hilariously out of scale for its Main Street and the rest of the park.
I knew this already, I've even done edits of a taller main street when trying to edit the castle in. The shorter main street with the tall castle doesn't bother me. Also the castle isn't as huge as cinderella castle even though it's height comes relatively close.

If you really want to see in an image how the now topped off castle effects the scale of the park, this is the one.
Still doesn't bother me, nor do I think it eliminates the cozy feel.

As you said, pictures won't accurately represent the space, so I'll see how I feel about it in person when I visit it in the future.
 

RandySavage

Well-Known Member
I've got no problem with the new castle's scale or height (from what I've seen in pics). Its architecture/surfacing/colors/integration with the original parts - those I'm a little more on the fence about. But its height already looks like a major improvement over the minuscule, almost invisible SBC that opened with the park. I don't think it appears oversized (for what it is supposed to be) at all.

If the castle were part of Main Street then, yes, those relational scale issues might matter more - you wouldn't want a train station or town hall that looked like it was blown up 200% from what's there. But the Castle is part of a different thematic realm (when viewed from Main Street) and the park weenie... it should soar and grab attention. If not for the Matterhorn, I'd have no problem re-imagining the original SBC's height (not scale), which has always felt like a small manorhouse as opposed to a fairytale castle (I'm a native WDWer).

For me, the scale that is most important is that of architectural features, such as windows, setbacks and ornament, as opposed to overall building height, and those do not look discordant with the scale of Fantasyland.
 
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lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
For me, the scale that is most important is that of architectural features, such as windows, setbacks and ornament, as opposed to overall building height, and those do not look discordant with the scale of Fantasyland.
Those teeny little columns supporting a cantilevered tower aren’t out of scale? The whole massing is clearly that of a steel structure more than something built of stone.
 

RandySavage

Well-Known Member
Those teeny little columns supporting a cantilevered tower aren’t out of scale? The whole massing is clearly that of a steel structure more than something built of stone.
You're correct about the columns, but assuming they needed to be so thin for accessibility reasons (accurate, in-proportion columns would need to be much wider and significantly narrow the space between them), I can forgive the oddity in Fantasyland. Particularly in light of the rest of the land's grab bag of architecture and execution (from fiberglass "tournament tens" to timber framed "fairytale fachewerk").
 

brihow

Well-Known Member
A picture won’t be able to fully capture the experience and feeling of being in a space. The Guggenheim in NY might look pretty, but the physical experience of being in the space is so much better than I’d ever imagined from the images of the building. I haven’t seen the new castle in person, but in terms of design fundamentals, it will do irreparable harm to the park.

Castle parks are designed at a scale that dictates the approach for the rest of the park. We may call it a weenie, but it’s really a keystone. Every Main Street* is a framing device for the castle. DL/HKDL Main Street is designed to fit SBC’s scale and so on and so forth. (Just google images of DLP, TDL, and MK Main Streets to see this at work) The new castle is hilariously out of scale for its Main Street and the rest of the park.

Did you know in terms of building height, HKDL has the smallest Space Mountain? Why? It’s placement means it is visible from the hub so it must not overwhelm the environment and that particular vantage point whilst also being, well, as impressive and evocative as SM needs to be upon direct approach. This can go on to the additions like Mystic Manor and Big Grizzly Mountain. Disney theme park design is all about balance and harmony. Big is ok, but a big castle should be reserved for a physically large park (MK, TDL, DLP), among other considerations.

If you really want to see in an image how the now topped off castle effects the scale of the park, this is the one.
View attachment 409990
Via MRB Page on Facebook
I know there are some brighter turret-toppers under that scrim, but overall the color scheme seems much softer than what we saw in the original artwork. My major worry is that the original castle at the bottom will stick out against the new sections.
 

Disneysea05

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Such a large castle for the smallest magic kingdom. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person but wonder about the visual intrusion on the other lands.

You can see the castles clearly from the various lands at the other magic kingdoms (except the original) but those parks are spread out unlike HKDL.
 

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