"If I could improve Walt Disney World..." 2.0

[ScorpionX]

An expanded Pixar Place could be called Pixar Plaza.

 

[comics101]

IMO, DHS is not nearly as robust a park as it should be at this stage. Since it has essentially moved away from the working studios theme, some of the old attractions do not carry the same value and significance. With that said, I would make the few changes, most of which are nothing new to this board:

Action/Adventure Area

• Replace Catastrophe Canyon and adjacent operations support building with Indiana Jones Ride (prefer something along the lines of Tokyo Disneyland).

Expanded Pixar Place

• Replace Backlot Tour pre-show building and queue with an Incredibles attraction. Similar concept as TT with dark ride building up to a fast outdoor finish. Elevated outdoor track would either loop along the rooftops of the New York Street buildings or along portions of the former Backlot Tour route. Without going into extensive story details, picture portions of the track and support beams made to appear like ice, an elevated bobsled run compliments of Frozone that allows the ride vehicle to zip along in pursuit of a villain.
• Replace the cast costume building behind TSMM with a Monsters Inc. dark coaster.
• Update Honey movie set playground with A Bug's Life theme.
• Possibly squeeze in a dark Up ride. Two options...

1. Smaller dark ride similar to Peter Pan.
2. Potential alternative to Incredibles on New York Street: ride initially "floats" indoors through various scenes and then outdoors around Streets of America or possibly broader area.

Sci-Fi Area I appreciate the resistance from some to adding more Star Wars elements to DHS. However, it is hard to argue with the marketability of the franchise and any related products. Much of the original audience is now between 45 - 60. The second generation audience is in their late 20s/early 30s. Now, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is introducing the story to millions of kids under the age of 12. Its influence and appeal just continues to grow. With that said...

• Replace Indiana Jones Stunt Show with a Star Wars-themed show. As exciting as it is to see Darth Vader and a multitude of Stormtroopers on Star Wars weekends, imagine them in a full scale show every day.
• Replace the operations buildings behind the stunt show and Backlot Express with a Star Wars E-ticket ride. Let the Imagineers and Lucas go wild. Whether the attraction is set in Coruscant, Hoth, Tatooine, the Death Star or any combination, I suspect the structure and queue could be spectacular if Disney makes the investment. Maybe it's the Jedi temple or the Naboo palace or...
• Of course, Backlot Express converted to the Cantina.

Just some thoughts.

Personally, I say moving the toll plaza's the way to go. I recently drew a map for DHS that includes a major Star Wars land with 2 E-tickets, a restaurant, and an elaborate M&G, and 2 other mini-lands with 1 other E-ticket and 2 D-ticket darkrides. It's incredible how much space is back there, and I did all that while keeping the Backlot Tour. I tried to keep my map as realistic as possible, so I believe all of the stuff drawn in would fit. As soon as we get our scanner up and running I'll probably post it.

Your ideas are great though. The best way to do away with the studio theme is definatly to divide the park into "studios" like they have at WDSP.

 

[mharrington]

Your ideas are great though. The best way to do away with the studio theme is definatly to divide the park into "studios" like they have at WDSP.

Why do we need to have "studios"? And I have a feeling that I'm the only one that is against a whole land themed to Pixar.

 

[comics101]

Why do we need to have "studios"? And I have a feeling that I'm the only one that is against a whole land themed to Pixar.

We don't. But if you don't you might as well call the park Magic Kingdom II. They have essentially the same themes of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy, one park just has rides based on films only (and with the way TDO has been going, it appears all attractions must be based on films regardless of what park they go in).
Idk, I just believe calling each land Hollywood Studios, Action Studios, SciFI Studios (or Skywalker Studios), Toon Studios, Muppet Studios...it makes sense, and it unites the park and gives it a definite identity. But maybe that's just me...idk.

ANd no, you're not the only one whose against a Pixar Land, I'd have never done that with the park.

 

[goofy donald]

We don't. But if you don't you might as well call the park Magic Kingdom II. They have essentially the same themes of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy, one park just has rides based on films only (and with the way TDO has been going, it appears all attractions must be based on films regardless of what park they go in).
Idk, I just believe calling each land Hollywood Studios, Action Studios, SciFI Studios (or Skywalker Studios), Toon Studios, Muppet Studios...it makes sense, and it unites the park and gives it a definite identity. But maybe that's just me...idk.

ANd no, you're not the only one whose against a Pixar Land, I'd have never done that with the park.

i second the thoughts about not having a pixar land, its kind of going counter to every other addition to the park. not to mention pixar is EVERYWHERE in the parks already, theyve taken a pavilion in epcot, couple of attractions in AK and MK, and now a whole land in HS. Not to mention, of course when I go to a theme park i expect the attractions to be separated based on the company they were made by regardless of if they don't make sense together......

 

[goofy donald]

Anyway, I have several ideas for the parks. I'll start with brand-new additions and then I'll do updated attractions. I'll start with the Magic Kingdom:

• Main Street U.S.A.
  • Walt Disney - One Man's Dream: Disneyland - The "One Man's Dream" attraction at DHS will now be broken up into individual components and scattered to all the parks. In the case of the MK, a section on the Disney theme parks, especially Disneyland, will be displayed at the Main Street Cinema.
• Adventureland
  • Pirate's Treetop Lair - A new treetop walkthrough and featuring interactive, climbing and scenic opportunities, featuring elements of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series (replaces Swiss Family Treehouse).
  • Jungle Expedition - Choose your vehicle as the Jungle (River) Cruise is invaded by a Jungle Land Trek, an edgier jeep safari in this interactive, tongue-in-cheek, dueling tour of the jungles of the world (thanks to stitchcastle for this idea).
• Frontierland
  • Mike Fink Keelboats - This is not necessarily a brand-new addition, but it hasn't been here for a while, so it will be a return. It will now load in the area that the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes used to load.
  • Woody's Roundup - A dark ride themed to the "Woody's Roundup" mythology from the "Toy Story" series.
• Fantasyland
  • The Adventures of Pinocchio - A giant dark ride in the tradition of Tokyo Disneyland's Pooh's Hunny Hunt, travel with Pinocchio as he faces many temptations in his efforts to become a real boy.
• Tomorrowland
  • StormRider - A new 3D simulator ride based on the one at Tokyo DisneySea, take a flight right into the center of a powerful storm!
  • Highway of Tomorrow - Take a drive along a scenic drive along the Highway of Tomorrow (1950s-type tomorrow, that is) in a futuristic, yet environmentally-friendly car (replaces Tomorrowland Indy Speedway).

What do you think? Next time, I will do Epcot.

your one mans dream idea seems interesting, however i think people would learn more about walt if it was all centralized, not to mention Im sure the part 3 addition will be really great and something i wouldn't want to break up.

the adventure land concepts aren't quite my favorites unfortunately, i mean they work well in theory but your changing 2 classic attraction to do so and that thought doesn't sit well with me. I guess I'm biased with the jungle cruise concept because its one of my favorite old attractions but i prefer the original. its hard to outdo the legends. The Pirate tree house idea i wouldn't mind as much, however you would have to find a way to link it to the movies somehow as that is the direction Disney wants to go in. otherwise leave it as Swiss family Robinson.

i like bringing back the mike fink keelboats if possible hopefully there's a plan to prevent them from, you know, tipping over again lol. I dont think a woody dark ride would be the best idea though, theres already soooo much pixar out there ide confine new pixar attractions if at all possible to pixar land.

dont need to say anything about fantasyland except LOVE IT .

I agree with what kermit said as i see wonders of life becoming the site of the new weather pavilion storm rider would fit perfectly there. i also love the tommorowland speedway update! i dont usually like changing the classics but that seems to be the perfect replacement if any. the speedway is currently showing its age.

 

[goofy donald]

Here now is Epcot (as you can see, many "new" additions will be based on "old" classics):

• Future World
  • Walt Disney - One Man's Dream: E.P.C.O.T. - The "One Man's Dream" attraction at DHS will now be broken up into individual components and scattered to all the parks. In the case of Epcot, an area of Innoventions will now be home to an exhibit on Walt Disney's original plans for EPCOT.
  • Journey Into Imagination - At the Imagination! pavilion, it's a new version of an old classic, join Dreamfinder and his impish dragon buddy, Figment, on a romp that engages the imagination and the senses, but mostly the imagination (replaces Journey Into Imagination With Figment).
  • Magic Journeys - At the Imagination! pavilion, it's the return of an old 3D classic (replaces Captain EO). However, it's not permanent, it's only a placeholder for a brand-new 3D movie yet to be determined.
  • Soarin' Over Florida - At the Land pavilion, take a hang-gliding free-flying adventure over several locales in the state of Florida, including the Everglades, Ocala, Lake Okeechobee, Cape Canaveral, Miami and Walt Disney World (replaces Soarin')!
  • Food Revue - At the Land pavilion, it's a new tasteful song-and-dance salute to good nutrition, in a show that is a cross between "Kitchen Kabaret" and "Food Rocks" (replaces Circle of Life)!
  • New Horizons - A new version of the old Horizons ride, blast off from the Futureport and take an incredible journey through the lifestyles of the 22nd century. Presented by Sylvania (replaces Wonders of Life).
• World Showcase
  • Russia - A brand-new pavilion, located between Germany and China! Marqueed by the spectacular onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, it will feature the spellbinding attraction, "Reflections of Russia", an innovative theatrical experience that will combine Audio-Animatronics characters, animated sets, film, and a live actor to surround guests with the personalities, achievements and volatile history of this vast land. There are also two restaurants (one is a buffet family restaurant with some sort of a ballet theme and the other is an elegant adult restaurant with sword dancers and opera) and plenty of shops that sell Russian clothes, books, movies, theater stuff, and more.
  • Rhine River Rapids - Located at the Germany pavilion, this is a river rapids ride, the second one at Walt Disney World! It is a new version of an aborted concept for a boat ride through the miniature recreations of Germany, but now really souped up! With its entrance near the Biergarten restaurant, take a thrilling, wet-n-wild river ride down Germany's most famous river!
  • Impressioni dell'Italia - Located at the Italy pavilion (and done in the style of the France pavilion's "Impressions de France"), this is a motion picture that celebrates the beauty of rustic Italy.
  • Mt. Fuji Bullet Trains - Located at the Japan pavilion, this is yet another finally-realized version of an aborted attraction concept, this one of a thrilling roller coaster ride in and around a recreation of Japan's Mount Fuji in miniature bullet trains.
  • Disney character greetings - Different Disney characters will now do meet-n-greets in the pavilions themed to the countries from whence the stories originated! You can meet Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket at the Italy pavilion or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Germany pavilion! This is also an ideal way to find rarer Disney characters, like Bernard and Bianca from "The Rescuers", the title character from "Dumbo" or Panchito and Jose Carioca, as well as Donald Duck, from "The Three Caballeros".

And also, when you first enter the park, you will be greeted with part of an old medley (seen here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A39rwelWujg.

What do you think? As you can see, many of the additions are based on no-longer-existing or never-before-done concepts.

starting with futureworld, i totally agree with the need for a new journey into imagination, its arguably the most glaring fix required in disney world. I think it would be best if they did the same thing they are doing with tikiroom and make a, reminiscent of the original attraction, only with more updated tech to make imagination more exciting for today. next there needs to be a permenant movie for the pavilion, no more place holders, but then again anything is better then more captain EO.... I like soarin over florida, it seems great but i think the rumored soarin over the world would be even better, just because it has everything. As sad as I am to see a lion king attraction go i like your substitute as food rocks was one of my favorites as a kid. New horizons is probably my favorite out of all your ideas as long as its continually updated i would love to see it.

for world showcase, russia is an interesting idea for a paviliion however disney doesnt exactly have the best relations with that country after all the anti communism cartoons disney produced. I think the rumored Brazil is a better fit right now. for the rapids and bullet trains, i just dont like the idea of big e-tickets or any huge thrils for that matter in the world showcase, it kind of ruins it for me a bit. rides with some thrill are welcome, everything doesnt have to be like small world, but it should also be informative of the country as a whole, not an excuse to build a roller coaster. I like the italian circle vision movie but in case you didnt know theres also an unfinished area in italy's pavilion that was supposed to house the gondola boat rides attraction. also the character greetings already occur for the most part but i agree in increasing the scale and amount of rare characters, they are fun to see

 

[goofy donald]

Here now is Disney's Hollywood Studios. To start with, this park's studio identity will be played down more and more until it's completely gone. As a result, the park will receive a new name: Disney Hollywood Adventure. Now, onto the park itself (as usual, this list contains only new attractions, whether introduced from scratch or replacing other attractions, not updated attractions; those will be added later):

• Sunset Boulevard
  • Walt Disney - One Man's Dream: Entertainment King - The "One Man's Dream" attraction at DHS will now be broken up into individual components and scattered to all the parks. In the case of Disney's Hollywood Studios/Disney Hollywood Adventure, the Carthay Circle Theater-themed building will now be the new home of a gallery, the largest of all the OMD galleries in the parks, themed to the history of Walt's movies, television and animation.
• Echo Lake
  • Indiana Jones Adventure: Another version of the now-classic Indiana Jones ride seen in Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea (replaces the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular).

This is only the first part of Disney's Hollywood Studios/Disney Hollywood Adventure, so there will be more later.

well not much here but i totally agree indiana jones ride is a must for the park! but ide hate to see the stunt show go, maybe there could be a way to keep both in a perfect world . also there are a bunch of other things i could add to DHS but ill just stick with your ideas for now because youve had some good ones .

 

[goofy donald]

Here are some more new additions/replacements to Disney's Hollywood Studios/Disney Hollywood Adventure:

• Animation Courtyard
  • The Magic of Disney Animation - The entire attraction will be replaced inside and out. Details yet to be determined.
• Muppet Plaza
  • Kermit the Frog's Muppet*Vision 4D - A new 3D show to replace "Muppet*Vision 3D". Details yet to be determined.
  • The Great Muppet Movie Ride - Yet another abandoned concept finally sees the light! Take a hilarious trip through the movies, as only the Muppets can do it! Features scenes from "Frankenstein", "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and Disney's own "Peter Pan".

Still more left to do here; I'm having trouble with "The Magic of Disney Animation (hence, this thread here: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=713081) and also what to do with "Sounds Dangerous", "Voyage of the Little Mermaid", "Walt Disney: One Man's Dream" and that Narnia thing. I do, however, have a plan for the Backlot Tour.

oops! sorry forgot this part in last post lol im really posting alot on this thread... anyways all the way with your muppet ideas!! if this muppet movie is successful then this is a mandatory next addition to DHS + turning pizza planet into a muppet restaurant and maybe a place where you can meet a real muppet . also i kind of like magic of animation, its a nice relaxing place to leave the park behind and recharge. btw i agree with comic 101 maybe on a smaller scale then suggested, but a mini starwars land would be cool, just dont touch indy and we will be alright .

 

[mharrington]

We don't. But if you don't you might as well call the park Magic Kingdom II. They have essentially the same themes of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy, one park just has rides based on films only (and with the way TDO has been going, it appears all attractions must be based on films regardless of what park they go in).

But that's kind of what it is already, not just for this park, but all of them. The popularity of the Magic Kingdom has lead it to being the template for the whole operation. Its popularity is why the other parks are starting to echo the first one's personality and why the parks have gotten the attractions they've been getting, like the Three Caballeros in the Mexico boat ride or the sorcerer's hat in DHS/DHA. Even Everest at the Animal Kingdom, while giving that park a good E-ticket attraction, tends to mess with the boundaries between the Magic and Animal Kingdoms.

And if you'll recall from early threads and even in this very thread, I had thought about re-renaming Disney's Hollywood Studios to Disney Hollywood Adventure. Note the lack of an apostrophe S in "Disney".

 

[El Grupo]

I can appreciate not wanting to add more Pixar attractions. I do like the idea of taking further advantage of the popularity of those films with some additional attractions in WDW. However, the focus on DHS was more because Pixar Place is considered one of the six themed areas of that park. Seemed like a natural progression to just add more there and expand that part.

However, on the other hand, the areas in DHS don't appear to be as well-defined as in MK. It may not be a bad idea to rethink the theming for each "land" in that park in general.

 

[ScorpionX]

And if you'll recall from early threads and even in this very thread, I had thought about re-renaming Disney's Hollywood Studios to Disney Hollywood Adventure. Note the lack of an apostrophe S in "Disney".

Didn't you make a thread on how you didn't like the lack of "'s" in Disney California Adventure. You said it was grammatically incorrect.

 

[mharrington]

Didn't you make a thread on how you didn't like the lack of "'s" in Disney California Adventure. You said it was grammatically incorrect.

I did, but that seems to be the way things appear to be going at this juncture, so I figured I might just as well go along with it.

your one mans dream idea seems interesting, however i think people would learn more about walt if it was all centralized, not to mention Im sure the part 3 addition will be really great and something i wouldn't want to break up.

...

well not much here but i totally agree indiana jones ride is a must for the park! but ide hate to see the stunt show go, maybe there could be a way to keep both in a perfect world . also there are a bunch of other things i could add to DHS but ill just stick with your ideas for now because youve had some good ones .

First, in terms of One Man's Dream, I originally did intend on centralizing everything in one area. That area, I had originally intended, would have been in the Magic Kingdom, which was where I thought a show like that would have been better suited for. It would have been placed in the old Expo Hall, but of course, the area is now the officially-designated area for a Mickey meet-n-greet, so now I couldn't put it in there anymore.

I really wanted to take the show out of the Studios and put it someplace else. Then someone else suggested a compromise: to break up the show into several smaller pieces and scatter them to the parks (hence the individual One Man's Dream exhibits for each park). I also thought of relocating the show to the Carthay Circle being built for the California Adventure, but I heard that it's being used as a restaurant and that park's equivalent of Club 33. So now I was low on options.

As for the Indy stunt show, there are some reasons I was thinking about getting rid of it. First and most obvious, there are now two stunt shows in the park, the other being Lights Motors Action. Seriously, does this park really need two stunt shows? And second, it seems that the show has become more politically correct. Here is a picture to show you what I mean, of a sniper plane from both "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and from the stunt show: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GGAg16fJ8nA/TFjLbD-cyUI/AAAAAAAAA0k/Wsiv0O8qdoo/s1600/sniper_plane.jpg. Take a look at both pictures and I think you might notice that something is different.

On an unrelated matter, sometime later, I will get around to improving different preexisting attractions. The first little bit of the thread was dedicated to "new" attractions (either from scratch or replacing others).

 

[Tip Top Club]

You have no idea what either of those symbols mean, do you?

 

[mharrington]

You have no idea what either of those symbols mean, do you?

Yes, I do know what those symbols mean, which might be another reason to scrap the show altogether. Enough said.

Next time, I will go back through the parks, this time to update preexisting attractions.

 

[mharrington]

Here is the first part of the improvements given to the parks. This time, it will be to improve preexisting attractions. Again, we'll go in chronological order and start with the Magic Kingdom:

• Main Street U.S.A.
  • Walt Disney World Railroad - A new train will be added, the Ollie Johnston, after one of Disney's legendary "Nine Old Men", who was also a big railroad fan just like both another one of the Nine Old Men, Ward Kimball, and, of course, Walt Disney himself.
• Adventureland
  • Pirates of the Caribbean - The ride will receive some alterations. More on that later.

There will be more on the Magic Kingdom later.

 

[goofy donald]

I did, but that seems to be the way things appear to be going at this juncture, so I figured I might just as well go along with it.



First, in terms of One Man's Dream, I originally did intend on centralizing everything in one area. That area, I had originally intended, would have been in the Magic Kingdom, which was where I thought a show like that would have been better suited for. It would have been placed in the old Expo Hall, but of course, the area is now the officially-designated area for a Mickey meet-n-greet, so now I couldn't put it in there anymore.

I really wanted to take the show out of the Studios and put it someplace else. Then someone else suggested a compromise: to break up the show into several smaller pieces and scatter them to the parks (hence the individual One Man's Dream exhibits for each park). I also thought of relocating the show to the Carthay Circle being built for the California Adventure, but I heard that it's being used as a restaurant and that park's equivalent of Club 33. So now I was low on options.

As for the Indy stunt show, there are some reasons I was thinking about getting rid of it. First and most obvious, there are now two stunt shows in the park, the other being Lights Motors Action. Seriously, does this park really need two stunt shows? And second, it seems that the show has become more politically correct. Here is a picture to show you what I mean, of a sniper plane from both "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and from the stunt show: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GGAg16fJ8nA/TFjLbD-cyUI/AAAAAAAAA0k/Wsiv0O8qdoo/s1600/sniper_plane.jpg. Take a look at both pictures and I think you might notice that something is different.

On an unrelated matter, sometime later, I will get around to improving different preexisting attractions. The first little bit of the thread was dedicated to "new" attractions (either from scratch or replacing others).

I agree that main street in the magic kingdom would be the perfect location. However no matter where you put it i think it should be somehow centralized because it really is one attraction and cant really be split up without fracturing the story somehow.

I actually like the fact that there are 2 different stunt shows on property because it shoes the two different fields of stunt work, everything having to do with people in one and everything having to do with machines in the other. Also because the show is based upon the stunt acts themselves and not the story I don't really know why historical correctness relating to the swastika on the plane that isn't present is all that important.

Ive actually been working on something similar to this, ill post it on here soon see what you think.

 

[mharrington]

I actually like the fact that there are 2 different stunt shows on property because it shoes the two different fields of stunt work, everything having to do with people in one and everything having to do with machines in the other. Also because the show is based upon the stunt acts themselves and not the story I don't really know why historical correctness relating to the swastika on the plane that isn't present is all that important.

Ive actually been working on something similar to this, ill post it on here soon see what you think.

I would like to see this show of yours.

And as for the Indy stunt show, I feel that a stunt show is still a stunt show, no matter how you slice it. And that people aspect might be another reason why I was thinking of scrapping it. It is compiled in book form in the book "Realityland". There is a small subsection there entitled "Thrills and Spills", talking all about the bugs to be worked out there. Early on, the show's performances were marred by a rash of accidents the likes of which aroused the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, from the German mechanic being hit in the face by a plane's wing to another stuntman's restraining cable failing and causing him to drop to the ground from 30 feet to a ladder swaying back and forth several times. By 1990, OSHA fined Disney $1000 for unsafe conditions. Disney was forced to add guardrails and padding.

I don't know, maybe I'm just biased towards the castle parks (and Epcot, to a lesser degree) and like to do things based on that. That might be another reason why I have been doing better with the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, while wrestling with the other parks.

 

[disney fan 13]

Ok i guess i can start with the Magic Kingdom

MAIN STREET

* Repaint all the building's to make them all look nice.
* take out the new meet and greet and turn it into a show about the making of WDW

ADVENTURELAND

* Refurbish the Swiss Family Treehouse and make it into tarzan's treehouse
* take out alladin's carpet's
* upgrade the AA'S in Jungle Cruise
* Replace all of the older POTC AA'S remaining and replace them. replace all of the tracks and circuits to make it break down less
* add Indiana Jones And The Lost Expidition and add a scene to jungle cruise and the railroad like orignally intended ( as well as the EMV and the coaster


FRONTIERLAND

* Refurbish SM and all of it's AA'S add 10FT to the inside drops, add water splashdown back
* completly take out all of thunder mountain and replace it with a high speed rollercoaster (similar to everest but longer and more drops, more details later
* refurbish the Guns at the fort at tom sawyer island, add a new tunnel called the huanted tunnel ( more on it later)
* refurbish all the AA'S at the country bear jamboree
*refurbish the frontier shooting arcade and add more targets
* turn the riverboat into a resteraunt and make a bridge to tom sawyer island

LIBERTY SQUARE

* add a headless horseman dark ride
* more on huanted mansion later

To be continued

 

[disney fan 13]

Fantasyland

1. Replace all of the AA's and enhance the effects of all dark ride
2. Add a interactive waitline to Peter pan
3. Change the fantasyland expansion in these three ways
1. Scrap the mine train and update scary adventures and add a new waitline
2. Scrap the dumbo area
3. Use the new space to make villains shadowlands which contains a bald mountain coaster and a M&G