Mary Poppins attraction (whatever it may be): Fantasyland or World Showcase?

[mharrington]

In the early days of WDW (i.e., back in its developmental/construction phase), it was briefly considered to retheme the Fantasyland dark rides to different movies than in Disneyland. The original rides were all classified by mood, with Snow White being a dark and scary ride, Mr. Toad a crazy ride, and Peter Pan a beautiful ride. For WDW, it was apparently considered to replace Snow White as the dark and scary ride with Sleeping Beauty, Mr. Toad with Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, and Peter Pan with Mary Poppins. However, Roy O. Disney, who had taken over the company after Walt's passing, mainly to guide the Florida project to completion, overruled this, insisting that the rides all remain as they were in California.

As such, a Mary Poppins ride never got built then. The closest it ever got to being a ride was a scene in The Great Movie Ride at Disney-MGM Studios. But that's neither here nor there, since the ride is long gone.

Fast forward about fifty years later, and a new Mary Poppins ride is (or at least was) in consideration for the United Kingdom pavilion at EPCOT. However, the pandemic hit, and the plans for such at least remain in flux, if not nixed outright.

However, whether the ride gets built or not, would Mary Poppins work in World Showcase, where world cultures are celebrated? Or would it have been better off in Fantasyland, where worlds in fictitious stories are celebrated?

 

[networkpro]

Its apparent that you are set on downplaying the impact of shared mythologies on culture, everything must be in it's own little isolated box. If you remember, the character by PL Travers was first published 38 years before the Disney film in 1926. It wasn't originally supposed to be a children's book, but instead a social commentary about how the middle class Britans raised thier kids...at a distance.

 

[mharrington]

Its apparent that you are set on downplaying the impact of shared mythologies on culture, everything must be in it's own little isolated box. If you remember, the character by PL Travers was first published 38 years before the Disney film in 1926. It wasn't originally supposed to be a children's book, but instead a social commentary about how the middle class Britans raised thier kids...at a distance.

Well, it seems that some people think that Disney IP characters should only be limited to either the Magic Kingdom (preferably Fantasyland) or Hollywood Studios and nowhere else at all.

 

[ohioguy]

EPCOT... if it ever happens. If only to add another attraction to what will soon be another "hot ticket" park. And not just a carousel!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

The Mary Poppins attraction whatever it ends up being is going in WS.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

The emerging trend is to theme the pavilion ride on Disney IP. Frozen in Norway, Ratatouille in France, Poppins in the UK, the rumored Coco in Mexico. And it most likely won't stop there. This is not a comment on whether they should or not. Merely an observation of what they have been (attempting) doing. I would expect if Poppins does move forward it will be a part of the UK pavilion.

 

[mharrington]

The emerging trend is to theme the pavilion ride on Disney IP. Frozen in Norway, Ratatouille in France, Poppins in the UK, the rumored Coco in Mexico. And it most likely won't stop there. This is not a comment on whether they should or not. Merely an observation of what they have been (attempting) doing. I would expect if Poppins does move forward it will be a part of the UK pavilion.

I'm not saying where it will go, I'm saying where people here think it should go.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'd welcome it in EP. Adding the attraction into the UK area which brings more interest into that side of the WS. It fits better there than either MK or DHS.

 

[jpinkc]

I am to the point that I wont believe its happening til I can walk in and ride it. Hell it will probably take 13 years to build and they will wreck most of the England pavilion to do it. Then say oh it wasnt that popular of a pavilion, we need to expand China.

 

[BHF]

The Mary Poppins attraction whatever it ends up being is going in WS.

This.
Wasn't this already confirmed too?

 

[jpinkc]

This.
Wasn't this already confirmed too?

It was announced and then shelved.

 

[BHF]

It was announced and then shelved.

I meant the location of WS confirmed if or when this thing sees life again.

 

[mf1972]

definitely WS. i think they have more space for it right now.

 

[JohnD]

WS in UK pavilion. Either an actual carousel (if that's the case, MK would be redundant) or a carousel-type ride that "disconnects" from a carousel and bounces you through a ride building as a dark ride.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Probably Epcot

 

[tl77]

"IF" there was to be a Mary Poppins ride at Magic Kingdom I think it should be off Main Street in the spot where they announced a theater going in a few years ago. Wouldn't quite fit the theme of Main Street "USA" but same time period, and you cloud rename/theme the Main Street Bypass to Cherry Tree Lane... but I'm fine with it at World Showcase as long as it's based on the original Julie Andrews movie, I saw in an interview Emily Blunt said her own kids preferred the original movie to the one she's in, our kids prefer the original too

 

[mharrington]

"IF" there was to be a Mary Poppins ride at Magic Kingdom I think it should be off Main Street in the spot where they announced a theater going in a few years ago. Wouldn't quite fit the theme of Main Street "USA" but same time period, and you cloud rename/theme the Main Street Bypass to Cherry Tree Lane... but I'm fine with it at World Showcase as long as it's based on the original Julie Andrews movie, I saw in an interview Emily Blunt said her own kids preferred the original movie to the one she's in, our kids prefer the original too

Frankly, how does Mary Poppins fit in World Showcase if it celebrates world cultures? I don't believe the movie ever really celebrated UK culture, does it?

 

[tl77]

Frankly, how does Mary Poppins fit in World Showcase if it celebrates world cultures? I don't believe the movie ever really celebrated UK culture, does it?

It is itself "British/UK culture" since it's written by a British author and set in London, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are as well, I think it fits the UK Pavilion the same way Mark Twain, being an American Author is one of the hosts of The American Adventure

The Three Caballeros, Frozen and Ratatouille, in my opinion "are not" part of the culture of the pavilions they appear in, because they were all invented by Americans ...where as Beauty and the Beast was written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740, so I think it should be the ride at The France Pavilion should be something like a Beauty and the Beast ride instead of the Ratatouille ride

 

[mharrington]

It is itself "British/UK culture" since it's written by a British author and set in London, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are as well, I think it fits the UK Pavilion the same way Mark Twain, being an American Author is one of the hosts of The American Adventure

The Three Caballeros, Frozen and Ratatouille, in my opinion "are not" part of the culture of the pavilions they appear in, because they were all invented by Americans ...where as Beauty and the Beast was written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740, so I think it should be the ride at The France Pavilion should be something like a Beauty and the Beast ride instead of the Ratatouille ride

But at least those Americans have done research (i.e., by visiting those countries) before they did anything. It's not like they just made anything on the spot. They had to have done their research or nothing would happen.

 

[tl77]

But at least those Americans have done research (i.e., by visiting those countries) before they did anything. It's not like they just made anything on the spot. They had to have done their research or nothing would happen.

There's nothing wrong with the stuff that was "made by Americans" except for the fact that it was "made by Americans"... like Beauty and the Beast was first written by a French author in the 1700's, the story has been adapted by lots of different people over the years into films, animation, TV, ect... it's been part of pop culture and world culture for a few centuries, but it originated in France...

Ratatouille was created by Disney/Pixar a few years ago, it has no real connection to French culture, it could had been set in New York City instead of Paris and it would still be the same movie. It's not a product of France it's a product of Pixar and The Walt Disney Company