New Fantasyand Aeriels 11/22

[jt04]

Am I the only one who thinks they should get rid of the castle wall above Pooh and retheme it to a cottage or somehing forest-y?

I think we have to wait until we see how the new castle walls being installed flow with the existing walls. I get what you are saying and generally agree but I am taking a wait and see approach on this until the FLE opens. Should be interesting.

 

[Tim Lohr]

The Mine Train hole in the ground is just the foundation for the Mountain/Building, but the ride tracks will extend out passed the hole and come closer to the "current" Fantasyland construction wall.

It looks like they've still got some digging to do, and another bridge to build to the Belle's Village area

 

[Mike730]

Are you sure? Based on the concept art it looks like it will be both. Part water feature and part Mine Train. They are going to build another bridge going towards Mermaid, but right next to the bridge it looks like the two turns on the left side of Mine Train will be located. I know concept art isn't very accurate, but still, it seems like an awfully big hole just to be a water feature.

To me it seems as though that area isn't going to be used for only a water feature, but just as also like a sort of forest with lots of foliage and trees. I think the idea is that you walk through the forest on the bridge to come up on this massive castle like it is in the movie. In fact from the art and models it seems like theres lots of trees there. It almost reminds me of the boardwalk behind the wilderness lodge that goes to the boat dock. It like you're slightly above the "forest floor" thats like a wet forest area.

 

[AEfx]

Yes I wish they added another ride or two and would have loved to have Pinocchio dark ride. But I think them adding a second Dumbo is a great decision.

I think eventually we will see more dark rides in our Fantasyland. There is still so much room for expansion, especially if they get rid of Autopia. I really think this is more like Phase I out of III.

After the mine cars are open, I have a very strong feeling we will see Pan go down for a year or two for a near-complete gut/rebuild. It needs it terribly - every single set needs a lot of work, and to become ADA-compliant the entire ride system needs to be replaced (which I hear is needed anyway as it's simply ancient at this point). They just couldn't do it before because of the lack of Fantasyland attractions, but with TLM and a new Snow White ride, it will be a lot easier to justify. From there, IASW will probably get the character overlay that Disneyland got (which is subtle yet fantastic), and perhaps something to plus up poor old Pooh.

But after that...apparently there is room behind the B&TB area to work with, and of course Autopia, the ride without a land. It doesn't fit in Tomorrowland, it doesn't fit in Fantasyland, and although many people have nostalgic memories of it, there is nothing it offers that your standard antique car ride at your local amusement park doesn't. And it takes up a HUGE plot of land.

When that's done, I'd love to see Pinocchio and Alice brought in, and maybe even a 3rd one - Sleeping Beauty would be amazing. WDW is the flagship park, yet we have always had the worst Fantasyland. I mean, walking between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland it was/is hard telling where the line between them is - and not in a good, "ease you into it" way. Our Fantasyland previously consisted of a bunch of tin-roof "King Arthur" tents and a few scattered trees, and felt pretty cold/lifeless. I mean, Tomorrowland has more personality, when Fantasyland should be the heart and soul of the park.

I can dream.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I think eventually we will see more dark rides in our Fantasyland. There is still so much room for expansion, especially if they get rid of Autopia. I really think this is more like Phase I out of III.

After the mine cars are open, I have a very strong feeling we will see Pan go down for a year or two for a near-complete gut/rebuild. It needs it terribly - every single set needs a lot of work, and to become ADA-compliant the entire ride system needs to be replaced (which I hear is needed anyway as it's simply ancient at this point). They just couldn't do it before because of the lack of Fantasyland attractions, but with TLM and a new Snow White ride, it will be a lot easier to justify. From there, IASW will probably get the character overlay that Disneyland got (which is subtle yet fantastic), and perhaps something to plus up poor old Pooh.

I don't think Pooh is that bad? Certainly it was technically most impressive out of the FL dark rides.

But after that...apparently there is room behind the B&TB area to work with, and of course Autopia, the ride without a land. It doesn't fit in Tomorrowland, it doesn't fit in Fantasyland, and although many people have nostalgic memories of it, there is nothing it offers that your standard antique car ride at your local amusement park doesn't. And it takes up a HUGE plot of land.

When that's done, I'd love to see Pinocchio and Alice brought in, and maybe even a 3rd one - Sleeping Beauty would be amazing. WDW is the flagship park, yet we have always had the worst Fantasyland. I mean, walking between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland it was/is hard telling where the line between them is - and not in a good, "ease you into it" way. Our Fantasyland previously consisted of a bunch of tin-roof "King Arthur" tents and a few scattered trees, and felt pretty cold/lifeless. I mean, Tomorrowland has more personality, when Fantasyland should be the heart and soul of the park.

I can dream.

My grand idea for separating Tomorrowland and Fantasyland was a mountain with a Tomorrowland-themed coaster on one side and a Fantasyland coaster on the other side. With the Mine Coaster coming, that doesn't seem very feasible anymore, so more dark rides would certainly be welcome. I think they really are the core of the Disney theme park experience; it's strange that in a couple years, there will only be two (Fantasyland dark rides).

Whatver they do decide to build, they need a Tangled dark ride or stage show. Remember when Iger said he wanted attractions in the parks day-and-date with the movies? We've gone so far from that statement that we have a well-reviewed princess movie that sold tickets, moved merch, and had enough short-term staying power for Rapunzel to be an official princess... but no attraction. If they put a Rapunzel ride on the Snow White tracks that wasn't just cardboard cutouts, the lines would rival Pan.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I think eventually we will see more dark rides in our Fantasyland. There is still so much room for expansion, especially if they get rid of Autopia. I really think this is more like Phase I out of III.

After the mine cars are open, I have a very strong feeling we will see Pan go down for a year or two for a near-complete gut/rebuild. It needs it terribly - every single set needs a lot of work, and to become ADA-compliant the entire ride system needs to be replaced (which I hear is needed anyway as it's simply ancient at this point). They just couldn't do it before because of the lack of Fantasyland attractions, but with TLM and a new Snow White ride, it will be a lot easier to justify. From there, IASW will probably get the character overlay that Disneyland got (which is subtle yet fantastic), and perhaps something to plus up poor old Pooh.

But after that...apparently there is room behind the B&TB area to work with, and of course Autopia, the ride without a land. It doesn't fit in Tomorrowland, it doesn't fit in Fantasyland, and although many people have nostalgic memories of it, there is nothing it offers that your standard antique car ride at your local amusement park doesn't. And it takes up a HUGE plot of land.

When that's done, I'd love to see Pinocchio and Alice brought in, and maybe even a 3rd one - Sleeping Beauty would be amazing. WDW is the flagship park, yet we have always had the worst Fantasyland. I mean, walking between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland it was/is hard telling where the line between them is - and not in a good, "ease you into it" way. Our Fantasyland previously consisted of a bunch of tin-roof "King Arthur" tents and a few scattered trees, and felt pretty cold/lifeless. I mean, Tomorrowland has more personality, when Fantasyland should be the heart and soul of the park.

I can dream.

I really hope Pan is completely rebuilt. I think it's the most overrated attraction in all of WDW.

 

[Clamman73]

If they put a Rapunzel ride on the Snow White tracks that wasn't just cardboard cutouts, the lines would rival Pan.

Interesting...verrrrry interesting...

 

[ob1thx1138]

I know concept art isn't very accurate, but still, it seems like an awfully big hole just to be a water feature.

The only reason the hole is that large is for safety. When performing work in an excavation you either have to have retaining walls or a large slope to prevent the walls from caving in on the workers. We saw this same thing when they were building that long straight wall that everyone claimed to be part of the mine coaster but turned out to apparently just be utility related. Once the construction is done on the second bridge the large hole will more than likely be filled in or turned into a stream.

 

[Scuttle]

I really hope Pan is completely rebuilt. I think it's the most overrated attraction in all of WDW.

Without a doubt overrated, but you have to admit it's got some charm to it and arguably one of the best show scenes in MK (flying over London). Hopefully it will be rebuilt it does need a lot of work done.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

I agree with others in thinking that its almost inevitable that Peter Pan goes down after the FLE has opened for its much needed upgrade to the 21st century.

As far as future expansion options, there are certainly a number of possibilities. AEfx mentioned behind the Beauty and the Beast area, but its highly unlikely anything would go back there seeing as its the fallout area of the fireworks and the narrow path of Belle's Village would create a miserable choke point. Certainly, the Speedway offers promise, and I think an Alice ride would work perfectly over there. With the combination of the Teacups, the newly re-themed Cheshire Cafe, and the success of the Tim Burton movie, the MK could have itself a nice little Wonderland section. At the same time, it would still allow enough space for an upgraded and reconfigured Speedway on the Tomorrowland side.

And of course, the tents of Circusland are ripe for redevelopment and could facilitate another mini land back there. The fact the the FL train station was "de-themed" indicates that Imagineers are already thinking about future plans for the area. Personally, I say give it a Princess theme (similar to whats happening in Disneyland with the Carnation Plaza Gardens) with a princess themed attraction and/or show and move the Princess meet and greet back there. This would once again free up the previous Snow White's Scary Adventures space for another dark ride, perhaps Pinocchio.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Without a doubt overrated, but you have to admit it's got some charm to it and arguably one of the best show scenes in MK (flying over London). Hopefully it will be rebuilt it does need a lot of work done.

Flying over London is the best part of the ride, but even that needs work.

 

[Lee]

...and arguably one of the best show scenes in MK (flying over London).

Which was rendered totally obsolete when ET opened at Universal and blew it away.

 

[Mike730]

As far as future expansion options, there are certainly a number of possibilities. AEfx mentioned behind the Beauty and the Beast area, but its highly unlikely anything would go back there seeing as its the fallout area of the fireworks and the narrow path of Belle's Village would create a miserable choke point. Certainly, the Speedway offers promise, and I think an Alice ride would work perfectly over there. With the combination of the Teacups, the newly re-themed Cheshire Cafe, and the success of the Tim Burton movie, the MK could have itself a nice little Wonderland section. At the same time, it would still allow enough space for an upgraded and reconfigured Speedway on the Tomorrowland side.

Despite the doubt about developing the land north of FLE I still think its possible if they can pull it off with indoor rides and such. Isn't it close quarters with the fireworks in Anaheim? I also find it funny how the first way I picture accessing this land is by bulldozing a path right through "Its a Small World" :lookaroun

And I completely agree with the idea of using the speedway for more rides. The speedway is a huge waste of space (in my opinion). I can see them moving a upgraded speedway type ride outside the train tracks and using the resulting land for a new expansion. Perhaps even a whole new themed land.

 

[Atomicmickey]

Which was rendered totally obsolete when ET opened at Universal and blew it away.

And yet, ET for whatever reason has not been revered and loved, and that darn Peter Pan has a line from open to close.

There are a couple of new ET rides slated to open, but let's not forget that two of them are CLOSED, for whatever reason.

That having been said, yeah, Pan could use an upgrade. I could see them doing something animatronically alike to the new Mermaid ride. But who knows what they'll have in store?

A Forbidden Journey Kuka-arm launching inverted 3D coaster through a laser fountain show, probably.

 

[RSoxNo1]

And yet, ET for whatever reason has not been revered and loved, and that darn Peter Pan has a line from open to close.

There are a couple of new ET rides slated to open, but let's not forget that two of them are CLOSED, for whatever reason.

That having been said, yeah, Pan could use an upgrade. I could see them doing something animatronically alike to the new Mermaid ride. But who knows what they'll have in store?

A Forbidden Journey Kuka-arm launching inverted 3D coaster through a laser fountain show, probably.

Does anyone know the capacity of ET? I know it's not a continuous loader like Pan, but the vehicles do have a larger capacity. I would guess it's capacity is somewhere between Pooh and Pan. Couple that with the fact that Universal Studios attendance #s are a fraction of the Magic Kingdom, and the wait times for ET make a lot of sense.

 

[Atomicmickey]

So, your contention is that Pan's popularity is a function solely of low capacity, then?

I always thought it was a piquant mix of capacity and popularity.

I have only been on ET once, but for whatever reason it didn't capture me in the same way. I'd be willing to chalk my opinion up to nostalgia/fanbois colored glasses, though. It happens to the best of us.

 

[ChrisFL]

ET is also quite well hidden inthe back of Universal...I think most people might not even notice its there, unless they're looking for it, or just happen to see it on their way to the Fievel/Curious George area.

I think ET is one of the best attractions that Universal made on a "Disney" theming level.

Having said that, the one difference that Peter Pan might do better is that you're flying over the city and its all around you, whereas in ET you're off to the right of it

 

[NADisney]

Though I'm happy that Fantasyland is getting some new attractions , and details. It is a shame that we are losing an attaction for a princess greet and meet, and what about the other cast of characters who should be greeted with open arms also who make Fantasyland possible.

Dumbo is a favorite amongst young children, but an entire theme land full of animals doing tricks does get boring after awhile , might as well go to a zoo ( AK ). The Mad Tea Party should had been relocated to this area and called Wounderland with a Catipillar coaster thru the living garden ,an Alice Adventures dark ride, the Mad Hatters shop, The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall along with Cheshire cafe .

The train station could had been relocated between the new area and Tomorrowland with a 20,000 Leagues under the sea theme.

Snow white attraction should be saved as a ride building for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride..just add the toad hall facade,add cars, and repaint,sound and figures to the rooms.and u have a new but classic attraction.

The character meet and greet could have been designed like Toontown Hall with the three rooms for each themed group of characters located inside Mickey's Philharmagic bulding. MP -could be relocated to Disney Studios ,and be part of a new land there like Mickey's Toontown - A place where Mickey and friends live ,work in the movies.

But that is just my idea. I'm sure the Imagineers know what there doing , and will do it in style.:ROFLOL:

 

[RSoxNo1]

So, your contention is that Pan's popularity is a function solely of low capacity, then?

I always thought it was a piquant mix of capacity and popularity.

I have only been on ET once, but for whatever reason it didn't capture me in the same way. I'd be willing to chalk my opinion up to nostalgia/fanbois colored glasses, though. It happens to the best of us.

I learned fairly recently that Pan is relatively effecient (something like 1200 per hour). Compared to other popular attractions though, it is fairly ineffecient. The omnimovers and boat rides can accommadate 50-75% more guests per hour.

Toy Story Mania has the same problem - it's popularity is high compared to it's capacity. This is what creates large waits. Converseley, effecient attractions like Mission: SPACE or The Seas with Nemo and Friends were built with the expectation of higher guest demand than what they currently get, and as such the wait times compared to the experience are substantially less.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Here's the last of them:
http://www.wdwfanboys.com/blog/disney-world-fantasyland-aerial-photos-part-4/