Rumor New Orleans Mini-Land and "Reimagined" Country Bear Jamboree

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
They have honestly gotten a lot better with the more recent dining options, which is why I think it would be cool to see them get a do-over on Frontierland cuisine. Food from New Orleans and south of the border should be hits and could add a lot to an otherwise culinarily so-so park, but Pecos Bill right now is pretty blah on that front.
 

BlakeW39

Well-Known Member
What if Thunder Mountain were the first part of the new expansion with a complete new Western theme town as you move around it... Crossing the train tracks much like they did with Hong Kong Disneyland expansions....Geyser Gulch... it could be pretty spectacular and no one would miss Frontierland proper... Especially if they moved the Country Bears with it in a new theater....And did a Louis Jazz Review show in the old Country Bear theater... Not that they would invest the money in the park at this point... seems like those grand dreams are behind us now...

Yeah now this would honestly be incredible. Creating a new and improved frontier town around BTMR, that leads to the American-Mexican border with Latinx culture and Coco. However, I don't think a new frontier land is in the cards for the BTMR area.
 

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
As a big fan of most of the classic WDW stuff, I've got to say that Frontierland never held much interest for me.
Probably in part because as a kid born in '63, the Wild West and tv shows about it were already dated for my generation.
So, yes - of all of the things that have been going on around these parks in the past few years that involved change to already existing areas - this is one that I am not only comfortable with, but would also look forward to.
 

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
Alright, I'll be the Debby downer...I absolutely hate this idea.

It completely ruins the beauty of that area of the park. The progression from Colonial America to 1800's Wild West is so obviously intentional—there was so much thought and care put into the design there.

But hey, who cares about design when there are plush toys to sell!?
I've never noticed that intention.
 

FettFan

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone, let’s take a beloved classic show and update it to appeal to a more modern audience. Let them know that we are hip with the current trends.

We’ll add new popular songs and we’ll also make room for animated characters that the youngsters can recognize.

It’ll be a sure fire hit, just what we need to bring new life into a stagnant land!


newmanagement2_sign2005cb.jpg
 

comics101

Well-Known Member
I've never noticed that intention.
Well, things like that aren’t really supposed to be noticed by guests. The park’s architecture is just subtle enough to seem “real,” if that makes sense. But the original Imagineers definitely built it that way on purpose. From the hub, guests enter Liberty Square, Disney’s version of Revolutionary America. Then it’s westward ho! as guests continue on to the wild frontiers of the old west.

Incidentally, Frontierland’s wide open spaces and “sparseness” was also intentional. Liberty Square was given a charming, village-like quality, while Frontierland was provided with a wide vista along the Rivers of America to convey open, untamed wilderness awaiting exploitation and settlement.

Perhaps it’d be more obvious had Marc Davis’ Western River Expedition been built 🤷‍♂️
 
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James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
Well, things like that aren’t really supposed to be noticed by guests. The park’s architecture is just subtle enough to seem “real,” if that makes sense. But the original Imagineers definitely built it that way on purpose. From the hub, guests enter Liberty Square, Disney’s version of Revolutionary America. Then it’s westward ho! as guests continue on to the wild frontiers of the old west.
And it can’t be “Mississippi River, ho!” to New Orleans because … ? Actually, if Harper’s Mill stays, it plays pretty well into that narrative, not to mention the Riverboat.
 

comics101

Well-Known Member
And it can’t be “Mississippi River, ho!” to New Orleans because … ? Actually, if Harper’s Mill stays, it plays pretty well into that narrative, not to mention the Riverboat.
The old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind. There a plenty of other areas both within MK and throughout WDW that need the investment more than Frontierland 🤷‍♂️
 

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
The old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind. There a plenty of other areas both within MK and throughout WDW that need the investment more than Frontierland 🤷‍♂️
Just saying, the narrative is not set in stone. I could easily say this now represents a logical flow from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico to the Rio Grande, passing Pennsylvania, Missouri, Louisiana, and the southwest along the way, with the option at the Gulf to head toward the Caribbean. Sure, if it isn’t broken, don’t bother, but if they’re changing Splash anyway, might as well imagine what could mitigate the change.
 

comics101

Well-Known Member
And it can’t be “Mississippi River, ho!” to New Orleans because … ? Actually, if Harper’s Mill stays, it plays pretty well into that narrative, not to mention the Riverboat.
There’s also the fact—which nobody seems to be bringing up—that MK has plenty of room for *actual* expansion. There is absolutely no reason to give Frontierland the axe when there is plenty of room between Caribbean Plaza and Splash to build an entirely new New Orleans mini-land. It’d take a little creativity to reroute parades, but assuming Pecos is rethemed, there’s easily enough space to nestle a FSR and a couple of little shops on side of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Voila: New Orleans Square.

“Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland: the blessing of size.” SO USE IT! 😂
 

MagicHappens1971

Well-Known Member
There’s also the fact—which nobody seems to be bringing up—that MK has plenty of room for *actual* expansion. There is absolutely no reason to give Frontierland the axe when there is plenty of room between Caribbean Plaza and Splash to build an entirely new New Orleans mini-land. It’d take a little creativity to reroute parades, but there’s easily enough space to nestle a QSR, FSR, and a couple of little shops on side of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

“Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland: the blessing of size.” SO USE IT! 😂
More realistically they could try a Tiana mini land behind/ to the side of Splash, where the restrooms and gift shop currently reside, maybe even expand behind. To reroute the parade route really doesn’t make much sense
 

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
There’s also the fact—which nobody seems to be bringing up—that MK has plenty of room for *actual* expansion. There is absolutely no reason to give Frontierland the axe when there is plenty of room between Caribbean Plaza and Splash to build an entirely new New Orleans mini-land. It’d take a little creativity to reroute parades, but assuming Pecos is rethemed, there’s easily enough space to nestle a FSR and a couple of little shops on side of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Voila: New Orleans Square.

“Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland: the blessing of size.” SO USE IT! 😂
I have already said I would prefer they leave Frontierland and add elsewhere, but I can also see that what they want to do with Thunder Mountain, Coco, and Encanto might be slightly redundant from a dining and merchandising perspective, not to mention that they probably want to lean away from a more Manifest Destiny vision of the west and capitalize on the burgeoning Latin American population.
 

comics101

Well-Known Member
I have already said I would prefer they leave Frontierland and add elsewhere, but I can also see that what they want to do with Thunder Mountain, Coco, and Encanto might be slightly redundant from a dining and merchandising perspective, not to mention that they probably want to lean away from a more Manifest Destiny vision of the west and capitalize on the burgeoning Latin American population.
I’m sure there are some within Disney who have convinced themselves that large numbers of Latino Americans are deeply offended by Frontierland, you’re probably right. For the financial health of the company, I desperately hope decision makers aren’t listening to those folks, bc this would be a lot of money to waste on something that isn’t actually a problem…
 

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
I’m sure there are some within Disney who have convinced themselves that large numbers of Latino Americans are deeply offended by Frontierland, you’re probably right. For the financial health of the company, I desperately hope decision makers aren’t listening to those folks, bc this is a lot of money to waste on something that isn’t actually a problem…
I'm not saying they're offended; I'm saying that things more directly tied to the Latin American experience are obviously quite popular (Coco, Encanto) whereas interest in cowboys and the Old West has probably tapered off.
 

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