Oh no, say it ain't so, Joe..

[brb1006]

With Joe leaving, I'm guessing if Animal Kingdom ever gets anything new, it will be Shanghai's Zootopia (we know Joe didn't want it).

Nobody wants a Zootopia area at AK, it would look out of place.

 

[LittleBuford]

There are also many examples of "castles" in the USA and Canada. After looking at pictures of these, it's not hard to imagine some wealthy, eccentric socialite building something like Cinderella Castle or Sleeping Beauty Castle:

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We think of the Disney park castles in the USA as "fantasy" structures because they're named after Disney cartoons and are placed in a section of the park literally called "Fantasyland", but their architectural style and design logic are very much rooted in real life examples.

What’s wrong with accepting the juxtaposition as intentionally whimsical and fantastical? It’s curious to me that you feel the need to rationalise the castle’s placement at the end of Main Street.

 

[JoeCamel]

Nobody wants a Zootopia area at AK.

I wouldn't say nobody, not me but not nobody. I could summon one in an instant with a @Z..............

 

[nickys]

Yeah, it's pretty neat when you take the time to really look at all the buildings in the UK.

I think the Rose and Crown is the only one where each side of the facade is in a different style, but the other buildings all have their own specific historic style. There are styles ranging from the 1500s up through the 1800s (and maybe early 1900s; I can't remember) as well as buildings modeled on Hampton Court Palace and Abbotsford House (I think). I also think they go in chronological order, but I'm not 100% sure about that either.

The tea caddy store showcases four centuries from the 16th to 19th century, both inside and out. If you walk through from the 16thC you’ll notice the floors becoming more even, the window size and style changing, the rendering on the walls and so on.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

What’s wrong with accepting the juxtaposition as intentionally whimsical and fantastical? It’s curious to me that you feel the need to rationalise the castle’s placement at the end of Main Street.

Because people are using it as an excuse to justify whatever is placed where ever in the parks. "There's a castle at the end of main street" is used as a dismissal of any other design critiques.

People aren't willing to think about the thematic reasons, in terms of subject matter, for why the castle is there so I'm offering another perspective to show how people in North America in the 19th and early 20th century did in fact build imitation European castles for commercial or personal use.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I wouldn't say nobody, not me but not nobody. I could summon one in an instant with a @Z..............

Certainly many here besides that poster would defend it because it fits in Disney+ Animal Kingdom.

 

[mickEblu]

Thematically, the pier is a mess. Aesthetically, it looks better then it did 100%. The original pier was a disaster.

The actual pier looks better now, but I’d take Paradise Pier 2.0 over Pixar Pier just to get rid of the view of the red straw scream tunnels and Poultry Palace from across the bay.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Because people are using it as an excuse to justify whatever is placed where ever in the parks. "There's a castle at the end of main street" is used as a dismissal of any other design critiques.

People aren't willing to think about the thematic reasons, in terms of subject matter, for why the castle is there so I'm offering another perspective to show how people in North America in the 19th and early 20th century did in fact build imitation European castles for commercial or personal use.

It wasn’t particularly common in the typical Main Streets of North America.

 

[LittleBuford]

Because people are using it as an excuse to justify whatever is placed where ever in the parks. "There's a castle at the end of main street" is used as a dismissal of any other design critiques.

The way to counter such opinions isn't to create an unsubstantiated narrative around the castle. It's there not because castles were a common sight in early twentieth-century America—they weren't—but for the very opposite reason: because it presents a striking and magical contrast to the eminently American street leading up to it. All of us have been delighted by the juxtaposition and read it as intended; it makes no sense to deny the quirky and unexpected nature of the resultant effect.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It wasn’t particularly common in the typical Main Streets of North America.

A castle per se was not common but many streets and squares were/are anchored by an important civic structure. The castle at the end of Main Street, USA works because it plays on a typological pattern while utilizing a related design language.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

A castle per se was not common but many streets and squares were/are anchored by an important civic structure. The castle at the end of Main Street, USA works because it plays on a typological pattern while utilizing a related design language.

Yes the train station on one end facing an important structure is common. Boise Idaho is my favorite example with Union Pacific Depot and the State Capitol.

 

[networkpro]

Yes the train station on one end facing an important structure is common. Boise Idaho is my favorite example with Union Pacific Depot and the State Capitol.

Thats presuming that you're dealing with fairly recent towns and cities. On the East Coast, it would be a port.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Thats presuming that you're dealing with fairly recent towns and cities. On the East Coast, it would be a port.

Any examples? I’d be interested in seeing them but not sure what to search for.

As for “fairly recent” we are talking about turn of the century Main Street USA.

 

[networkpro]

Any examples? I’d be interested in seeing them but not sure what to search for.

As for “fairly recent” we are talking about turn of the century Main Street USA.

Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Nobody wants a Zootopia area at AK, it would look out of place.

DHS needs more things to do.

 

[brb1006]

DHS needs more things to do.

Speaking of DHS, remember when newer Disney Characters from Disney's recently released movies alongside Pixar used to only be found at that park for a few years before migrating to the other parks at WDW? When Toy Story was brand new, Woody and Buzz Lightyear used to only be found at that park for a couple years. Meanwhile, newer Disney Characters (such as the cast from Bolt and Chicken Little) used to be meetable at the new defunct "Magic of Disney Animation" (which is now Star Wars Launch Bay) .

They also used to create special parades celebrating newer animated films (such as "The Toy Story Parade" and "Hercules - Zero to Hero Parade") with the "Mulan Parade" being the last time they done this. Imagine how a parade celebrating the release of Zootopia would have looked like if they still did this (pre-Galaxys Edge).

 

[asianway]

Speaking of DHS, remember when newer Disney Characters from Disney's recently released movies alongside Pixar used to only be found at that park for a few years before migrating to the other parks at WDW? When Toy Story was brand new, Woody and Buzz Lightyear used to only be found at that park for a couple years. Meanwhile, newer Disney Characters (such as the cast from Bolt and Chicken Little) used to be meetable at the new defunct "Magic of Disney Animation" (which is now Star Wars Launch Bay) .

They also used to create special parades celebrating newer animated films (such as "The Toy Story Parade" and "Hercules - Zero to Hero Parade") with the "Mulan Parade" being the last time they done this. Imagine how a parade celebrating the release of Zootopia would have looked like if they still did this (pre-Galaxys Edge).

They kept that “studio” theme going long past the time any filming was happening didn’t they?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

They also used to create special parades celebrating newer animated films (such as "The Toy Story Parade

The toy story parade was the only parade I wanted to see on my first visit as a kid. I loved it!