If previous tests were any indication, Eric's castle will have more greenery around it. I wouldn't judge it just yet.
The concept art shows grass, or perhaps a "floor" of some other ground cover plant on top of the . . . sand bluffs?
Then they switched to palm trees in front and more of a desserted island look
I
love how the Beauty and the Beast area looks . . . but the Mermaid part looks like a monstrous collection of piles of dirt with little greenery. I'm afraid of getting mud all over me just due to the presence of the waterfalls.
And I don't think the film had native palm trees around Prince Eric's castle, it did have a village in the background
The Little Mermaid
Its supposed to have a lot of greenery on top, then small eroded cliffs near the castle which aren't the height of the castle. I don't see any palm trees or ugly mud cliffs . . .
The model below looks like too much dirt . . . or like a piece of wood that was rotted out by termites:
I know there is green paint on top in this model, but in real life there's barely a hint of some green paint! So many caves . . . It's not "pretty" how I'd expect a Fantasyland attraction to be more, more like the caves belong in Big Grizzly Mountain ride in Hong Kong or something. And why a rotting ship out front? Wouldn't Eric clear that away or something?
A smattering of palm trees means lack of shade, IMHO . . .