Soooooo... if you bought the Unofficial Guides to Walt Disney World each year like I did, you'd probably recall that the early ones had little "fun fact" boxes called "Disney Dishes" where Jim Hill would bring up rumors and other bits of trivia about the attractions. I thought it'd be fun to discuss these rumors, most of which either turned out to be false or were just scrapped, and thanks to the Internet Archive I've been able to go back and reread those early Unofficial Guides. Let's get started, shall we?
2006 Edition:
- There were apparently plans to add piranhas and water cannons to the Jungle Cruise just like in Disneyland.
- Yes, a Cars overlay of the Tomorrowland Speedway was considered. If the film did well, the plan was to replace the vehicles with cars that talked and interacted with the riders.
- "Look for WDW's version of Buzz [Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin] to incorporate a popular interactive feature from its Disneyland cousin. Through the magic of the internet, people sitting at their home computers will be able to make some elements in the attraction move around, seriously increasing the point value of various targets. This is all part of an ongoing effort by the Mouse to make the GameBoy generation bond that much more strongly with the Disney theme parks."
- They wanted to add a thrill ride to Camp Minnie Mickey. Specifically: "Among the ideas that are currently being kicked around is adding a clone of Disney's California Adventure Grizzly River Run whitewater raft ride to the Animal Kingdom. The upside is that it would result in a large, bear-shaped mountain rising from on the left side of the park, balancing out Expedition Everest on the right. The downside is Grizzly River Run is virtually the same attraction as Kali River Rapids. Still, the Imagineers are hoping that someday soon they'll be able to add an area to Animal Kingdom that allows WDW guests to get up close and personal with North American Grizzly Bears."
- As for Hollywood Studios, claims include that they were either going to update the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular with scenes from the 2008 Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie or replace it with a clone of Indiana Jones Adventure and add more Muppets attractions (or at least a new outdoor stage show).
2007 Edition:
- "For the past few years, folks have been speculating that Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday (a seasonal retheming featuring the characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas) was coming to the Magic Kingdom. It appears Jack Skellington and Sally will be coming to Walt Disney World after all, but now as the hosts of a brand-new annual Halloween event that will be held at Disney-MGM Studios - a decidedly different affair from Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, held at the Magic Kingdom. The MGM party, positioned as Disney's answer to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, will pile on the thrills and chills. Look for the Pumpkin King to start ruling over the Studios on selected nights in October 2007."
- Regarding the Carousel of Progress: "Apparently, the real estate that this theater-go-round currently occupies is just too valuable for a dated attraction that isn't all that popular with guests." The plan, it claims, was to tear down the Carousel of Progress and the Tomorrowland Skyway station to build an Incredibles coaster, then ship pieces of the Carousel of Progress over to EPCOT for use in a new Innoventions exhibit.
- Apparently there was also a pitch from somebody in Imagineering to retheme Astro Orbiter to Little Einsteins (with all the rockets
replaced with the one from the show), but it was rejected by the higher-ups.
- "Imagineering HQ is said to be considering yet another retooling of Journey Into Imagination. Disney management wants to send the message that the Mouse House is bursting with energy and imagination. And what better way than to bring back Journey's original host, Dreamfinder? Look for the attraction to undergo a rehab in 2007 and reopen in time for its 25th anniversary in 2008."
- "It's been almost 20 years since World Showcase got a new country, but reportedly Disney is meeting with representatives of a yet-unnamed nation (think Asia) about sponsoring a new World Showcase pavilion. Should this deal actually go forward, look for EPCOT to get a brand-new thrill ride themed around this country's mythology, as well as an interactive area specifically designed to appeal to 17- to 24-year-olds."
- "As the Imagineers continue to puzzle about what they should do with Lucky the Dinosaur, that walk-around audio-animatronic reptile that WDI created a few years back, one of the ideas being considered is shutting down the Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends show and creating a new theater space back there, one that would then allow Merlin the Magician to show off his newest pet, Lucky the baby dragon (picture a dinosaur with a few more rubber spikes on its back). The cool thing about this idea is that it would give WDI a logical starting point for Animal Kingdom's long-delayed Beastly Kingdom expansion area, a whole new 'land' that would celebrate mythological creatures like unicorns and dragons."
- "Long considered one of the least successful attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom for both for its remote location as well as its somewhat uninspiring theme, Rafiki's Planet Watch is slated to get a makeover in the coming months. The Imagineers will first try to figure out how to solve this attraction's traffic issues (including getting folks here some way other than riding on the train), then retool Planet Watch's theme. Among some of the ideas currently being floated is making this part of the park the only area where you can interact with the characters from PIXAR's newest film, Ratatouille, due in theaters in June 2007."
- There was a pitch to bring back the Discovery Island River Boats, but as an exclusive character dining experience? I don't know how that would've worked...
- They were going to replace Voyage of the Little Mermaid with a Turtle Talk-esque interactive show starring Mickey Mouse (apparently the reason why they were going to replace Voyage of the Little Mermaid is because Disney Theatrical saw it as competition for the Little Mermaid Broadway show, which was also why Tarzan Rocks closed).
2008 Edition:
- Another interactive thing they were toying with adding to the Haunted Mansion: something that would allow riders to "capture" a ghost on their cell phone and then download the ghost onto their computer (meaning that a ghost would actually follow them home!). They were going to add something similar to Dinosaur.
- They were going to add a WALL-E street show using that WALL-E animatronic they built (having it actually pick up trash) and add rock music and some new lighting effects to Space Mountain.
- Apparently, the "new version of Journey Into Imagination" plan turned into putting a Dreamfinder show in the Magic Eye Theater. Management was insisting that a celebrity play Dreamfinder in the film, and they were considering Steve Martin, Jack Black, or Nathan Lane.
- Illuminations was going to replaced by a show called "Skydance".
- There was a new plan for the Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends replacement. Now it was going to be a show hosted by Pluto about the dog stars of movies like Underdog. No, really.
2009 Edition:
- Nothing specific, but there's a claim that there'll be plenty of Prince of Persia promotion in the parks. I don't remember if I saw any promotion for it when my family visited in 2010...
- There were plans to add elements from The Lone Ranger to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (did they ever actually do this? Before the film flopped, I mean?).
- "Very quietly over the past few years, Disney has been putting out feelers to representatives from Russia, Australia, and Spain, in hopes that one of those countries might now be interested in joining the community of nations around World Showcase Lagoon." Specifically, according to his sources at Imagineering, the Russia pavilion might be getting off the drawing table.
- "EPCOT visitors have been enjoying dining at the recently revamped Tokyo Dining and Tepan Edo restaurants, but Disney insiders suggest that even more changes may be in store for the Japan Pavilion. For more than two decades now, the Imagineers have been brainstorming additions to its meager assortment of attractions. Among the ideas that have been floated is an indoor re-creation of the Ginza shopping and entertainment district, as well as a miniature version of Mount Fuji behind the pavilion. It's this mini-mountain idea, which will supposedly house a bullet-train-themed thrill ride, that now appears to be making a comeback. Keep your eyes on this corner of the World Showcase Lagoon, because something big may soon begin rising behind White Heron Castle."
- A "Disney Dish" about the Kim Possible thing they had at EPCOT includes a mention of "talk of adding a National Treasure-themed version of the attraction to the Liberty Square section of the Magic Kingdom".
- There were plans for the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure to be rethemed to A Bug's Life and for Studio Catering Co. to become a PIXAR-themed eatery of some kind. There's also a claim that Walt Disney: One Man's Dream will be replaced with something WALL-E.
2011 Edition:
- "The folks in charge of the Haunted Mansion" thought up the idea to put a video camera in the ride and then sell replicas of Madame Leota's crystal ball that plays footage of guests riding through it. There's also a mention of them selling a high-tech wand that allows guests to change the colors of props and costumes in the Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic.
- Another claim of a Dreamfinder and Figment 3D show going into the Magic Eye Theater.
- The Imagineers, apparently, were already trying to think of a way to add the characters from Disney's eventually shelved King of the Elves film to the Norway pavilion.
- Michael Colglazier, Animal Kingdom's vice president at the time, asked the Imagineers to chart a ten-year plan for the park. Among the ideas suggested was tearing out Rafiki's Planet Watch to build new attractions.
- There's a claim that Fantasmic! would be improved in 2013 based on the updates to Disneyland's.
- The Imagineers considered tearing out Catastrophe Canyon and adding an expansion of PIXAR Place inspired by Disneyland's Cars Land (obviously we got Toy Story Land instead).
- Walt Disney: One Man's Dream was planned to be moved to Disney California Adventure, where it was to be placed in the recreation of the Carthay Circle Theater.
2012 Edition:
- First we have more claims of updates to the Jungle Cruise. They were going to add a system of "underwater hydraulic rams" to make it seem like the hippos were actually jostling the boat in an attempt to sink it.
- There were also plans to give Pirates of the Caribbean an interactive queue a la the Haunted Mansion.
- They were going to make updates to the Country Bear Jamboree inspired by American Idol, where the audience voted for their favorite bear performer. Country superstars like Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood were being approached to record new songs for the show.
- Apparently, the PeopleMover was going to be spruced up by adding a show scene along the ride track featuring full-sized maquettes of aliens from John Carter of Mars and a projection effect that makes it look like your vehicle is being pursued by characters from TRON: Uprising.
- For EPCOT, the Imagineers wanted to replace the Disney Traders and Port of Entry shops with a "massive Crystal Palace-like restaurant" offering views of Illuminations and serving food from around the world.
- Universe of Energy was going to get some updates. Specifically, it was going to get a new film, still with Ellen, but the animatronic dinosaurs were going to get some sort of heat-seeking technology allowing them to follow and react to the guests as they went by.
- Imagineering was going to be replaced with a new country for World Showcase - "a nation famous for its rainforests, one that would be a natural neighbor for the Mexico pavilion."
- To divert the public's attention from the fact that the Yeti in Expedition Everest wasn't fixed yet, the Imagineers were considering putting a second animatronic Yeti elsewhere in the ride, one less "technologically sophisticated".
- There was an idea to replace Primeval Whirl with a Carnotaurus Corn Maze, with "a silly-looking walk-around version of this DINOSAUR character lurking at its corn-filled center, ready to jump out and scare the tourists."
- There were conflicting idea for what to replace Sounds Dangerous with. The Imagineers wanted to gut the show building and make it the new theater for the Jedi Training Academy. The accountants, meanwhile, wanted to keep all the audio equipment and make it an audio-based show based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- Another claim that the Backlot Tour would be replaced with Radiator Springs, and also a claim that the Narnia exhibit would be replaced by an exhibit about John Carter of Mars (instead we got that Jack Sparrow thing).
- We were also apparently supposed to get a parade based on Oz: The Great and Powerful.
2013 Edition:
- The Imagineers wanted to give Jungle Cruise an interactive queue, but that was at odds with Operations' wanting to add a separate boat dock for guests in wheelchairs and electric carts.
- Gaston's Tavern was apparently supposed to become "a watering hole" for Disney villains.
- Some of the Imagineers were proposing that they move Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor to Hollywood Studios (specifically, in Soundstage 1). Carousel of Progress, meanwhile, was apparently going to get an update with Garrison Keillor taking over as the voice of John.
- "Walt Disney Pictures is at work on a unique new action-adventure film, Order of the Seven, which reimagines the Seven Dwarfs as Shaolin monks defending an Englishwoman who runs afoul of a wicked empress in 19th-century Hong Kong. Once this Michael Gracey production premieres in 2014, Disney envisions hiring some martial arts masters to reprise the monks at EPCOT in an Order of the Seven kung fu demonstration staged daily at the China pavilion."
- To commemorate the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, the Chinese government was going to partner with Disney to add pandas to Animal Kingdom.
- Both Disney and Universal were begging Peter Jackson to give them the theme park rights for Lord of the Rings - Disney wanted to add Lord of the Rings to the Great Movie Ride, whereas Universal wanted to build a Lord of the Rings land in Islands of Adventure. Peter Jackson, apparently, postponed making any decisions until he finished production of The Hobbit.
- Imagineering wanted to update Rock 'n' Roller Coaster's queue to add a "green room" (the backstage area where performers hang out before the show) where guests could relax, have a drink, and play Guitar Hero until their limo was ready.
- The park's entertainment staffers were desperately trying to think up another Osbourne Family Spectacle-esque seasonal event to draw crowds to the Streets of America. Among the ideas rejected were a month-long Easter parade and a Halloween event where guests go trick-or-treating.
- The Beauty and the Beast show in the Theater of the Stars was going to be replaced by a Tangled show (with the backmost wall of the set replaced by a giant video screen).
2014 Edition:
- First we have a claim that the Imagineers were thinking of retheming Swiss Family Treehouse to a Pixie Dust Tree from the Tinker Bell movies.
- Talk about irony - the Imagineers were starting to consider fill in the Rivers of America so they'd have more land to build attractions. The Liberty Belle would be turned into Madame Medusa's, a Disney Villains-themed restaurant named after the villain from The Rescuers (maybe they can do this in the new Villains' Land?).
- Ideas were being floated around to refresh Mickey's Philharmagic (like they eventually did by adding a song from Coco), specifically by updating the projectors to HD and adding in the "I See the Light" sequence from Tangled.
- Another claim that they were going to update the Universe of Energy, this time saying that Disney might swap out some of the dinosaurs with characters from The Good Dinosaur.
- There's a mention of the seasonal overlays of Toy Story Midway Mania that never went anywhere.
- The Imagineers were considering replacing Voyage of the Little Mermaid with a Frozen stage show (presumably not the sing-along that we got). This, despite being the 2014 edition, came out before Frozen was released and became a smash hit, so...
2015 Edition:
- "Theme park purists insist that Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor just doesn't belong in Tomorrowland. And if the Imagineers get their way, this unfuturistic attraction will be replaced by a new PIXAR-themed show that draws its inspiration from PIXAR's June 2015 release Inside Out, based on what really goes on inside the head of an 11-year-old named Riley." Because Inside Out is more fitting in Tomorrowland than the Laugh Floor is?
- "The next round of Disney's time-share resorts won't just be built near the theme parks, but INSIDE them, giving Disney Vacation Club members the sort of access they've only dreamed about. The first of these next generation resorts is supposedly slated for World Showcase, reportedly stretching from behind The American Adventure all the way over to Morocco."
- The Imagineers had an idea for how to update the Great Movie Ride - by replacing all of the non-Disney content with all the franchises that Disney has bought over the years (PIXAR, the Muppets, Lucasfilm, etc.), with the finale being the climax of The Avengers. Universal's having the theme park rights to Marvel threw a wrench on this idea.
2016 Edition:
- Nothing for the Magic Kingdom, aside from a mention of Haunted Mansion getting the Hatbox Ghost. Not much for EPCOT either, but there's a claim that Imagineers wanted to put an Inside Out show in the Magic Eye Theater.
- "If Disney's Zootopia - an animated comedy-mystery about a metropolis populated exclusively by animals - proves to be a hit, the Imagineers plan to give Rafiki's Planet Watch an extreme makeover. Rafiki would get the boot in favor of ritzy Zootopia-themed digs for the animals here, with names such as Savannah Square and Tundratown."
- "Disney wants to turn Hollywood Studios into a full-day theme park. To do that, a number of PIXAR-themed rides are now in the works. Some will be simple spinners and flat rides similar to the ones that were recently installed at Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios in Paris. Others will be wildly ambitious, such as an indoor version of Radiator Springs Racers at Disneyland."
What are our thoughts?
2006 Edition:
- There were apparently plans to add piranhas and water cannons to the Jungle Cruise just like in Disneyland.
- Yes, a Cars overlay of the Tomorrowland Speedway was considered. If the film did well, the plan was to replace the vehicles with cars that talked and interacted with the riders.
- "Look for WDW's version of Buzz [Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin] to incorporate a popular interactive feature from its Disneyland cousin. Through the magic of the internet, people sitting at their home computers will be able to make some elements in the attraction move around, seriously increasing the point value of various targets. This is all part of an ongoing effort by the Mouse to make the GameBoy generation bond that much more strongly with the Disney theme parks."
- They wanted to add a thrill ride to Camp Minnie Mickey. Specifically: "Among the ideas that are currently being kicked around is adding a clone of Disney's California Adventure Grizzly River Run whitewater raft ride to the Animal Kingdom. The upside is that it would result in a large, bear-shaped mountain rising from on the left side of the park, balancing out Expedition Everest on the right. The downside is Grizzly River Run is virtually the same attraction as Kali River Rapids. Still, the Imagineers are hoping that someday soon they'll be able to add an area to Animal Kingdom that allows WDW guests to get up close and personal with North American Grizzly Bears."
- As for Hollywood Studios, claims include that they were either going to update the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular with scenes from the 2008 Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie or replace it with a clone of Indiana Jones Adventure and add more Muppets attractions (or at least a new outdoor stage show).
2007 Edition:
- "For the past few years, folks have been speculating that Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday (a seasonal retheming featuring the characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas) was coming to the Magic Kingdom. It appears Jack Skellington and Sally will be coming to Walt Disney World after all, but now as the hosts of a brand-new annual Halloween event that will be held at Disney-MGM Studios - a decidedly different affair from Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, held at the Magic Kingdom. The MGM party, positioned as Disney's answer to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, will pile on the thrills and chills. Look for the Pumpkin King to start ruling over the Studios on selected nights in October 2007."
- Regarding the Carousel of Progress: "Apparently, the real estate that this theater-go-round currently occupies is just too valuable for a dated attraction that isn't all that popular with guests." The plan, it claims, was to tear down the Carousel of Progress and the Tomorrowland Skyway station to build an Incredibles coaster, then ship pieces of the Carousel of Progress over to EPCOT for use in a new Innoventions exhibit.
- Apparently there was also a pitch from somebody in Imagineering to retheme Astro Orbiter to Little Einsteins (with all the rockets
replaced with the one from the show), but it was rejected by the higher-ups.
- "Imagineering HQ is said to be considering yet another retooling of Journey Into Imagination. Disney management wants to send the message that the Mouse House is bursting with energy and imagination. And what better way than to bring back Journey's original host, Dreamfinder? Look for the attraction to undergo a rehab in 2007 and reopen in time for its 25th anniversary in 2008."
- "It's been almost 20 years since World Showcase got a new country, but reportedly Disney is meeting with representatives of a yet-unnamed nation (think Asia) about sponsoring a new World Showcase pavilion. Should this deal actually go forward, look for EPCOT to get a brand-new thrill ride themed around this country's mythology, as well as an interactive area specifically designed to appeal to 17- to 24-year-olds."
- "As the Imagineers continue to puzzle about what they should do with Lucky the Dinosaur, that walk-around audio-animatronic reptile that WDI created a few years back, one of the ideas being considered is shutting down the Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends show and creating a new theater space back there, one that would then allow Merlin the Magician to show off his newest pet, Lucky the baby dragon (picture a dinosaur with a few more rubber spikes on its back). The cool thing about this idea is that it would give WDI a logical starting point for Animal Kingdom's long-delayed Beastly Kingdom expansion area, a whole new 'land' that would celebrate mythological creatures like unicorns and dragons."
- "Long considered one of the least successful attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom for both for its remote location as well as its somewhat uninspiring theme, Rafiki's Planet Watch is slated to get a makeover in the coming months. The Imagineers will first try to figure out how to solve this attraction's traffic issues (including getting folks here some way other than riding on the train), then retool Planet Watch's theme. Among some of the ideas currently being floated is making this part of the park the only area where you can interact with the characters from PIXAR's newest film, Ratatouille, due in theaters in June 2007."
- There was a pitch to bring back the Discovery Island River Boats, but as an exclusive character dining experience? I don't know how that would've worked...
- They were going to replace Voyage of the Little Mermaid with a Turtle Talk-esque interactive show starring Mickey Mouse (apparently the reason why they were going to replace Voyage of the Little Mermaid is because Disney Theatrical saw it as competition for the Little Mermaid Broadway show, which was also why Tarzan Rocks closed).
2008 Edition:
- Another interactive thing they were toying with adding to the Haunted Mansion: something that would allow riders to "capture" a ghost on their cell phone and then download the ghost onto their computer (meaning that a ghost would actually follow them home!). They were going to add something similar to Dinosaur.
- They were going to add a WALL-E street show using that WALL-E animatronic they built (having it actually pick up trash) and add rock music and some new lighting effects to Space Mountain.
- Apparently, the "new version of Journey Into Imagination" plan turned into putting a Dreamfinder show in the Magic Eye Theater. Management was insisting that a celebrity play Dreamfinder in the film, and they were considering Steve Martin, Jack Black, or Nathan Lane.
- Illuminations was going to replaced by a show called "Skydance".
- There was a new plan for the Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends replacement. Now it was going to be a show hosted by Pluto about the dog stars of movies like Underdog. No, really.
2009 Edition:
- Nothing specific, but there's a claim that there'll be plenty of Prince of Persia promotion in the parks. I don't remember if I saw any promotion for it when my family visited in 2010...
- There were plans to add elements from The Lone Ranger to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (did they ever actually do this? Before the film flopped, I mean?).
- "Very quietly over the past few years, Disney has been putting out feelers to representatives from Russia, Australia, and Spain, in hopes that one of those countries might now be interested in joining the community of nations around World Showcase Lagoon." Specifically, according to his sources at Imagineering, the Russia pavilion might be getting off the drawing table.
- "EPCOT visitors have been enjoying dining at the recently revamped Tokyo Dining and Tepan Edo restaurants, but Disney insiders suggest that even more changes may be in store for the Japan Pavilion. For more than two decades now, the Imagineers have been brainstorming additions to its meager assortment of attractions. Among the ideas that have been floated is an indoor re-creation of the Ginza shopping and entertainment district, as well as a miniature version of Mount Fuji behind the pavilion. It's this mini-mountain idea, which will supposedly house a bullet-train-themed thrill ride, that now appears to be making a comeback. Keep your eyes on this corner of the World Showcase Lagoon, because something big may soon begin rising behind White Heron Castle."
- A "Disney Dish" about the Kim Possible thing they had at EPCOT includes a mention of "talk of adding a National Treasure-themed version of the attraction to the Liberty Square section of the Magic Kingdom".
- There were plans for the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure to be rethemed to A Bug's Life and for Studio Catering Co. to become a PIXAR-themed eatery of some kind. There's also a claim that Walt Disney: One Man's Dream will be replaced with something WALL-E.
2011 Edition:
- "The folks in charge of the Haunted Mansion" thought up the idea to put a video camera in the ride and then sell replicas of Madame Leota's crystal ball that plays footage of guests riding through it. There's also a mention of them selling a high-tech wand that allows guests to change the colors of props and costumes in the Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic.
- Another claim of a Dreamfinder and Figment 3D show going into the Magic Eye Theater.
- The Imagineers, apparently, were already trying to think of a way to add the characters from Disney's eventually shelved King of the Elves film to the Norway pavilion.
- Michael Colglazier, Animal Kingdom's vice president at the time, asked the Imagineers to chart a ten-year plan for the park. Among the ideas suggested was tearing out Rafiki's Planet Watch to build new attractions.
- There's a claim that Fantasmic! would be improved in 2013 based on the updates to Disneyland's.
- The Imagineers considered tearing out Catastrophe Canyon and adding an expansion of PIXAR Place inspired by Disneyland's Cars Land (obviously we got Toy Story Land instead).
- Walt Disney: One Man's Dream was planned to be moved to Disney California Adventure, where it was to be placed in the recreation of the Carthay Circle Theater.
2012 Edition:
- First we have more claims of updates to the Jungle Cruise. They were going to add a system of "underwater hydraulic rams" to make it seem like the hippos were actually jostling the boat in an attempt to sink it.
- There were also plans to give Pirates of the Caribbean an interactive queue a la the Haunted Mansion.
- They were going to make updates to the Country Bear Jamboree inspired by American Idol, where the audience voted for their favorite bear performer. Country superstars like Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood were being approached to record new songs for the show.
- Apparently, the PeopleMover was going to be spruced up by adding a show scene along the ride track featuring full-sized maquettes of aliens from John Carter of Mars and a projection effect that makes it look like your vehicle is being pursued by characters from TRON: Uprising.
- For EPCOT, the Imagineers wanted to replace the Disney Traders and Port of Entry shops with a "massive Crystal Palace-like restaurant" offering views of Illuminations and serving food from around the world.
- Universe of Energy was going to get some updates. Specifically, it was going to get a new film, still with Ellen, but the animatronic dinosaurs were going to get some sort of heat-seeking technology allowing them to follow and react to the guests as they went by.
- Imagineering was going to be replaced with a new country for World Showcase - "a nation famous for its rainforests, one that would be a natural neighbor for the Mexico pavilion."
- To divert the public's attention from the fact that the Yeti in Expedition Everest wasn't fixed yet, the Imagineers were considering putting a second animatronic Yeti elsewhere in the ride, one less "technologically sophisticated".
- There was an idea to replace Primeval Whirl with a Carnotaurus Corn Maze, with "a silly-looking walk-around version of this DINOSAUR character lurking at its corn-filled center, ready to jump out and scare the tourists."
- There were conflicting idea for what to replace Sounds Dangerous with. The Imagineers wanted to gut the show building and make it the new theater for the Jedi Training Academy. The accountants, meanwhile, wanted to keep all the audio equipment and make it an audio-based show based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- Another claim that the Backlot Tour would be replaced with Radiator Springs, and also a claim that the Narnia exhibit would be replaced by an exhibit about John Carter of Mars (instead we got that Jack Sparrow thing).
- We were also apparently supposed to get a parade based on Oz: The Great and Powerful.
2013 Edition:
- The Imagineers wanted to give Jungle Cruise an interactive queue, but that was at odds with Operations' wanting to add a separate boat dock for guests in wheelchairs and electric carts.
- Gaston's Tavern was apparently supposed to become "a watering hole" for Disney villains.
- Some of the Imagineers were proposing that they move Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor to Hollywood Studios (specifically, in Soundstage 1). Carousel of Progress, meanwhile, was apparently going to get an update with Garrison Keillor taking over as the voice of John.
- "Walt Disney Pictures is at work on a unique new action-adventure film, Order of the Seven, which reimagines the Seven Dwarfs as Shaolin monks defending an Englishwoman who runs afoul of a wicked empress in 19th-century Hong Kong. Once this Michael Gracey production premieres in 2014, Disney envisions hiring some martial arts masters to reprise the monks at EPCOT in an Order of the Seven kung fu demonstration staged daily at the China pavilion."
- To commemorate the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, the Chinese government was going to partner with Disney to add pandas to Animal Kingdom.
- Both Disney and Universal were begging Peter Jackson to give them the theme park rights for Lord of the Rings - Disney wanted to add Lord of the Rings to the Great Movie Ride, whereas Universal wanted to build a Lord of the Rings land in Islands of Adventure. Peter Jackson, apparently, postponed making any decisions until he finished production of The Hobbit.
- Imagineering wanted to update Rock 'n' Roller Coaster's queue to add a "green room" (the backstage area where performers hang out before the show) where guests could relax, have a drink, and play Guitar Hero until their limo was ready.
- The park's entertainment staffers were desperately trying to think up another Osbourne Family Spectacle-esque seasonal event to draw crowds to the Streets of America. Among the ideas rejected were a month-long Easter parade and a Halloween event where guests go trick-or-treating.
- The Beauty and the Beast show in the Theater of the Stars was going to be replaced by a Tangled show (with the backmost wall of the set replaced by a giant video screen).
2014 Edition:
- First we have a claim that the Imagineers were thinking of retheming Swiss Family Treehouse to a Pixie Dust Tree from the Tinker Bell movies.
- Talk about irony - the Imagineers were starting to consider fill in the Rivers of America so they'd have more land to build attractions. The Liberty Belle would be turned into Madame Medusa's, a Disney Villains-themed restaurant named after the villain from The Rescuers (maybe they can do this in the new Villains' Land?).
- Ideas were being floated around to refresh Mickey's Philharmagic (like they eventually did by adding a song from Coco), specifically by updating the projectors to HD and adding in the "I See the Light" sequence from Tangled.
- Another claim that they were going to update the Universe of Energy, this time saying that Disney might swap out some of the dinosaurs with characters from The Good Dinosaur.
- There's a mention of the seasonal overlays of Toy Story Midway Mania that never went anywhere.
- The Imagineers were considering replacing Voyage of the Little Mermaid with a Frozen stage show (presumably not the sing-along that we got). This, despite being the 2014 edition, came out before Frozen was released and became a smash hit, so...
2015 Edition:
- "Theme park purists insist that Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor just doesn't belong in Tomorrowland. And if the Imagineers get their way, this unfuturistic attraction will be replaced by a new PIXAR-themed show that draws its inspiration from PIXAR's June 2015 release Inside Out, based on what really goes on inside the head of an 11-year-old named Riley." Because Inside Out is more fitting in Tomorrowland than the Laugh Floor is?
- "The next round of Disney's time-share resorts won't just be built near the theme parks, but INSIDE them, giving Disney Vacation Club members the sort of access they've only dreamed about. The first of these next generation resorts is supposedly slated for World Showcase, reportedly stretching from behind The American Adventure all the way over to Morocco."
- The Imagineers had an idea for how to update the Great Movie Ride - by replacing all of the non-Disney content with all the franchises that Disney has bought over the years (PIXAR, the Muppets, Lucasfilm, etc.), with the finale being the climax of The Avengers. Universal's having the theme park rights to Marvel threw a wrench on this idea.
2016 Edition:
- Nothing for the Magic Kingdom, aside from a mention of Haunted Mansion getting the Hatbox Ghost. Not much for EPCOT either, but there's a claim that Imagineers wanted to put an Inside Out show in the Magic Eye Theater.
- "If Disney's Zootopia - an animated comedy-mystery about a metropolis populated exclusively by animals - proves to be a hit, the Imagineers plan to give Rafiki's Planet Watch an extreme makeover. Rafiki would get the boot in favor of ritzy Zootopia-themed digs for the animals here, with names such as Savannah Square and Tundratown."
- "Disney wants to turn Hollywood Studios into a full-day theme park. To do that, a number of PIXAR-themed rides are now in the works. Some will be simple spinners and flat rides similar to the ones that were recently installed at Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios in Paris. Others will be wildly ambitious, such as an indoor version of Radiator Springs Racers at Disneyland."
What are our thoughts?
