Some unfinished business in Fantasyland

[mharrington]

WDW's Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland looks great right now, but there are still a few things that I think need to be addressed, and in this thread, they will be. Some of them I have mentioned many times before, and a few of them are brand-new ideas (or at least overhauls of preexisting ideas I had).

These will include overhauls of Small World, Peter Pan and the Mad Tea Party, plus two new rides (one of which I've done countless variations on). Now, rumor has it, according to DSNY Newscast, that Small World is going to be somewhat overhauled for WDW's 50th in 2021, to include Disney characters into the ride, as in Disneyland, Hong Kong and Tokyo. My idea also includes the removal of PhilharMagic, which apparently is being updated to include scenes from "Frozen" and "Tangled". That's disappointing to me, as I have plans for the area, which will include not only a slight expansion of the Peter Pan ride, but also the addition of a small "Pinocchio"-based spinning ride in the remainder of the space. But it looks like that PhilharMagic may be remaining for the time being, especially given something as popular as "Frozen".

Meanwhile, the Mad Tea Party will get an update in its design. In fact, I'm debating between whether to redo the teacups to be Winnie the Pooh-based, like the Hunny Pot Spin in Shanghai, or just keep the teacups as is. If the latter is the case, then it will receive a much-needed overhaul to do away with the old '70s design.

Finally, the last and biggest thing will be in Storybook Circus, the thing I've talked about as new (but which I've talked about constantly in some form or another): a(nother) new take on the Mickey's Madhouse/Fun House/Wonder House/whatever concept of a dark ride through old Mickey cartoons.

I will get into details later, but for now, I just wanted to go over the brief descriptions that these are what I think should happen in Fantasyland right now. The problem is, however, I wish I could be a lot more descriptive with what I have to say, like @MANEATINGWREATH does with his posts.

In any case, what do you think so far of my ideas?

 

[mharrington]

Here's the first part, in It's a Small World. I have no idea what the rumors are for the alleged overhaul, other than to include Disney characters.

The ride itself will remain the same, but the exterior and load area will shed the tent design, instead going for a more rustic style to match the nearby Pinocchio restaurant and the Peter Pan ride across the way. It will actually have an affiliation with a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. His name is Walter Traverse, who has invented a special boat that can traverse the world in a short time, thus explaining the trip around the world. He idolized Phileas Fogg for his endeavors to travel the world in 80 days, and sought to outdo him. That's where this version of Small World comes from.

The classic clock tower is no longer white, but given more of a rustic feel, with the landmarks being souvenirs that Traverse had collected. The boats, too, look like they're made of wood as well.

Along one wall is a map of the world similar to this one, only it's done in an old world style, with the children themselves resembling more like real children:

It will also be bigger and allow for more children to be depicted than just those on the map.

With this ride, this will be the third thing in the Magic Kingdom to have an affiliation with the S.E.A., after Big Thunder (Barnabas T. Bullion and Jason Chandler) and Skipper's Canteen (Dr. Albert Falls).

That should give an interesting new layer to a classic attraction, don't you think?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Here's the first part, in It's a Small World. I have no idea what the rumors are for the alleged overhaul, other than to include Disney characters.

The ride itself will remain the same, but the exterior and load area will shed the tent design, instead going for a more rustic style to match the nearby Pinocchio restaurant and the Peter Pan ride across the way. It will actually have an affiliation with a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. His name is Walter Traverse, who has invented a special boat that can traverse the world in a short time, thus explaining the trip around the world. He idolized Phileas Fogg for his endeavors to travel the world in 80 days, and sought to outdo him. That's where this version of Small World comes from.

The classic clock tower is no longer white, but given more of a rustic feel, with the landmarks being souvenirs that Traverse had collected. The boats, too, look like they're made of wood as well.

Along one wall is a map of the world similar to this one, only it's done in an old world style, with the children themselves resembling more like real children:

It will also be bigger and allow for more children to be depicted than just those on the map.

With this ride, this will be the third thing in the Magic Kingdom to have an affiliation with the S.E.A., after Big Thunder (Barnabas T. Bullion and Jason Chandler) and Skipper's Canteen (Dr. Albert Falls).

That should give an interesting new layer to a classic attraction, don't you think?

That's a very intriguing idea. On one hand, I worry this would take away from the distinct style of Mary Blair. On the other hand, it sounds like a really interesting new take on the ride. I'd definitely be curious to give this a try if it was real.

 

[mharrington]

Across the way from Small World is Peter Pan's Flight, which is now renamed to "Peter Pan's Flight To Neverland" (which I think may have been an early working title for this ride). This ride will receive an expansion that, given its space, will mean the closure of Mickey's PhilharMagic, as the space is just too small.

The entrance will no longer have the medieval tent look still so prevalent in this area of Fantasyland. I've posted this before, but it bears reusing, since it's so great:

Mind you, it will probably be made somewhat smaller than that elaborate design above, but you get the idea. Perhaps as a nod to history, the font for the ride can remain the same.

The end of the queue through the Darlings' house, and thus the load area, will culminate in a living room like so (but without the stairs, however):

It will have a huge painting-like mural replacing the current one there. It will actually be reminiscent of the painting-like mural in Disneyland's Mr. Toad ride. Part of that mural will feature Peter and the Darling children on it, similar to the one at Disneyland, but in this case, they will look like the artwork from the original home video release:

The ride itself will not be much different for a while, save for some upgraded special effects like those introduced in other parks. There will, however, be a silhouette of Mr. Darling overhearing the commotion and trying to make sense of it. But once you arrive at the battle with Captain Hook, things start to change, based on the ride from Shanghai. It begins simply enough, with the positions of Hook and Peter switched so that Hook can actually try to attack Peter with his sword, rather than with his hook. A new glowing effect is added onto the ship as Peter Pan announces their departure back home to London. Then, you pass by Hook and Smee as always, only they are relocated elsewhere, but are the same figures as before, with Hook on the jaws of the crocodile calling out, "Smee, help me!" and Smee in the rowboat answering back, "I'm coming, Cap'n!"

This leads into two more scenes in the expanded portion I mentioned earlier that takes up a portion of Mickey's PhilharMagic. There is a brief scene of Hangman's Tree and the Mermaid Lagoon, both derivative of the respective closing scenes of the ride in California and Shanghai, respectively, as the Lost Boys and the mermaids wave goodbye to the flying pirate ship. And the ride ends with the return to the nursery as you hear Mr. Darling say, "I have a strange feeling I've seen that ship before when I was very young."

It probably needs work, but it gives you a rough idea of what I have in mind. I'm also pondering the possibility of doing this kind of ride in Hong Kong, the only Disney park without a Peter Pan ride for some reason.

One more thing, the new and improved version of the ride will feature a new voice cast:

Adam Wylie as Peter Pan
Maia Mitchell as Wendy Darling
Corey Burton as Captain Hook and Mr. Darling
Alan Tudyk as Mr. Smee

Note that that may not be the tentative, final list. I picked Wylie and Mitchell because of their respective roles in "Jake and the Never Land Pirates".

Anyway, those are the updates to Peter Pan's Flight To Neverland. What do you think?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Across the way from Small World is Peter Pan's Flight, which is now renamed to "Peter Pan's Flight To Neverland" (which I think may have been an early working title for this ride). This ride will receive an expansion that, given its space, will mean the closure of Mickey's PhilharMagic, as the space is just too small.

The entrance will no longer have the medieval tent look still so prevalent in this area of Fantasyland. I've posted this before, but it bears reusing, since it's so great:

Mind you, it will probably be made somewhat smaller than that elaborate design above, but you get the idea. Perhaps as a nod to history, the font for the ride can remain the same.

The end of the queue through the Darlings' house, and thus the load area, will culminate in a living room like so (but without the stairs, however):

It will have a huge painting-like mural replacing the current one there. It will actually be reminiscent of the painting-like mural in Disneyland's Mr. Toad ride. Part of that mural will feature Peter and the Darling children on it, similar to the one at Disneyland, but in this case, they will look like the artwork from the original home video release:

The ride itself will not be much different for a while, save for some upgraded special effects like those introduced in other parks. There will, however, be a silhouette of Mr. Darling overhearing the commotion and trying to make sense of it. But once you arrive at the battle with Captain Hook, things start to change, based on the ride from Shanghai. It begins simply enough, with the positions of Hook and Peter switched so that Hook can actually try to attack Peter with his sword, rather than with his hook. A new glowing effect is added onto the ship as Peter Pan announces their departure back home to London. Then, you pass by Hook and Smee as always, only they are relocated elsewhere, but are the same figures as before, with Hook on the jaws of the crocodile calling out, "Smee, help me!" and Smee in the rowboat answering back, "I'm coming, Cap'n!"

This leads into two more scenes in the expanded portion I mentioned earlier that takes up a portion of Mickey's PhilharMagic. There is a brief scene of Hangman's Tree and the Mermaid Lagoon, both derivative of the respective closing scenes of the ride in California and Shanghai, respectively, as the Lost Boys and the mermaids wave goodbye to the flying pirate ship. And the ride ends with the return to the nursery as you hear Mr. Darling say, "I have a strange feeling I've seen that ship before when I was very young."

It probably needs work, but it gives you a rough idea of what I have in mind. I'm also pondering the possibility of doing this kind of ride in Hong Kong, the only Disney park without a Peter Pan ride for some reason.

One more thing, the new and improved version of the ride will feature a new voice cast:

Adam Wylie as Peter Pan
Maia Mitchell as Wendy Darling
Corey Burton as Captain Hook and Mr. Darling
Alan Tudyk as Mr. Smee

Note that that may not be the tentative, final list. I picked Wylie and Mitchell because of their respective roles in "Jake and the Never Land Pirates".

Anyway, those are the updates to Peter Pan's Flight To Neverland. What do you think?

I love that your updates are very simple and additions rather than redoing everything! I've always felt like Florida has the best layout with the tour of neverland rather than just criclimg the island. You refresh what already works and then you simply add to it. Very well done!

I personally don't like getting rid of Phillarmagic which is a high capacity people eater and a fun show, but if you're gonna get rid of it this is a good use of space!

 

[mharrington]

I personally don't like getting rid of Phillarmagic which is a high capacity people eater and a fun show, but if you're gonna get rid of it this is a good use of space!

Maybe so, but one problem with the show - dating back to 1971, I might add - is that the preshow area has only enough room for about 300 guests, while the show itself has room for 500. Also, and this is more of a nitpick with me, granted, they concentrate too much on the newer (that is, post-"Little Mermaid") movies and not enough on the older ones. There is "Peter Pan" and probably "Fantasia", but that's it.

In any case, rumor has it that, as part of WDW's 50th anniversary come 2021, PhilharMagic will be getting a new movie with additional scenes, including "Tangled" and (surprise, surprise) "Frozen", so it looks like PhilharMagic may be remaining for the time being.

Next time, I will come up with my idea for the replacement for the remainder of the PhilharMagic space...

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Maybe so, but one problem with the show - dating back to 1971, I might add - is that the preshow area has only enough room for about 300 guests, while the show itself has room for 500. Also, and this is more of a nitpick with me, granted, they concentrate too much on the newer (that is, post-"Little Mermaid") movies and not enough on the older ones. There is "Peter Pan" and probably "Fantasia", but that's it.

In any case, rumor has it that, as part of WDW's 50th anniversary come 2021, PhilharMagic will be getting a new movie with additional scenes, including "Tangled" and (surprise, surprise) "Frozen", so it looks like PhilharMagic may be remaining for the time being.

Next time, I will come up with my idea for the replacement for the remainder of the PhilharMagic space...

oooooh I'm excited to see what else you've got planned

 

[mharrington]

For a long time, I had been trying to come up with any kind of a Pinocchio-themed ride for the Magic Kingdom. I had all kinds of different ideas. They were all over the place, from an expanded dark ride (known as "The Adventures of Pinocchio" instead of "Pinocchio's Daring Journey") to a roller coaster similar to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (based around Pleasure Island and then Monstro) to a swing ride (incidentally, one of the concepts considered for the CA Adventure before they went with basing it on "The Band Concert" instead). Finally, I debated one two other small flat rides, one a whip ride (using the technology of Mater's Junkyard Jamboree) and the other a "dancing" ride (a la Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters).

The main issue with doing a ride was space, of which there isn't that much at the Magic Kingdom. I pondered the possibility of putting it over on the far end of the land, beyond the teacups and taking over what little remains of the Tomorrowland Speedway, but that would have meant putting it too far away from the Pinocchio Village Haus. I tried to compensate for that by theming the ride to the escape from Monstro, possibly having Pinocchio and Geppetto on the raft in the center of the area, with Monstro hovering menacing at one end of the area (rather like Storybook Land), and maybe have that far end surrounded by rocks. However, I had decided against the whip ride, mainly because there is already the Alien Swirling Saucers at the Toy Story Land at the Studios. I thought that was an example of cannibalizing the same ride technology in the same resort. Different parks, but still the same resort. I was also not sure how the "dancing" would work with the escape from Monstro. I had even done a whole thread on the subject, but while it got a few likes, it never got off the ground with any real replies: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...wdws-magic-kingdom-open-brainstorming.943070/. At one point, I even pondered simply retheming the teacups to something Pinocchio-based, but I decided against that as well (more on that later).

Then, I finally came up with an alternative solution that may work, a ride that uses the same technology as that "Cars" ride at the Disney Studios Paris park, which is called "Cars Quatre Roues Rallye", which uses technology called the Zamperla Demolition Derby:


So say hello to "Geppetto's Workshop". Replacing Mickey's PhilharMagic, this simple ride is set in, well, Geppetto's Workshop, as guests are invited by the old woodcarver himself (voiced by Jeff Bennett) to try out his newest creation, a spinning toy-like dual turntable, which has guests sitting in little ride vehicles that resemble wood carvings of Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Figaro and Cleo. It uses the same technology, as I said, of the aforementioned "Cars" ride from, with the vehicles automatically changing from one spinning turntable to the next and back while interweaving and switching places with the other vehicles. This is accompanied by music boxes on the shelves that play little music box renditions of certain songs from "Pinocchio".

What do you think about this? I'm also planning on duplicating this in other parks, too, especially Hong Kong.

 

[mharrington]

Here's the next part, which is an improvement of the Mad Tea Party...

First, I would replace the canopy roof with something not nearly so tent-like. I would probably cover it over with some structure that resembles huge hedges, not unlike how it was presented in "Alice In Wonderland". Or it could be like the glass structure at Disneyland Paris, but no glass, because I don't want sunlight magnifying as the sun shines down on it:

I haven't decided whether to include the Caterpillar above, though. Maybe, maybe not.

But that's not even the half of it. I'm thinking about doing this ride with different designs than usual, because those teacups designs they have right now are SO 1970s. I was originally thinking about just duplicating the Disneyland teacup designs, but then I thought of doing the cups instead as more like the characters from "Alice In Wonderland", with the characters' color schemes and little pieces associated with them (i.e., the Mad Hatter's 10/6 tag, the Cheshire Cat's grin, etc.). Something like the picture below:

As you can see, there is an idea for the cup with the Cheshire Cat's grin on it. Maybe the one with the green-colored stripe could be themed to the Mad Hatter, with the 10/6 tag on it. There will also be one the designs of cards on it (themed to the Queen of Hearts and her card soldiers, obviously) and another themed to the White Rabbit, with pocket watch designs on it.

The teapot in the middle will revert to the classic yellow with red flowers design on it:

I also noticed that the carousel and Dumbo have panels that depict scenes of their respective movies ("Cinderella" and "Dumbo", obviously) adorning the central areas. So I decided that the Mad Tea Party, also a spinner ride, should also have images of this kind, too, obviously themed to "Alice". One piece of artwork shows Alice meeting the Cheshire Cat, another shows the Unbirthday Party scene, and so on. But what should they be, though? One obvious one is the tea party scene, as I said, looking like this (but more rendered like for Dumbo):

Anyway, that gives you an idea for what the Mad Tea Party should look like when I'm done with it.

 

[DisneyManOne]

For a long time, I had been trying to come up with any kind of a Pinocchio-themed ride for the Magic Kingdom. I had all kinds of different ideas. They were all over the place, from an expanded dark ride (known as "The Adventures of Pinocchio" instead of "Pinocchio's Daring Journey") to a roller coaster similar to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (based around Pleasure Island and then Monstro) to a swing ride (incidentally, one of the concepts considered for the CA Adventure before they went with basing it on "The Band Concert" instead). Finally, I debated one two other small flat rides, one a whip ride (using the technology of Mater's Junkyard Jamboree) and the other a "dancing" ride (a la Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters).

The main issue with doing a ride was space, of which there isn't that much at the Magic Kingdom. I pondered the possibility of putting it over on the far end of the land, beyond the teacups and taking over what little remains of the Tomorrowland Speedway, but that would have meant putting it too far away from the Pinocchio Village Haus. I tried to compensate for that by theming the ride to the escape from Monstro, possibly having Pinocchio and Geppetto on the raft in the center of the area, with Monstro hovering menacing at one end of the area (rather like Storybook Land), and maybe have that far end surrounded by rocks. However, I had decided against the whip ride, mainly because there is already the Alien Swirling Saucers at the Toy Story Land at the Studios. I thought that was an example of cannibalizing the same ride technology in the same resort. Different parks, but still the same resort. I was also not sure how the "dancing" would work with the escape from Monstro. I had even done a whole thread on the subject, but while it got a few likes, it never got off the ground with any real replies: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...wdws-magic-kingdom-open-brainstorming.943070/. At one point, I even pondered simply retheming the teacups to something Pinocchio-based, but I decided against that as well (more on that later).

Then, I finally came up with an alternative solution that may work, a ride that uses the same technology as that "Cars" ride at the Disney Studios Paris park, which is called "Cars Quatre Roues Rallye", which uses technology called the Zamperla Demolition Derby:


So say hello to "Geppetto's Workshop". Replacing Mickey's PhilharMagic, this simple ride is set in, well, Geppetto's Workshop, as guests are invited by the old woodcarver himself (voiced by Jeff Bennett) to try out his newest creation, a spinning toy-like dual turntable, which has guests sitting in little ride vehicles that resemble wood carvings of Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Figaro and Cleo. It uses the same technology, as I said, of the aforementioned "Cars" ride from, with the vehicles automatically changing from one spinning turntable to the next and back while interweaving and switching places with the other vehicles. This is accompanied by music boxes on the shelves that play little music box renditions of certain songs from "Pinocchio".

What do you think about this? I'm also planning on duplicating this in other parks, too, especially Hong Kong.

Very clever idea! I can easily see this fitting into Fantasyland!

 

[mharrington]

And now we come to the last update to Fantasyland, which is the biggest one, which will take up two separate posts on this thread (partly because I've been distracted by other obligations). This ride is actually set in Storybook Circus, which I'm debating whether to spin off into its own land or keeping it part of Fantasyland. The reason for this debate lies in, of all things, the fact that on the old Disneyland TV show, cartoon shorts were typically featured in the Fantasyland segment. But I digress.

There have been many attempts on my part to include a Mickey Mouse-based dark ride for WDW's Magic Kingdom. I know the Runaway Railway is coming to the Studios, so it's probably a bit of cannibalism because my ride, too, is a dark ride that features Mickey, but the thing is, that ride is derivative of the newer cartoons, those produced since 2013. This one will try to be more based on the classics.

Located in Storybook Circus, this ride will actually be derivative of an old concept for Dumbo's Circusland, a never-built concept for Disneyland which would have been located over where Mickey's Toontown is now. Ironically, Storybook Circus is located where Mickey's Toontown Fair once stood. But, again, I digress.

Anyway, one of the new concepts for this land was to have been something called "Mickey's Madhouse", a dark ride/roller coaster hybrid themed around old Mickey cartoons, where Mickey and the gang perform antics set to frenetic ragtime music. Here is how the exterior of the ride would have looked:

(Other attractions to be added would include two more dark rides, one called Circus Disney, where Disney characters of every stripe (at least those who don't already have a presence in Fantasyland) perform circus acts, and the other a Pinocchio ride, which ultimately did open in 1983 as part of the new Fantasyland.)

Although Dumbo's Circusland never came to fruition as envisioned, I feel as though that Storybook Circus is a heavily-modified version of that; it does feature a relocated Dumbo (actually, two sets of Dumbos) and one of the concepts for "Circus Disney", the Flying Goofys, was rethemed as a kiddie coaster, known as "The Great Goofini's Barnstormer".

The fact remains, however, that Storybook Circus' location, ironically, is something that happened in reverse of Disneyland: it goes where Mickey's Birthdayland/Starland/Toontown Fair once stood. Although the land was really only meant to be temporary, I'm a little disappointed with the park now being without a land devoted to Mickey and the gang. On the other hand, however, there still is a ride themed to Goofy here (which was held over from Toontown Fair), so...

This ride concept of mine is tentatively called "Mickey's House of Wonders" is something like a variation of the Roger Rabbit ride at Disneyland in terms of frenetic pace and attitude. The coaster aspect of "Madhouse" is dropped, and so is the name "Madhouse", which doesn't really fit Mickey. It will feature a thrill element, similar to the Indiana Jones ride, but milder.

Originally, my ride idea was called "Mickey's Fun House". My main difficulty with this is that I really don't have a lot of information to go on in terms of the attraction concept. For a long time, I couldn't find any information on "Madhouse", no concept art (aside from the exterior artwork) or longer descriptions (short of "A trip through old Mickey cartoons") or anything. When I brought up this concept here, most posters like @spacemt354 couldn't find anything either, so they thought it would just be better to just do a new ride from scratch (hence why I said it was loosely based on an old concept). My main concern with doing things from scratch is I have nothing to go on to help me out here.

I tried to replicate the concept as best I could, with actual vignettes of old cartoons, but the forum members' argument (not an unreasonable one, either) was that the concept of this attraction as envisioned for Circusland apparently doesn't really fit the circus motif; it seems more suited to something like Toontown. But of course, there is no Toontown at WDW anymore. There is a Toontown at Disneyland, but there is not that much space for it, and besides, rumor has it that a copy of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, based on the 2010s Mickey cartoons and being added to Disney's Hollywood Studios, replacing the Great Movie Ride, is being added to that Toontown. In fact, an announcement should be made any day now. My concept and the rumored Runway Railway concept are the same thing, just based around different time periods. But I digress...

The argument here was that, as it is going in a circus setting, my ride should have reflect that. They came up with an idea for the ride in question, but I was not entirely happy with it based primarily around the circus; I wanted to include classic shorts elements, too (not just black-and-white, but color cartoons, too). However, they seemed pretty adamant that it should be about the circus first and everything else second, partly because they had little knowledge of the classic shorts. As I said, my idea was more "shorts vignettes" than "circus", which they insisted was out of place here and, again, seemed to fit in Toontown better. The fact is, as I said, I have a habit of overthinking my ideas because I want everything to be just right and be realistic (probably ultra-realistic). I like to do things as if they could happen, even if they don't.

So I tried, all alone with no help at all, to tie shorts elements into these people's circus concept as best I could. To help loosen the theme, I even dispensed with "Fun House" and renamed it "Mickey's House of Wonders". But still, I couldn't help but feel that the concept of old cartoons in a circus setting could work if I only had enough information to go on. The final ride-thru can be found here: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/three-mickey-rides-which-one-is-the-best.940296/.

Then I found some more image pieces for this ride appeared on the Disney Wiki site on their page on Dumbo's Circusland:

Also, I posted this on another thread here: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/mickeys-madhouse-information.952742/. And there, it was suggested by @Herbie that the "shorts in a circus" ride could work. So now I'm reworking the concept this way yet again, but it will not be done exactly like the images above. For one thing, Minnie will not be there.

So that's the background on my latest attempt at this ride. Next time, I will get into the ride itself. Stay tuned!

 

[mharrington]

Here it is, the big one, the all-new dark ride in the Magic Kingdom's Storybook Circus. Say hello to "Mickey"s House of Wonders"!

I did it pretty much all by myself, with no help whatsoever. It took a long time because I had ideas which was argued did not "agree" with the circus setting. Given my argument about how the Madhouse concept could work here if it was to have worked in the Circusland concept of old (this was long before Toontown was ever thought of, and incidentally it was to have gone in where Toontown is now), I was inclined to disagree and prove the naysayers wrong. To do that, I changed the name from "Fun/Mad" to "Wonder".

It is set in the Storybook Circus section, replacing Pete's Silly Sideshow. Here is the basic location there:

There was produced an article from Passport 2 Dreams on ten of the Magic Kingdom's biggest blunders, with Mickey's Birthdayland/Starland/Toontown Fair coming in at #1. It singles out the tents in particular, which were retained from the transformation from Starland to Toontown Fair, and which were transformed into meet-n-greets and a shop, which were ostensibly retained for their alleged profitability. Here's what the article said (ellipses are to condense the article for clarity):

By 2001 the Toontown tent complex had become the single most profitable structure per square foot at Magic Kingdom. Mickey was the anchor, pulling crowds into Toontown, then dispersing them through a variety of shops and photograph locations. This profitability would ensure that the tents would survive yet another round of renovations - Storybook Circus.

[...]

Despite the fact that the reasons for the success of those tents were being scattered to the winds, it was proclaimed by fiat that the tents must remain due to their profitability. What had previously been the Princess Tent was transformed into Pete's Silly Sideshow, a permanent venue for Mickey, Donald, Minnie and Daisy with a nicely done circus theme. The crowds never quite returned to their original levels. What had previously been a bustling store where Princess dresses and Mickey dolls flew off the shelves now seems nearly abandoned after nightfall. The Sideshow meet and greet has started closing early.

[...]

Now that the power of the circus tents is on the wane, it really would be a nice gesture to finally lose them and build a permanent ride in that spot. The three Storybook Circus tents take up about as much room as the Mermaid ride next door. The basic problem is that the use of tents, no matter how nicely you build them or how intricately you theme them, still evoke temporary structures and, by extension, cheapness. Cheap ideas and cheap aesthetics are what Birthdayland initiated, yet it must be said that the new Magician Mickey and Fairytale Hall attractions are far above its standard, leaving just those three tents as symbols of Birthdayland's enduring legacy.

Thus, this whole area will be the new spot for this new dark ride. With that said, let's begin the verbal tour!

The ride lasts 3-4 minutes, about as long as the Peter Pan ride at the other end of Fantasyland. I want this to be something akin to Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

As you enter the ride structure (based loosely on the Madhouse facade, which I previously displayed in the last post), you wind through a reduced queue, about half the space of the queue in the image above. The remaining space, along the exit path, will be home to an alternate meet-n-greet space known as the Silly Symphonic Sideshow (replacing Pete's Silly Sideshow), where you can meet with various lesser-known characters like Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Ludwig Von Drake, or the Three Little Pigs.

In the queue here, ringleader Mickey and his good friends Donald and Goofy perform acrobatics and stunts while at the same time operating the machinery and props throughout. And their most prized possession is the House of Wonders, where you board a colorful carriage-car through a zany funhouse-like attraction, where anything can happen. And it just might, apparently, with odd-shaped mirrors,
special effects, and much more, to say nothing of Donald and Goofy trying to operate things. Throughout the queue there are a few props and memorabilia from their tours (hinting that Storybook Circus is a traveling circus).

The queue winds back and forth on the right side and should be enough to hold a 35-minute wait before spilling out into Storybook Circus.

You then climb into your ride vehicles for your trip through the House of Wonders. They are themed as the aforementioned carriage-car-things which look like a cross between the non-cage cars of Casey Jr...

…and the larger motorcars from the updated Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (before it closed in 1998):

In short, they look like the Mr. Toad cars with the circus-like filigrees from Casey Jr. The cars seat six passengers per seat, and to make up for the loss of the roller coaster element, they will actually be a milder version of the EMVs found at Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride and the Animal Kingdom's Dinosaur ride. As such, there will be some jerking, lurching side-to-side motions, so it's going to be a little rough, but not as rough as Dinosaur. Incidentally, there is a moment in the Winnie the Pooh ride that also gets a little jerky as the honey pot vehicles there "bounce" with Tigger, but that's only for one scene, however.

As you climb aboard, you hear Mickey providing the typical bilingual safety spiel, and once the lap bars are down, you are on your way.

Scene 1 - Meet Mickey and Pals
Mickey, Donald and Goofy all greet you and then Mickey sends you on your way into the House of Wonders by pulling on a rope attached to a group of steam whistles (themed to Steamboat Willie) that opens a door to usher you in. Donald and Goofy, meanwhile, start operating lights and machines to turn everything on.

Scene 2 - Mickey's Follies
You find yourself in a barn scene like the one above, derivative of an early concept piece for the original Mickey's Madhouse:

Numerous barnyard animals are performing some silly dances, such as cows doing ballet (as in Mickey's Revue) and ducks dancing around and shaking tailfeathers (as in Mickey's Follies). Speaking of ducks, Donald is doing a duet with Clara Cluck (as in Mickey's Grand Opera), while Clarabelle Cow plays piano (from Mickey's Amateurs) and Horace Horsecollar plays some kind of... pipe instrument... thing (as in The Whoopee Party)...

...and Goofy plays a crazy one-man band (as in Mickey's Amateurs). Even Mickey tries to get in a clarinet solo (like in Blue Rhythm):

Scene 3 - Animal Antics
Leaving the room, your vehicle transitions into a room with performing animals. Here, Donald is trying to get some seals (two adults and one pup, resembling Salty) to perform a number (as in Mickey's Circus). As they perform, nearby, a bear, lion and gorilla, who had all been threatening a nervous Donald, all start dancing. From inside of a pool of water, a whale (resembling that from The Whalers) dances, too, while Goofy rides on his back like a cowboy in a rodeo.

Scene 4 - Barrel of Fun/Hall of Mirrors (transition)
The noise of one last blast from the horn startles Donald and sends him stumbling into a switch which operates a crazy barrel of fun, which you go through. It then turns into a spinning hall of mirrors with distorted reflections all around.

Scene 5 - The Animated Inanimate
Four separate scenes activate at once, all involving crazy inanimate objects come to life, including giant phones and stacks of playing cards (as in Thru the Mirror), with Mickey dancing along with them here. Meanwhile, around the corner, cars raise and lower on elevating platforms (resembling Mickey's Service Station). Further on, a clock goes wild as automatons appear in a hidden door to hit a bell (like in Clock Cleaners). Donald, irritated by the racket, tries to shut off the cars and automaton at the same time (which are apparently coming from the same switch).

Scene 6 - Goofy's Wipeout
The fourth scene involves a wave, which Goofy surfs on (as in Hawaiian Holiday). But alas, Goofy wipes out, and the wave hits a huge fan used to create wind. The fan malfunctions and goes haywire!

Scene 7 - An Unnatural Disaster!
This leads to the result of the last scene: a huge whirlwind where everything is blown in all directions! As this happens, the William Tell Storm from The Band Concert plays. If it sounds familiar to Disney park fans, it probably should, as it sounds like it does in the Silly Symphony Swings at the CA Adventure:


You, Mickey, Donald and Goofy all get caught up in the pandemonium, as Donald grabs a flare gun for emergency purposes only (it is based on the flare gun from the climax of Magician Mickey). He aims for the fan to shut it off. Mickey calls out to him to be careful. Unfortunately, Donald's aim is off, and the flare blast hits a crate of fireworks instead (labeled for nighttime use only)! The result is an explosion scene (a la Mr. Toad or Roger Rabbit), which blows things up.

Scene 8 - Farewell
Mickey, Donald and Goofy are united again. Mickey, echoing Kermit the Frog at the end of Muppet-Vision 3D, apologizes for any technical difficulties, but they are relieved that no one was hurt and the House of Wonders only suffered "minor" damage (even though the area is in tatters). But they are elated that you had a great time, and that they will try to repair the damage in time for your next trip.

Scene 8.5 - Unload
You reappear near the load area, disembark and head back through the main queue building structure and to the Big Top Souvenirs. However, on the exit path over to the gift shop, there's a meet and greet with circus-themed characters (the aforementioned Silly Symphonic Sideshow).

And that's "Mickey's House of Wonders" in the Magic Kingdom's Storybook Circus! It's just the bare bones of it, really. Next time, I will get into some of the smaller details of the scenes wherever possible. It's still a bit rough, but what did you think of it?

 

[mharrington]

I said I was going to go into the details of "Mickey's House of Wonders", but first, I want to list off the improved Fantasyland lineup:

1. Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station
2. Cinderella Castle
3. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
4. Enchanted Tales With Belle
5. Fairytale Garden
6. Geppetto's Workshop
7. The Great Goofini's Barnstormer
8. It's a Small World
9. Mad Tea Party
10. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
11. Mickey's House of Wonders
12. Peter Pan's Flight
13. Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
14. Princess Fairytale Hall
15. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
16. Silly Symphonic Sideshow
17. Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

So what does anyone think? @Pi on my Cake? @DisneyManOne? @spacemt354? Anybody at all?

 

[DisneyManOne]

I said I was going to go into the details of "Mickey's House of Wonders", but first, I want to list off the improved Fantasyland lineup:

1. Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station
2. Cinderella Castle
3. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
4. Enchanted Tales With Belle
5. Fairytale Garden
6. Geppetto's Workshop
7. The Great Goofini's Barnstormer
8. It's a Small World
9. Mad Tea Party
10. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
11. Mickey's House of Wonders
12. Peter Pan's Flight
13. Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
14. Princess Fairytale Hall
15. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
16. Silly Symphonic Sideshow
17. Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

So what does anyone think? @Pi on my Cake? @DisneyManOne? @spacemt354? Anybody at all?

I am really digging your ideas! I wonder, what would you do with the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh? Would it be possible to give it a thematic makeover (i;e not change the ride track, but update the scenery)? I always thought the ride experience would be augmented if the scenery and animatronics were similar to those found on Tokyo's Pooh's Hunny Hunt.

 

[mharrington]

I am really digging your ideas! I wonder, what would you do with the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh? Would it be possible to give it a thematic makeover (i;e not change the ride track, but update the scenery)? I always thought the ride experience would be augmented if the scenery and animatronics were similar to those found on Tokyo's Pooh's Hunny Hunt.

Unfortunately, no, I'm not doing anything with the Pooh ride. It would be nice if I could, but I'm trying to do things as if they could realistically happen, and it's probably too unrealistic. And actually, Florida's Pooh ride came first (in 1999), Tokyo's came second (in 2000). So Pooh is remaining as is right now.

 

[Keyblade Jedi]

Any Ideas for It's a Small World? Mine would be Having the Original 1971 Background Music Queue area, But with a Re-Orchestra Version ( )

 

[DisneyManOne]

Any Ideas for It's a Small World? Mine would be Having the Original 1971 Background Music Queue area, But with a Re-Orchestra Version ( )

He already covered Small World, my friend.

Here's the first part, in It's a Small World. I have no idea what the rumors are for the alleged overhaul, other than to include Disney characters.

The ride itself will remain the same, but the exterior and load area will shed the tent design, instead going for a more rustic style to match the nearby Pinocchio restaurant and the Peter Pan ride across the way. It will actually have an affiliation with a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. His name is Walter Traverse, who has invented a special boat that can traverse the world in a short time, thus explaining the trip around the world. He idolized Phileas Fogg for his endeavors to travel the world in 80 days, and sought to outdo him. That's where this version of Small World comes from.

The classic clock tower is no longer white, but given more of a rustic feel, with the landmarks being souvenirs that Traverse had collected. The boats, too, look like they're made of wood as well.

Along one wall is a map of the world similar to this one, only it's done in an old world style, with the children themselves resembling more like real children:

It will also be bigger and allow for more children to be depicted than just those on the map.

With this ride, this will be the third thing in the Magic Kingdom to have an affiliation with the S.E.A., after Big Thunder (Barnabas T. Bullion and Jason Chandler) and Skipper's Canteen (Dr. Albert Falls).

That should give an interesting new layer to a classic attraction, don't you think?

 

[mharrington]

I will now mention a few of the details of "Mickey's House of Wonders". However, in the interest of time and logic, I'm not going to repeat everything that I have mentioned already (most notably in the description of the Mickey's Revue part)...

First of all, the ride vehicles will be something like the Indiana Jones and Dinosaur rides, but milder so there won't be a height requirement necessary. It will be something like the Winnie the Pooh ride, which has one scene where the honey pot vehicles "bounce" with Tigger, but more frequent throughout this ride.

The first scene of Mickey, Donald and Goofy may seem familiar to longtime fans, and that's because the figures themselves are the same figures from the long-gone Mickey Mouse Revue, which was relocated from Florida in 1980 to Tokyo Disneyland for that park's opening in 1983, but has since closed in 2009:

(Sorry, that's the best I could get on short notice.)

However, since the Donald figure in particular was since reused for Epcot's Mexico boat ride, it seems likely that that figure will have to be reused from a mold used to create the original figure, like how the molds used to create the Seven Dwarfs here were reused to create the Dwarfs in the post-1994 Snow White ride (and by extension the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).

(Of course, there is the chance that the Mickey figure could be reused for the Runaway Railway, which would be fine, but I digress.)

Next, in the Animal Antics room, the seals performing for Donald is based off Mickey's Circus, as I said...

...but the seals themselves resemble those in Mickey and the Seal:

There once was a Donald Duck snowglobe showing Donald and the nephews in a teacup and which played the Donald Duck song when you turned the key. I wish I could I find a video to play it so I could see which one, but I can't.

Anyway, I was thinking of a lion in this scene, but I'm going to scrap it and just maintain the bear, gorilla and whale. The bear resembles that in The Pointer...

...the gorilla resembles that in Donald and the Gorilla...

...and the whale resembles that in The Whalers:

Goofy is seen wearing cowboy duds and riding the whale's back like a rodeo performer. He is dressed like how he does in this poster found in the queue for his ride nearby:

That's all I've got for right now, but I promise I'll be back to continue on.

 

[mharrington]

Here's the next part of the details, but it will have to be short because I'm kind of in the middle of something else going on...

The barrel of fun/hall of mirrors combo has characters going through it crazily.

The next room is the Animated Inanimate room, where inanimate objects come to life. The giant phone and playing cards which Mickey dances to are taken from Thru the Mirror...

Meanwhile, one car is derivative of Mickey's Service Station as they raise and lower on elevating platforms (rather like in "Epic Mickey 2", which has a level based around this cartoon):


The second car is based off of Donald's car in Donald's Tire Trouble...

Behind the cars, mounted on the wall are three tires spinning wildly, one is a regular tire, one is flat (flapping around as it does so), and the third is covered in patches. Next to the tires is a wall of license plates, depicting where the Storybook Circus had been on the road, similar to the queue in Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. I'll get to what they are later, but I will get into the rest of the scene first.

The clock scene is, of course, based on Clock Cleaners, and even more so off of the scene in "Epic Mickey" showing a level based around that cartoon, as it features a clockface (in reverse) in the wall, in addition to automatons:


Finally, there is a pool of water forming a huge wave which Goofy tries to surf, as in Hawaiian Holiday...

It transitions into the next scene this way...

Until next time, what does anyone think about the details of "Mickey's House of Wonders"? @Pi on my Cake? @DisneyManOne? @spacemt354? Anyone?

 

[mharrington]

Here's the last of the small details on Mickey's House of Wonders...

Goofy wipes out on the wave from the last scene and they both collide into a fan that shorts out and malfunctions, causing a huge tornado to kick up and cause a huge pandemonium. You go around the room briefly, similar to the climax of Mystic Manor (from 5:30 to 6:23):


As I stated before, the music heard is the "William Tell Storm", as heard in the Silly Symphony Swings ride at the CA Adventure.

The flare gun that Donald uses is derived from the one in Magician Mickey:

(Sorry, it's not the best pic I could find, but I couldn't find any professional ones, not even on the Tumblr site; I had to download one myself)

The explosion, caused by Donald misfiring the gun and hitting the fireworks crate is derivative of other explosion scenes in other crazy dark rides like Mr. Toad or Roger Rabbit (with flashing strobe lights and all):

As I said before, the ending shows the area in ruins, but Mickey tries to play down the damage by saying it's only "minor", like Kermit the Frog does at the end of Muppet-Vision 3D.

And those are the last of the small details of "Mickey's House of Wonders"! What did everyone think about these? I thought they were great, but what about anyone else? @Pi on my Cake? @DisneyManOne? Anybody?