BEAR COUNTRY / GRIZZLY GULCH should become a thing at Disneyland Paris !!!
There actually were plans to fit a Grizzly River Run in the park:
Somebody on Twitter even made it fit the actual map to prove how well planed out it was:
To those complaining "bUt iT DoEsN't FiT tHe ThUnDeR mEsA sToRy", it doesn't have to.
There is so much space around the train station and beyond the tracks, this could be it's own Area. A new land.
A Grizzly Bear Country type zone would be such a good transition between Adventureland and Frontierland.
This will never happen, but to make it a fully fledged out area, it could include multiple attractions.
(Sorry, I CAN NOT draw, but it's just to make an idea of the use of space):
1. A transitional area, that could include Geysers that would cool you off in the summer and spritz water, just like in Hong Kong Disneyland. During winter they can just turn those features down and it would still be pretty to look at. Could have some shops/kiosks around.
2.The Grizzly River Rapids ride, already shown in the pics above.
3. Since we know a water ride could only work for like 8 months a year, there needs to be a dark ride functional all year round.
And that ride should be...
POCAHONTAS !!! The I.P. would be very successful in Europe since they marketed it before. It is attractive for both little boys, girls and adults. Just Imagine a Canoe boat ride, the waterfall scene, a GRANDMOTHER WILLOW animatronic, the little raccoon (Meeko) would be such a hit with the kids...all while "Colors of the wind" plays in the background. Native American culture used to be such a passionate subject of Walt Disney.
4. A restaurant, maybe themed after the Country Bear Jamboree. Since Disneyland Paris takes so much inspiration from the original Park in Anaheim, it could pay tribute to the now-extinct Country Bear Jamboree attraction, but turn it into a restaurant. (It could still feature the singing animatronics and put on a show while guests eat...it could double as an attraction + eating experience).
After all, it's "The Wildest Show in the Wilderness".
At the end of the day, I think hoping for something like this is DELUSIONAL at best. Realistically, I don't think we could encounter such a well thought out addition to Paris. At least not in the next 10 years. I hope they at least add something fitting and if they were to add one attraction only, at least keep it within the Thunder Mesa theme, since having the Grizzly River only, would feel very out of place without a full land.
The good old "Western River Expedition" doesn't sound bad at all in this case:
If you read everything and made it to the end, I hope you enjoyed my little fantasy ☺
EDIT: The project should be pretty feasible from a financial stand point IF the Pocahontas ride would share the budget with Magic Kingdom and have the same ride in Orlando. Also, the River Rapids is basically a copy/paste from California Adventure. The same goes for the Geyser area (Hong Kong). After more than a decade of no new additions to the main Park, I think it deserves a full land and more than just "a ride".
