Splash for DLP Gives Way to Western River Expedition?

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The big expansion pad by the BBQ has always been rumored to be saved for another "E Ticket" scale attraction. Maybe Splash Mountain. Now that Splash is going away, I think it would be a great spot for a revised Western River Expedition. Any thoughts on this? Could it happen?
 

Toni25

Well-Known Member
BEAR COUNTRY / GRIZZLY GULCH should become a thing at Disneyland Paris !!!

There actually were plans to fit a Grizzly River Run in the park:
Bears.png



Somebody on Twitter even made it fit the actual map to prove how well planed out it was:
Bear Country2.png


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):

GRIZZLY GULCH.png


Bear Country.png


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".

Jamboree.png


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:
Western.png


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".
 
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disneyC97

Well-Known Member
Would be a great spot for it as they could shutter it during the colder months and it wouldn’t be sitting closed in the middle of the park.
 

cjkeating

Well-Known Member
I agree. DLP needs a water ride. And for the people that say DLP is too cold, yes it's cold but so is Tokyo and other European parks have water rides that are open during their winter seasons.

Also Splash/Kali are usually closed each January/February for 'refurbishment' which is exactly when DLP is at its coldest/quietest so the ride being down then wouldn't be that unusual.
 

Robbiem

Well-Known Member
how about a Mexican / South American themed area to bridge Frontierland and Adventureland? You could have a Three caballeros themed splash and a dark ride themed to inca or aztec culture like the old rio del tiempo at Epcot or even emperors new groove. You could link round to adventureland and add Indy based on the tokyo version. Throw in a Mexican restaurant and a marketplace shopping area and you’d have a good addition to the park
 

Toni25

Well-Known Member
how about a Mexican / South American themed area to bridge Frontierland and Adventureland? You could have a Three caballeros themed splash and a dark ride themed to inca or aztec culture like the old rio del tiempo at Epcot or even emperors new groove. You could link round to adventureland and add Indy based on the tokyo version. Throw in a Mexican restaurant and a marketplace shopping area and you’d have a good addition to the park
I think a smart choice for a "Splash" type ride (considering it's a copy/paste of the layout) would be to use that in Fantasyland and have a Winnie the Pooh overlay (it's a popular IP). It would attract visitors and offer an original alternative to the other Pooh rides out there. It would be unique to Paris.

It would fit with the storyline of the land with the other "british" attractions nearby, since accessing it, you would pass by Alice Maze and Mr. Toad and then underneath the Fantasyland Train Station.
 

mrflo

Well-Known Member
My favourite 'alternative' Splash Mountain would be still a Jungle Book themed version for Adventureland.

It is a beloved Disney classic with great characters & music. Lots of the movie's scenery & story actually revolve around water which would make it easy to adapt for a log flume ride. As there is no Jungle Cruise in Disneyland Paris' Adventureland, it would be a great alternative and something unique to this park. Maybe there is some space next to or behind Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost - in case the expansion pad in Adventureland is still reserved for the Indiana Jones Adventure.

jb.jpg
 
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Robbiem

Well-Known Member
My favourite 'alternative' Splash Mountain would be still a Jungle Book themed version for Adventureland.

It is a beloved Disney classic with great characters & music. Lots of the movie's scenery & story actually revolves around water which would make it easy to adapt for a log flume ride. As there is no Jungle Cruise in Disneyland Paris' Adventureland, it would be a great alternative and something unique to this park. Maybe there is some space next to or behind Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost - in case the expansion pad in Adventureland is still reserved for the Indiana Jone Adventure.

View attachment 483488
I always thought a splash themed to jungle book would be a great fit just make it the original classic it was the last animated feature from Walt‘s era and its been crying out to be an attraction for over 50 years!
 

Toni25

Well-Known Member
My favourite 'alternative' Splash Mountain would be still a Jungle Book themed version for Adventureland.

It is a beloved Disney classic with great characters & music. Lots of the movie's scenery & story actually revolve around water which would make it easy to adapt for a log flume ride. As there is no Jungle Cruise in Disneyland Paris' Adventureland, it would be a great alternative and something unique to this park. Maybe there is some space next to or behind Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost - in case the expansion pad in Adventureland is still reserved for the Indiana Jones Adventure.

View attachment 483488
I think they should use the concept of the "Western River Expedition" (a much longer and elaborate ride than splash, with multiple falls)
and retheme the idea to "Jungle River Expedition". Since we don't have a jungle cruise, it could include similar elements and be more flexible and versatile. What I mean by that is, include more IPs, not just Jungle Book.

It could follow a storyline based on the Society of Explorers and travel through the jungles of the world.
An Asian Jungle would include Jungle Book, an African Jungle could include Lion King and a South American Jungle could include either "Up" or Indiana Jones crossover.

Considering Jungle Cruise ends inside a Temple and Disney always planned on making multiple attractions interact, having the water ride meet the train and also the Indiana Jones coaster/a possible future Indiana Jeep Ride, would tie everything together and make it cohesive.
The idea of including multiple IPs should be a major Jackpot & Marketing point for the company, right? Without sacrificing integrity for financial success, if put together right, the storyline would be fantastic.
Imagine a Grand Temple in the background of Adventureland = the main building where the attractions would interact.
Also, a big, active volcano for the facade of the ride-building itself...one that spits fire every hour, just like in Tokyo.

As a final idea, the ride could be mostly indoors, with only small outdoor sections, meaning it can run in the winter time as well.
A project like this would cost around €600 million with todays prices. I don't know if Disneyland Paris would ever invest that much in their main park. I would rather wait another 10 years and get a good, quality addition, than a rushed, half-assed Splash version.
They need to think BIG, the Park deserves better, something jaw-dropping and unique. There is a lot of space and creative options.
Just not enough money 💸
 

Toni25

Well-Known Member
I really wish Toni would stop with all these good ideas that I then go onto overthink about. 😂
Haha, well I constantly overthink on these things too. I have seen many good ideas from others in the past years and keep imagining what a fitting choice would be, considering what could realistically fit in size and taking into account different factors, such as Disney's "history", scrapped projects, IPs, location, etc. as well as the limitations.
It has to be a combination of familiar elements, but reinterpreted so that it feels new and unique.

I actually think so much about these things, that I HAVE to write them out to get myself a sense of closure and know that my ideas are out there and maybe somebody might stumble across them and get inspired by them. Kinda like speaking it into existence 🤣
Maybe if I expose these thoughts, it might become true at some point.
 

DLR92

Well-Known Member
My favourite 'alternative' Splash Mountain would be still a Jungle Book themed version for Adventureland.

It is a beloved Disney classic with great characters & music. Lots of the movie's scenery & story actually revolve around water which would make it easy to adapt for a log flume ride. As there is no Jungle Cruise in Disneyland Paris' Adventureland, it would be a great alternative and something unique to this park. Maybe there is some space next to or behind Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost - in case the expansion pad in Adventureland is still reserved for the Indiana Jones Adventure.

View attachment 483488

There were ambitious plans for indoor river Jungle Book attraction with two Indiana Jone attractions (One being exactly found in Classic Disneyland and the other is the never materialized first version of the mine cart coaster)

I think Disney should include both to Disneyland Paris. Like initially planned.
 

Justinate

Active Member
I'd love to see them do something to expand the original DLP - axing the planned Beauty & the Beast attraction was such a sad omission. This plot of land isn't suited for that, of course. A flume ride would be something new for the park and I think they can easily manage the water effects to avoid soaking anyone during the colder months?
 

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'd love to see them do something to expand the original DLP - axing the planned Beauty & the Beast attraction was such a sad omission. This plot of land isn't suited for that, of course. A flume ride would be something new for the park and I think they can easily manage the water effects to avoid soaking anyone during the colder months?
The castle park is overdue for something great!
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
lol DLP is just so perfect, I'm afraid this new generation will just slap something in there and ruin the atmosphere or sightlines. DLP obviously needs a new attraction, but if they're gonna add anything lol please, please, PLEASE bring Tony Baxter on the project so they won't ruin DLP
You’re not a true Disney fan if you don’t think a giant insulated metal panel box would really add to the atmosphere of the park.
 

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