The New Fantasyland

[Lee]

Well if that's the case, consider my interest in this Fantasyland plan down the tubes completely. I shouldn't be surprised though. Things like that are what I've come to expect in the Magic Kingdom.

Yeah.
I was scanning a few pages back and someone mentioned that it looked like the Cinderella attraction had two theatres like AE or Mission to Mars....nope.
Two seperate greeting rooms for Cindy, kinda like in Mickey's tent now only bigger and nicer.
Or so I hear....

 

[juan]

whether people like it or not, its something new and money for WDW
that's good in my book:sohappy:

 

[Brian Noble]

Wait.

First, people complain about Everest and it's ilk because it's not immersive enough, not well-themed enough, not enough detail.

Now, people complain about what appears to be an immersive, deeply-themed, attention-to-detail-up-the-wazoo environment that also will contain what appears to be a pretty strong attraction, because "there aren't enough new attractions."

Recognizing that money is finite, which would you rather have?

 

[SirGoofy]

Yeah.
I was scanning a few pages back and someone mentioned that it looked like the Cinderella attraction had two theatres like AE or Mission to Mars....nope.
Two seperate greeting rooms for Cindy, kinda like in Mickey's tent now only bigger and nicer.
Or so I hear....

Le sigh...

The good news is it will be very well themed...and it's also not approved. Yet. And has competition.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Yeah.
I was scanning a few pages back and someone mentioned that it looked like the Cinderella attraction had two theatres like AE or Mission to Mars....nope.
Two seperate greeting rooms for Cindy, kinda like in Mickey's tent now only bigger and nicer.
Or so I hear....

Didn't I say that like 50 pages ago?

Lee, any insight onto the re-theme of Barnstormer? Also will their be a circus theme in the Dumbo area, or just covered queues?

 

[Captain Chaos]

Le sigh...

The good news is it will be very well themed...and it's also not approved. Yet. And has competition.

Uh oh... competition??? Do tell...

 

[ms7479a]

Finally got through all 57 pages of posts. If these plans turn out to be real, I feel very positive about them. I know some people are disappointed by the lack of new attractions and the addition of "glorified meet and greets," but in my opinion one of the things I like most about Disney World is having a completely immersive experience.

For example, when I am at Animal Kingdom I don't feel as though I am actually in Florida, or even in Disney World for that matter. I feel as though I have been actually transported to Africa or Asia. Even though Animal Kingdom has fewer rides than Magic Kingdom or Epcot, it is its theming that makes it one of my favorite places to visit at Disney.

That being said, if done properly, I can see this expansion of Fantasyland creating the type of immerssive experience that Fantasyland, and to some extent Toontown, lack. Fantasyland currently has good/popular attractions, but it lacks any real character and it certainly does not have the tremendous level of detail of, for example, Harambe in Animal Kingdom. Walt Disney said of Disneyland, "I don't want the public to see the world they live in...I want them to feel they're in another world. If done correctly, I think this is exactly what the new addition to Fantasyland can accomplish that the current Fantasyland does not do.

In addition to all this, I see this really as a no lose situation. I think this would be an improvement even if the new additions were only meet and greet locations, because what they are replacing is nothing other than current meet and greet locations. But, according to the plans, not only would the addition include meet and greeets, but also the Little Mermaid ride, a new Beauty and the Beast restaurant, and new merchandise locations. I really don't see how this could be a bad thing. If nothing else, if this comes to fruition, it shows that the Disney company is committed to continuing to improve the theme parks and offer new experiences to guests, and that is a very encouraging thought.

I apologize for my long-winded post.

 

[Sassagoula-Rvr]

There is a blog with a plan shown...in a post dated a day or two ago...talks about alot of the same things...I would assume that with this update the facades will get a makeover much like Disneyland's?

 

[mikeymouse]

So ... ur saying "insiders" are "here" in this forum?

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

Finally got through every post.
And :shrug:.
It seems like a whole lot of land is being used, and we're not getting that much stuff.

I'm still going to have to wait and see.
But I am glad that we'll be getting something done to Fantasyland.
And if Toontown Fair hits the road, that is a plus in my book!

 

[CaptainMichael]

Wait.

First, people complain about Everest and it's ilk because it's not immersive enough, not well-themed enough, not enough detail.

Now, people complain about what appears to be an immersive, deeply-themed, attention-to-detail-up-the-wazoo environment that also will contain what appears to be a pretty strong attraction, because "there aren't enough new attractions."

Recognizing that money is finite, which would you rather have?

Balance. I don't like Everest because they went overboard on a detailed queue and forgot about the ride. DAK in general is theme overload but no substance. Balance is good.

 

[Horizonsfan]

It is very disheartening to know that those three princess "attractions" are just fancy M&G. While this plan will still add beauty to FL to the nth degree, I still can't help but ask why one or two more DRs couldn't be installed instead of all the princess M&Gs. Like I posted a few dozen pages back, the space taken up by Cinderella, Aurora, & Pooh M&Gs could easily hold a structure as big as the SW/MAWP building. To me, it would just be better if that area was left undeveloped at first and then the 1-3 new rides are added a year or two after the rest of the plan. If you need a space for a princess M&G, make Belle's building more "universal" for all the princesses. That's how I would attempt approach this.

Maybe we'll all get lucky and Disney will at least take notice of what the fans like (the new castle courtyard, 2 dumbos, enhanced theming, etc.) and dislike (too many M&Gs/strong focus on only girls) about this plan.

And to our wonderful insiders...Is toontown history or may it someday rise again elsewhere in the MK or for that matter, WDW?

 

[Lee]

The good news is it will be very well themed...and it's also not approved. Yet. And has competition.

I think I know where you're going with that...but feel free to elaborate.

Lee, any insight onto the re-theme of Barnstormer? Also will their be a circus theme in the Dumbo area, or just covered queues?

Negative on the Barnstormer info.
As for the Dumbo area, I'm led to believe that yes, it will have a circus-ish theme.

 

[hca4nj]

I apologize, I have read through all the posts but can't seem to find a link to the plans. Can someone please post a link?

Many thanks!

 

[jt04]

I think people are missing the point that this makeover is being done with pre-teens in mind not the average poster on WDWMagic. The M&G's are E-tickets for the target audience. And these being so detailed is a good thing. I'm happy they are not trying to put in a bunch of rides. Perhaps most new "rides" are being planned for other parks.

This new Fantasyland is perfect for whom it is meant to be perfect for. If anybody here was excited to have M&G's for themselves rather than their kids it would be very odd. :lol:

It's a great plan and very well thought out. I'll bet money the folks at Uni are not happy and for good reason. They should be worried.

 

[krankenstein]

I apologize, I have read through all the posts but can't seem to find a link to the plans. Can someone please post a link?

Many thanks!

Steve, the site administrator, has asked us not to. They are around on the web. If you search, you should find them.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I think people are missing the point that this makeover is being done with pre-teens in mind not the average poster on WDWMagic. The M&G's are E-tickets for the target audience. And these being so detailed is a good thing. I'm happy they are not trying to put in a bunch of rides. Perhaps most new "rides" are being planned for other parks.

This new Fantasyland is perfect for whom it is meant to be perfect for. If anybody here was excited to have M&G's for themselves rather than their kids it would be very odd. :lol:

It's a great plan and very well thought out. I'll bet money the folks at Uni are not happy and for good reason. They should be worried.

I think it is a good plan... I like it... But, I wouldn't go as far as saying Universal is worried... They have their own issues to worry about.. And it doesn't involve Disney.. it does involve worrying about how to pay for HP since they can't even hit 10 million guests a year... And this year, their numbers are going to be worse due to the economy... I am sure they will pull in their same 6 million a year even when HP opens.. I really don't think their attendance will spike that much... but, this isn't a Universal thread...

Looking closer, it does not say mirror by Cinderella, it does say MERCH... and It doesn't say CHEESE COASTER by Barnstormer either... It looks like HERE COASTER?? Or CHERE COASTER?? Maybe VERSE COASTER?? No idea what those would mean though... :shrug:

 

[dxwwf3]

I think people are missing the point that this makeover is being done with pre-teens in mind not the average poster on WDWMagic. The M&G's are E-tickets for the target audience. And these being so detailed is a good thing. I'm happy they are not trying to put in a bunch of rides. Perhaps most new "rides" are being planned for other parks.

This new Fantasyland is perfect for whom it is meant to be perfect for. If anybody here was excited to have M&G's for themselves rather than their kids it would be very odd. :lol:

It's a great plan and very well thought out. I'll bet money the folks at Uni are not happy and for good reason. They should be worried.

The MK has that target audience down pat. Now when are the rest of us going to get a bone thrown our way? Or at least something like Toy Story Midway Mania that is a very solid D ticket attraction for EVERYONE. I'm sure the Little Mermaid dark ride will fit that description and I realize that the entire family isn't the target audience of Fantasyland, but I think that a well done Fantasyland refurb with more than one "ride" will really help the staleness that many of us feel toward the Magic Kingdom. It would be nice to have one or two Fantasyland dark rides that are "the MK's own" and aren't anywhere else.

And if the box office returns are any indication, Universal is not worried about anything right now. Potter could be the shot in the arm that IOA and the UO resort has needed for quite some time.

 

[marsrunner]

I can only speak for myself and my family, but these meet and greets are a humongous waste of space. My wife, me, my teenaged son and even my five-year-old daughter will have zero interest in any of these meet and greets. The only time my daughter wanted a picture taken at WDW, Universal or DL when we visited all three between January and March was when we went to Chef Mickey's, when we saw the Simpsons outside the Simpsons ride and when she saw Sully at DCA. We explained to her about going to wait in line in Toontown to see Mickey and Minnie and whoever else was there, but she had no interest.
More merchandise locations? Again, zero interest in more places that will in all likelihood be selling all the same tired junk that is sold everywhere else. Even the supposed "book store" that is in the BatB section would not necessarily be a real book store in the sense of having unique books about Disney. Given the way stuff is marketed in the shops, I'd imagine lots of the same junk that is everywhere else on property.
The four good things to come out of these purported plans are the Little Mermaid ride (which I'm sure will be a wonderful experience) the added capacity of another Dumbo (and hopefully the removal of the Aladdin eyesore), more eating options (and if the Be Our Guest table service location doesn't have lots of AAs it will be a huge missed opportunity) and at least a more attractive landscaped and themed environment. Problem is, there won't be a lot of time spent by my family in this area for all these M&Gs. I'd much rather the money be spent on more dark rides than these M&Gs, but I don't know how many dark rides you could get for the amount of money these buildings and what not cost.
Its better than nothing, but it certainly isn't knocking my socks off at this stage. Hopefully more solid information will make it so.

 

[whylightbulb]

I think people are missing the point that this makeover is being done with pre-teens in mind not the average poster on WDWMagic. The M&G's are E-tickets for the target audience. And these being so detailed is a good thing. I'm happy they are not trying to put in a bunch of rides. Perhaps most new "rides" are being planned for other parks.

This new Fantasyland is perfect for whom it is meant to be perfect for. If anybody here was excited to have M&G's for themselves rather than their kids it would be very odd. :lol:

It's a great plan and very well thought out. I'll bet money the folks at Uni are not happy and for good reason. They should be worried.

This is exactly what the Disney theme parks were not supposed to do. Ever since I was a kid I enjoyed attractions like HM, If You Had Wings, COP etc. We didn't have M&G areas. As a matter of fact, when the characters were out my sister and I protested when our parents wanted to stop and get pictures. Same goes for my daughters. They never cared about seeing the characters. We wanted to get as many rides in as possible. The M&G areas are overdone in my opinion and the ratio to actual attractions is sad with respect to this plan. I'm all for sprucing up exteriors in FL and of course the LM dark ride which will be spectacular. But I will say Universal is not worried in the least. The Potter ride will have a bigger "Wow" factor than anything currently planned by Disney.