Villainsland in DHS, could it work?

AndyS2992

AndyS2992

Well-Known Member
A villain land would be interesting although a better name than 'villainsland' would be needed lol Although I find it hard to conceptualise such an area as each villain is so unique. What attractions would you put here? A roller coaster, restaurant, a M&G and a dark ride is all that springs to my mind, all built around a large Bald Mountain as the centrepiece.
 
Fox&Hound

Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
I would loooooooooooooooooove this idea. I adore the villians as do a lot of fans and I think it would be a really cool concept. Especially with my favorite character: Ursula =) My fear is that it would come off disjointed and not unified theme like carsland though. I do hope that they do more than Hollywood studios than just a Star Wars area.
 
Fox&Hound

Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
~Ursula Spinner (they copied that from Universal Simpsons alien ride....blah blah blah)
~The Snugly Duckling Restaurant from "Rapunzel" ala "Gaston's"
-Bald Mountain Coaster
-Maleficent Dragon Coaster (themed to a stone castle surrounded in thorns). Prince Phillip encourages you to take down dragon Maleficent
-Captain Hook Boat Ride (allows Disney the opportunity to create a Pan 2.0 without having to touch the original)

If they ever did a villians section that would need to set the right tone. I mean, even though it's awesome, the villians couldn't win on these rides. It would be very anti-disney message.

Oh, and a Pete meet and greet, please! A Pete n' Greet =)
 
NiarrNDisney

NiarrNDisney

Well-Known Member
DHS has land available to do a lot with so now that the Carsland has been dropped I hope the Mouse really considers other option's. Personally I would love to see a NB4Xmas attraction and as you mentioned an area devoted to everyone's favorite bad guy's and gals
 
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WLBound

WLBound

Well-Known Member
We just got home from WDW and unfortunately had to miss the Villains Event (our check out day). We really would have loved to see it. If our hotel was any indication (we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge) this was packed out because there were quite a lot of people waiting to catch the bus to the Studios. That should give Disney some idea of how popular this idea would be. That said, they would have to pull their collective heads out of the sand to actually notice.
 
danpam1024

danpam1024

Well-Known Member
It would rock- but it's never going to happen :( They are so unwilling to want to include attractions for tween/teenagers = huge mistake IMO
 
G

Garbageman

New Member
With the statement of not big enough for the dark corner in Fantasyland, just think how much they have just expanded that area. I can only imagine how that would have looked having a villains theme. More than enough room.
 
1023

1023

Provocateur, Rancanteur, Plaisanter, du Jour
I have an dark ride attraction idea for any new Star Wars area. I think the Hutt are crying out for a dark ride. I'll flesh it out on paper with script and ride system in the next couple days. I'll photograph it and post it here for fun. I'm fine with Disney stealing it.

*1023*
 
Hobnail Boot

Hobnail Boot

Well-Known Member
I've had this article saved on my computer for years. I don't know where I got it from (Jim Hill maybe?), but the Villain Land it describes for MK sounds pretty awesome. Here's a snippet about the villain section:

DISNEY VILLAINS INSPIRE NEW RIDE & WHOLE NEW LAND

For a while, this team of Imagineers struggled over deciding which Disney toon villain to base their proposed flume ride on. Which character was strong enough and memorable enough to build an entire attraction around? Maleficent? Chernabog? The Horned King? There are a lot of great Disney villains, but none of them lent themselves easily to a storyline that could be used to carry a whole attraction.

Then the Imagineers had a brain storm: Why limit themselves to a single Disney villain? Why not build a flume ride around ALL of the Disney villains?

And that's how the concept for "Villain Mountain" was born. (To be truthful, there is a second title currently floating around WDI as a possible name for this proposed attraction. As sort of a tribute to the original "Fantasia", some Imagineers would like to call the flume ride "Bald Mountain". Trouble is, initial marketing surveys suggest that Disney theme park guests don't really care for that name. They don't seem to get the "Fantasia" tie-in [Let's face it, folks. Outside of Disney enthusiasts circles, the film is just not that popular] and/or the "Bald Mountain" name just seems to confuse them. "Would this attraction be sponsored by the Hair Club for Men?", one guest supposedly joked. Given that the names of proposed attractions can change numerous times before they make it off the drawing board ["Mount Fuji", "Atlantis" attraction, "Fire Mountain" ... you get the idea], for the purposes of this article, we're going to stick with the proposed attraction's first, though admittedly much more generic sounding name: Villain Mountain).

This concept really caught fire at WDI. The Imagineers working on the toony version of the "20K" replacement ride just came up with idea after idea for this proposed attraction. So many ideas -- in fact -- that "Villain Mountain" spilled over from being a proposal for a single new thrill ride to a concept for a whole new land at WDW's Magic Kingdom.

A QUICK STROLL THROUGH THE DARKER SIDE OF THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Roughly, the proposed layout for the "Villain's Mountain" area is as follows: guests could enter this new land at the Magic Kingdom from Fantasyland via a gateway that would be built between the old Pinocchio Haus Restaurant and the new "Ariel's Grotto" meet-and-greet area. Wandering down a dark twisty cobblestone street, they'd find a grubby collection of villain-themed shops and restaurants. There'd be numerous costumed Disney villains lurking about, ready to sign autographs, pose for pictures and/or give a little attitude. There might even be a "Dumbo" style attraction built around the Ursula character from "The Little Mermaid", on which guests would fly through the air while caught up in the Sea Witch's tentacles (A version of this attraction is already slated for construction in the "Mermaid Lagoon" section of Tokyo Disney Sea.)

But the centerpiece of this proposed addition to the Magic Kingdom would be Villain Mountain. A craggy, sinister peak modeled after Chernabog's perch from "Night on Bald Mountain", scary laughter and screams would echo out of the caves that are cut into all sides of the mount.

Though the proposed attraction's storyline remains (even at this late date) a little vague, this much is known: All of the great Disney villains have supposedly gathered deep inside the mountain for a criminal convention to determine who's the creepiest creep. Guests climb into dark longboats -- modeled after the one Hades used in "Hercules", when he was crossing the River Styx -- to journey through the mountain. As they board, the guests are cautioned not to disturb the fiends. But -- of course -- the guests accidentally interrupt the gruesome gathering. Angered, the Disney Villains pursue the guests throughout the mountain, popping out and scaring them at various turns. The only way back to safety ? Down the perilous flume at the front of the mountain.

According to the current plan, guests would board the "Villain Mountain" ride from inside the new land toward the backside of the mountain. The "splashdown" area for the flume would be out front in the "20K" lagoon, facing the new "Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" attraction. The boats would then float through the lagoon, curving back into the mountain to the load / unload area where guests will exit through the inevitable "Villain Mountain" image capture ("Get your picture here!) and gift shop area.

Why have the proposed ride's splashdown area facing into the park? So that guests -- who are walking past the lagoon on their way to Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Mickey's Toontown Fair -- would see folks screaming down the flume and think "How do I get on THAT ride?" This would then compel them to enter this new part of the park, exploring all the new shops and restaurants before finally making their way to the entrance of the "Villain Mountain" attraction.

Guests exiting the attraction could make their way out Disney's Villain Village by retracing their steps into Fantasyland or by wandering down into Mickey's Toontown Fair. (There's also some talk of creating a transition zone between Toontown Fair and "Villain Mountain" featuring Mickey's old nemesis, Black Pete ... But that's on the WDI "wish list," not a "must have" piece of this proposed addition to the Magic Kingdom.)

IT'S UP TO EISNER: FIRE OR FIENDS?

Not quite sure what to do here, WDW management did the smart thing. They bumped this decision back to Burbank - to let Eisner and his brain trust sort out which attraction to add to the Magic Kingdom. (Why was this the smart move? Given the astronomical costs involved in building either of these proposed attractions, WDW's managers hoped that Eisner would see "Fire Mountain" & "Villain Mountain" and get excited. An excited Michael might open up the Disney Company coffers, freeing up the huge wads of cash necessary to build rides like these.)

Their ploy worked. Eisner liked what he saw and tentatively agreed to put both attractions into production. However, given the logistics involved with building " Villain Mountain ( which meant adding a whole new land to the Magic Kingdom to support the story of the proposed attraction ), it was decided that "Fire Mountain" would be built first. (Promotionally, this made sense too. If it was built fairly quickly, the "Fire Mountain" attraction would benefit the residual heat left over from the release of "Atlantis", the feature film that the ride would be based on.)

Under the tentative construction timetable, initial site prep and survey work for "Fire Mountain" would begin this summer. The attraction would then be officially announced this fall, as part of WDW's annual press extravaganza (Usually held over the last week of September / first week of October as part of the resort's birthday celebration). Construction would hopefully start in January 2000 and -- barring any unforeseen delays -- be completed by the summer of 2001. Following two or three months of test and adjust on the attraction, "Fire Mountain" would officially be unveiled October 1st, 2001 as part of WDW's 30th anniversary celebration.

This timetable (which is subject to change) represents WDW management's ideal for what will happen with "Fire Mountain". By having the attraction up and running for the start of WDW's 30th anniversary, Disney would then have a huge new ride as well as a great hook to build that year's promotional campaign around. Among the many ad campaign concepts that have been tied to the project is "Disney World Explodes with Excitement!" The artwork that accompanies the proposed ad campaign shows a roller coaster car full of happy guests being blasted out of an erupting Fire Mountain.

VILLAIN MOUNTAIN TO FOLLOW IN 2004 ... MAYBE

What about Villain Mountain ? Not to worry. Eisner was evidently just as excited about that proposed attraction. (He supposedly asked that the "Villain Mountain" team from Imagineering to make sure that the Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland - Paris management teams were all made aware of the proposed ride concept. Why for? So that these other Disney resorts could consider adding "Villain Mountain" to their parks as well. Eisner seems to think that "Villain Mountain" -- like "Big Thunder" and "Splash Mountain" -- could be an attraction that could work at Disney theme parks in any corner of the globe.)

The construction timetable of "Villain Mountain" is a lot vaguer, though. WDW management would like the "20K" replacement ride in place as soon as possible. But the usual rule of thumb concerning hugely expensive attractions at the Disney resorts is that each theme park gets a new one built every three to four years. If this holds true, the earliest "Villain Mountain" will rise up out of the old "20K" lagoon is 2004.

But WDW management will definitely keep the pressure up on WDI concerning "Villain Mountain". They view this attraction -- as well as the new Magic Kingdom land built around the ride -- as finally giving WDW a legitimate entry into the lucrative Halloween theme park market.

For almost 10 years now, WDW management has stood by each October and fumed as Universal Studios Florida lured Disney theme park guests off property to take part in their "Halloween Horror Nights". This annual fall fright fest has turned into a real cash cow for Disney's competition. Universal has gone from offering just two weekends of Halloween festivities back in 1990 to now almost a full month of frights.

WDW has wanted to snag a bigger chunk of this seasonal theme park market for years now. But the company's family oriented image has long prevented the Mouse from coming up with a really successful Halloween theme park event. To date, the best WDW's Special Events Office could come up with was "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party", a mild kid-friendly celebration held annually at the Magic Kingdom. This two night special ticket event -- which is usually presented on the last weekend of October -- rarely sells out. Attended mostly by families staying in WDW resorts, it doesn't pull in anywhere near the pile of cash for the Disney Company that Universal's " Horror Nights generates for Seagrams/MCA.

NEW RIDE MAY LEAD TO REVAMPED WDW HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION

But now, with a new Disney villain-themed land and attraction on the drawing boards, WDW's Special Events Office might finally have something to work with. Something that they could build on to create a truly memorable Disney Halloween theme park event. Forget all that "Not So Scary" stuff. Imagine an event where -- after dark -- the Disney villains take control of the Magic Kingdom. There'd be a special night-time parade featuring the Disney villains and the "Nightmare Before Christmas" characters as well as a spectacular midnight fireworks display. With an event like this, Disney might finally be able to give Universal a real run for the money -- Halloween-event-wise.
Click to expand...
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Garbageman said:
Many years ago, the Imagineers had plans for a " Dark corner in Fantasyland" which would have been Villain specific.
Click to expand...

Per The Neverland Files, it was going to be called the Shadowlands and feature Bald Mountain (or Villain Mountain) as the E-ticket and an Ursula themed spinner at least.

Anyway, I like the idea of a Villains area for DHS. Personally, I would love to see it located in the backstage area between RNR and Animation Courtyard. If you remove the Take Five Cafe (CM dining right behind the Disney Jr Live building), you can easily do a path between the two sections (plus add a walkway from the quick serves on Sunset Blvd). That area could house a decent sized E-ticket like Bald Mountain plus a smaller ride or two (say a dark ride and a flat ride) and some M&G space. It's basically just parking in that area now.

I like that space because it is close to the Animation/Mickey Ave area where most of the villains find their origin, but also it puts it near the "adult" ride of ToT and RNR. And opening up that area also helps the flow of the park, which is hurt by the dead ends at both the end of Sunset and the Animation Courtyard -- connecting them would allow people to do a circle around the park.

This also would leave the back left corner (LMA/Backlot tour) available for Pixar stuff, which I think will come at some point.
 
vonpluto

vonpluto

Well-Known Member
Disney Dawg Fan said:
I've had this article saved on my computer for years. I don't know where I got it from (Jim Hill maybe?), but the Villain Land it describes for MK sounds pretty awesome. Here's a snippet about the villain section:
Click to expand...


That came from a then(1999) "insider" named Dreamfinder, name was Arlen something, posted a lot on RADP. Last I heard he was a pin trader who hung out at the Captain's Tower in the Village.(5 or 6 years ago)

Some of his stuff is still up on the Internet Archive:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040624024558/www.arkstar.com/dreamfinder/dit899.htm
 
WDWDad13

WDWDad13

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm glad they didn't put this in MK honestly ....might be to dramatic of an ambience change there with the little room they had

DHS would be a better place especially now
 

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