Walt Disney World: A New Era [Old]

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PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello WDWMagic, I am working on a brand new forum in which I armchair imagineer my way through Disney World to make the park I have always wanted.

My first forum on the topic is outdated as I have basically changed all of my ideas at least a little, so it feels futile to just continue that topic.

Before beginning this series however, I just wanted to give some background so that my ideas/choices in the future seem to fit a little bit better and there will be less confusion (while also more than likely extremely realistic.)

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I will be expanding the Magic Kingdom outwards pretty greatly. I do understand that in real life there would be a lot of restrictions to doing so and it would not be feasible, but I am a dreamer, and a dreamer has to dream.

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I will also be greatly expanding what is currently Hollywood Studios (soon to get a rename) and more than likely Animal Kingdom (while I may be able to find places for my ideas).

So while you're reading my ideas, keep in mind, there probably isn't space in real life for a lot of my ideas, and I acknowledge that. However, a dreamer has to dream, and dream I will.

I hope everyone enjoys my ideas and are able to suspend your belief enough to see the creativity and effort I took to create a lot of these ideas.

Constructive criticism is welcome, in fact I encourage it! So, without further ado and with no spacial limitations, I present: Walt Disney World: A New Era!

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PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
*Preface! I know that I am not making this stuff up and that Disney already does a fantastic job at storytelling in their parks. This is just my dream interpretation of storytelling and how I would do it if I got to do it myself. Zero disrespect to the master storytellers at WDI*



*Blows dust off this topic* It belongs in a museum!

Anyway, so before I actually begin updating this topic, I decided to give some background to the beginning of my changes. My dreams are that of a fully immersive world, and what is a fully immersive world if the story is that you're still in a theme park? Well that is all about to change. Everything in the Magic Kingdom will now have new, assigned roles to play in the story. Gone is the day of the Magic Kingdom being a theme park that tells a story, and welcome to the era where the Story is the only part that matters.
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Now, this may be super confusing, honestly It confused me when I was writing it, but because of how good of an idea I thought this was at 3am, I am now presenting it to you. But first, I must introduce you to some new features in My Magic Kingdom.

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1. Realms- Now, I understand we already have clearly defined lands that tell a story, but I have created a new story for each land connecting all of my attractions together to tell one big story, but also connecting all of them together across the park, and now I'm just rambling. Anyway, Realms are the idea that these "lands" are not "lands" but instead are their own dimension, or realm, in time and space that has been preserved in its state, connecting it to Fantasy. There are 5 major realms of Fantasy: Yesterday, Adventure, Myth, Tomorrow, and Excitement. Each of these realms are represented by one of the lands. All of the realms come together to create one Magical Kingdom.
Realms:
  • Yesterday= Liberty Square
  • Adventure= Adventureland
  • Myth= Fantasyland
  • Tomorrow= Tomorrowland
  • Excitement= Frontierland
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2. Magic- Now, Magic has always played a part in the Magic Kingdom and Disney as a whole, obviously. However, Magic takes a new turn in my realms. Each realm exhibits a different type of Magic. Magic is a force that surrounds us all in The Magic KingdomTM, in different ways. Magic allows each realm to function. Here are the types of magic:
  • Ancient Magic- Found in Adventureland, represents magic of ancient gods and peoples
  • Memory Magic- Found in Liberty Square, the magic of the memory allows stories of long ago to play out again
  • Fantastical Magic- Found in Fantasyland, basically just classic magic that makes dreams come true, such and such
  • Technological Magic- Magic that pushes us forward and allows things that don't exist to exist found in Tomorrowland
  • Discovery Magic- Magic that is alive and well in the world we live in, telling stories from not that long ago, found in Frontierland
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3. Supernatural- Disney has always had an affinity for those that may or may not exist, but the supernatural plays a major part in linking all of the realms. Each realm is home to some type of supernatural entity that connects each other. As you can see, Ghosts seem to be present throughout much of the Kingdom, therefore, being a mold connecting Fantasy.
  • Adventureland- Gods, Monsters, Ghosts, The Undead, Skeletons
  • Frontierland- Gods, Monsters, Ghosts, The Undead
  • Liberty Square- Ghosts, The Undead
  • Fantasyland- Ghosts, The Undead, Monsters
  • Tomorrowland- Aliens, Robots

Now, that was hands down the most confusing way I could have explained this idea, so if you have any questions, by all means, ask them here or message me for clarification, I know that I definitely have to do so. Now that the holidays are over and I'm still on break from Uni, I should be able to update this a little more often than every 10 months. See you all then!
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So before we get going, I have to make something very clear: There is absolutely 0 way in real life all of my ideas could fit into the current WDW parks. Therefore, just imagine MK is 1000 acres and each other park will be bigger as well. Again, Fantasy is a major theme, so let's pretend.
I don't want to make this my imaginary park because that's a big thing going on right now with the wonderful Dream Disney Resort topic going on, so let's just Imagine that WDW is way larger than it is IRL, sound good? Okay cool.
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Well, let's give a little bit of backstory on Main Street USA and tomorrow we'll update you on what is going on in the area (It'll be interesting seeing responses for sure). Anyway, here is what I was going for in Main Street and I await tomorrow.

The Story of Main Street is a simple one. Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse hoped to combine the many Kingdoms of Fantasy into one place so that all guests may enjoy them in Disneyland. After Disneyland, Walt hoped to link these realms on the east coast as well, hoping that each person could experience them. Unfortunately, Walt passed away before realizing his dream, however, Walt’s Imagineers worked long and hard and were able to link the realms successfully, once again using Main Street USA as the hub.
Main Street USA, in this iteration, is our portal to the World of Fantasy. Gone are the dedicated “lands” but instead, each “land” is now a “Realm” where characters from both Disney classics as well as original properties live. However, this Hub is a realm in and of itself, and that is the realm of Memory. This realm experiences the magic of Making Memories as well as the wonder of remembering. Inspired by the look of Walt’s own home town, the Imagineers worked long and hard in the realm of Memory, until it finally came to fruition. They built it to seem very much like you were walking through a real place, but also subtly progressing through reality and transitioning into the realms of Fantasy.

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As you enter under the Train Station, small hints at this being a fantastical realm hit you, but it’s not obvious at first. The reason for this, is the change needs to be seamless. As you walk through the Town Square, the familiar sights of a Fire Station, a Theater, a railroad, a barber shop, etc. welcome you to what is obviously a true to life Main Street. Mickey Mouse and friends meet in this location, as they are the glue that holds the two themes together. The realism of a small town hosting such businesses is not far out of the realm of possibility. It therefore allows for the guest to begin their journey with something familiar.

The theming becomes more obviously fantastical slowly down Main Street. While the Ice Cream Parlor and Hot Dog Store aren’t exactly “Fantasy”, they begin to make the theming more obvious. Casey’s Corner plays to the generalized little boy fantasy of being a pro athlete. Main Street Confectionary plays to the childhood fantasy of having unlimited candy and sweets at your disposal. However, it’s the Castle Plaza that really sums up to beginning of the World of Fantasy. Cinderella Castle presides over all of the realms of Fantasy, showing guests that they have left their own world and are now entering a world of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy.

This central hub has very little story to it as its purpose is to lead you onto an adventure throughout the many realms of Magic. However, once the sun goes down, Main Street U.S.A becomes fantastical in its own way. With millions of lights, fireworks, projections, and sounds, Main Street is fully immersed in the Magic that is Disney.

P.S. Please comment and give feedback. I hate triple posting like this as it feels like I'm breaking rules (it would be on other forums that I am a part of. Subtle mental clicks I suppose). Anyway, hope you enjoyed and see you tomorrow.
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Main Street USA

Before I go and talk about everything coming to this land, let’s just take a moment to pay our respects to those attractions, restaurants, and shops who will not be joining us on this adventure...

  • Crystal Arts (Shop)
  • Crystal Palace (Table Service Restaurant)
  • Disney Clothiers (Shop)
  • Main Street Athletic Club (Shop)
  • Main Street Cinema (Shop)
  • Main Street Gallery (Shop)
  • Main Street Trolley Show (Street Performance)
  • Main Street Vehicles (Transportation)
  • Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire (Stage Performance)
  • Move it! Dance it! Shake it! Play it! Street Party (Daytime Parade)
  • Once Upon a Time Castle Projection Show (Projection Show)
  • Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (Snack Location)
  • Starbucks (Counter Service Restaurant)
  • The Chapeau (Shop)
  • The Plaza Restaurant (Table Service Restaurant)
  • Tony’s Town Square Restaurant (Table Service Restaurant)
  • Town Square Theater (Meet and Greet Area)
  • Uptown Jewelers (Shop)
What if I was given the job of CEO of the Walt Disney Company? What would I do with the parks? Would I throw an abundance of IPs into Epcot? Would I remove classic attractions in Hollywood Studios to make more room for a Mickey Mouse ride? Well, I guess you’re going to have to see for yourself what I would do. This is Walt Disney World: A New Era part 1: Main Street U.S.A

The ferry slows to a crawl as the docking crew ties the ropes and lowers the exit ramp allowing the masses to flood the red brick pathway towards the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. You join the crowd, bumping and pushing your way down the pathway where you can finally see the beloved Main Street Train Station up and running once again. Your bags have already been checked at the TTC, so with that, you make your way right through the entrance, scanning your magic band along the way.
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You enter through the left hand tunnel, entering directly in front of the unchanged City Hall. You survey your surroundings, spotting the Main Street Fire Station with a new banner flying over the door that reads “Kingdom Keepers” having replaced the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom that was there last time you visited.. Sitting behind the Fire Station, you notice a brand new polished sign that reads “Harmony Barber Shop” with the Dapper Dans outside in the middle of a performance. Meanwhile, closer to the Train Station, the giant Flagpole remains standing, housing the Flag Retreat later on in the day. However, in front of the flag, you see something that you remember, but not in this place: The Partners Statue. You wonder why the statue made its way up to the hub, prompting you to question what else has changed.

However, it isn’t until you spot a portly man wearing a sash that reads Mayor that you notice one of the impressive changes that came to Main Street U.S.A. As you speak to the Mayor, one of the Citizens of Main Street, He lets you know about a brand new exhibition about their town founder opened up at the old Town Square Theater. He recommends that you check it out, so, taking his word, you make the short walk across the hub to the old theater where you see a massive sign with bright yellow letters atop a crimson background that reads “Main Street Theater Presents: The Walt Disney Story.”

You climb the marble steps, entering into the theater which held the Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell meet and greets last you visited. The old queue for the meet and greets was now a fully fledged museum dedicated to artifacts relating to Walt Disney and his life. Many of the objects include those that were once featured at the One Man’s Dream attraction in Hollywood Studios. Featured artifacts include Walt Disney’s desk, an original Abraham Lincoln animatronic, and many models, from models of the worldwide parks to a model of Walt’s boyhood home.
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As you trek through the museum, you eventually reach the most recent artifacts, from the latest D23 expo: a model of the new and improved Magic Kingdom. As you admire the model, a cast member comes on the loudspeaker and welcomes everyone to the Main Street Theater and the Walt Disney Story. With that, you enter the theater and take your seat, the cast member telling you to move all the way across your row to make room for others. As you take your seat, you look forward, facing a massive cinema screen.

An old timey countdown appears on the screen as early 1900’s film music begins to play. The screen flickers, bringing forward a large title screen reading, The Walt Disney Story. The title fades away into the hustle and bustle of the industrial city of Chicago in 1901 where Walter Elias Disney was born. However, Chicago is not the focal point for long as the scenes quickly transition over to the well-known boyhood home of Walt Disney: Marceline, Missouri.

Throughout the film, you notice one thing; they didn’t leave anything out. From Walt’s incredibly strict father, to his participation in World War I, all the way to his many failures. However, what surprises you, is that the film keeps in even the negative parts of Walt Disney’s story. Scenes include the Writer’s Strike and even the death of Walt’s mother. These parts were left out of the original attraction, and, while the positivity of the ride is heavily the theme, the negative and sad parts are present, making it more of a real life documentary than just an honor.

As the film wraps up, you arise from your seat, only to exit into what was once Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. However, what was originally a mediocre italian restaurant now seems to be a mix of a small gift shop and a meet and greet.

While meandering through the collection of Walt Disney and Mickey & Friends related souvenirs, you decide to enter a large corridor with a sign that read “The Walt Disney Story Presents: Mickey and Friends.”

As you wind down the corridor, you enter into a large room with multiple photo spots. In the photo spots, you notice a multitude of your favorite characters. Of course, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, and Dale are all present, however, you’re shocked to notice some of the new characters present.

Standing in their own meet and greet areas are Clarabelle Cow, Pete the Cat, Horace Horsecollar, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. You decide that because there isn’t a long line to make your way and get your pictures with the characters.
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You exit the meet and greet area out of a side door near the Confectionery. You decide to make your way out of Town Square and down Main Street itself, beginning by looking on the left hand side. There, you notice that, while the Emporium remained, all of the window displays had been changed. As opposed to Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and Aladdin, there have been new ones installed.

The replacements focused more on less princess-y movies. One of the displays was of The Lion King, focusing on the end scene with Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Sarabi, and Zazu sitting on Pride Rock, being observed from below by multiple different animals and by the spirit of Mufasa.

The Second display featured the 2013 hit film Frozen. It focuses on the panaway scene of the frozen palace courtyard with Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven all skating on it. Snow is painted on the window and lights are flashing behind making it appear as if it is snowing.

The third display included a scene from the film Winnie the Pooh. It features an up close still of Pooh hanging onto a balloon in an attempt to get “Hunny” from a beehive. In the background sit Pooh’s 100 Acre Wood Friends such as Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, and Owl.

The fourth display includes the characters from Tangled, including Rapunzel swinging down from her tower using her hair with Pascal on her head. Down at the base of the tower, Flynn and Maximus await her.

The fifth display features Quasimodo ringing the Bells of Notre Dame in the church tower. Next to him is Esmeralda, Phoebus, the Gargoyles, and Djalia. Frollo looks on from a secret doorway behind the bell.

The final display features the most famous love scene in Disney and a tribute to the now defunct restaurant Tony’s Town Square Restaurant: Lady and the Tramp. The scene is, of course, Lady and Tramp sharing a spaghetti noodle.

Across the street, you notice the Main Street Confectionery, which seems to have been left mostly alone. For that reason, you decide to continue making your way up Main Street. As you continue up Main Street, you notice more and more new shops. Next to the Confectionery on the right hand side, sits the Disney Gallery of the Arts. You enter the new shop only to notice it is reminiscent of the Art of Disney over at Epcot. Models, paintings, drawings, crystal arts, among other things are sold here.

On the left hand side, next to the Emporium, you notice that there is a new shop with a sign that reads Lillian’s Boutique. You enter this shop to notice that it a store selling all kinds of clothing and apparel items dedicated specifically towards the Disney Parks for men, women, and children.
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Walking through the doorway into the next shop, they call the Main Street Pin Shop. This shop, of course, is entirely dedicated to the collectible Disney pins, boasting the largest collection in the parks aside from the trading post at Disney Springs. Across the street, you see a new sign, looking like an old school movie house, with a big set of letters that reads Main Street Cinema. You cross the street and enter, only to realize it is a legitimate cinema, with a large screen that continuously plays old Disney cartoons mixed with newer Mickey Mouse shorts and the occasional full-length Walt Disney Pictures feature.

As you cross the street again, you notice two short streets cutting between the buildings. You decide to take the right street first which reads “Theater Alleyway.” In here, you notice that the Main Street Show Theater has been completed and is boasting a stage show retelling of Mary Poppins. You decide there isn’t time to fit in a show right now, so instead, you return to Main Street.

You decide to come back to the other street later (because it’s pretty big and I want to do it as its own topic). And instead, continue down the street. On the right hand side after returning, is the Main Street Bakery. You enter and the woman at the counter explains to you that they continue to serve Starbucks coffee, but have returned to making their own pastries because of a new deal struck by the new CEO.

Across the street, next to the other alleyway, is a new shop called The Hatbox, and specializes in selling all types of headwear, from hats to bows to Mickey Ears. Next to it, is a new arcade, called the Main Street Arcade, full of all kinds of games, including old arcade games from the 1950s, and newer-age games from the 1980s to the 2000s.

Across the street from the arcade, you notice a new shop called Yesterland Gifts. It peaks your interest and you scoot across the photopass photographers to enter. Inside is a set of merchandise from old and defunct attractions, including ones closed earlier in Disney’s lifetime, such as Horizons to a newer removals, such as The Country Bear Jamboree.
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You leave Yesterland through the right hand side, entering through the new replacement for Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, The Main Street Soda Shoppe. Themed like a 1950s drugstore soda fountain, this location still serves many ice cream sundaes, cones, and sandwiches, but now also specializes in Malt Milkshakes and mix-flavored sodas, such as Cherry and Vanilla Coke.

Across the street and next to the arcade, you notice Casey’s Corner. While the theme has ultimately remained unchanged, the building expanded, moving closer towards where Crystal Palace once was. Also, above the outdoor seating, a tent colored with red and white above them.

As you enter the Castle Plaza, you notice the Main Street Philharmonic playing in the gardens erected in the 2014 refurb. As you look around, it is almost as if everything was different. Looking towards the castle, it is impossible to miss the newest addition to Main Street: The Walt Disney Carousel. The exact same carousel that was once called the Prince Charming Regal Carousel, has been moved around the castle and reconstructed in front on the Main Street Side. In front of it remains the photospot The Sword in the Stone where children tried their luck at pulling out the Sword. For the one child per day that successfully pulled out the sword (as chosen by Merlin in a live show) got a sash and crown that they could wear so that the entire park knew they were royalty.

Over where the Plaza Restaurant used to be, you see a brand new restaurant with a large sign that reads “Walt’s”. You approach the restaurant and see a large painted mural in the foyer, the painting includes all of the animated characters that Walt had created in his lifetime all standing with Walt. The hostess explained that there are 4 different rooms that guests can eat in. The First is Walt’s barn, a room themed to Walt’s boyhood home barn in Marceline, MO. Animatronics of cows and horses as well as farming tools, and things related to Walt’s childhood.

The second room in Walt’s is Walt’s studio, themed to the studios at Walt Disney Pictures Studio in Burbank, CA. Tables are themed to different stations in an animation studio, from drawing to cell inking, to storyboard. Each table also has a different project, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs all the way to the Jungle Book. During the course of the dinner, keep an eye on the walls as the sketches and paintings may come to life and put on a small show for you.

The third room is a train car, themed to the car that Walt came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse in. The windows in this room are animated, similarly to those in the Hogwarts Express over at Universal, making it appear as if the train is moving along throughout your meal. If you listen carefully, you may hear audio of Walt talking to his wife about his new character.
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The fourth and final room is themed to the hub over at Disneyland. A Large replica of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle sits as the doorway to the kitchen while tables are seated as if you are eating directly in front of the castle in the hub. The sounds and music of Disneyland during Walt’s day are pumped in all around you, and if you pay attention, you may even hear Walt dedicate the park.

You step away and make your way to where Crystal Palace once was. Here, the building has changed to look like an arboreum or greenhouse sitting right on Main Street. You enter to see that it is now called the Plaza Gardens Restaurant, and is a table service restaurant themed to a greenhouse, filled with tropical plants. It is no longer a character buffet either, now focusing on healthy meals, specifically for those with eating challenges, with the largest vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free menu on property. For guests with special eating challenges who are looking for somewhere with good and cheap options for them, the Plaza Gardens Restaurant is for them.

As you begin to make your way towards Adventureland, you seem to recall an alleyway that you missed, and begin to backtrack. You reach the alleyway which is somehow darker and gloomier than any other part of Main Street. A large victorian gate that was once to block off the alleyway has been pushed open, and at the end, you see it. Staring you down from the top of a hill.

And that’s where we’re going to wrap this edition up. I’ll update with the second part of Main Street soon, but I hope you enjoyed this and feel free to give your opinions on what you want to see throughout the park, any changes you’d make to Main Street, or what you think this secret alleyway is. Thanks and see you real soon!
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Here is a list of Everything we have covered in Main Street USA thus far. Unfortunately, I do not have the skills to make a map of it yet, so I will attempt eventually, but for now, here it is.

Town Square
  • City Hall- Unchanged (Guest Relations)
  • Dapper Dans- Unchanged (Street Performance)
  • Flag Retreat- Unchanged (Street Performance)
  • Harmony Barber Shop- Unchanged (Barber Shop)
  • Kingdom Keepers- New (Interactive Game)
  • Partner’s- New (Statue)
  • The Walt Disney Story- New (Film)
  • Walt Disney Presents: Mickey and Friends- New (Meet and Greet)
  • Walt Disney World Railroad- Updated (Steam Train)
  • Walt’s Gallery- New (Shop)
Main Street
  • Citizens of Main Street- Updated (Street Performance)
  • Main Street Arcade- New (Arcade)
  • Main Street Cinema- New (Cinema)
  • Main Street Philharmonic- New (Street Performance)
  • Mary Poppins at the Main Street Show Theater- New (Stage Performance)
  • Casey’s Corner- Unchanged (Snack Location)
  • Main Street Soda Shoppe- Updated (Snack Location)
  • Main Street Bakery- New (Counter Service Restaurant)
  • Disney’s Gallery of the Arts- New (Shop)
  • Emporium- Updated (Shop)
  • Hatbox- New (Shop)
  • Lillian’s Boutique- New (Shop)
  • Main Street Confectionary- New (Shop)
  • Main Street Pin Shop- New (Shop)
  • Yesterland Gifts- New (Shop)
Castle Plaza
  • Sword in the Stone- New (Photo spot)
  • Walt Disney Carousel- New (Carousel)
  • Plaza Gardens Restaurant- New (Table Service Restaurant)
  • Walt’s- New (Table Service Restaurant)
 
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PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
This post has been a long time coming because I am VERY passionate about the story I have crafted. It's a story I worked very hard on so I hope everyone appreciates it. If there are any questions or concerns involving this story or the attraction itself, I welcome it greatly, so please ask and comment as I want this post and story to be the best it can be. Anyway, I proudly present: Gracey Lane.
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Gracey Lane

You approach an alleyway in between the shops of The Hatbox and the Main Street Pin Shop, only to notice an old and decrepit alleyway. As opposed to the freshly paved streets of Main Street, you see cobblestone roadways, not wide enough for any vehicle to fit through comfortably, suggesting it was built at a time of horse and buggy.

The rest of the alleyway is also much different, and eerier than Main Street. Turning around, you can still see the flashing lights of the Main Street Cinema, beckoning you back into the light in fear for what may happen ahead, but another, seemingly more sinister, force is pulling you deeper into the alleyway.

Whereas the color palette of Main Street is warmer tones such as whites, yellows, and reds, this alleyway is much cooler in tone, focusing on a color palette comprising of grays, blacks, blues, and purples, with the occasional dark green and brown splashed in.

Windows of old shops still read faintly, signs that say “baker,” “cobbler,” and “blacksmith,” once again hinting at an old past. The path is also seemingly dirtier, housing more leaf-litter and cobwebs than the rest of the park. You wind your way and take a sharp corner, only to find yourself facing up a hill (actually forced perspective) at an ancient house looking down at you.

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The house’s lawn is old, but surprisingly well manicured. Hedges seem trimmed often, vines that grow down the old wooden fixture are clean and don’t branch out often. All signs that someone lives there. However, you get an eerie feel from the building, a feeling that can be all too familiar. The feeling that someone, somewhere, is watching you. You continue to approach the building, only to notice a single lit shop in the buildings down the alleyway. The sign above reads Memento Mori meaning Remember Death in Latin. You enter the shop to see the smiling faces of some of your favorite happy haunts, and it is quite obvious what has happened here.

You look around Memento Mori and notice a lot of your familiar friends, including the hitchhiking ghosts, Madame Leota, and the Ghost Host, as well as creeps anew, such as the glowing eyes of a mysterious shadowy phantom. The cast member at the counter warns you about the old house on the hill, saying that folks say the place is haunted. He says that the house is popular among tourists, so Memento Mori popped up to sell kitsch memorabilia for the guests.

To the right of the exit to the large house is a small sign that reads Gracey's. Gracey's is a two table service credit restaurant themed to the story of Master Gracey and his house that the restaurant sits in. That house is, of course, The Haunted Mansion.

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You exit the shop and make your way up the hill and into the line. The FastPass+ line cuts you right to the entrance, but you head through the standard entrance, making your way into a decrepit old garden. The plants seem much more overgrown in here, the grasses and bushes blocking your view outside of the queue, and the trees barren and leafless. As you wind through the garden, a metal arch wrapped in dead vines welcomes you into the graveyard. The graveyard is familiar, featuring the funny gags that the attraction is historically known for, but also for more sinister stories. Many tombstones on the outskirts were broken and decayed, featuring only fragments of words, leaving a terrifying message. If you piece together the remaining letters from each tombstone, you will get the message, “Today, you will die.” However, it takes effort and the knowledge of a message in the first place for many guests, making it sort of a hidden secret.

As you meander through the graveyard, you discover many hints at the attraction’s history, displayed by plaques next to some of the major interactive activities. Next to busts with funny sayings, an inscription of who these busts were is included in a plaque next to them. Based on reading all of the plaques, you seem to have put the story of the attraction together.

The year was 1865, the Civil War has just come to an end, after four bloody terrible years, and all seemed to be turned upside-down. President Lincoln had just been assassinated, slavery was abolished but African Americans still did not have any rights, and the North was abusing their power to “reconstruct” the South. While the United States of America may have been struggling, for a young New York socialite by the name of Edward Gracey, everything seemed to be going swimmingly.

Gracey was the wealthy son of a famous Union general George S. Gracey who was slain in battle by the hand of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After the war ended, Edward Gracey was notified of an abandoned plantation that was at one point built by an ancestor and was handed down through the generations. Now that his father was deceased, Edward was the master of the plantation. Rather than sell the plantation as many of his financial advisors suggested, Edward decided to pack up his life in New York and move.

Upon arriving at the plantation, Gracey discovered that there was good reason for the house to have become abandoned. The decrepit manor was falling apart at the seams, the garden was overgrown and almost completely retaken by nature, and at the bottom of the hill, an overgrown and eerie graveyard. However, rather than accept the fact that the manor was unusable, Gracey decided to hire a crew of former slaves and indentured servants for a fair wage to continue to take care of the grounds and clean up the property. Within a month, Gracey Manor was once again a beautiful piece of land that brought a sense of class to the surrounding town.

One stormy night, Gracey was exploring the attic when he opened up a desk that was covered heavily in cobwebs, he discovered a journal that was bound in some sort of leather and fastened with a golden buckle. Laying next to the journal was a single golden key with what appeared to be a skeleton at its base. Using the key, Gracey opens the journal only to discover smudged ink across tea-stained paper. Only a few, seemingly unrelated, words could be made out. Words such as “Devil,” “Evil,” “Phantom,” and “Run.” Gracey was startled by the words and slowly began backing away from the journal. However, it was when the book began floating above the desk that Gracey began to flee. He tripped over an old chest, falling to the floor and knocking himself unconscious.

Gracey awoke the next day to a beam of sunshine creeping in through the small window. He looked around to see the journal lying beside him on the floor, next to his candle which seemed to have been neatly put out to avoid burning it up completely. Continuing to look around the attic, Gracey noticed that the chest he had tripped on was nowhere near him and instead was tucked back up against the wall. His forehead was throbbing and a small pool of dried up blood stained both his face and the wooden planks he had landed on. Terrified, Gracey grabbed the journal and key, tore out of the attic, and locked it up, throwing the key out the window and into the garden, never to be seen again.

Convinced that the attic was haunted and curious as to why or how, Gracey rode to the town library, entering through the polished doors and approaching the librarian who was dusting off a rack of children’s stories. He asked for information on the old decrepit Gracey Manor in town, and the librarian only was able to let out a soft chuckle. She informed Gracey that only a mad man would delve into the history of that place and she believed that the Devil himself owned the home and the portal to Hell was in its crypt. However, after Gracey began to turn heel and stroll out the door, the librarian crept up to him and whispered in his ear that if he truly was curious about the manor, there was a secret room on the second floor of the library, enclosed by a rotting wooden door and only able to be opened by a skeleton key.

Gracey turned around to thank her and ask where the skeleton key would be located, but she had vanished without a trace. Deeply unsettled, Gracey climbed the rickety stairs only do discover that the secret door that the librarian had hinted at was already opened. He slowly and carefully crept in, careful not to startle anyone that may potentially be in the room. Inside, he was stunned to see what he saw. A single book lay open on the table with a single candle lit. In the chair, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her skin porcelain, her locks a deep black, nearly vanishing in the almost complete darkness, and her eyes a piercing green. She wore a ghostly-white dress and a series of five sets of pearls around her neck. She slowly turned to Gracey who was standing in the doorway, staring at her with his jaw dropped. She told him she had been expecting him and was surprised it took this long for him to find her. Confused, he asked her who she was and how she knew him. She introduced herself as Constance Hathaway, daughter of Count Eustace Hathaway, the richest man in the county, well, now the second richest.

Gracey took Hathaway’s extended hand and kissed it, then spoke, telling her it was a privilege to meet her. He told her that he had just recently moved into his old manor and had not, in the short month he had lived here, ventured out to the town. He then questioned what she had been doing in this room at the library, inquiring about his home. She explained that Gracey Manor was a known house of terror and horror and had always been intrigued by the sinister nature of the manor.

She began reading from the book, explaining that Gracey Manor was originally built and founded by Dorian Gracey, an aristocrat from England who moved over from England to help keep the colonies in line during the colonization of North America. Dorian was a vile man who knew the love of only one thing: Gold. When a tribe of Native Americans came to greet the new settlers of the town, Gracey inquired about the location of their gold stash, claiming it now belonged to him. When the chief said that they had no gold, Gracey ordered his men to begin firing upon the natives, slaughtering each of them atop the hill they stood. The only one left, the Chief, then yelled to Gracey that he curses this land. The land once inhabited by his people were now cursed, and any white man, woman, or child that set foot on it would be cursed to a horrible and gruesome death, and would never have their spirits settled once buried.

Gracey took out his personal weapon and fired on the chief himself, solidifying the curse. However, not a superstitious nor spiritual man, Gracey ordered that his manor be erected atop the very hill he slaughtered the native tribe and to have each of their bodies be buried right where he would set his garden. In a sadistic way, he hoped that the natives connection to nature would help the growth of his plants to become healthy.

For years, Dorian Gracey lived in his manor, presiding over the town that he watched be settled. Horse and buggy passed, slaves were traded, and all seemed normal for the time. However, approaching the 1770s, Dorian Gracey was ancient, living to 96 years old. In 1775, the colonies began fighting England and Dorian remained the richest man in town. Having lived in America most of his life and raising his family there, he supported the colonies during the war, helping to fund them. However, on Christmas Eve, 1776, Dorian Gracey was found dead in his parlor at the age of 97. His servants were ordered by his grandson to bury the body in the cemetery at the edge of the garden.

However, the servants knew about a fear that Dorian Gracey had. As he aged, he began going senile, begging his servants to kill him as he was haunted by “spirits” as he claimed. Doctors treated him with medications, but Gracey’s condition only seemed to deteriorate. The day before his death, his nurse recalled him telling her that there was a “Phantom” watching him from the shadows. Gracey’s greatest fear was the indian’s curse. His final wish was to not be buried under the ground on his property. Because of this, his grave digger decided to create a special type of crypt for him. Instead of putting him underground, they stood his coffin up against a tree and planted two more trees near it. The three trees twisted and grew around the coffin, sealing it up tight. The coffin could still be seen, but it served its purpose.

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Gracey and Constance shut the book and looked at each other. Gracey was distraught by how evil his ancestor was and vowed to chop down the twisted trees. He also invited Constance to a ball he decided to have, inviting her and her father as his own special guests. With a plan in mind, Gracey hurried home to prepare his property for the ball.

The nights before the ball were long and drawn out, Gracey developing an inability to sleep. Each room in his home was cold, his bedsheets would mysteriously be pulled off his bed, and every so often, he’d see glowing orbs and figures passing through his halls and corridors. As these sightings and feelings increased the closer the ball grew, Gracey decided he had had enough and hired a medium who was said to be the best in the business, a woman named Madame Leota.

Leota arrived late one afternoon, a beautiful young woman wearing a long gown and heaps of golden jewelry. She extended her hand to Gracey, who accepted it with a kiss. He explained to her his discovery of a gruesome past and his current experiences with what he perceived was the paranormal. Leota then asked him to take her to the most haunted part of his home, to which he led her to the room Dorian Gracey had been found dead.

The room was small, had only a table, some chairs, a grand piano and a large cabinet in it. Upon opening up the cabinet, out fell tons of small instruments. A trumpet, a drum, a bell, a harp, and some others all spilled onto the floor. Leota and Gracey packed them back into the cabinet, and sat on two separate chairs facing each other. Leota pulled a crystal ball out of the bag she was carrying, placing it on the table. The two joined hands and the seance began.

Leota gathered more information about the manor from there.

Dorian’s grandson, William, was next to inherit the house. He watched as the trees grew around his grandfather’s coffin, consuming it. Years passed and the war had ended. It was 1789 by the time William had fully forgotten his grandfather’s obsession with the mythical curse. The manor had soon become a bustling party house, housing the finest balls ever seen in the small town. William soon became enamored with a local woman, a beautiful farmer’s daughter with perfect skin and long black hair. Her name was Constance, and she was daughter of Eustace Hatchaway, a wheat farmer in the small town.

William invited Constance and her father to his upcoming ball in an attempt to woo and marry Constance. On the night of the ball, Constance and her father showed up in a carriage, emerging, Constance looked more beautiful than she ever had before. William was infatuated and asked her to marry him before the ball ended. The next weekend the wedding was on. William and Constance were married by nightfall, but after a terrible event, Constance awoke in the morning, rolling over to see her husband, only to discover that his head had been severed from his body. His lifeless corpse bleeding onto the satin bed sheets. Upon reporting the heinous murder to the police, Constance was given the manor as she was the wife of the former owner.

Within a year, she was remarried, not only once, but four other times. These marriages always ended the same way and Constance begged for salvation. She claimed that the manor was haunted by a malevolent spirit who was murdering everyone she loved. It was an unbelievable story at the time, but she was so beautiful and rich, that every man in town sided with her. She later married the police chief to protect her from whatever was after her. On the night of their wedding, it was exploring the attic that the chief came across the many pearls that Hatchaway had been given, each pearl shinier and newer, his, the newest and shiniest. The pearl necklaces sat on an old trunk, an old trunk that seemed to be emitting a terrible smell.

With Hatchaway in the bath, the chief slowly opened the chest, careful not to unleash any vengeful spirits, but when he peered in, he flung the cover open. Inside, hidden in gorey detail, were the heads of all of her husbands. The head of Gracey in a bag, the head of another in a glass bowl, but most odd was the head that was inside of a hatbox. The head of an old hatter.

However, the heads of her former husbands was not all that the chief found. Lying beside them, flush to the bottom of the chest where it would take a careful eye to spot it among the heads, a single hatchet, covered with dried blood. However, that discovery didn't last long as the eerie voice of a woman blew in the wind directly into his ears. He turned around to see Constance, holding a second hatchet in her hands. She ran at him, attempting to sever his head as well, but it was the chief who she was messing with. He stepped aside, tripping her into the very chest she hid her grizzly victims' heads in. She fell in and he quickly threw shut the cover, trapping her in. He locked up the chest and prepared to go get backup so he could arrest her.

However, it was the unfortunate luck of the manor that the police chief never could reach that backup for the curse of Gracey Manor held on strong. A mysterious figure appeared by the stairs behind the chief, tying a rope around the man and tossing him over the banister. He fell down above the main ballroom until the rope caught up to him, snapping his neck and dooming him to an eternity of afterlife in Gracey Manor.

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Gracey and Leota snapped out of it very quickly, both glancing at each other and sprinting towards the attic. When they reached the chest that Gracey had tripped over on his first night, Gracey pulled it out of the corner it was tucked into, and, with surprising force, yanked right through the old rusted padlock. The chest sprung open to reveal the skeleton of a woman wearing her wedding dress. Gracey and Leota both jumped back, surprised by the fact that the actual skeleton was still in the chest. However, it took a bit longer for Gracey to figure out the odd names of the people involved in the story and the owner of the skeleton in the box: Constance Hatchaway.

Gracey immediately crumpled to the floor, realizing what he had done, inviting a ghost to his ball. Leota took his hand, saying that she would stay with him and attempt to expel the ghost if it causes any trouble. The ball took place and all seemed to be going well, until at the stroke of midnight, a beautiful woman walked in, wearing a white wedding dress. It was Constance. Gracey shouted at her to leave, stating that she had been discovered. Leota then shouted a series of words in Latin, attempting to banish the spirit, but what Constance said next struck them.

"Edward, my love, you must understand, nobody can banish me from this existential plane. No, your relative Mr. Dorian Gracey saw to it that was the case when he slaughtered those innocent natives atop this hill. Edward, you are just as cursed as I am, join me in the realm of the dead, we can like together happily for eternity." With that, Constance materialized a hatchet, swinging it wildly towards Edward. It struck, slicing through flesh, bone, and muscle. With a thump, the body fell to the floor, the head rolling directly to Gracey's feet. Leota had jumped in front of him, sacrificing her own life for his. Constance, furious, disappeared quickly, leaving Gracey to hold Leota's lifeless body in his arms. He cried, but eventually laid her body down on the floor, stood up, and yelled to all of his guests that they were to leave at once or would all die that night. He then ran up the grand staircase and into his room.

For weeks, Gracey mourned Leota, Constance, and his own family, wishing that Dorian had died upon landing in America, sparing the lives of everyone else. However, it only lasted so long, for, just like Dorian, the spirits of the manor haunted him, harassing him, slowly causing his mind to deteriorate. After nearly a month of torture, Gracey took a rope to the top of the staircase, tied it to the knool post, and began to wrap it around his neck. But before he jumped, he seemed to awaken, slipping out of his slump, only to notice a dark cloaked figure standing behind him.

"Ah, so it appears you want to join the family" the figure let out, in a terrifying raspy voice. "Well, before you do that, just know, once you die in this house, you can never leave. You will join all of the haunts of this manor Edward, you will join me, and Constance, and William, and Leota and the police chief, and the Native chief, and all of the others. You will torment the next fool, and then the next, and then the next for all eternity."

Edward broke down, dropped to his knees, and began to cry. He told the figure he cannot live like this anymore, and demanded to know who the figure was that was tormenting him.

"Why, you know me already Edward, for my name is your own. Gracey. I am the phantom of this manor, the bringer of destruction, devastation, and torment to mortals after my curse."

Gracey stood up, shouting the Latin words Leota had used, attempting to fight off his ancestor, but it worked to no avail. Dorian crept closer, and closer, until Edward stood at the top of the banister with Dorian looking up at him.

"Now boy, you made it too easy. Allow me to help."

With that, Dorian wrapped the rope around Edward's neck and pushed him from the banister. Edward fell, but as he went, his neck snapped as the rope reached its length. The Gracey line was dead, and the house would sit abandoned after servants found Edward hanging. Only the gardener and the gravekeeper remained, burying both Leota and Edward in the ground at the cemetery attached to the garden.

The house sat abandoned for a short while, but owners would come and go. Owners including Captain Joseph Salty, a sea captain settling down in retirement, Nikolai Shootemup, a big game hunter, and Sally Slater, a tightrope walker in a circus and her husband, the ringmaster. All of these owners came to die in similar ways that they lived, Salty drowned in the bathtub, Nikolai was mauled by a bear that broke into his home, and Sally and her husband fell through the attic floor and plummeted below.

Today, they say that their spirits, as well as all of the other individuals who ever inhabited or even visited the manor haunt the dusty halls of the long abandoned haunted house. Children dare each other to spend a night in the house, many legends circulate about it, and the citizens of Main Street USA even petitioned once to get the Victorian gates locked for good, shutting off access to the house. However, as time went on, the manor's history became public, and guests began to wander in. Some say that the house is alive with the dead and that the ghosts are welcoming and even give tours of the home, but that must be some strange urban legend. But perhaps you'll just have to check for yourself. But be careful for a ghost may follow you home...

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Now, I know this is super long and it doesn't go on a ride through. I will do a ride through of all of the major attractions after I post the whole set of parks, so for now, this is just the (simplified believe it or not) backstory I came up with. If you want the full thing (it could be a book based on how long I wrote it, it's like 300 pages on my google docs) perhaps I could find a way to create a thread for it eventually, but for now, this is what I give. Hope you enjoyed, and next time, we're taking a shorter trip to my favorite land: Adventureland.

Here's a list of all of the things I added in Gracey Lane
  • The Haunted Mansion (Omnimover)
  • Gracey's (Table Service Restaurant)
  • Memento Mori (Shop)
 
Last edited:

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So you turned part of Liberty Square into a new land?

I mean yes. The goal for this was an offshoot section of Main Street USA so that I could change up the theme of liberty square a bit. Also, this park (as mentioned) isn’t following WDW’s size restraints because I just wanted to do a 100% blue sky park but wanted to use Epcot, DHS, and AK as well.
 

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