MANEATINGWREATH
Well-Known Member
You know what'd be neat? Doing the Redwood Creek thing as a railroad? Like a live-action version of Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland?
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Walt Disney World: The Next Chapter
- Thread starter DisneyManOne
- Start date
While intriguing, I dare say it would be impossible, given the space I'm imagining it will take up. Since the Wildlife Express would have to loop around N.A., S.A. and Australia, there's not much room for a ride as big as Nature's Wonderland.
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Passing underneath an old railroad arch, seeing the Wildlife Express dart in and out of the mighty redwoods, we find ourselves heading towards Conservation Station.
Conservation Station (a re-named Rafiki's Planet Watch) is one of the very few areas of the park where guests can actually learn about the health and well-being of the animals that take up residence at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the care methods and procedures that happen at the park, while also exploring the possibility of conservation efforts happening all around the world. The presence of Conservation Station in Disney's Animal Kingdom offers a real-world experience, where there doesn't have to be any major attraction or storyline, the animals, their health and the efforts of research and advances being initiated in the pavilion is the entire purpose of the exhibit. Conservation Station informs the guests that they can do good in the world and that they can take action to make the planet a better place.
It should be noted that due to the three new lands of the park, Habitat Habit will close. Despite this, the cotton-top tamarins will still have a place in the park. habitat will become part of the Amazon Rainforest Trail in the South American section of the park.
Anyways, once you pass under the railroad, you find yourself standing in front of the entrance to the Conservation Station. The exterior of the Conservation Station features several animals in a marquee above the entrance.
The center of the indoor pavilion is lush with large trees and a flowing raised waterfall fountain, circulating throughout the lush foliage, as it cascades down the sides of the fountain.
On the "Environmentalism" side of things, we have the "Eco-Web", which showcases conservation efforts taking place around the globe, as well as Song of the Rainforest, where guests enter booths, put on headphones and listen to the sounds of a rainforest. The experience had never really been to significant to the pavilion and in some occasions, was not even functioning properly, which is partly responsible for its' removal. In its' place, guests will now find the Conservation Community, where guests are brought into a simulated rainforest, complete with falling rain and thunderstorms. The exhibit welcomes guests to learn about eco-friendly methods to help the environment and to help preserve the beauty of nature.
Conservation Station also features Out of the Wild, a shop featuring conservation-themed apparel, decorative gifts, bath care, books and soft cuddly animal toys.
And that's where we'll stop for now. Until the next post, see ya soon!
Hey, everybody, I've been thinking...I'm debating on whether or not I should include my Polar Oceans concept for DAK. Would it be too similar to SeaWorld's polar animal exhibits, or could it exist on its own terms?
This is where you guys can come in: should I keep Polar Oceans in my ideas or get rid of it?
This is where you guys can come in: should I keep Polar Oceans in my ideas or get rid of it?
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
I say keep it.
MANEATINGWREATH
Well-Known Member
If it is different enough, there is no need to get rid of it. You could always take polar out of the name as well if you're really that concerned about it.
Well, thanks for the input, guys. I've decided to keep this polar-themed world, but I'll take @MANEATINGWREATH's advice and give it a new name...
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Polar animals are always some of the most popular animals at many zoos and aquariums. Penguins, otters, and polar bears are animals I always wanted to see in the park, so this would serve as an amazing way to include polar animals into the Animal Kingdom experience. (Once again, all credit goes to the amazing @TRF)
Welcome to the Arctic Ocean!
The entirely indoor land is accessed by a new bridge over the small river separating Everest from the Theater in the Wild (the current home of Finding Nemo: The Musical). The entrance is a polar ice cave, blending with the rockwork of Everest next door. Inside, the rock work opens up to a large indoor atrium, which simulates an arctic night sky. This clearing contains seating area for the Ice Cave Cafe counter service location, which serves fish and chicken. The very center of the cleaning holds a medium sized rockwork form, which disguises projectors which display the Aurora Borealis on the ceiling above.
The atrium also has Ice Sliders, a basic tea cup style spinner, except the vehicles are large carved ice blocks. The land's animal path, the Polar Caves Path, is accessed through another ice cave off of the main clearing. The animal path passes an arctic fox habitat, a seal habitat, a large penguin habitat, and then the main room, the polar bear habitat which includes windows that look underwater. The path will exit back into the atrium.
At the far back of the land, you'll find the entrance to the Polar Journey attraction. The queue goes through more ice caves before reaching one of 2 load platforms. One serves FastPass+ while the other serves the standby queue. The vehicle is a sled with 4 seats in one row, very similar to the vehicles from Primeval Whirl, except quite a bit less uncomfortable and more padded. The two loading tracks merge and enter the dark ride portion of the ride. We are introduced to a polar bear family before seeing the baby polar bear wander away. These scenes would be primarily animatronic based, with a little projection. After a few more scenes, the track splits again to enter the coaster section. The coaster is very low thrill, with the main point just to simulate the sled slipping and sliding on the ice. The track takes the sled through small hills and turns as we follow the polar bear sliding through the ice caves, seen in projections that we quickly pass. Eventually they are reunited and we pull back into the unloading area. The exit then leads to a small gift shop on either side.
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Our adventure is almost at an end, folks. In the next post, we'll visit the last land of Disney's Animal Kingdom, Dinoland U.S.A. But let's just say it won't be like you remember it...
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Polar animals are always some of the most popular animals at many zoos and aquariums. Penguins, otters, and polar bears are animals I always wanted to see in the park, so this would serve as an amazing way to include polar animals into the Animal Kingdom experience. (Once again, all credit goes to the amazing @TRF)
Welcome to the Arctic Ocean!
The atrium also has Ice Sliders, a basic tea cup style spinner, except the vehicles are large carved ice blocks. The land's animal path, the Polar Caves Path, is accessed through another ice cave off of the main clearing. The animal path passes an arctic fox habitat, a seal habitat, a large penguin habitat, and then the main room, the polar bear habitat which includes windows that look underwater. The path will exit back into the atrium.
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Our adventure is almost at an end, folks. In the next post, we'll visit the last land of Disney's Animal Kingdom, Dinoland U.S.A. But let's just say it won't be like you remember it...
Over the course of our time here at Disney's Animal Kingdom, we've mingled with the fauna and flora of Africa, Asia, Australia, South America and North America, and have even gone to one of filmdom's most unique natural kingdoms. Now, our trek through animalia concludes with a trip back in time to the world's first animals...
Welcome to Dinoland, U.S.A., or should I say, The Dino Institute.
As we all know, the main problem with the current Dinoland U.S.A. in its current formation is that the vast majority of the the land is a theme park within a theme park. It is not like Disney has never done this before, a notable example being DCA's Paradise Pier, but Paradise Pier actually works. It has gotten better over the years, with the additions of Little Mermaid, Toy Story Mania and World of Color and they actually fully committed to the idea of having a romanticized boardwalk area. However, over at DAK, they sort of dropped a bomb here. They went with like a Flintstones Bedrock theme, which just doesn't match up with the Dinosaur attraction. Plus, the land takes up so much space by adding in the midway carnival games in the middle, which doesn't really make much sense being in a Dinosaur themed land. The renovation of the entire land will see the complete removal of Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama, including all of the midway games, TriceraTop Spin and Primeval Whirl.
Also, something to address is that, when guests enter into The Dino Institute, they are still in the current day real-world, they are not entering into the world of the dinosaurs, as that simply interferes with the storyline of the Dinosaur attraction, where guests have to go back in time. The entire land has to take place in the real world in order for it to consistently make sense. With that said, the entire land will heavily use the theme of time travel, to go back to a time when dinosaurs did exist. While dinosaurs may be extinct, they still play a major part in the story of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Dino Institute displays the beliefs and attitudes about dinosaurs that we have come to believe for all of the world to see. The Dino Institute "theme" from the Dinosaur attraction has been expanded to fit the entire land in two distinct areas: the Institute itself and the excavation site.
The excavation site, the first area guests enter in this land, has the look and feel of a working paleontological dig. Entering the site, guests will come across The Boneyard on the left side of the path. The Boneyard is a dinosaur dig site and playground, welcoming guests to enter into the perimeters of the boneyard. The area would become far more detailed and immersive than its current state with a tremendous amount of rockwork meant to resemble the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Continuing into the area where Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama use to exist, there is now a new attraction: The Excavator.
The Excavator, a rejected concept which has been revived for this re-working of Dinoland, would have fit in perfectly with the backstory of Dinoland. For those of you that don’t know the tale, Dinoland started out as the site of a sand and gravel company. One day, as workers were digging up sand to load into a waiting dump truck, they uncovered a massive dinosaur bone. Scientists were then called to the scene and discovered that, just below the surface, was the paleontological find of the century. A wealthy benefactor for a local college immediately swooped in and bought up the sand and gravel pit. That same wealthy benefactor became obsessed with why it was that so many perfectly preserved dinosaur skeletons could be found in this one spot. The only way to solve this particular mystery was to travel back in time and then attempt to observe whatever it was that actually caused this massive dinosaur extinction. The wealthy benefactor thus poured billions into the creation of the Dino Institute, whose research resulted in the invention of the Time Rover.
In this original backstory, the Excavator was supposed to be a piece of equipment which was left over from the site's sand and gravel pit days, a series of ore cars that had once been used to haul materials up out of the heart of this pit to the area where the dump trucks got loaded up. Over time, due to over-digging and as the sand in the pit began to shift, the Excavator became unsafe to operate. The sand and gravel company then shut down the ore cars and the Excavator stood empty and abandoned for a few years, becoming even more rickety and unsafe. Then, when the wealthy benefactor bought the sand and gravel pit, he sent in groups of college students to work on the site. These college students then decided to put this old and unsafe piece of mining equipment back to work again, allowing them to use the old, rusty ore cars to haul some of the larger dinosaur bones that they've discovered.
As guests move through the queue for this attraction towards the load area, they walk past dozens of "Condemned" signs in addition to all sorts of safety barriers that the sand and gravel pit's workmen had set up that the college students have recently pulled down. The ride itself is a wooden roller coaster that takes guests past antiquated pieces of mining equipment, dodging around massive dinosaur bones and fossils, and careening through unstable mine shafts that could collapse at any moment. This wild and crazy ride is similar to the experience of Big Thunder Mountain but “plussed” with new technology. In fact, I think the Grizzly Mountain Mine Cars from Hong Kong Disneyland provide an apt comparison.
You know, not all prehistoric animals were dinosaurs. Another new addition here provides you the chance to meet these other animals: the Pleistocene River Voyage. Located inside an old prehistoric cave unearthed by the excavation team, this is an indoor water adventure featuring mammals from 50,000 years ago, including giant sloths, mastodons and sabre-tooth cats.
On the farthest edge of the land, just before heading back towards Polar Oceans and Expedition Everest, guests will find Trilo-Bites, a small quick-service location. The area also features the Cretaceous Creatures display unit, which offers the skeletal bone remains of several dinosaurs, similar to the one of the Carnotaurus constructed in the queue of the Dinosaur attraction. The exibits offer a wealth of information about each of the dinosaurs, while also continuing to carry out the Dino Institute theme throughout the entire land.
Just a few feet away from the excavation site is the Theater in the Wild.
Ever since Finding Nemo moved to the park's Australian area, I think this theater could be the perfect place for a dinosaur-related show. For this, I'd definitely expand the theater and make it a bit bigger, and give it a whole new stage and seating configuration. Why? Because the show I have in mind is...Walking with Dinosaurs.
I'm sure Disney and BBC could strike up some sort of deal to include this powerful production here at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In this show, based upon the wildly successful BBC documentary, the might and majesty of the dinosaurs comes to life like never before. Using state of the art animatronics that really seem to move, watch as the history of dinosaurs comes to life before your very eyes. It's another great addition to Disney's Animal Kingdom's pantheon of amazing stage productions.
Heading back to the main area of the Dino Institute, wrapping around the corner, leading back towards the entrance to Discovery Island, guests will come across Restaurantosaurus, a pretty large quick-service location, offering chicken and burger entrees. The entire restaurant will be remodeled to match the theme of The Dino Institute, to feature skeletal replicas of several Dinosaurs and mosaics of every era of the Dinosaurs along the walls of the restaurant.
At the far back of the pavilion, guests will find the land's signature attraction: Countdown to Extinction.
On Countdown to Extinction, guests board EMV vehicles known as "Time Rovers" and travel back in time to rescue an iguanodon. Here, guests are sent back in time, to the end of the Cretaceous Period, to the end of the dinosaurs, right before the meteor that struck the Earth impacts. The trip takes guests on a frantic chase through prehistoric forests, as they catch glimpses of broad displays of different dinosaur species, crashing meteors and several encounters with a Carnotaurus, whom spots the guests as his prey.
As for refurbishing the ride, I'd make sure that all the effects were restored to their original working condition. For example, Guests riding today might not know that the Pterodactyl originally swooped down at the Timer Rover and the Compsognathus leapt over the vehicle as it passed by. In addition, there are multiple lighting and smoke effects that were originally part of the ride that are no longer working.
I would also take the opportunity to “plus” Countdown to Extinction with enhanced show scenes to make the experience even more immersive. Dinosaur shares the same track layout as the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, but where the two differ is in the amount of detail featured on the ride. Whereas Indiana Jones has elaborately themed and detailed scenes, Dinosaur is very dark with lighting that mostly just highlights the large animatronic figures while paying little attention to their surroundings. I would seek to enhance the attraction by building up the environments around the animatronic figures. A good example of this comes from some of the original concept art for the attraction:
Also, I read on Wikipedia that when Countdown to Extinction became Dinosaur, they toned down a couple aspects because, now that the ride was a tie-in to the film, more kids would be riding. So, with that said, I'd restore a few things from the early days of the ride. I'd make the EMV motion much more intense and restore the ride's original soundtrack. In the original soundtrack, after the encounter with the first audio-animatronic Carnotaurus, the footsteps and roars of the dinosaur could be heard directly behind the vehicle, giving guests the feeling that they were being pursued. And that sounds really frightening...and perfect for a ride like this! This would allow the ride to become more popular than it currently is! The ride exits out into the Dino Institute Treasures store.
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Well, that may seem like the end...but it's not. Stay tuned, because our adventure in Animal Kingdom isn't over yet. We've still got to go over entertainment here.
Welcome to Dinoland, U.S.A., or should I say, The Dino Institute.
As we all know, the main problem with the current Dinoland U.S.A. in its current formation is that the vast majority of the the land is a theme park within a theme park. It is not like Disney has never done this before, a notable example being DCA's Paradise Pier, but Paradise Pier actually works. It has gotten better over the years, with the additions of Little Mermaid, Toy Story Mania and World of Color and they actually fully committed to the idea of having a romanticized boardwalk area. However, over at DAK, they sort of dropped a bomb here. They went with like a Flintstones Bedrock theme, which just doesn't match up with the Dinosaur attraction. Plus, the land takes up so much space by adding in the midway carnival games in the middle, which doesn't really make much sense being in a Dinosaur themed land. The renovation of the entire land will see the complete removal of Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama, including all of the midway games, TriceraTop Spin and Primeval Whirl.
Also, something to address is that, when guests enter into The Dino Institute, they are still in the current day real-world, they are not entering into the world of the dinosaurs, as that simply interferes with the storyline of the Dinosaur attraction, where guests have to go back in time. The entire land has to take place in the real world in order for it to consistently make sense. With that said, the entire land will heavily use the theme of time travel, to go back to a time when dinosaurs did exist. While dinosaurs may be extinct, they still play a major part in the story of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Dino Institute displays the beliefs and attitudes about dinosaurs that we have come to believe for all of the world to see. The Dino Institute "theme" from the Dinosaur attraction has been expanded to fit the entire land in two distinct areas: the Institute itself and the excavation site.
The excavation site, the first area guests enter in this land, has the look and feel of a working paleontological dig. Entering the site, guests will come across The Boneyard on the left side of the path. The Boneyard is a dinosaur dig site and playground, welcoming guests to enter into the perimeters of the boneyard. The area would become far more detailed and immersive than its current state with a tremendous amount of rockwork meant to resemble the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Continuing into the area where Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama use to exist, there is now a new attraction: The Excavator.
In this original backstory, the Excavator was supposed to be a piece of equipment which was left over from the site's sand and gravel pit days, a series of ore cars that had once been used to haul materials up out of the heart of this pit to the area where the dump trucks got loaded up. Over time, due to over-digging and as the sand in the pit began to shift, the Excavator became unsafe to operate. The sand and gravel company then shut down the ore cars and the Excavator stood empty and abandoned for a few years, becoming even more rickety and unsafe. Then, when the wealthy benefactor bought the sand and gravel pit, he sent in groups of college students to work on the site. These college students then decided to put this old and unsafe piece of mining equipment back to work again, allowing them to use the old, rusty ore cars to haul some of the larger dinosaur bones that they've discovered.
As guests move through the queue for this attraction towards the load area, they walk past dozens of "Condemned" signs in addition to all sorts of safety barriers that the sand and gravel pit's workmen had set up that the college students have recently pulled down. The ride itself is a wooden roller coaster that takes guests past antiquated pieces of mining equipment, dodging around massive dinosaur bones and fossils, and careening through unstable mine shafts that could collapse at any moment. This wild and crazy ride is similar to the experience of Big Thunder Mountain but “plussed” with new technology. In fact, I think the Grizzly Mountain Mine Cars from Hong Kong Disneyland provide an apt comparison.
You know, not all prehistoric animals were dinosaurs. Another new addition here provides you the chance to meet these other animals: the Pleistocene River Voyage. Located inside an old prehistoric cave unearthed by the excavation team, this is an indoor water adventure featuring mammals from 50,000 years ago, including giant sloths, mastodons and sabre-tooth cats.
Just a few feet away from the excavation site is the Theater in the Wild.
I'm sure Disney and BBC could strike up some sort of deal to include this powerful production here at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In this show, based upon the wildly successful BBC documentary, the might and majesty of the dinosaurs comes to life like never before. Using state of the art animatronics that really seem to move, watch as the history of dinosaurs comes to life before your very eyes. It's another great addition to Disney's Animal Kingdom's pantheon of amazing stage productions.
Heading back to the main area of the Dino Institute, wrapping around the corner, leading back towards the entrance to Discovery Island, guests will come across Restaurantosaurus, a pretty large quick-service location, offering chicken and burger entrees. The entire restaurant will be remodeled to match the theme of The Dino Institute, to feature skeletal replicas of several Dinosaurs and mosaics of every era of the Dinosaurs along the walls of the restaurant.
As for refurbishing the ride, I'd make sure that all the effects were restored to their original working condition. For example, Guests riding today might not know that the Pterodactyl originally swooped down at the Timer Rover and the Compsognathus leapt over the vehicle as it passed by. In addition, there are multiple lighting and smoke effects that were originally part of the ride that are no longer working.
I would also take the opportunity to “plus” Countdown to Extinction with enhanced show scenes to make the experience even more immersive. Dinosaur shares the same track layout as the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, but where the two differ is in the amount of detail featured on the ride. Whereas Indiana Jones has elaborately themed and detailed scenes, Dinosaur is very dark with lighting that mostly just highlights the large animatronic figures while paying little attention to their surroundings. I would seek to enhance the attraction by building up the environments around the animatronic figures. A good example of this comes from some of the original concept art for the attraction:
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Well, that may seem like the end...but it's not. Stay tuned, because our adventure in Animal Kingdom isn't over yet. We've still got to go over entertainment here.
Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
Ever since Finding Nemo moved to the park's Australian area, I think this theater could be the perfect place for a dinosaur-related show. For this, I'd definitely expand the theater and make it a bit bigger, and give it a whole new stage and seating configuration. Why? Because the show I have in mind is...Walking with Dinosaurs.
I'm sure Disney and BBC could strike up some sort of deal to include this powerful production here at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In this show, based upon the wildly successful BBC documentary, the might and majesty of the dinosaurs comes to life like never before. Using state of the art animatronics that really seem to move, watch as the history of dinosaurs comes to life before your very eyes. It's another great addition to Disney's Animal Kingdom's pantheon of amazing stage productions.
Apart from IP and partnership extension between The Walt Disney Company and BBC, there's really no point for Disney to make an attraction based on Walking With Dinosaurs because WWD is a documentary series about prehistoric fauna, and so Disney doesn't need to rely on a franchise to educate and entertain their guests; if that's what you're going for. So why not use use Fantasia Rite of SpringOr do what Disney is doing with River of Light?
Very interesting idea. The whole piece is 22 minutes (close to the average length of a theme park show). Maybe just use major animatronics and projections to re-enact the scene and a narrator to illustrate their behaviors, and we could have something.
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Regarding entertainment here at Disney's Animal Kingdom, first I should mention that I won't use a daytime parade here. Besides, there's enough daytime entertainment here as is. Everywhere you go in Disney's Animal Kingdom is full of entertainment--from the Harambe drummers and dancers, to the musicians of Discovery Island, everywhere you turn is full of music and liveliness.
But at night, Disney's Animal Kingdom comes alive with entertainment like you've never seen before. As the sun sets, the nighttime whimsy begins with Tree of Life: Awakenings. During the show, this park icon will undergo extraordinary “awakenings” as the animal spirits are brought to life by magical fireflies that open a "window" into the body of the tree, allowing guests to see the colorful stories of wonder and enchantment contained within. The show is similar to Celebrate the Magic at the Magic Kingdom, since they both utilize the projection-mapping technology.
Following this, the mood of Discovery Island is alive with music and dancing, as everyone's invited to join in the fun at the Discovery Island Carnivale. This is a street party inspired by the various Carnivale celebrations that take place around the world. As you might guess, this won't be like the dance parties you've encountered at other Disney parks. The Discovery Island Carnivale will not only include live music, but also dance performances, and exciting food options as well. Musical performances during this nightly celebration will take place on the Discovery Island stage, where the multi-cultural Viva Gaia Band plays songs that recall different cultures of the world. Another musical group, Danza del Arpa, plays selections on the Paraguayan harp.
And then, when the time comes, all are invited to gather along the Discovery River, in front of Expedition Everest, to take in the spectacle of Rivers of Light. This all-new show brings the wonder and mystery of the animal kingdom to life like never before. In the show, a pair of mystical hosts come to the river bearing gifts of light. During the show, the hosts set out from the shore on elaborate lantern vessels for a dramatic dance of water and light to summon animal spirits. With the storytellers as your guides, the wonders of the Rivers of Light builds to a stunning crescendo.
http://www./wp-content/uploads/2014/05/RiversOfLight-Concept-Large-1.jpg
Featuring a score by Mark Mancina and puppets by Michael Curry, this show promises to be an exhilarating way to end a day of adventure here at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
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And just like that, we have finished our day of adventure here at Disney's Animal Kingdom. But don't think our time here at Walt Disney World: The Next Chapter is done. There's lots more to do here besides the parks. Coming along soon on this thread, you'll see all sorts of new things to see and do in the other aspects of the resort. Of course, I will return to the parks if my ideas change (I won't change the original posts, however). In fact, I've been doing a little thinking regarding Fantasyland, and I may go into that sometime soon. So, stay tuned because the fun is just beginning!
Here now is the first half of my updated Fantasyland...
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Things have changed in Fantasyland. While most of the things here are the same as they were the last time we were here, some new and exciting thing have just sprung up. Without further ado, let's start exploring!
The first major addition here lies just across from Peter Pan's Flight. Long-time Magic Kingdom visitors may notice that "it's a small world" is not in its usual space (we'll get to that later.
). Replacing the former space of "it's a small world" are two new areas, separated by verdant trees. On the left is a hidden valley, taken straight out of Tangled. On the right is the snow-covered Kingdom of Arendelle, made famous in Frozen. These two areas are moved slightly north to open up this currently-congested area of the park for better crowd flow. In addition, to ensure that cars can remain parked behind this area, these two areas, like much of the Magic Kingdom, will be built above ground level.
Let's begin with the Tangled area first. Of course, this area will be built right nearby the Tangled-themed rest area. As in the film, guests pass through a cave and emerge into a Hidden Valley, at the rear of which sits Rapunzel’s Tower (the smaller scale Tower is removed from its current location where it intrudes on Liberty Square sightlines).
This rockwork provides the facade for A Tangled Tale, a dark ride themed around this beloved film. The queue path winds down the lush valley, over a stream, past the tower base, under a waterfall that proudly falls into the stream and into the rockwork caverns. There are two different starting points for the queue: the stand-by queue circles the base of the tower, while the FastPass+ queue immediately heads into the caverns. Taking a cue from the Little Mermaid queue, the indoor, cavern features mini-games with Pascal. Successfully completing mini-games would illuminate a starburst above on the ceiling.
At last, we finally reach the loading area. A mural seemingly drawn by Rapunzel is shown, depicting the Kingdom at night. Drawings of Rapunzel, Flynn, Pascal and Maximus stand on a grassy ledge next to the Kingdom. But unlike other Fantasyland dark ride murals, this one has animation. At certain times, floating lanterns appear in the sky and magically float away. The ride vehicles themselves are floating lanterns. They seat four to five guests and use the Kuka arm system with a 270 degree horizontal rotation and a gentle, pneumatic lift of about 3-5 ft. The entire ride is on one level, since there are no major drops that can’t be achieved with screens and movement of the vehicles’ lifts.
Anyways, once all are aboard their floating lantern, they pass through some trees and into the first scene. The first scene takes place in the woods. An AA Flynn Rider stands next to his WANTED poster, lamenting how they never get his nose right. The neigh of a horse (Maximus) sounds and he tells riders "Gotta run!” Vehicles then pass an AA Mother Gothel calling Rapunzel to let down her hair. The lanterns then entirely face left and pneumatically rise. A screen shows Rapunzel's hair, Mother Gothel climbing, followed by Flynn, who motions for you to keep it a secret. The lanterns move into the Tower chambers, where an AA Rapunzel and Pascal paint the walls. The vehicles move through the tower interior with quick scenes of Rapunzel singing “When Will My Life Begin”, Gothel singing “Mother Knows Best” and, finally, Rapunzel confronting a tied up Flynn.
he lanterns then turn backwards to exit the tower, pneumatically lowering in sync, as another screen-room simulates returning to the forest level.
In the forest, Rapunzel swings around the tree in celebration as she happily yells “Best day ever!” and Flynn rolls his eyes. The lanterns then head towards the open doors of the Snuggly Duckling. The Duckling is filled with AA ruffians, all of them singing “I’ve Got a Dream” with Rapunzel. Also present are the Stabbington Brothers, eyeing Flynn and cracking their knuckles. Maximus’ neigh will sound behind us as the lanterns approach the hidden passageway.
In the underground escape tunnel begins in a keg room then enters a cavern that has an opening to the tower clearing and forest beyond and castle in far distance (scrim). The lanterns re-enter sunlight in the very large quarry/dam/canyon room. We see Flynn and Maximus fighting along with the Stabbington Brothers. Rapunzel swings across a ravine using her hair. It becomes clear that the dam is about to burst (water sprays out of it) and the canyon collapses. A boulder almost slams into the turning ride-vehicle, at which point an on-ride photo is snapped.
The excitement of the quarry is followed by a mellower moment at a nighttime campfire with Flynn & Rapunzel. But nearby Gothel discourages Rapunzel and the Stabbington Brothers prepare to grab Flynn. Back in the tower, events unfold in a magic mirror as Rapunzel and Gothel look on (screen): “The world is a cruel place.” Flynn is hurt. A sunburst in the mirror and Rapunzel gasps, exclaiming she is the lost princess. The lanterns enter the main Tower room where a short-haired Rapunzel weeps over a dying Flynn. She sings the healing incantation as sunbursts light up all around them. A harrowed Gothel can be seen falling out the window, as we hear Flynn's recovering voice.
The lanterns enter a royal chamber where we see Maximus standing proud with a bag of apples with Pascal looking on from the horse’s head and Rapunzel and Flynn embracing the King and Queen. The lanterns exit the castle balcony and enter the Grand Finale of the attraction where "I See the Light" plays and a super-detailed miniature of the castle, the city & the boat-filled bay are laid out before & below them (in perspective: closer boats are larger). It is evening and glowing lanterns, fiber-optics and projected lanterns surround the gently rising/lowering/rotating vehicles to create a mesmerizing effect.
In the denouement scene, the lanterns pass the entrance to the castle. Rapunzel and Flynn wave goodbye as Maximus stands nearby, smiling and occasionally winking at guests. Pascal waves goodbye using his tail. The lanterns pull back into the loading station. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider themselves often host meet and greets in this hidden valley.
Just past the valley and past the trees that separate the two areas, we find ourselves at the gates to Arendelle Castle.
The mythos behind EPCOT's Frozen ride has been transferred here. Arendelle is celebrating "Summer Snow Day", and Elsa and Anna are inviting you to come and celebrate. Through the open gate is the main castle square, with two large ice fountains and the steeply pitched grand entrance to the palace. At the eastern-most corner is Arendelle Treats, a snack cart that sells specialty cold and hot drinks, perfect for the theme, and basic snacks. On the western-most corner is Oaken's Cloakens (& Sauna). If you remember the short film Frozen Fever, you'll remember this place. This place, owned by Oaken (of Wandering Oaken's fame), sells basic Frozen merchandise. Don't miss their "big summer blowout"!
Straight ahead is the Castle itself. Entering the Castle, you'll find two distinct levels. Heading up the grand staircase (two on each side of the Entrance Hall), you'll find the queue for a meet and greet with Anna and Elsa, which has two identical rooms. The short queue passes through a small entry, where a large family portrait hangs at the end of the room...
...into a side room, the portrait gallery ("Hang in there, Joan!") and then guests are directed down a hallway to one of two rooms where both sisters are waiting.
On the ground floor of the castle is the Great Hall, which has been converted into an ice-skating rink. Based on past skating attractions in parks, this would be an extra cost attraction. There is a small queue the leads to a payment and skates desk and a seating area to put on skates. Guests would have a half hour skate session with a new group of skaters every 10 minutes. There would also be Photopass photographer on the ice to capture pictures of skaters. Every 10 minutes, there will be an indoor snow flurry, accompanied by lighting and projections on the walls to bring winter indoors.
If you're still itching to meet up with characters, Olaf meets in the outdoor courtyard, and Kristoff shifts between meeting in the courtyard, or meeting alongside Anna and Elsa.
On the outskirts of the castle courtyard, accessed to the right, is an ice cavern. This serves as the new home of Frozen Ever After.
For the most part, this will be the same as EPCOT's Frozen Ever After, but with a few changes. First of all, the queue will be completely different. Since you're in an ice cavern, the queue will be themed as such. In addition, there will be various interactive elements. First, guests come up to a large LED screen with various snow effects. When someone moves around in front of this screen, motion sensors capture their movement and make ice effects to the corresponding movement, making it seem like they have Elsa’s powers. Next, there are musical icicles that light up different colors and make musical notes when touched by the guests. Then, guests use touch screens on the wall to pull snowflakes of different shapes and colors to their corresponding collection area.
The loading area will remain the same as EPCOT's, but the ride vehicles will change. Instead of boats, we're going to ride in sleighs ("small world" will remain Fantasyland's major boat ride. This should be more like a normal Fantasyland dark ride). There are three rows on the sleigh, each sitting 2 to 3 people. The sleighs should look something like this...
The ride will begin like EPCOT's with a trip through the ice forest and Olaf greeting us, singing "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" Then, we meet the trolls, telling the story of the sisters. Unlike EPCOT, they are found on both sides of the track. From here, things change. We continue on through the forest. Wait...are those wolves? We can hear their growling and see their eyes glowing. But, we make it through and come across Anna on her own sleigh. She tells us that she is glad to run into us, and that she is on her way up to the North Mountain to bring Elsa back to Arendelle for the "Summer Snow Day" festivities and we can follow along.
We float under an snow covered rock arch and come up upon Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post, where he stands on the porch and offers us his winter sale. In the windows, we see projections of his family in the sauna, waving. We float past a nearby barn and meet Kristoff (playing his lute and singing about reindeer) and Sven (with his tongue stuck to an icicle sticking out of the snow), and then emerge into the Crystal Forest, filled with pointed ice spikes. The forest transitions to the rocky North Mountain. At the top, we turn left to a wall of pointed ice arches looking out over the frozen mountain landscape, just as a very familiar song begins. Through a swinging set of doors, we finally enter the ice palace, the highlight of the ride and the main musical location. Hey, we can't leave out "Let it Go". However, the ride sequence that accompanies the song will be completely re-worked. Now, we'll actually see the castle growing and building right before our eyes. Above us, we see a grand ice chandelier growing and pulsing in time. Elsa, who we see projected in the balconies, uses her powers. We then float underneath it and the huge ice chandelier above, pulsing with the music. Then we continue out of the tower and under the icy arches and to the next scene, where we see Elsa on her balcony completing the song.
Anna calls out to her, saying she is needed back at home, and we then exit the icy walls and back out to the snowy rockwork. We pass by Marshmallow and the Snowgies. Marshmallow even blows some ice breath at us as we head down the North Mountain and arrive back at Arendelle.
From here, the ride finishes like at EPCOT. We pass by a model of Arendelle Castle, with fireworks going off. Then, we pass by Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven, who bid us all farewell, and encourage us to come visit anytime. "In Summer" plays here as an instrumental. We reach the loading area, and a path leads out of the ice cavern and back into the castle courtyard.
With both Corona and Arendelle visited, we press on to visit the other new additions to Fantasyland.
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What do you think, guys?
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Things have changed in Fantasyland. While most of the things here are the same as they were the last time we were here, some new and exciting thing have just sprung up. Without further ado, let's start exploring!
The first major addition here lies just across from Peter Pan's Flight. Long-time Magic Kingdom visitors may notice that "it's a small world" is not in its usual space (we'll get to that later.
). Replacing the former space of "it's a small world" are two new areas, separated by verdant trees. On the left is a hidden valley, taken straight out of Tangled. On the right is the snow-covered Kingdom of Arendelle, made famous in Frozen. These two areas are moved slightly north to open up this currently-congested area of the park for better crowd flow. In addition, to ensure that cars can remain parked behind this area, these two areas, like much of the Magic Kingdom, will be built above ground level.
Let's begin with the Tangled area first. Of course, this area will be built right nearby the Tangled-themed rest area. As in the film, guests pass through a cave and emerge into a Hidden Valley, at the rear of which sits Rapunzel’s Tower (the smaller scale Tower is removed from its current location where it intrudes on Liberty Square sightlines).
At last, we finally reach the loading area. A mural seemingly drawn by Rapunzel is shown, depicting the Kingdom at night. Drawings of Rapunzel, Flynn, Pascal and Maximus stand on a grassy ledge next to the Kingdom. But unlike other Fantasyland dark ride murals, this one has animation. At certain times, floating lanterns appear in the sky and magically float away. The ride vehicles themselves are floating lanterns. They seat four to five guests and use the Kuka arm system with a 270 degree horizontal rotation and a gentle, pneumatic lift of about 3-5 ft. The entire ride is on one level, since there are no major drops that can’t be achieved with screens and movement of the vehicles’ lifts.
Anyways, once all are aboard their floating lantern, they pass through some trees and into the first scene. The first scene takes place in the woods. An AA Flynn Rider stands next to his WANTED poster, lamenting how they never get his nose right. The neigh of a horse (Maximus) sounds and he tells riders "Gotta run!” Vehicles then pass an AA Mother Gothel calling Rapunzel to let down her hair. The lanterns then entirely face left and pneumatically rise. A screen shows Rapunzel's hair, Mother Gothel climbing, followed by Flynn, who motions for you to keep it a secret. The lanterns move into the Tower chambers, where an AA Rapunzel and Pascal paint the walls. The vehicles move through the tower interior with quick scenes of Rapunzel singing “When Will My Life Begin”, Gothel singing “Mother Knows Best” and, finally, Rapunzel confronting a tied up Flynn.
he lanterns then turn backwards to exit the tower, pneumatically lowering in sync, as another screen-room simulates returning to the forest level.
In the forest, Rapunzel swings around the tree in celebration as she happily yells “Best day ever!” and Flynn rolls his eyes. The lanterns then head towards the open doors of the Snuggly Duckling. The Duckling is filled with AA ruffians, all of them singing “I’ve Got a Dream” with Rapunzel. Also present are the Stabbington Brothers, eyeing Flynn and cracking their knuckles. Maximus’ neigh will sound behind us as the lanterns approach the hidden passageway.
In the underground escape tunnel begins in a keg room then enters a cavern that has an opening to the tower clearing and forest beyond and castle in far distance (scrim). The lanterns re-enter sunlight in the very large quarry/dam/canyon room. We see Flynn and Maximus fighting along with the Stabbington Brothers. Rapunzel swings across a ravine using her hair. It becomes clear that the dam is about to burst (water sprays out of it) and the canyon collapses. A boulder almost slams into the turning ride-vehicle, at which point an on-ride photo is snapped.
The excitement of the quarry is followed by a mellower moment at a nighttime campfire with Flynn & Rapunzel. But nearby Gothel discourages Rapunzel and the Stabbington Brothers prepare to grab Flynn. Back in the tower, events unfold in a magic mirror as Rapunzel and Gothel look on (screen): “The world is a cruel place.” Flynn is hurt. A sunburst in the mirror and Rapunzel gasps, exclaiming she is the lost princess. The lanterns enter the main Tower room where a short-haired Rapunzel weeps over a dying Flynn. She sings the healing incantation as sunbursts light up all around them. A harrowed Gothel can be seen falling out the window, as we hear Flynn's recovering voice.
The lanterns enter a royal chamber where we see Maximus standing proud with a bag of apples with Pascal looking on from the horse’s head and Rapunzel and Flynn embracing the King and Queen. The lanterns exit the castle balcony and enter the Grand Finale of the attraction where "I See the Light" plays and a super-detailed miniature of the castle, the city & the boat-filled bay are laid out before & below them (in perspective: closer boats are larger). It is evening and glowing lanterns, fiber-optics and projected lanterns surround the gently rising/lowering/rotating vehicles to create a mesmerizing effect.
In the denouement scene, the lanterns pass the entrance to the castle. Rapunzel and Flynn wave goodbye as Maximus stands nearby, smiling and occasionally winking at guests. Pascal waves goodbye using his tail. The lanterns pull back into the loading station. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider themselves often host meet and greets in this hidden valley.
Just past the valley and past the trees that separate the two areas, we find ourselves at the gates to Arendelle Castle.
The mythos behind EPCOT's Frozen ride has been transferred here. Arendelle is celebrating "Summer Snow Day", and Elsa and Anna are inviting you to come and celebrate. Through the open gate is the main castle square, with two large ice fountains and the steeply pitched grand entrance to the palace. At the eastern-most corner is Arendelle Treats, a snack cart that sells specialty cold and hot drinks, perfect for the theme, and basic snacks. On the western-most corner is Oaken's Cloakens (& Sauna). If you remember the short film Frozen Fever, you'll remember this place. This place, owned by Oaken (of Wandering Oaken's fame), sells basic Frozen merchandise. Don't miss their "big summer blowout"!
On the outskirts of the castle courtyard, accessed to the right, is an ice cavern. This serves as the new home of Frozen Ever After.
For the most part, this will be the same as EPCOT's Frozen Ever After, but with a few changes. First of all, the queue will be completely different. Since you're in an ice cavern, the queue will be themed as such. In addition, there will be various interactive elements. First, guests come up to a large LED screen with various snow effects. When someone moves around in front of this screen, motion sensors capture their movement and make ice effects to the corresponding movement, making it seem like they have Elsa’s powers. Next, there are musical icicles that light up different colors and make musical notes when touched by the guests. Then, guests use touch screens on the wall to pull snowflakes of different shapes and colors to their corresponding collection area.
The loading area will remain the same as EPCOT's, but the ride vehicles will change. Instead of boats, we're going to ride in sleighs ("small world" will remain Fantasyland's major boat ride. This should be more like a normal Fantasyland dark ride). There are three rows on the sleigh, each sitting 2 to 3 people. The sleighs should look something like this...
We float under an snow covered rock arch and come up upon Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post, where he stands on the porch and offers us his winter sale. In the windows, we see projections of his family in the sauna, waving. We float past a nearby barn and meet Kristoff (playing his lute and singing about reindeer) and Sven (with his tongue stuck to an icicle sticking out of the snow), and then emerge into the Crystal Forest, filled with pointed ice spikes. The forest transitions to the rocky North Mountain. At the top, we turn left to a wall of pointed ice arches looking out over the frozen mountain landscape, just as a very familiar song begins. Through a swinging set of doors, we finally enter the ice palace, the highlight of the ride and the main musical location. Hey, we can't leave out "Let it Go". However, the ride sequence that accompanies the song will be completely re-worked. Now, we'll actually see the castle growing and building right before our eyes. Above us, we see a grand ice chandelier growing and pulsing in time. Elsa, who we see projected in the balconies, uses her powers. We then float underneath it and the huge ice chandelier above, pulsing with the music. Then we continue out of the tower and under the icy arches and to the next scene, where we see Elsa on her balcony completing the song.
Anna calls out to her, saying she is needed back at home, and we then exit the icy walls and back out to the snowy rockwork. We pass by Marshmallow and the Snowgies. Marshmallow even blows some ice breath at us as we head down the North Mountain and arrive back at Arendelle.
From here, the ride finishes like at EPCOT. We pass by a model of Arendelle Castle, with fireworks going off. Then, we pass by Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven, who bid us all farewell, and encourage us to come visit anytime. "In Summer" plays here as an instrumental. We reach the loading area, and a path leads out of the ice cavern and back into the castle courtyard.
With both Corona and Arendelle visited, we press on to visit the other new additions to Fantasyland.
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What do you think, guys?
Here's Part 2 of my new Fantasyland ideas.
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First and foremost, it should be noted that the last two new additions to Fantasyland will take up the space formerly held by Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. While I know some may protest the removal of the Speedway, what is the point of it being there. Unlike Disneyland's original Walt Disney's Autopia, there is no nostalgia to WDW's, it's been there ever since the park opened and has no place in Tomorrowland anymore. It is actually situated to be more in Fantasyland than in Tomorrowland, so it is having a pretty serious identity crisis at the moment.
Located just in-between the Seven Dwarfs' mine and the 100 Acre Wood, and just a few steps away from Storybook Circus, is Fantasyland's smallest sub-area: Wonderland.
The realistic trees and foliage give way to multi-colored topiaries, giant leaves, and bonsai tree-like growths of varying colors and sizes, with finger-shaped signs pointing in all directions, whether they be up, down, side-to-side, below, above, etc. The entire area is surrounded by hedges, creating a sort of "gated community" feel. We've just "fallen down" the Rabbit Hole and into the curious world of Wonderland, leaving the general sanity and order of the rest of Fantasyland behind us...
The entrance to Wonderland is marked by a Disney park staple, the Mad Tea Party.
Shielded from the elements by an overhead glass canopy with an intricate design, we hop aboard a teacup for a mad spin around a massive, twirling teapot inhabited by the eternally-tipsy Dormouse. Paper lanterns and stringed-lights illuminate the "dance floor" as night falls upon Wonderland, creating a magical, yet eerie glow. As with other versions of the flat-ride, we are able to control the speed and "spin" of each teacup via a wheel in the center of the "brew." For guests of a younger age, this attraction is a must-see, similar to a certain flying elephant in a different area of the park, but for guests our age who get dizzy easily...well, we'll pass.
Stepping past the Mad Tea Party, we are immersed into a realm of pure imagination, where Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Walrus, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts all meander about in full meet-n-greet mode, causing a whole lot of general mischief and mayhem amid the truly peculiar setting.
Just steps away from the Mad Tea Party is one of Disney's most unique dark rides: Alice in Wonderland.
The ride building also serves as a way to conceal views of the backside of Dumbo's interactive queue. Also built into the cave that houses the ride is a door leading seemingly nowhere, the doorknob of which is known to strike up conversations with unsuspecting passers-by!
With our grand tour of Wonderland completed, we decide to head out of Wonderland and back towards the rest of Fantasyland. As we leave this hedged world behind us, a very familiar tune fills our ears...
The golden spires and fanciful shapes of a magnificent palace protrude high above the treetops of the Fantasyland, setting the scene for Small World Plaza, the "happiest" sub-area thus far. Topiaries in the shape of animals from around the world fill the colorful gardens and planters, while quirky instrumentals of that ever-famous tune, "It's a Small World" constantly fill the air, each time portrayed in a different form of instrumental from a different culture. Of couse, Small World Palace (which is itself flanked by hedges, as seen in the picture above) is the appropriate focal point of Small World Plaza, a glistening, abstract castle representing various symbols from around the world, from the Eiffel Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge. In the center of it all is the smiling face of a googly-eyed clock tower that rings off every fifteen minutes with a parade of "dancing" dolls representing a different country of the world. Inside this magnificent palace is the "happiest cruise that ever sailed," the 1964-1965 World's Fair classic, "it's a small world".
Boarding a brightly-painted boat, we set sail across the entire globe and visit the various countries and continents where children in cultural garbs and settings perform the titular song in their respective language. Better yet, the entirety of the cruise appears to be composed of toys and materials accessible to children, making this appear to be a trip of the world as seen through the eyes of a child.
No trip around the world is complete without a trip through Small World Imports. Located in the former space held by Cheshire Cafe (with the new Wonderland area, its current placement, which would be located across from the re-located "small world", would be pointless), this is a Mary Blair-esque toy store that specializes in dolls, appropriate considering that It's a Small World itself is filled with dolls. In fact, those limited edition dolls released for the ride's 50th anniversary will become common items you can find here!
And speaking of which, why don't we check out the ride itself and see if anything changed during the move...
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What do you think, guys? In the next post, we'll go through another ride-through of "small world" and go through the changes. Some changes will remain the same from last time, some old ones won't be here, some new ones will take their place, but it will still be the classic ride we all know and love (or at most, tolerate).
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First and foremost, it should be noted that the last two new additions to Fantasyland will take up the space formerly held by Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. While I know some may protest the removal of the Speedway, what is the point of it being there. Unlike Disneyland's original Walt Disney's Autopia, there is no nostalgia to WDW's, it's been there ever since the park opened and has no place in Tomorrowland anymore. It is actually situated to be more in Fantasyland than in Tomorrowland, so it is having a pretty serious identity crisis at the moment.
Located just in-between the Seven Dwarfs' mine and the 100 Acre Wood, and just a few steps away from Storybook Circus, is Fantasyland's smallest sub-area: Wonderland.
The realistic trees and foliage give way to multi-colored topiaries, giant leaves, and bonsai tree-like growths of varying colors and sizes, with finger-shaped signs pointing in all directions, whether they be up, down, side-to-side, below, above, etc. The entire area is surrounded by hedges, creating a sort of "gated community" feel. We've just "fallen down" the Rabbit Hole and into the curious world of Wonderland, leaving the general sanity and order of the rest of Fantasyland behind us...
Stepping past the Mad Tea Party, we are immersed into a realm of pure imagination, where Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Walrus, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts all meander about in full meet-n-greet mode, causing a whole lot of general mischief and mayhem amid the truly peculiar setting.
http://www./wp-content/uploads/2014/07/03.aliceinwonderland.me_.070314-550x366.jpg
The way I see it, there's no way to physically replicate something like Alice's Curious Labyrinth, so I think that the Disneyland classic would be the perfect way to transport guests into Lewis Carroll's zany world of anarchic mayhem. Built within the confines of a mushroom-topped cave area (not within the castle walls, like Disneyland's), take off aboard the back of a caterpillar on a journey through surreal sights, dazzling colors and madcap music as you retrace the steps of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland. Stops along the way include the White Rabbit's House, the Golden Afternoon garden, the Tulgey Wood and the Queen of Heart's court, all culminating with an unbirthday celebration in our honor.
The ride building also serves as a way to conceal views of the backside of Dumbo's interactive queue. Also built into the cave that houses the ride is a door leading seemingly nowhere, the doorknob of which is known to strike up conversations with unsuspecting passers-by!
With our grand tour of Wonderland completed, we decide to head out of Wonderland and back towards the rest of Fantasyland. As we leave this hedged world behind us, a very familiar tune fills our ears...
The golden spires and fanciful shapes of a magnificent palace protrude high above the treetops of the Fantasyland, setting the scene for Small World Plaza, the "happiest" sub-area thus far. Topiaries in the shape of animals from around the world fill the colorful gardens and planters, while quirky instrumentals of that ever-famous tune, "It's a Small World" constantly fill the air, each time portrayed in a different form of instrumental from a different culture. Of couse, Small World Palace (which is itself flanked by hedges, as seen in the picture above) is the appropriate focal point of Small World Plaza, a glistening, abstract castle representing various symbols from around the world, from the Eiffel Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge. In the center of it all is the smiling face of a googly-eyed clock tower that rings off every fifteen minutes with a parade of "dancing" dolls representing a different country of the world. Inside this magnificent palace is the "happiest cruise that ever sailed," the 1964-1965 World's Fair classic, "it's a small world".
Boarding a brightly-painted boat, we set sail across the entire globe and visit the various countries and continents where children in cultural garbs and settings perform the titular song in their respective language. Better yet, the entirety of the cruise appears to be composed of toys and materials accessible to children, making this appear to be a trip of the world as seen through the eyes of a child.
No trip around the world is complete without a trip through Small World Imports. Located in the former space held by Cheshire Cafe (with the new Wonderland area, its current placement, which would be located across from the re-located "small world", would be pointless), this is a Mary Blair-esque toy store that specializes in dolls, appropriate considering that It's a Small World itself is filled with dolls. In fact, those limited edition dolls released for the ride's 50th anniversary will become common items you can find here!
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What do you think, guys? In the next post, we'll go through another ride-through of "small world" and go through the changes. Some changes will remain the same from last time, some old ones won't be here, some new ones will take their place, but it will still be the classic ride we all know and love (or at most, tolerate).
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And now, without further ado, I give you my updated ride-through of "it's a small world".
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Having found ourselves in the colorful esplanade of Small World Plaza, our attention is first pulled towards that of a large fountain in the shape of the globe, topped by a boat filled with smiling children. On board, each child represents a different nation: Saudi Arabia, China, England, Australia, America, etc., whilst Renaissance-era flags bearing the title of the attraction and its slogan protrude from among their two-dimensional shoulders. "Welcome to the happiest cruise that ever sailed!"
In a narrow flowerbed semi-circled around the globe are additional flags, each painted with the ride's name written in a language other than English (ex. "Que le monde est petit", "es is eine kleine welt", etc.) Beyond this fountain is a path that points the way towards Small World Palace, the not-so-humble abode of our impending adventure. Quirky instrumentals straight from the 1964-1965 World's Fair fill the air.
The magnificent spires of Small World Palace stand tall above the surrounding plaza, a lasting tribute to the universal concept of peace on earth and goodwill towards men (especially when the palace is decorated for Christmas). The palace is decked out in pastel shades of pink, gold, blue and white, the exact same color scheme Disneyland's Small World had when it was sponsored by Mattel.
From within the palace walls, the triumphant sounds of that all-too-familiar song ring out, majestic fountains spewing on either side of the crystal-clear lagoon in the forefront. Topiaries crafted into the shape of various animals serve as a perfect compliment to the various landmarks and familiar icons crafted into the palace walls. Front and center is the smiling golden face of the iconic Clock Tower, the Rolly Crump-designed landmark. As with other takes on the venerable tower, every fifteen minutes, the constantly churning cogs and gizmos on the facade begin to protrude and sound off like a cuckoo clock, halting the ongoing music. With a dramatic drumroll, a sextet of musical tin soldiers emerge from the tower's walls, signaling a parade of dolls to emerge from the tower's base and circumnavigate the smiley-faced structure to the tune of the titular song. Each doll represents one of twenty-four countries, dressed in garbs respective to their country. At the conclusion of the parade, the Clock Tower concludes with a series of gongs and chimes in beat with the current time (like a grandfather clock), the time itself displayed from an opened-panel beneath the tower's "face." Intrigued, we dart towards the palace.
After meandering a bit through a series of sheltered-switchbacks, past animal-shaped topiaries, wavy-hedges, and colorful flowerbeds, we make our way down to the docks of the aforementioned lagoon where brightly-colored boats gently pull in and out of the densely-populated harbor. New to Magic Kingdom's version, medieval shields bearing the likeliness of a random country's flag serve as decor for the railings in between each row of the boarding area. As the loading dock is also sheltered from the elements, flags that aren't represented by a shield are draped from the covering, a subtle but appropriate detail. Being gestured to the first row by a friendly dockhand in a straw hat and polo shirt, we patiently wait our turn to set sail with the happiest crew to ever sail around the world. Finally, our own boat floats into position, allowing us to board.
As our boat departs from the dock, an unseen woman states, "Welcome to It's a Small World! For your safety, please remain seated throughout your voyage, keeping your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the boat. And please, watch your children. Thank you." This same safety spiel is played several more times and in multiple languages, including but not limited to Japanese, German, French, Mandarin, Maori, Cantonese, and so on. As our boat draws closer to the palace, John Debney's sweeping instrumental of the Sherman Brothers classic begins to draw closer and closer, gradually overpowering the quirky instrumentals of the World's Fair.
In a mere matter of seconds, we gently drift inside the palace walls for our tour of the world as seen through the eyes of a child, starting with the Hello Room. Like the Paris attraction, the Hello Room is a simple straightaway into the main show building beyond. Mary Blair-styled flowers bear greetings in various languages.
At the end of the Hello Room is a banner reading "Welcome", held up by four birds.
The titular song, having been heard in instrumental form for the past few seconds gives way to its first sung incarnation: Scandinavian. Passing under the banner, we drift into the expansive continent of Europe, where the song is sung not just in a British-accented English, but also in French, Italian, German, Spanish, etc. From the "heavens" above, clowns in hot-air balloons, acrobats on tightropes, and children attached to balloons soar about in hectic directions, a visual compliment to the scenes below.
Immediately facing us is Scandinavia, represented not through ice and snow, but through colorful mountains, giant flowers and hills given the markings of abstract Swedish art, also done in the Mary Blair-style. A large clock-like sun overlooks the area (actually telling the time), whilst Scandinavian children sing the titular song from opened-songbooks, swaying in perfect unison. Shimmering waterfalls pour down from an overhead ice-skating rink where a boy and girl in warm, winter clothing go for a perpetual skate. More children do a traditional Scandinavian folk dance, accompanied by a three-piece band. Norway finds its representation in the form of a Viking ship swaying back and forth upon the high seas, a trio of Viking children singing from on deck. Non-Frozen trolls, a la Maelstrom, happily pick flowers and relaxing under the clock-like sun. Nearby, a musical band of toy soldiers guard the gates to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens. On the other side of the canal, we are treated to a glimpse of the United Kingdom, starting with the Emerald Isle of Ireland, represented through a multitude of massive shamrocks, a glistening rainbow, clogging Irish children, and several leprechauns, one leprechaun poking in and out of a large pot of gold. Closely following Ireland is Scotland, represented by a bagpipe-player atop an old tower. In the background, a strange goat-like creature munches on a kilt from a plaid-colored hillside ridden with ancient castles. In time with the music, the goat and the hillside change colors. Nearby, the massive serpentine neck and head of the Loch Ness Monster protrudes from the waters, slowly rocking from side to side. From atop the beast's nose, a child sits a boat, his telescope pointing directly towards the monster's eye. London Bridge appears up ahead, topped by a double-decker bus filled with children, a pair of flag-waving boys sporting the colors of their favorite football team, and guarded by two beefeaters, who stand in front of the towers. Just to the right of the bridge is a checkerboard-colored Big Ben with a rapidly-spinning clock. A large checkerboard laid out before the skyline plays home to several large chess pieces, including a stylized-king and queen whom spin around wildly. Directly above London Bridge hangs a smiling crescent moon, stood upon by three carolers, almost hidden among the aforementioned tightrope-walkers and hot-air balloons.
Passing beneath London Bridge, we stumble upon France to our right and the Netherlands to our left. The Netherlands is marked by a series of colorful windmills, giant flowers, and wooden shoe-wearing children clicking their heels from within giant flower buds. A girl with a shepherd's crook conducts a trio of ducks quacking in time with the music. The windmills of the Netherlands make a seamless transition into the Windmills of La Mancha, situated upon the grassy hills of Spain. And who should we find but Don Quixote on wooden-horseback, tilting at one of those windmills. After all, he believes windmills are ferocious giants! Quixote's faithful squire, Sancho Panza, also on a wooden horse, looks on in alarm. Under a gazebo, girl in an elaborate dress clicking castanets as she twirls, a Spanish boy on the guitar nearby. Our views of Spain soon change to Italy, where the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum, and seaside homes of Venice appear. Naturally, a large gondola appears right nearby us in the canal, rocking back and forth with its pilot on board. Several Italian girls sing the song from opened songbooks, swaying with the music. A bridge spans across both sides of the river, upon which three more singers appear.
Back on the right-hand side, the Eiffel Tower, decked out in shades of red, white and blue. In the forefront, a slew of cancan dancers "weeing" and "ooh la-la-ing" in time with their kicks perform a routine. A ballerina spins around in circles with her dance partner, much to the enjoyment of a nearby French poodle. Just a few feet away sits a doll representation of Mary Blair, the woman who served as the inspiration for "it's a small world". Rounding the bend, we find Germany bordering France, finding its representation through a miniature recreation of Berlin, featuring the Reichstag, TV Tower, Brandenburg Gate, and Berlin Cathedral. In the foreground, an Oktoberfest-type polka-band provides accompaniment for dancing German children whilst a train filled with toys chugs by. A large dachshund-inspired slinky toy stands on top of the train, wagging its tail and panting. Passing under the aforementioned Italian bridge, The Alps of Switzerland next to Germany welcome us with the mighty Matterhorn, not to mention a yodeling-boy and several cuckoo clocks marked by bell-ringing dolls in lederhosen and mountain goats rocking their heads from side to side. Back on the left-hand side, Greece is seen, marked by flying pegasus horses overhead, the Parthenon, Mount Olympus, and a pair of sheep listening to the pan flute-stylings of their master. As we prepare to depart Europe, we pass through a cave beneath Russia's Saint Basil's Cathedral where a trio of Cossack dancers twirl in circles to the musical accompaniment of a fez-wearing bear playing a street organ. On the right-hand side of Saint Basil's, the nearby mountains serve as a backdrop for the Red Square, where a group of girls dance. Nearby, Russian musicians provide an eerie musical transition between Europe and the next scene: exotic Asia.
Asia will be the same as the current scene, but with a few changes. First of all, with Russia and Greece moved to Europe (where they belong), we have Nepal making its Small World debut, with Mt. Everest and a cartoonish Yeti. Nearby, the Philippines are represented via two umbrella-twirling girls singing from a gazebo.
On a platform in the background, behind the Chinese acrobats and the panda, are two kids performing with a traditional Chinese dragon.
Nearby the hanbok children, Korea gets further representation via a boy and a girl singing from atop a boat.
The song itself alternates between Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Tagalog. Passing beneath through a Tori gate, we enter the next major show scene...Africa.
On the left-hand side, the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphynx (rocking its head back and forth) appear alongside a boy playing drums atop a pink camel and multiple veil-wearing girls playing tambourine, naturally representing Egypt. In the foreground, a Cleopatra-lookalike reclines on a boat, giving us a wink. Tribal drums fill the air as the Egyptian setting subdues into that of a colorful jungle where technicolor animals and children alike jam out to the titular song on both sides of the canal. However, there is a stark contrast between both sides. To the left, we have a tropical rainforest being absolutely pelted by an ongoing thunderstorm, and to the right we have a jungle jamboree that has thus far stayed in the sunshine. Starting with the left, we find umbrella-shaped trees amid the falling "rains," several exotic birds chirping and crying out everytime thunder strikes. Many of these tropical birds spin their heads in complete circles, roll around in their eggshells, or perform other weird feats, all surrounding a beady-eyed crocodile clutching an umbrella that is far-too-small for its body. The crocodile (who appears to shake his head "no") is neighbored by a flower-spotted leopard with a much larger umbrella (who shakes his head "yes") as well as several frogs residing in a lily pad-filled pond, two flower-spotted giraffes swaying in the background foliage, and a series of huts painted with tribal mask-type markings and fronted by a trio of tribal musicians in ceremonial masks. An African elephant (who appears to be pink) perpetually sprays "water" from its trunk, unintentionally creating a heart-shaped fountain as it frolics in the rain. Multicolored chimpanzees connect the two sides of the canal via overhead vines, leading our attention to the right-hand side.
First and foremost, a pair of hyenas wildly laugh at the rainy misfortune of the animals across the way, closely neighbored by a blue and pink-striped zebra, flower-spotted rhino, and yellow chimpanzee pounding away at their own individual bongos. Additional frogs and a secondary crocodile float amid the swampy waters in the foreground, whilst several African children sing the song in English from an island, joined by a red and yellow lion hosting a flute-playing boy atop his head. A sheltered-dance floor features several African girls dancing in a circle, also singing in English. A droopy-eyed hippo covered in flowers rests near the exit of the scene, gleefully being pecked by a couple of "peck-peck birds" on its back. Two more flower-spotted giraffes also appear in the dense foliage. Before departing from the scene, we pass beneath the head of a pink African elephant swaying its head back and forth, several children sitting on its tusks and playing instruments. In fact, those four giraffes actually flank the elephant (two on either side of the elephant, as seen in the picture above).
Our next stop, Latin America, is an exact replica of the current Latin American scene in the ride, save for the addition of an Incan temple with children in Incan garbs placed in between the spinning penguins and the Andes, as well as a new adobe-built archway dividing Latin America from the next scene: North America, located where the rainforest--which, as you'll remember, has moved to the African scene--would be in the current version of the ride. Children in the garbs of a Mariachi band sing in Spanish from atop the archway, but are quickly drowned out by the sounds of the song being sung in American-accented English. To our right, coyotes yip and yowl from atop red-rock buttes and clifftops, welcoming us to the Old West. A Plains Indian Chief pounds a drum from a nearby butte, joined by several Native American girls dancing and a trio of large kachina dolls opening and closing their mouths. A Conestoga wagon appears nearby, shortly thereafter backed by a small western diorama featuring a saloon, hotel, and bank. Several cacti wearing bandito clothing rock back and forth among the desert rocks, while saloon showgirls perform a kickline on the saloon's rooftop, a cowboy tipping his hat to us from in front of the hotel.
A horse and mustachioed cowboy roast weenies over a crackling campfire, subduing the right-hand side of the scene into the Midwest where rolling green hills, twirling sunflowers, and a colorful barn house appear. A smiling horse takes several children on a hayride, while a trio of scarecrows move their heads back and forth in time with the music.
Back on the left-hand side we are treated to the sights and sounds of Canada, where a child dressed as a Mountie waves at us, a smiling moose standing nearby. A pair of Kwakiutl totem poles also move their "wings" up and down, standing in the foreground of a tree-capped mountain range. An ice-skating rink painted with Kwakiutl symbols also resides in the foreground, two hockey-playing children engaging in a match. In an alcove above the mountain range, an Eskimo and a polar bear are seen sitting upon blocks of ice, each with a fishing pole in their hand. Behind them, an igloo sits atop another mountain, with a red-and-white barbershop pole emerging from it. I guess you could say that makes this little alcove the North Pole.
At the end of the room is the Golden Gate Bridge, which spans from the end of the Canadian scene to the end of the Midwestern scene. Flanking the bridge on both sides are buildings from two different cities. On the left-hand side, San Francisco. On the right-hand side, New York City, complete with the Statue of Liberty.
Passing beneath the bridge, we enter our second-to-last scene, Oceania, which remains the same as it currently does.
At the end of the room, the canal path leads through a Tiki structure, our entrance into the Finale.
Almost all the children of the world have gathered together in this room, tinted with blue, purple, gold and white, singing the song in English unison. All the children wear white to symbolize peace and unity in a world that can at some times be so divided. Again, no real changes apart from the new color scheme, but before we leave, we pass beneath a large sun taken straight from the World's Fair version, a bird-carried banner beneath it reading "Come Again". Our boat then drifts through the Goodbye Room, a passage similar to the Hello Room, filled with Mary-Blair esque flowers emblazoned with various farewells in various languages.
We then drift back outside, return to the loading dock, and depart to continue our day at the Magic Kingdom.
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So, what do you all think? Did you like it?
In the next post, I'll finally start to get into the "rest of the world" stuff. See ya then!
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Having found ourselves in the colorful esplanade of Small World Plaza, our attention is first pulled towards that of a large fountain in the shape of the globe, topped by a boat filled with smiling children. On board, each child represents a different nation: Saudi Arabia, China, England, Australia, America, etc., whilst Renaissance-era flags bearing the title of the attraction and its slogan protrude from among their two-dimensional shoulders. "Welcome to the happiest cruise that ever sailed!"
The magnificent spires of Small World Palace stand tall above the surrounding plaza, a lasting tribute to the universal concept of peace on earth and goodwill towards men (especially when the palace is decorated for Christmas). The palace is decked out in pastel shades of pink, gold, blue and white, the exact same color scheme Disneyland's Small World had when it was sponsored by Mattel.
After meandering a bit through a series of sheltered-switchbacks, past animal-shaped topiaries, wavy-hedges, and colorful flowerbeds, we make our way down to the docks of the aforementioned lagoon where brightly-colored boats gently pull in and out of the densely-populated harbor. New to Magic Kingdom's version, medieval shields bearing the likeliness of a random country's flag serve as decor for the railings in between each row of the boarding area. As the loading dock is also sheltered from the elements, flags that aren't represented by a shield are draped from the covering, a subtle but appropriate detail. Being gestured to the first row by a friendly dockhand in a straw hat and polo shirt, we patiently wait our turn to set sail with the happiest crew to ever sail around the world. Finally, our own boat floats into position, allowing us to board.
In a mere matter of seconds, we gently drift inside the palace walls for our tour of the world as seen through the eyes of a child, starting with the Hello Room. Like the Paris attraction, the Hello Room is a simple straightaway into the main show building beyond. Mary Blair-styled flowers bear greetings in various languages.
Passing beneath London Bridge, we stumble upon France to our right and the Netherlands to our left. The Netherlands is marked by a series of colorful windmills, giant flowers, and wooden shoe-wearing children clicking their heels from within giant flower buds. A girl with a shepherd's crook conducts a trio of ducks quacking in time with the music. The windmills of the Netherlands make a seamless transition into the Windmills of La Mancha, situated upon the grassy hills of Spain. And who should we find but Don Quixote on wooden-horseback, tilting at one of those windmills. After all, he believes windmills are ferocious giants! Quixote's faithful squire, Sancho Panza, also on a wooden horse, looks on in alarm. Under a gazebo, girl in an elaborate dress clicking castanets as she twirls, a Spanish boy on the guitar nearby. Our views of Spain soon change to Italy, where the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum, and seaside homes of Venice appear. Naturally, a large gondola appears right nearby us in the canal, rocking back and forth with its pilot on board. Several Italian girls sing the song from opened songbooks, swaying with the music. A bridge spans across both sides of the river, upon which three more singers appear.
First and foremost, a pair of hyenas wildly laugh at the rainy misfortune of the animals across the way, closely neighbored by a blue and pink-striped zebra, flower-spotted rhino, and yellow chimpanzee pounding away at their own individual bongos. Additional frogs and a secondary crocodile float amid the swampy waters in the foreground, whilst several African children sing the song in English from an island, joined by a red and yellow lion hosting a flute-playing boy atop his head. A sheltered-dance floor features several African girls dancing in a circle, also singing in English. A droopy-eyed hippo covered in flowers rests near the exit of the scene, gleefully being pecked by a couple of "peck-peck birds" on its back. Two more flower-spotted giraffes also appear in the dense foliage. Before departing from the scene, we pass beneath the head of a pink African elephant swaying its head back and forth, several children sitting on its tusks and playing instruments. In fact, those four giraffes actually flank the elephant (two on either side of the elephant, as seen in the picture above).
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So, what do you all think? Did you like it?
In the next post, I'll finally start to get into the "rest of the world" stuff. See ya then!
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Well, guys, it's finally time. Let's take a look at my ideas regarding transportation at Walt Disney World. Not much has changed here from the past, but I'll still share it with you guys.
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As you can probably guess, Walt Disney World Resort is a very big place--twice the size of Manhattan! As such, there are all sorts of ways to get around, from bus to monorail, to boat and even by foot. In this post, I'll detail what I would do to spruce up the transportation experience here at the resort.
Let's start things off with the most well-known form of transportation here: the Monorail.
"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas." The Walt Disney World Monorail is as old as the resort itself, taking guests on a relaxing trip to various stops.
People have often complained that the current fleet of Mk VI monorails is deteriorating, resorting to shorter and shorter operating hours due to their old age and unreliability.
These issues will be solved with an all new fleet of Mk VIII monorails. These new monorails will still retain the iconic style of its predecessors (the famed white body with the identifying-color stripe running across it). There will be 14 of these monorails, and every single color in the current fleet will be used: Red, Coral, Orange, Peach, Gold, Yellow, Lime, Green, Teal, Blue, Silver and Black. Now, as you can see I only listed 12 colors. What of the other two? In honor of the new fleet, I'd like to bring back two retired members back into service: Monorail Purple...
...and Monorail Pink.
Both Pink and Purple were retired from service due to the infamous crash of 2009. But I say, we should welcome these two back to the fleet, bringing the total up to 14 monorails (trust me, we're gonna need 'em come peak season).
The new monorails will be six cars long, with a wrap around sunroof on each car, connecting the two side windows with a smooth, circular curve of glass. The first and last cars will have the pilot’s cabins, along with a passenger compartment; the second and fifth cars will be open and spacious to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers more easily, with benches on each end of the cabin, and on the side walls.
Finally, the two middle cars will adopt a similar style to the current monorails, split into two compartments, each containing two facing benches and enough room for more passengers to stand.
Now, we all know that the monorail currently has three major routes:
Well, I'd honestly expand the Epcot loop to service more of the resort. Introducing the new World Tour loop. For this, I was inspired by this sketch by stitchcastle, the man behind the famed "If I could improve Walt Disney World" concept thread.
Starting from the Transportation and Ticket Center, the monorail will first stop at Disney Springs. A new station will be built at the edge of the Marketplace (where the buses currently deposit guests). This station will also service Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, as a path will be built to lead to the station. Upon leaving Disney Springs, the monorail heads off to EPCOT Center, does its famed loop around Future World and deposits guests off. From there, it's off to Disney's Hollywoodland and a special Art-Deco inspired station is what awaits guests traveling there. Then, the monorail moves along to its last stop, Disney's Animal Kingdom, dropping guests off at a thatched station. And once you get past Animal Kingdom, it's back to the TTC.
Now, let's move on to the next form of transport here: the boats. For the most part, the current boats in the fleet will stay roughly the same. The Sassagoula Boats that run between Port Orleans Riverside and Disney Springs, as well as the ferries and small boats that run between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom, will receive only a paint touch up, and a basic refurb while the boats that run between EPCOT Center and Disney's Hollywoodland, and the bigger boats that run between the TTC and Magic Kingdom, will be completely repainted to drop their dated pastel color scheme and instead will feature deeper colors. The interiors will also be updated to fit more guests safely and comfortably.
The buses will go through quite a few changes, dropping their current early-'90s look, instead featuring a color scheme similar to the color scheme rolled out on a few buses about two years ago.
The iconic bus spiel that plays as guests enter each park will also be updated. Half of the updated bus fleet will also be articulated, allowing twice the amount of guests to board.
Finally, I'd like to discuss the hub for all forms of transportation here at Walt Disney World Resort: the Transportation and Ticket Center. Don't hate me for this, but I personally think that the area doesn't look warm and inviting. So, what I'd do is turn the area into something called Disney Square.
Guests enter Disney Square through one of 4 different arches (each one representing a different park--Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, Disney's Hollywoodland and Disney's Animal Kingdom), and find themselves in a beautiful garden area. In the center of the garden lies a fountain featuring the whales from Fantasia 2000, and above them, Sorcerer Mickey, making waves appear. Surrounding them are golden versions of Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio and Dumbo. At night, the true majesty of the fountain shows, with beautiful colors and music.
A lush golden building marks the new Transportation Station. Here, guests can board one of Disney's many forms of transportation--be it an elegant ferry boat, the majestic, stylish Monorail or-an ever so handy bus--and journey to wherever their day's adventure lies in store. The inside of the Transportation Station is inspired by Disneyland Paris' Disneyland Hotel. Inside lies a fantastically designed atrium where travelers scale flights upon flights of stairs and lushly decorated elevators all leading to loading platforms. To the far-right of the building, guests will find Mickey's Gift Station, offering various goods and wares. Nearby, you'll find a small kiosk selling coffee, soft drinks and pastries (perfect to give you that zip that gets you through the morning). Surrounding the area are the lovely Station Gardens and a bay-walk which features a lovely view of the Seven Seas Lagoon. The gardens, littered with millions of colorful blossoms, are divided in four sections each representing the 4 corners of Walt Disney World.
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So, what do you guys think? In the next post, I'll take you to see a whole new experience that I found here on the forums. I just found it amazing, and so I'll share the idea with you all!
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Let's start things off with the most well-known form of transportation here: the Monorail.
"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas." The Walt Disney World Monorail is as old as the resort itself, taking guests on a relaxing trip to various stops.
People have often complained that the current fleet of Mk VI monorails is deteriorating, resorting to shorter and shorter operating hours due to their old age and unreliability.
These issues will be solved with an all new fleet of Mk VIII monorails. These new monorails will still retain the iconic style of its predecessors (the famed white body with the identifying-color stripe running across it). There will be 14 of these monorails, and every single color in the current fleet will be used: Red, Coral, Orange, Peach, Gold, Yellow, Lime, Green, Teal, Blue, Silver and Black. Now, as you can see I only listed 12 colors. What of the other two? In honor of the new fleet, I'd like to bring back two retired members back into service: Monorail Purple...
The new monorails will be six cars long, with a wrap around sunroof on each car, connecting the two side windows with a smooth, circular curve of glass. The first and last cars will have the pilot’s cabins, along with a passenger compartment; the second and fifth cars will be open and spacious to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers more easily, with benches on each end of the cabin, and on the side walls.
Finally, the two middle cars will adopt a similar style to the current monorails, split into two compartments, each containing two facing benches and enough room for more passengers to stand.
- Express: From the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom. Travels counter-clockwise on the outer loop.
- Resort: From the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Polynesian, to the Grand Floridian, to the Magic Kingdom and to the Contemporary. Goes clockwise on the inner loop.
- Epcot: From the Transportation and Ticket Center to EPCOT Center.
Now, let's move on to the next form of transport here: the boats. For the most part, the current boats in the fleet will stay roughly the same. The Sassagoula Boats that run between Port Orleans Riverside and Disney Springs, as well as the ferries and small boats that run between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom, will receive only a paint touch up, and a basic refurb while the boats that run between EPCOT Center and Disney's Hollywoodland, and the bigger boats that run between the TTC and Magic Kingdom, will be completely repainted to drop their dated pastel color scheme and instead will feature deeper colors. The interiors will also be updated to fit more guests safely and comfortably.
Finally, I'd like to discuss the hub for all forms of transportation here at Walt Disney World Resort: the Transportation and Ticket Center. Don't hate me for this, but I personally think that the area doesn't look warm and inviting. So, what I'd do is turn the area into something called Disney Square.
Guests enter Disney Square through one of 4 different arches (each one representing a different park--Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, Disney's Hollywoodland and Disney's Animal Kingdom), and find themselves in a beautiful garden area. In the center of the garden lies a fountain featuring the whales from Fantasia 2000, and above them, Sorcerer Mickey, making waves appear. Surrounding them are golden versions of Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio and Dumbo. At night, the true majesty of the fountain shows, with beautiful colors and music.
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So, what do you guys think? In the next post, I'll take you to see a whole new experience that I found here on the forums. I just found it amazing, and so I'll share the idea with you all!
Sorry I haven't been posting much. I've left that concept I teased back in the last post hanging for a long time. It's just that I've been really busy lately, and I haven't had much time to be here on the forums. Plus, I was actually at WDW the week of Halloween, so my mind got to go through a brief re-fresher of how things look and all that.
I hope the next part of my plans will be uploaded sometime over Thanksgiving. I won't be so busy then.
I hope the next part of my plans will be uploaded sometime over Thanksgiving. I won't be so busy then.
And now, at last, here is my next idea...
Walt Disney World is a place where you can live a beautiful fantasy or an exciting adventure. The young and the young at heart can play together in an escape from the real world that we all live in. This was showcased more than ever in Walt Disney World's earlier years at Discovery Island, a now abandoned section of the resort's property. Discovery Island opened in 1974 as Treasure Island, and was a sanctuary for tropical wildlife such as birds, snakes and primates. Located in the middle of Bay Lake, between the Contemporary Resort, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness, the island occupied a prime location, and was a popular draw for long-stay visitors who wanted more than just to visit the parks. In 1998, following the opening of Animal Kingdom, attendance to the island began to dwindle, and it closed for good in 1999. The structures on the island stood abandoned for many years before Disney started to dismantle them a few years ago, but much of the original island still remains, buried under a thick layer of vegetation and dirt.
Well, I plan to turn this abandoned island into an all-new unique experience to the Disney Parks. The newly re-christened Athel Island will be an exciting half-day park experience that will allow guests of all ages to have their own adventure! (Note: This is not my idea. I found this idea from the Creator Games thread, and I liked it so much, I decided to put it in my plans. Credit to the following people: @DisneyPrincess1993,@RMichael21, @tcool, @orlando678-, @TheOriginalTiki, @MCParradox and @JokersWild.)
Backstory and Mythology
A group of travelers led by the legendary explorer Ezkiel Athels get caught in a deadly storm and shipwreck on an island in the middle of an uncharted region of the Pacific Northwest. When they arrive, all they discover is an odd shaped rock shaped like an idol of sorts. After going through the island, there's no other inhabitants on the island, not even deer or any sort of wildlife. Once they have explored, they find that they enjoy the island, with it's rushing creeks and bursting geysers. However, they find that the most beautiful trait of the island is the gorgeous mountain that rises above the treetops.
After figuring out how to survive in the unforgiving, but beautiful wilderness, the villagers learn how to fish for food, which plants are edible, how to build homes and other survival techniques. As the community grows, they learn more and more about the wild and discover new artifacts and items unknown to the outside world. So, they decide to have traders go out into the world to trade and spread the stories of the island, which they have named Athel Island after their heroic leader. But they also believe their prosperity is due to the idol who looks over the island and gives the villagers good karma for every day and every night..
General Theming
The theme of the island is based off of the wilderness of an untouched Pacific Northwest island, featuring giant redwood trees, rocky creeks, and multiple geysers across the island.
Attractions & Amenities
The park features many adventurous activities for guests to enjoy. Guests can have their own adventure at the following experiences...
The fun, adventure and mystery of Athel Island set in even before you get there, because even the boat ride is a journey within itself. Guests travel to Athel Island on small steam ships, reminiscent of the boats found on the world famous Jungle Cruise, or the existing steam boats ferrying guests between Magic Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge / Fort Wilderness. These boats will depart from the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness.
After boarding their vessels, guests are treated to a 15 minute cruise around Athel Island as they are told of the history of the island. The cruise ends with a short trip through Goff Caverns, a beautiful natural cavern lit by stunning multi-colored crystals, geysers and waterfalls. The boat enters the caves underneath the mountain, where the guests see several scenes before arriving at the dock. Guests will encounter AA bats, see the beautiful caverns and escape an active geyser, which erupts out of the caverns and out of the side of the mountain, adding a layer of kinetics akin to that at Typhoon Lagoon.
Guests can disembark their boat on Athel Island inside Goff Cavern, emerging out of the caves into the central village, from where they can experience the many attractions on the island.
Rising up from Bay Lake is a new structure that will become an iconic landmark of Athel Island. Mount Athel rises six stories in the air and is the primary location for more physically demanding activities. The mountain will have a light brown appearance save for patches of grass in various spaces. Redwood trees will be strategically placed so they're smaller as they go up the mountain and bigger near the bottom, giving it a forced perspective look of appearing much taller than it actually is.
Hollowed out within the mountain is a series of man-made caves for safe "cave exploration" on the Cave Exploration Trails. Think of this as a network of caves all tying back into each other, essentially a big maze with three different cave paths all criss-crossing at various points. This is similar to Injun Joe's Cave on Tom Sawyer Island, except on a grander scale, and with elements of Disneyland's Rainbow Caverns thrown in. The cave exploration trails inside Athel mountain will have some small interactive halls with projection effects, AA bears, diamonds and more. One of the games the guests can play is similar to the indoor queue game from the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Magic Bands can be tapped to the games and interactive elements for a personalized touch (like the guest's name appearing in the waterfalls).
Going up the mountain will be various Wilderness Hiking Trails, where you can hike all the way to the top of the gently sloping mountain. There will be three trails, one of which is the most extreme and uphill. One trail is the lightest and fastest way to get to the peak, and the other is essentially the "Scenic Route", winding its way around the mountain in such a way to afford great views of the surrounding areas.
Rock Climbing Walls will also be naturally worked into the sides of the mountain, again at various levels ranging from a 20 foot Kid's Climb to the 70 foot expert course to get to the very top. Brave guests will also be able to partake in one of the most popular outdoor activities in modern day tourism...the Zipline! Once again, there will be three different ziplines at various points along the mountain. One right at the peak will give guests a real rush as they careen down at a steep angle, by far the most thrilling offering of the entire park. Slightly below the peak guests can ride a Scenic Zipline that is much longer than the "thrill" version but not nearly as steep of an incline, affording guests a lot of good views as they zip back down to the bottom. Finally about 40 feet up will be a beginners zipline where you can go back down the mountain at a relaxing pace, minus any steep incline. Perfect for kids who are unsure rather or not they're ready for the bigger courses.
Also starting on the side of the mountain is the Treetop Adventure. Nestled among the trees is a small building in the style of Wilderness Lodge, where guests can put on their safety harnesses. From here, another zipline takes guests down the mountain and into the redwood forest below, where they will begin their high-ropes adventure. Several unique challenges face the guests on this aerial course, passing over most of the island before returning guests the the base of Mount Athel. You must be at least 48" tall to take on this adventure. Throughout the park, there are countless weather-resistant animal audio-animatronics. These AAs will be similar to the ones in the extinct Nature's Wonderland attraction at Disneyland.
Guests can also go to the Fishing Pond, or Salmon Creek Fishing Point. Here you can rent fishing poles and catch a variety of different kinds of fish. However, you must throw back all of the fish to keep the ecosystem of the park intact. For the kids, the Geyser Splash Pads will be a great place to cool off in the hot Florida sun. Tying part of the backstory into this attraction, everyone from the entire family can enjoy the geysers just like the villagers on the expedition did.
We also have the Wilderness Explorer Adventures locations. At these locations, a cast member will present the guest with a question, task or challenge which, when completed, will earn the guest a Wilderness Explorer Badge (sticker). This does not replace the current setup at Animal Kingdom, but is instead complimentary. Certain badges can only be found at Animal Kingdom, while certain others can only be found at Wilderness Retreat, so to collect a full set, guests must visit both parks. Although the Up characters are here, ties to the movie will be kept loose in order to keep a more consistent theme throughout the island.
Finally, we have Russell's Balloon Tour, a suspended dark ride where the riders sit in a basket underneath a faux hot air balloon, travelling over most of the island, and even out over the water. This peaceful attraction allows a view of the island for those who aren't keen on riding down the ziplines or running through the trails. The balloons gently rock and bob up and down to enhance the sensation of flight. The balloons travel through the thick forest, winding over the many paths and buildings, before they travel out over the open water of Bay Lake. Turning and returning to shore, the balloons enter a rocky canyon filled with mist, much like the one in Up, catching a glimpse of the Spirit of Adventure docked in Muntz's cave (using forced perspective to make it appear larger than it actually is), and then passing Kevin. As Kevin flees into the forest, the balloons follow, returning to the station near the base of the mountain.
The traditional Carl, Russell, and Dug meet n' greet characters will be out and about near the docks here, but with a couple special surprises. Dug's voice collar will work, and he'll be able to interact with the guests via an unseen cast member feeding lines based on the activity of the people around the dog. Expect many "Squirrel!" and "Oh please, will you be my prisoner!" jokes. Joining the trio will be a highly advanced AA of Kevin, who will be a free roaming meet & greet character which will act much in the style of Lucky the Dinosaur but with far more realistic movements.
Restaurant
Along the creek, a quick-service restaurant will be featured that serves a variety of seafood, meats and greens. A wooden terrace overlooks Bay Lake, as the location occupies the former Discovery Island dock area. This location is only open for lunch. A select few menu items would include fish tacos, fish and chips, garden salad, cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and specialty desserts.
Easter Eggs
No Disney experience is without it's Easter Eggs! Throughout the island are subtle references to the island's past and different Disney references only fans would understand! These include tie-ins with Wilderness Lodge's backstory, references to Discovery Island's real past, references to Rainbow Caverns and the Mine Train Into Nature's Wonderland at Disneyland, and references to various imagineers.
MyMagic + Implantation
MyMagic+ as many will know is a way Disney has made planning a trip less stressful. MyMagic+ comes with several features--namely, Disney's FastPass+ System, the Magic Bands, and My Disney Experience. However for Athel Island only two out of three of these great features will be used: the Magic Bands and My Disney Experience.
On My Disney Experience, guests will be able to check the time for the next ferry to Athel Island. They can also use this same feature to find out when the next ferry is leaving from Athel Island. If wanted guests can take a survey made just for Athel Island. Using this survey, My Disney Experience can help guests find what's best to their liking on Athel Island. On my Disney Experience guests will also find out which activities are closed for the day rather it be by weather or anything that may occur. Finally guests will of course be able to see what time Athel Island opens and closes along with various activities located on the island. The Magic Bands will of course still be used to enter the park (if, of course the guest has one). With scanners that can track Magic Bands within the park guests can be welcomed to the park by name by the cast members. The cast members can even suggest activities based on their Athel Island Survey results on My Disney Experience.
In conclusion, Athel Island will be a place where every guest of the Walt Disney World Resort can come and have the adventure of a lifetime!
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I hope you enjoyed the post, guys, and I sincerely hope it was worth the wait. Since December is almost here, that means Christmas is almost here. So, in the spirit of the season, my next post will showcase how I'd celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at Walt Disney World. See ya then!
Well, I plan to turn this abandoned island into an all-new unique experience to the Disney Parks. The newly re-christened Athel Island will be an exciting half-day park experience that will allow guests of all ages to have their own adventure! (Note: This is not my idea. I found this idea from the Creator Games thread, and I liked it so much, I decided to put it in my plans. Credit to the following people: @DisneyPrincess1993,@RMichael21, @tcool, @orlando678-, @TheOriginalTiki, @MCParradox and @JokersWild.)
Backstory and Mythology
A group of travelers led by the legendary explorer Ezkiel Athels get caught in a deadly storm and shipwreck on an island in the middle of an uncharted region of the Pacific Northwest. When they arrive, all they discover is an odd shaped rock shaped like an idol of sorts. After going through the island, there's no other inhabitants on the island, not even deer or any sort of wildlife. Once they have explored, they find that they enjoy the island, with it's rushing creeks and bursting geysers. However, they find that the most beautiful trait of the island is the gorgeous mountain that rises above the treetops.
After figuring out how to survive in the unforgiving, but beautiful wilderness, the villagers learn how to fish for food, which plants are edible, how to build homes and other survival techniques. As the community grows, they learn more and more about the wild and discover new artifacts and items unknown to the outside world. So, they decide to have traders go out into the world to trade and spread the stories of the island, which they have named Athel Island after their heroic leader. But they also believe their prosperity is due to the idol who looks over the island and gives the villagers good karma for every day and every night..
General Theming
The theme of the island is based off of the wilderness of an untouched Pacific Northwest island, featuring giant redwood trees, rocky creeks, and multiple geysers across the island.
Attractions & Amenities
The park features many adventurous activities for guests to enjoy. Guests can have their own adventure at the following experiences...
The fun, adventure and mystery of Athel Island set in even before you get there, because even the boat ride is a journey within itself. Guests travel to Athel Island on small steam ships, reminiscent of the boats found on the world famous Jungle Cruise, or the existing steam boats ferrying guests between Magic Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge / Fort Wilderness. These boats will depart from the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness.
After boarding their vessels, guests are treated to a 15 minute cruise around Athel Island as they are told of the history of the island. The cruise ends with a short trip through Goff Caverns, a beautiful natural cavern lit by stunning multi-colored crystals, geysers and waterfalls. The boat enters the caves underneath the mountain, where the guests see several scenes before arriving at the dock. Guests will encounter AA bats, see the beautiful caverns and escape an active geyser, which erupts out of the caverns and out of the side of the mountain, adding a layer of kinetics akin to that at Typhoon Lagoon.
Rising up from Bay Lake is a new structure that will become an iconic landmark of Athel Island. Mount Athel rises six stories in the air and is the primary location for more physically demanding activities. The mountain will have a light brown appearance save for patches of grass in various spaces. Redwood trees will be strategically placed so they're smaller as they go up the mountain and bigger near the bottom, giving it a forced perspective look of appearing much taller than it actually is.
Hollowed out within the mountain is a series of man-made caves for safe "cave exploration" on the Cave Exploration Trails. Think of this as a network of caves all tying back into each other, essentially a big maze with three different cave paths all criss-crossing at various points. This is similar to Injun Joe's Cave on Tom Sawyer Island, except on a grander scale, and with elements of Disneyland's Rainbow Caverns thrown in. The cave exploration trails inside Athel mountain will have some small interactive halls with projection effects, AA bears, diamonds and more. One of the games the guests can play is similar to the indoor queue game from the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Magic Bands can be tapped to the games and interactive elements for a personalized touch (like the guest's name appearing in the waterfalls).
Going up the mountain will be various Wilderness Hiking Trails, where you can hike all the way to the top of the gently sloping mountain. There will be three trails, one of which is the most extreme and uphill. One trail is the lightest and fastest way to get to the peak, and the other is essentially the "Scenic Route", winding its way around the mountain in such a way to afford great views of the surrounding areas.
Also starting on the side of the mountain is the Treetop Adventure. Nestled among the trees is a small building in the style of Wilderness Lodge, where guests can put on their safety harnesses. From here, another zipline takes guests down the mountain and into the redwood forest below, where they will begin their high-ropes adventure. Several unique challenges face the guests on this aerial course, passing over most of the island before returning guests the the base of Mount Athel. You must be at least 48" tall to take on this adventure. Throughout the park, there are countless weather-resistant animal audio-animatronics. These AAs will be similar to the ones in the extinct Nature's Wonderland attraction at Disneyland.
Guests can also go to the Fishing Pond, or Salmon Creek Fishing Point. Here you can rent fishing poles and catch a variety of different kinds of fish. However, you must throw back all of the fish to keep the ecosystem of the park intact. For the kids, the Geyser Splash Pads will be a great place to cool off in the hot Florida sun. Tying part of the backstory into this attraction, everyone from the entire family can enjoy the geysers just like the villagers on the expedition did.
We also have the Wilderness Explorer Adventures locations. At these locations, a cast member will present the guest with a question, task or challenge which, when completed, will earn the guest a Wilderness Explorer Badge (sticker). This does not replace the current setup at Animal Kingdom, but is instead complimentary. Certain badges can only be found at Animal Kingdom, while certain others can only be found at Wilderness Retreat, so to collect a full set, guests must visit both parks. Although the Up characters are here, ties to the movie will be kept loose in order to keep a more consistent theme throughout the island.
Finally, we have Russell's Balloon Tour, a suspended dark ride where the riders sit in a basket underneath a faux hot air balloon, travelling over most of the island, and even out over the water. This peaceful attraction allows a view of the island for those who aren't keen on riding down the ziplines or running through the trails. The balloons gently rock and bob up and down to enhance the sensation of flight. The balloons travel through the thick forest, winding over the many paths and buildings, before they travel out over the open water of Bay Lake. Turning and returning to shore, the balloons enter a rocky canyon filled with mist, much like the one in Up, catching a glimpse of the Spirit of Adventure docked in Muntz's cave (using forced perspective to make it appear larger than it actually is), and then passing Kevin. As Kevin flees into the forest, the balloons follow, returning to the station near the base of the mountain.
Restaurant
Along the creek, a quick-service restaurant will be featured that serves a variety of seafood, meats and greens. A wooden terrace overlooks Bay Lake, as the location occupies the former Discovery Island dock area. This location is only open for lunch. A select few menu items would include fish tacos, fish and chips, garden salad, cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and specialty desserts.
Easter Eggs
No Disney experience is without it's Easter Eggs! Throughout the island are subtle references to the island's past and different Disney references only fans would understand! These include tie-ins with Wilderness Lodge's backstory, references to Discovery Island's real past, references to Rainbow Caverns and the Mine Train Into Nature's Wonderland at Disneyland, and references to various imagineers.
MyMagic + Implantation
MyMagic+ as many will know is a way Disney has made planning a trip less stressful. MyMagic+ comes with several features--namely, Disney's FastPass+ System, the Magic Bands, and My Disney Experience. However for Athel Island only two out of three of these great features will be used: the Magic Bands and My Disney Experience.
On My Disney Experience, guests will be able to check the time for the next ferry to Athel Island. They can also use this same feature to find out when the next ferry is leaving from Athel Island. If wanted guests can take a survey made just for Athel Island. Using this survey, My Disney Experience can help guests find what's best to their liking on Athel Island. On my Disney Experience guests will also find out which activities are closed for the day rather it be by weather or anything that may occur. Finally guests will of course be able to see what time Athel Island opens and closes along with various activities located on the island. The Magic Bands will of course still be used to enter the park (if, of course the guest has one). With scanners that can track Magic Bands within the park guests can be welcomed to the park by name by the cast members. The cast members can even suggest activities based on their Athel Island Survey results on My Disney Experience.
In conclusion, Athel Island will be a place where every guest of the Walt Disney World Resort can come and have the adventure of a lifetime!
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I hope you enjoyed the post, guys, and I sincerely hope it was worth the wait. Since December is almost here, that means Christmas is almost here. So, in the spirit of the season, my next post will showcase how I'd celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at Walt Disney World. See ya then!
Hey guys, I'm back for another post. But before we get started, I wanna tell you something: I've been having a few thoughts about my World Showcase ideas. I've decided to go back and give those ideas a little update. I've decided to let go of Greece and India, I plan to move around Russia, Australia, Brazil and Egypt and to expand both Germany and Italy. The reason I bring this up is because this next post is written with these changes in mind. Now that I've said all that, let's dive in!
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Ah, Christmas...the most wonderful time of the year. Everywhere you go, the warm and fuzzy feelings of the holidays seem to follow. And you can bet Walt Disney World celebrates the holiday in spades. And here's what I would do to celebrate the season.
Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is the place where childhood fantasies come to life. And to a child, there's not a single time that's full of more joy, beauty and wonder than Christmas. So, it stands to reason that the Magic Kingdom decks its halls more than any park here at Disney. The gingerbread storefronts of Main Street, U.S.A. are decked in garland, and wreaths hang on every windowsill. The Dapper Dans and the performers on the Main Street Trolley sing the songs of the season. A giant Christmas tree stands in Town Square. And that's only the beginning!
In Adventureland, the Jungle Cruise turns into the Jingle Cruise, complete with holiday themed jokes, decorations and background music and radio broadcasts for the queue. In Frontierland, Grizzly Hall plays host to the Country Bear Christmas Special, a down-home hoedown featuring some of your favorite Christmas ditties. In Fantasyland, the glistening spires of Small World Palace glisten even more with the joyous spirit of "it's a small world" Holiday. During this festive time of year, the children of the world begin to sing the songs of the season and celebrate their respective holidays, all within a heavily-lit and decorated Small World Palace. Thousands of multicolored Christmas lights create a beacon of holiday cheer, not to mention peace on earth and goodwill towards men, the message of the ride not just during the holidays, but all year-round.
As dusk comes around, all eyes turn to Cinderella Castle, where, with a touch of Disney magic, the castle becomes covered in ice, courtesy of over 200,000 LED lights.
EPCOT Center
Although the Magic Kingdom offers a lot, EPCOT Center is no slouch when it comes to Christmas. Since EPCOT Center features pavilions based on 15 different countries, the customs and traditions of holiday celebrations worldwide are brought to life.
Along the long path leading from Future World to World Showcase, the Lights of Winter make their triumphant return. And when EPCOT lights up their Christmas tree, they also light up these beautiful arches.
As part of EPCOT Center's holiday celebrations, storytellers from around the world gather to tell of their country's traditions. In Mexico, the Three Kings tell of Rosca de Reyes and the Mariachi Cobre sing traditional Mexican Christmas songs, perform traditional Mexican dances and explain the tradition of La Posadas.
In Norway, a girl named Sigrid attempts to tell of Norwegian Christmas traditions, but is constantly interrupted by Julenissen, or the "Barn Santa".
In China, the Monkey King tells a story of redemption and hope.
In Australia, a young surfer talks of what it's like to celebrate Christmas in the summer. In Russia, Ded Moroz (the Russian Santa Claus) and his granddaughter, Snegurochka, tell of their country's traditions, and characters from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker greet guests in the square. In Germany, St. Nicholas tells of Christmas trees, Advent calendars, and nutcrackers...iconic Christmas symbols that have their roots in German folklore.
In Italy, good witch La Befana tells her story, and why she always leaves gifts for children on Christmas Eve.
At the American Adventure, Santa and Mrs. Claus greet guests, two women share stories of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and inside the pavilion's rotunda, the Voices of Liberty transform into Dickens carolers and sing beautiful a cappella arrangements of Christmas carols.
In Japan, a vendor explains Japanese New Years customs, particularly that of the Daruma doll.
In Egypt, Baba Noel tells of how Egyptians celebrate Christmas. In Morocco, a storyteller explains the festivals, holiday traditions, and celebrations that are like the “spice of life” across her country.
In Brazil, Bom Velhinho tells of Brazil's traditions. In France, Pere Noel weaves the tale of a French Christmas through the eyes of a child.
In the UK, Father Christmas tells of his country's traditions.
And finally, in Canada, we have Nowell the Lumberjack, a rugged Northerner who has more Christmas spirit than you'd expect...
EPCOT Center is also home to the crown jewel of Disney Christmas traditions: the Candlelight Processional! In this stirring presentation, a celebrity narrator, backed by a large choir and a 50-piece orchestra, tells the story of the first Christmas, punctuated by various Christmas carols, and culminating in a powerful performance of the "Hallelujah Chorus". The show is located at the American Gardens Theatre at the American Adventure.
The America Gardens Theatre also plays host to Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season, featuring D'Vine Voices. In addition, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth performs a special holiday finale, narrated by Walter Cronkite and featuring Sandy Patti and the Harlem Boys Choir.
Disney's Hollywoodland
Although the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights no longer sparkles, that doesn't mean Disney's Hollywoodland is devoid of cheer. Now, when the sun goes down, the stars come out. The old Hollywood stars of the 30's, that is. See the streetmosphere characters come out at night to get guests into the holiday spirit along Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, and around Echo Lake. They engage each other and guests in song, regaling stories of the lavish Christmas parties of the past, and checking their Christmas lists.
Celebrating the heart of the park, all festivities are moved to Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard. As soon as night falls, charming Christmas lights flicker on among the buildings on both streets, and classic 1940's holiday music serves as a relaxing soundtrack. Classic Hollywood lights and decorations stretch across Hollywood Blvd leading up to the Chinese Theatre. Can that be snow falling?
The Great Movie Ride has gotten into the spirit as well. Temporarily replacing Chaplin’s scene, a new scene takes its place. Watch as George Bailey discovers the wonders of Christmas with family and friends. Guests will hear a bell and hear the famous line about an angel getting its wings. Before exiting the ride, the montage has been given a Christmas makeover to include such classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ernest Saves Christmas, A Christmas Story, and many others. Over on Sunset Blvd, the spirit of the seasons continues. As the snow continues to fall, it almost blocks out the dreary tower at the end of the street. Over by Echo Lake, Minnie is hosting a holiday buffet dinner at Hollywood and Vine; a reservation is just a quick call away.
If you remember my Animation Courtyard post, you'll remember I listed ten shows as part of the monthly rotation at the Walt Disney Theatre. I deliberately left out two, which were to be performed at Halloween and Christmas, but since Halloween has long since past, that means it'll be a long time till I reveal that one. But, since Christmas is almost here, that means I can talk about the special show I have planned. Every December, the Walt Disney Theatre plays host to A Christmas Carol: A New Musical. This innovative production brings together elements from three different Disney adaptations of the story: the Dickensian design of the 2009 Robert Zemeckis film, the brilliant music from 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol, as well as "Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day", the song that begins 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol.
And every night, gather round at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater for Fantasmic! Dreams of Christmas. The beloved nighttime spectacular gets a holiday makeover, celebrating the best of Disney magic and the best of Christmas.
The show begins as normal, with the introduction, the Jungle sequence, and the "Pink Elephants". But after that, things change. First, instead of the bubble montage, we have a Christmas medley, which segues into a snowflake sequence. And where the Pirates of the Caribbean would plunder, we have a sequence based on Frozen. The screens show the scene where Elsa's powers are revealed, and she is labeled as a monster. The screens disappear as Elsa begins to run from the steps of the seating to an opening in the fencing. Behind her, the Duke of Weselton's men are in quick pursuit. Elsa stops in front of the river, as a hard to see plexiglass platform shows up as it appears Elsa runs across the water, and right when Elsa gets to the stage on the the other side the screens come back to life. They now show Elsa running across the fjord, and freezing it, afterwards it shows the mountain as "Let it Go" begins to play. Using projections, two actors as Elsa, fountains, screens, and fake snow this may just be the most ambitious "Let it Go" performance to date.
After the storm rages on, we have the princess sequence, which will be re-choreographed and set to an arrangement of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (in an arrangement similar to the current princess medley). From there, we have the villains and the finale, like always, but the finale will weave a few themes from a few Christmas carols into it.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Out of all the parks, Disney's Animal Kingdom does the least regarding the holidays. There are decorations and an animal-themed Christmas tree, the characters dress in their holiday best, and live entertainers perform festive melodies.
Disney Springs
This entertainment complex also gets in on the fun. Disney Springs is home to the Christmas Tree Trail, a seasonal walk-through trail that includes 15 trees themed after a Disney character or story.
Toy soldiers, snowflake stilt-walkers, carolers and more will entertain guests as they shop Disney Springs. In addition, several windows in select stores will host elaborate holiday themed displays and you can also find special performances celebrating Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Even jolly old Santa Claus meets guests, in a cottage located across from Ghiradelli's Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, near World of Disney.
I'd also bring back an old tradition back from the days when Disney Springs was the Disney Village Marketplace. It's something called The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas. Modeled after a crèche built for King Charles III in the 18th century, the dramatic living tableau features approximately 30 performers, representing the figures from the Nativity scene, as well as a little drummer boy and (in the tradition of many crèches) representations of village merchants. Interspersed with a cappella renditions of classic Christmas carols (the same used by the Voices of Liberty at EPCOT), the performance tells the story of the night Jesus was born. The show is performed at the Dock Stage at the Marketplace (which will lose its covering).
Disney Springs is also home to Starbright Holidays, a nighttime show unlike any other. Using drone technology, images of the holiday season are brought to life before your very eyes.
But that's not all. Even some of the resorts get in on the fun with amazing decorations.
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And there we have it--Christmas at WDW! What do you guys think?
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Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is the place where childhood fantasies come to life. And to a child, there's not a single time that's full of more joy, beauty and wonder than Christmas. So, it stands to reason that the Magic Kingdom decks its halls more than any park here at Disney. The gingerbread storefronts of Main Street, U.S.A. are decked in garland, and wreaths hang on every windowsill. The Dapper Dans and the performers on the Main Street Trolley sing the songs of the season. A giant Christmas tree stands in Town Square. And that's only the beginning!
In Adventureland, the Jungle Cruise turns into the Jingle Cruise, complete with holiday themed jokes, decorations and background music and radio broadcasts for the queue. In Frontierland, Grizzly Hall plays host to the Country Bear Christmas Special, a down-home hoedown featuring some of your favorite Christmas ditties. In Fantasyland, the glistening spires of Small World Palace glisten even more with the joyous spirit of "it's a small world" Holiday. During this festive time of year, the children of the world begin to sing the songs of the season and celebrate their respective holidays, all within a heavily-lit and decorated Small World Palace. Thousands of multicolored Christmas lights create a beacon of holiday cheer, not to mention peace on earth and goodwill towards men, the message of the ride not just during the holidays, but all year-round.
As dusk comes around, all eyes turn to Cinderella Castle, where, with a touch of Disney magic, the castle becomes covered in ice, courtesy of over 200,000 LED lights.
And, of course, the Magic Kingdom is home to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, a special gathering that turns the park into a winter wonderland. Snow falls on Main Street, U.S.A. Some rarely-seen Disney friends come out to play. Marching toy soldiers, reindeer, gingerbread men, classic characters dressed in their holiday best and Santa Claus himself appear in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. The skies light up with Holiday Wishes. And you can join Mickey and the gang for Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration, a stage show featuring classic characters, great songs and clever one-liners. (However, I would cut the "Text Me Merry Christmas" number. TBH, I really hate it when Disney tries to be relevant.)
EPCOT Center
Although the Magic Kingdom offers a lot, EPCOT Center is no slouch when it comes to Christmas. Since EPCOT Center features pavilions based on 15 different countries, the customs and traditions of holiday celebrations worldwide are brought to life.
Along the long path leading from Future World to World Showcase, the Lights of Winter make their triumphant return. And when EPCOT lights up their Christmas tree, they also light up these beautiful arches.
As part of EPCOT Center's holiday celebrations, storytellers from around the world gather to tell of their country's traditions. In Mexico, the Three Kings tell of Rosca de Reyes and the Mariachi Cobre sing traditional Mexican Christmas songs, perform traditional Mexican dances and explain the tradition of La Posadas.
In Norway, a girl named Sigrid attempts to tell of Norwegian Christmas traditions, but is constantly interrupted by Julenissen, or the "Barn Santa".
In China, the Monkey King tells a story of redemption and hope.
In Australia, a young surfer talks of what it's like to celebrate Christmas in the summer. In Russia, Ded Moroz (the Russian Santa Claus) and his granddaughter, Snegurochka, tell of their country's traditions, and characters from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker greet guests in the square. In Germany, St. Nicholas tells of Christmas trees, Advent calendars, and nutcrackers...iconic Christmas symbols that have their roots in German folklore.
At the American Adventure, Santa and Mrs. Claus greet guests, two women share stories of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and inside the pavilion's rotunda, the Voices of Liberty transform into Dickens carolers and sing beautiful a cappella arrangements of Christmas carols.
In Japan, a vendor explains Japanese New Years customs, particularly that of the Daruma doll.
In Egypt, Baba Noel tells of how Egyptians celebrate Christmas. In Morocco, a storyteller explains the festivals, holiday traditions, and celebrations that are like the “spice of life” across her country.
In Brazil, Bom Velhinho tells of Brazil's traditions. In France, Pere Noel weaves the tale of a French Christmas through the eyes of a child.
In the UK, Father Christmas tells of his country's traditions.
And finally, in Canada, we have Nowell the Lumberjack, a rugged Northerner who has more Christmas spirit than you'd expect...
EPCOT Center is also home to the crown jewel of Disney Christmas traditions: the Candlelight Processional! In this stirring presentation, a celebrity narrator, backed by a large choir and a 50-piece orchestra, tells the story of the first Christmas, punctuated by various Christmas carols, and culminating in a powerful performance of the "Hallelujah Chorus". The show is located at the American Gardens Theatre at the American Adventure.
The America Gardens Theatre also plays host to Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season, featuring D'Vine Voices. In addition, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth performs a special holiday finale, narrated by Walter Cronkite and featuring Sandy Patti and the Harlem Boys Choir.
Disney's Hollywoodland
Although the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights no longer sparkles, that doesn't mean Disney's Hollywoodland is devoid of cheer. Now, when the sun goes down, the stars come out. The old Hollywood stars of the 30's, that is. See the streetmosphere characters come out at night to get guests into the holiday spirit along Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, and around Echo Lake. They engage each other and guests in song, regaling stories of the lavish Christmas parties of the past, and checking their Christmas lists.
Celebrating the heart of the park, all festivities are moved to Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard. As soon as night falls, charming Christmas lights flicker on among the buildings on both streets, and classic 1940's holiday music serves as a relaxing soundtrack. Classic Hollywood lights and decorations stretch across Hollywood Blvd leading up to the Chinese Theatre. Can that be snow falling?
The Great Movie Ride has gotten into the spirit as well. Temporarily replacing Chaplin’s scene, a new scene takes its place. Watch as George Bailey discovers the wonders of Christmas with family and friends. Guests will hear a bell and hear the famous line about an angel getting its wings. Before exiting the ride, the montage has been given a Christmas makeover to include such classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ernest Saves Christmas, A Christmas Story, and many others. Over on Sunset Blvd, the spirit of the seasons continues. As the snow continues to fall, it almost blocks out the dreary tower at the end of the street. Over by Echo Lake, Minnie is hosting a holiday buffet dinner at Hollywood and Vine; a reservation is just a quick call away.
If you remember my Animation Courtyard post, you'll remember I listed ten shows as part of the monthly rotation at the Walt Disney Theatre. I deliberately left out two, which were to be performed at Halloween and Christmas, but since Halloween has long since past, that means it'll be a long time till I reveal that one. But, since Christmas is almost here, that means I can talk about the special show I have planned. Every December, the Walt Disney Theatre plays host to A Christmas Carol: A New Musical. This innovative production brings together elements from three different Disney adaptations of the story: the Dickensian design of the 2009 Robert Zemeckis film, the brilliant music from 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol, as well as "Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day", the song that begins 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol.
And every night, gather round at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater for Fantasmic! Dreams of Christmas. The beloved nighttime spectacular gets a holiday makeover, celebrating the best of Disney magic and the best of Christmas.
The show begins as normal, with the introduction, the Jungle sequence, and the "Pink Elephants". But after that, things change. First, instead of the bubble montage, we have a Christmas medley, which segues into a snowflake sequence. And where the Pirates of the Caribbean would plunder, we have a sequence based on Frozen. The screens show the scene where Elsa's powers are revealed, and she is labeled as a monster. The screens disappear as Elsa begins to run from the steps of the seating to an opening in the fencing. Behind her, the Duke of Weselton's men are in quick pursuit. Elsa stops in front of the river, as a hard to see plexiglass platform shows up as it appears Elsa runs across the water, and right when Elsa gets to the stage on the the other side the screens come back to life. They now show Elsa running across the fjord, and freezing it, afterwards it shows the mountain as "Let it Go" begins to play. Using projections, two actors as Elsa, fountains, screens, and fake snow this may just be the most ambitious "Let it Go" performance to date.
After the storm rages on, we have the princess sequence, which will be re-choreographed and set to an arrangement of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (in an arrangement similar to the current princess medley). From there, we have the villains and the finale, like always, but the finale will weave a few themes from a few Christmas carols into it.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Out of all the parks, Disney's Animal Kingdom does the least regarding the holidays. There are decorations and an animal-themed Christmas tree, the characters dress in their holiday best, and live entertainers perform festive melodies.
Disney Springs
This entertainment complex also gets in on the fun. Disney Springs is home to the Christmas Tree Trail, a seasonal walk-through trail that includes 15 trees themed after a Disney character or story.
Toy soldiers, snowflake stilt-walkers, carolers and more will entertain guests as they shop Disney Springs. In addition, several windows in select stores will host elaborate holiday themed displays and you can also find special performances celebrating Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Even jolly old Santa Claus meets guests, in a cottage located across from Ghiradelli's Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, near World of Disney.
I'd also bring back an old tradition back from the days when Disney Springs was the Disney Village Marketplace. It's something called The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas. Modeled after a crèche built for King Charles III in the 18th century, the dramatic living tableau features approximately 30 performers, representing the figures from the Nativity scene, as well as a little drummer boy and (in the tradition of many crèches) representations of village merchants. Interspersed with a cappella renditions of classic Christmas carols (the same used by the Voices of Liberty at EPCOT), the performance tells the story of the night Jesus was born. The show is performed at the Dock Stage at the Marketplace (which will lose its covering).
Disney Springs is also home to Starbright Holidays, a nighttime show unlike any other. Using drone technology, images of the holiday season are brought to life before your very eyes.
But that's not all. Even some of the resorts get in on the fun with amazing decorations.
- At Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, a 16 foot tall gingerbread house sit in the lobby and smaller versions are available to purchase.
- At Disney's Wilderness Lodge, a 60 feet tall tree fills the lobby (it takes 18 hours to put up!)
- Disney's Beach Club Resort features lots of decorations, including a large, edible carousel.
- The decor at Disney's Yacht Club Resort includes an edible train.
- Disney's Boardwalk Inn features an edible, miniature version of Atlantic City, complete with Ferris wheel, carousel, and beach sits in the lobby alongside other seasonal decorations.
- The gorgeous Animal Kingdom Lodge is made even more beautiful with a big tree with themed ornaments decorating it.
- Disney's Contemporary Resort boasts a holiday village made of gingerbread and chocolate sits near the monorail platform.
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And there we have it--Christmas at WDW! What do you guys think?
spacemt354
Chili's
Even though it is past the holidays I still enjoyed the detail you put into the overlays -- very neat. As for Animal Kingdom, maybe a show on the tree? I agree though that the park isn't really conducive to much holiday overlays, but I like the effort indeed.
Will you be adding any more content to this?
Will you be adding any more content to this?