Which park would Disney have loved the most if he still were alive?

[disney4life2008]

Does anyone know what Lilian Disney would have said? I have always been fascinated with the disney family and it seems that she was the only one (at least in recent years) that kept the memories alive - well at least about her dad. Does the disney family not associate with the theme parks?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Wasnt that was Celebration was initially about? I remember all the promotion of celebration when it was being built - is that town even still around?

While infrastructure and education at Celebration had a notion of looking forward, the community is far more traditional in its tone and image. The development has a "pedestrian" oriented design and not a transit oriented design. It still exists but Disney is no longer involved outside of some offices.

Does anyone know what Lilian Disney would have said? I have always been fascinated with the disney family and it seems that she was the only one (at least in recent years) that kept the memories alive - well at least about her dad. Does the disney family not associate with the theme parks?

There is the "Disneyland of Walt's Imagination" model at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Neither... Walt would have been to busy playing with Epcot displaying his amazing futuristic ideas and attractions he never got to build.

 

[Marijil]

I don't know if he would like seeing how DLR has everything jammed in so close, with IHOP and Denny's on the fringe...i know that was a pet peeve

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don't know if he would like seeing how DLR has everything jammed in so close, with IHOP and Denny's on the fringe...i know that was a pet peeve

But that wasn't new to him. It's also happened at Walt Disney World where land has been sold off and Disney has even tried to be such developments.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I don't know if he would like seeing how DLR has everything jammed in so close, with IHOP and Denny's on the fringe...i know that was a pet peeve

Things were this way when he was alive.

 

[JohnD]

Disneyland. If the question referred to the parks only in WDW, then obviously it would be MK.

 

[skimbob]

Wasnt that was Celebration was initially about? I remember all the promotion of celebration when it was being built - is that town even still around?

Celebration is still in existence. I should know since I spent a few hours in their hospital in 2010. One of the books on Walt talks about the town of Celebration.

 

[216bruce]

Hate to be "off choice", but I'd say Animal Kingdom- beautifully themed, very immersive environments, original idea and he loved the natural world and animals.
If I had to pick between Dl and MK, hmmm, he'd like the size of MK and the fact that some of what he wanted to put in Dl finally got made- Liberty Square and Hall O'Presidents comes to mind and better theming in Fantasyland. But he'd also like the better upkeep of DL and the fact that it did change and didn't stagnate and become a total museum. I'd have to go with the one that's the most original and creative- DL.

 

[disney4life2008]

Hate to be "off choice", but I'd say Animal Kingdom- beautifully themed, very immersive environments, original idea and he loved the natural world and animals.
If I had to pick between Dl and MK, hmmm, he'd like the size of MK and the fact that some of what he wanted to put in Dl finally got made- Liberty Square and Hall O'Presidents comes to mind and better theming in Fantasyland. But he'd also like the better upkeep of DL and the fact that it did change and didn't stagnate and become a total museum. I'd have to go with the one that's the most original and creative- DL.

I would agree on AK. AK is a beautifully themed park (although lack of rides) but it is a park that I could spend hours in without doing any attractions.

 

[steamboatjosh]

Wasnt that was Celebration was initially about? I remember all the promotion of celebration when it was being built - is that town even still around?

Yes, Celebration is still around and that was kind of the basic idea. However, the only part of the concept for the City of Tomorrow that was put in was that it's a Disney-built town. None of the actual ideas for the EPCOT that Walt envisioned were put in. Now they also have Golden Oak (which is pretty much a planned community for rich people) that actually sits on the Disney World resort.

 

[SMS55]

I don't know if he would like seeing how DLR has everything jammed in so close, with IHOP and Denny's on the fringe...i know that was a pet peeve

That's why he bought so much land in central Florida. He didn't want those visual eye sores and people to be on the Astro orbiter for example and be able to see highway traffic.

 

[Funmeister's Delight]

Hate to be "off choice", but I'd say Animal Kingdom- beautifully themed, very immersive environments, original idea and he loved the natural world and animals.
If I had to pick between Dl and MK, hmmm, he'd like the size of MK and the fact that some of what he wanted to put in Dl finally got made- Liberty Square and Hall O'Presidents comes to mind and better theming in Fantasyland. But he'd also like the better upkeep of DL and the fact that it did change and didn't stagnate and become a total museum. I'd have to go with the one that's the most original and creative- DL.

DL's Fantasyland has 1 million times better themeing, and New Orleans Square is 1 million times better than Liberty Square.

 

[216bruce]

DL's Fantasyland has 1 million times better themeing, and New Orleans Square is 1 million times better than Liberty Square.

I'm not saying it's not. Just saying that Walt envisioned a Liberty Square for DL and it never got built until MK. He'd be pleased it was built. It was even on DL maps at one point as a future expansion.

 

[WDWoptmist]

I think he would be fascinated with Animal Kingdom he always wanted to have live animals on the jungle cruise I think Walt would have rode Kilimanjaro Safari over and over again but if it's just between MK and DL than DL far and away as a stand alone park

 

[Phil12]

I think he would be fascinated with Animal Kingdom he always wanted to have live animals on the jungle cruise I think Walt would have rode Kilimanjaro Safari over and over again but if it's just between MK and DL than DL far and away as a stand alone park

I've always thought that with the creation of Kilimanjaro Safari, that Walt would have replaced Jungle Cruise with another attraction out of embarrassment.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I've always thought that with the creation of Kilimanjaro Safari, that Walt would have replaced Jungle Cruise with another attraction out of embarrassment.

Why would he be embarrassed?

 

[Tom]

I've always thought that with the creation of Kilimanjaro Safari, that Walt would have replaced Jungle Cruise with another attraction out of embarrassment.

There was very little that embarrassed Walt. He was a very proud man, and rather than admitting something was a failure, he'd simply move on to something bigger and better. I sincerely doubt he would consider JC to be an embarrassment anyway.

 

[luv]

I, too, think that of the WDW parks, Walt would be most pleased with the AK.

How he'd think the AK compared to Busch Gardens, I'm not sure. I think the AK would improve after Walt visited BG. But everything would improve. And there wouldn't be drunks all over Epcot.

If Walt was still in charge, it would all be better. But he's long dead. So, it doesn't really matter I guess.

 

[Phil12]

Why would he be embarrassed?

He originally wanted live animals on the Jungle Cruise, but it was not possible at that time. Kilimanjaro Safari is the attraction that Walt really wanted. I feel confident that he would have systematically eliminated the Jungle Cruise and other such kitschy attractions as better attractions were created. The old technology would have definitely been an embarrassment to him.