Would You Sacrifice Splash Mountain and Critter Country For Western River Expedition?

[Sharon&Susan]

Western River Expedition was a ride intended for the MK (and at one point DL), that would've been like a cowboy version of POTC, that was intended to be better than POTC. Would you sacrifice Splash Mountain and the rest of Critter Country for Western River Expedition?
Summary of WRE:

http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2015/01/all-about-western-river-expedition-part_29.html

 

[dlr74]

Easily would sacrifice Winnie the Pooh & Hungry Bear... but not Splash

 

[SuddenStorm]

Western River had a number of caricatures that would likely not be embraced by modern audiences. It's also a 40+ year old concept that would need major rethink to make work, and it's main creator is dead. Seeing how modern Imagineering has treated Marc Davis's Pirates of the Caribbean concepts, I'd hate to see what they'd do with his Western River concepts.

At this point, what'd be the point?

 

[SuddenStorm]

Also, Jim Hill has an excellent series on the history of Western River and how it spawned Big Thunder, as well as some of the internal drama the whole thing caused.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Lengthy reads, but really insightful and entertaining, though one wonders how much Jim Hill embellished things. I assume the major story beats are accurate.

 

[Rich T]

Heck, yeah! On a few conditions:

1. The ride designers replace the rain dance and the ha-ha-everybody’s-drunk scenes with something else.
2. The ride is not narrated by an animal.
3. Big Jurassic Park size drop at the end.
4. Sam Elliott voices a major AA

 

[Californian Elitist]

No, thanks. I would prefer to see a completely new and original concept.

The only unbuilt concepts I wouldn’t mind seeing coming to the park are Discovery Bay, Edison Square, and Indiana Jones and the Lost Expedition.

 

[TwilightZone]

I voted maybe because technically wre does exist in ride form: via phantom manor.
Plus kinda unoriginal and prone to disney potentially wanting to tone it down.

BUT, it would totally be better than pooh + hungry bear...just keep splash though.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I voted maybe because technically wre does exist in ride form: via phantom manor.
Plus kinda unoriginal and prone to disney potentially wanting to tone it down.

BUT, it would totally be better than pooh + hungry bear...just keep splash though.

What does WRE have to do with Phantom Manor? I wasn't aware the two projects were linked in any way, or that any major refences to WRE are present in Phantom Manor.

 

[TwilightZone]

What does WRE have to do with Phantom Manor? I wasn't aware the two projects were linked in any way, or that any major refences to WRE are present in Phantom Manor.

Apparently, there's a few scenes from WRE that made it's way into phantom manor, mainly the bar room scene.
Don't quote me on that though, since I get all my info from outside sources that might not be accurate.

 

[lazyboy97o]

No. The true scale and scope of the project extended far beyond just Western River Expedition and was intended specifically for the Magic Kingdom. Proposing it for Disneyland was more an act of desperation as Marc Davis realized that the original, grand vision was not going to happen.

 

[TROR]

No. The true scale and scope of the project extended far beyond just Western River Expedition and was intended specifically for the Magic Kingdom. Proposing it for Disneyland was more an act of desperation as Marc Davis realized that the original, grand vision was not going to happen.

Bingo. This is not Disneyland's attraction to build just as the Hatbox Ghost does not belong in WDW's Mansion. And again, like you said, this was a larger project than just WRE. To not have it be intertwined with Big Thunder Mountain would be a real shame.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Not really. Pretty redundant with POTC in all its glory next door. Definitely would have loved to have the whole complex at WDW.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

YES!!!!!

 

[mickEblu]

I wouldn’t sacrifice Splash Mountain for Animal Kingdom.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It was supposed to be Disneyworld's version of POTC before they just went with POTC. It had caves, singing gunslingers in a town and going up a waterfall. DL already has that!

 

[cheezbat]

Wouldn’t sacrifice Splash, but you can have Magic Kingdom’s Pirates for it any day!

Such a shame WDW never got a Pirates as good as Disneyland’s. It’s such a joke.

 

[VJ]

No, thanks. I would prefer to see a completely new and original concept.

...like Galaxy's Edge, Pixar Pier or Mission Breakout?...

 

[Californian Elitist]

...like Galaxy's Edge, Pixar Pier or Mission Breakout?...

None of those are original.

 

[VJ]

None of those are original.

ah, i thought you meant original as in new and not as in IP (even though western river has no IP...?); though technically, the things i listed are original concepts; they're based on IP but the attractions/lands themselves are original concepts if you take away the IP.

 

[SuddenStorm]

the things i listed are original concepts; they're based on IP but the attractions/lands themselves are original concepts if you take away the IP.

What does this even mean? None of those things listed are original, with or without IP.