Disney's California Adventure - A Lesson To Learn From

It’s kinda impressive that Disney has mass expansions and new attractions being planned for just about every theme park they own. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is coming to Disneyland and Hollywood Studios. Walt Disney Studios Park over at Disneyland Paris is getting a major expansion in the next few years. The Magic Kingdom is getting the Tron rollercoaster. Epcot is getting new attractions, even if it means saying goodbye to its original theming. Mickey Mouse is getting a dark ride of his own. Hong Kong Disneyland’s castle is getting rebuilt from the ground up, and Tokyo Disneyland is getting a brand new Fantasyland. And Disney California Adventure is getting the new refurbished Pixar Pier, and introducing a new Marvel-themed land.

Disneyland’s second gate sure has come a long way since its original opening back in 2001. Frankly speaking, aside from Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, it was perhaps the most poorly conceived and welcomed theme park in the company’s history. Safe to say, it was a disaster from day one, and needed ten years worth of changes to get it up to the expected standards of a Disney theme park. But, how did such a park come to be? Well, let’s go back to the days of cost-cutting, creation-by-committee, and giant golden, sun-shaped hubcaps.

After Disneyland’s opening and success in 1955, the land around Anaheim, California, was snatched up by everyone hoping to get into the tourism business. The town became urbanised, and some folks remain unhappy with the congestion and nightly fireworks. Walt Disney didn’t like the idea of the real world intruding into Disneyland, as views of motels and diners from the park would break the illusion. He strived to resolve such issues during the development of Walt Disney World. It had size for one, allowing him to create a huge project, which would have included an airport and the unfulfilled EPCOT concept. Nowadays, Walt Disney World has four theme parks, two water parks, numerous hotels, golf courses, campgrounds, a shopping area, and tons of unused space which could house a fifth theme park if Disney put their minds too it.

Disneyland, on the other hand, was quite small, consisting of the park itself, the hotel, and a large parking lot. By 1990, Disney’s management had changed several times. The Disney founders were dead, and Walt’s son-in-law Ron Miller was ousted from the role of CEO after years of the company gathering cobwebs. Enter Michael Eisner, who took get strides to rebuild the company. His efforts led to the Disney Renaissance, the rise of Pixar, and other such triumphs. But, the theme parks, however, were another story.

Eisner wishes to transform Disneyland into an impressive resort, complete with a second theme park to be built over the car park. He wanted it to match Walt Disney World in terms of success and giving guests a reason to stay longer. But, the process to creating the second park was not an easy one.

The first planned proposal for the second gate was WestCot, a spiritual cousin to its Floridian counterpart. A golden 300-ft tall Spacestation Earth would stand in the middle, with themed lands reflecting a more modern future, and a united World Showcase praised the four corners of the world, rather than individual nations. It certainly sounded magnificent, like so many other unrealised Disney dream projects. Disneyland’s expansion would have needed new ground, and would have incorporated additions to the monorail, a new PeopleMover, new hotels, new shopping complexes, the works.

But, there was opposition to the expansion. For one, Anaheim residents were fed up with Disneyland causing congestion on their roads, and a huge expansion would only make things worse – even if it meant the introduction of new jobs and boost to the town’s economy. Disney made alterations to WestCot to appease the complainers, suggesting any congestions would be handled by highway ramps, which would funnel guests directly into the resort’s future parking lots.

And, then, Disneyland Paris opened and was a financial disappointment. Despite being big, beautiful, and expensive, DLP never quite caught the European market and customs, with the French apparently hating it. This sent shockwaves across the company. Eisner immediately pulled the plug on any costly project at every Disney park worldwide. A few years ago, Eisner announced the Disney Decade, which would be a renaissance for the theme parks to go along with the Disney Renaissance for the animated features. WestCot was amongst the casualties. Eisner soon developed a taste for cost-cutting, micromanagement, and now being more cautious about spending money on theme parks.

In 1995, Eisner took a bunch of executives on a retreat to Aspen, Colorado. He still hoped to turn Disneyland into a resort, but now on a much smaller budget. He asked the executives to pitch ideas on what to do, including the second park. A problem they had was with California itself. In Florida, Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida were both major attractions, and sole reasons why tourists visited the state in the first place. California, on the other hand, had a variety of attractions outside of Disneyland. From Los Angeles, San Francisco, national parks, and the Grand Canyon just a state away, California had a lot to offer. But, Eisner wanted to people to stay in Disneyland longer.

He turned to Paul Pressler for help. Pressler is perhaps the most hated person in Disney history. After a career in merchandising and running the Disney Stores, Pressler was promoted to being president of Disneyland, and then again to Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Pressler was notorious for cost cutting and fierce when it came to financing. He cut staffing, maintenance to the park’s upkeep (which Walt was incredibly concerned about), closed attractions, and valued the shops and restaurants than the rest. He was not a creative man, he had experience running stores, not theme parks. To him, it was just a larger Disney Store to run. So, naturally, it made sense for him to lead the design plans for the second park. Of course.

Pressler’s idea for the second park was simple. To prevent guests from leaving Disneyland to explore the rest of California, they needed to bring California to them!

Thus, Disney’s California Adventure opened in 2001. But, rather than having the same sense of nostalgia and whimsy that Disneyland had, it was quite the opposite. The park was cheap, and I don’t mean just in the financial department. From the research I’ve done, the park was not primarily designed by Imagineers, but rather Pressler’s own private team he had worked with before. They prioritised dining facilities and shops, incorporated a very dated 90s sense of humour to reflect the “mature” nature of the park, and there was little sign of the same sense of thematic depth Walt had when he designed Disneyland fifty years earlier.

Disneyland welcomed guests with that iconic train station and clock tower, taking guests into the turn-of-the-century American streets of Main Street. DCA’s esplanade was highlighted by monolithic but multicoloured letters which spelt out “CALIFORNIA”. Not the most enchanting entrance, but the set of letters were donated to the Friends of the California State Fair in 2012. It’s quite the opposite of Disneyland. Disneyland is old timey, nostalgic, and whimsical. Disney’s California Adventure was more aimed at the MTV generation, relying on the same edginess and hipness that Jeffrey Katzenberg supported. The same mood that nearly killed Toy Story before it was made.

Onwards, the park’s first land was Sunshine Plaza. The monorail passed over a miniaturised replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. There were no attractions per say. Just shops and restaurants blasting out modern music. Buildings were not designed to resemble any specific period or theme, but were just painted warehouses. Doesn’t exactly scream Disney. Funfairs have more flair to them. The park’s early icon was a large bronze sculpture of the Sun, built over a water fountain, but looked to some like a giant hubcap. It wasn’t a bad “weenie”, but paled into comparison to Sleepy Beauty Castle, directly opposite from it in the centre of Disneyland. The park seemed to do well with individual icons, but not as a whole.

Hollywood is obviously a big part of California, so it made sense to include such an iconic place in the California-based park. But, Walt Disney World already had Hollywood Studios, which captured the feel of a timeless Golden Age of Cinema with its own Hollywood Boulevard. But, rather than copying its Floridian counterpart, Hollywood Pictures Backlot in DCA decided to be a little more urban and realistic. It went more for a fake studio lot design, complete with a giant eyesore of a painted façade resembling a blue sky.

Perhaps the land’s only saving grace was Muppet*Vision. On the other hand, you had the most reviled Disney attraction of all-time – Superstar Limo. A “comical” dark ride through the backstreets of Hollywood, guests encountered a mix of criminally bad puns and caricatures of b-list film stars resembling Spitting Image puppets. It was so bad, that it closed a year after the park opened. There was also the Hyperion Theatre, which also had a poorly received musical, until it was replaced with the highly popular Aladdin musical, which ran for twelve years.

The largest of DCA’s lands was the Golden States, consisting of a number of smaller lands. These six areas were – Grizzly Peak, Condor Flats, The Bay Area, Pacific Wharf, Bountiful Valley Farm, and the Golden Wine Vinery.

Condor Flats was based around a modern day airfield set in the Californian desert. But, rather than celebrate, say, the state’s history of aviation, it instead upheld the cringeworthy pun-related edginess incorporated within the rest of the park. It’s one success, and that of the whole park, was Soarin’ Over California, which was later included in other Disney parks around the world (no pun intended).

Perhaps the most impressive sight in DCA is Grizzly Peak, a bear-shaped mountain that even roared in the advertising. It doesn’t actually do that. Based around California’s national parks, Grizzly Peak is currently the only land in DCA that has remained mostly to its initial premise. But, rather than being a romanticized tribute to one of America’s favourite pastimes, it suffers from the same modern themes of the park. The sole attraction was, and still is, Grizzly River Run, a generic ride with no story or animatronics. It could’ve easily served as a Brother Bear ride or something.

The Bay Area was based around San Francisco, with the lone musical attraction, Golden Dream, being housed in a replica of Bernard Maybeck’s Palace of Fine Arts. It starred good old Whoopi Goldberg, playing Califa, the goddess which California is named after, and gives a lesson on the history of the state.

Pacific Wharf is a mix of Cannery Row and San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. However, it lacked any real attractions, unless you counted tours through a bakery and a tortilla factory as such. Those sound more like the destinations for school field trips. Most hilariously of all, the Bountiful Valley Farm featured a sit-in tractor as an official attraction.

 

And finally, there was Paradise Pier, which did contain some action rides, including California Screamin’. It had a lot of classic funfair/seaside pier rides. But, this kinda feels like a contradiction to why Walt made Disneyland. He found amusement parks and funfairs to be generic, noisy, and dirty. How peculiar that Disney would make a land that is the complete opposite of why Disneyland was created. The land also contains a unique ferris wheel, later donning Mickey Mouse’s face, and becoming a secondary icon for the park.

So, there you have it. Several lands lacking distinct attractions, themes, or a sense of genuine effort or imagination put into them. Soarin’ would be the sole success of the park. There was a lack of affection for California, and instead felt like an empty, soulless husk of a park with the Disney brand slapped on it. This wasn’t a theme park designed with care and concern, and certainly not by Imagineers. This was a park designed by committee, chaired by Paul Pressler, a man with no indication of creative thinking.

Disneyland took you to worlds of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy. Disney’s California Adventure was a dumpster fire, with the humour of a Adam Sandler film, and the creative effort of a group of pencil pushers. It recreated modern California, with the culture and mood to match. Not to mention it was starved of funds, made on such a cheap budget, likely fuelled by Eisner’s fear of failure following Disneyland Paris’ unexpected failure. After opening day, word of mouth soon spread about how poor DCA was, and it was an immediate failure.

Disney’s California Adventure was dead on arrival, with only around five million guests visiting it within the first year. Even then, only 20% of those guests were satisfied with what they found in the park. Eisner’s cost-cutting and Pressler’s team of marketers create a stillborn park. There were few attractions, and those that were there at the start were either boring, commonplace, or vilified. Seriously, who lists a tractor as an official attraction in a Disney theme park? You find that sort of thing at a petting zoo. Restaurants and shops were everywhere. An ugly, dated, edgy sense of humour and a need to reflect modern California dominated every land and ride. And there was no sense of that Disney charm that made its big brother so beloved. It was more of a Six Flags than a Disneyland.

But, when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up.

Just over a year after Disney’s California Adventure opened, Disney started looking for ways to improve it. By 2006, Eisner and Pressler were both gone, and Bob Iger now ruled the roost. During the last few years of Eisner’s leadership, several new IP-based rides were built in the park – A Bug’s Land, based on A Bug’s Life, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Turtle Talk with Crush, and a Monsters, Inc. dark ride.

Iger saw DCA as a failure, and considered two options – fuse both parks into one, with Disneyland acting as an anchoring point for DCA, or to completely redesign the struggling second gate from the ground up. Ambitiously, Iger chose the second option. In 2007, Disney made plans to completely overhaul DCA with $600 million, even renaming it to Disney California Adventure. It would add in the attractions and entertainment that the park had needed back in year one. And importantly, the park’s lands would have their own narratives. Modernity and bad puns were out the window. DCA was embracing the same passion and spirit that went into Disneyland, and it came back big time.

Disney California Adventure now had several new lands. It’s entry land was Buena Vista Street, set in 1920s Hollywood, when a young Walt Disney came to town to make cinematic history. Beautiful Californian architecture, water fountains, and the red cars make up the new land. The shops and restaurants were re-designed, and named after significant people and films in Walt’s early years of success. One shop, a gas station, is named after Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt’s first, lost success, who was brought back home by Bob Iger. There is also the Carthay Circle Theatre, based on the cinema of the same name, where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered and received a standing ovation.

Hollywood Pictures Backlot became Hollywood Land. Gone were the wretched puns and such, and instead it feels more like a genuine tribute to Tinsel Town and the golden era of cinema. Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular stayed a favourite in the Hyperion Theatre for years, but was inevitably replaced by a stellar Frozen musical. Frozen also had a habit of taking over Muppet*Vision, the attraction’s show building being used to promote new films. A Bug’s Land expanded, but is to close soon, and will be replaced by an exciting new Marvel-themed land.

Even Grizzly Peak received a facelift, ditching the modern extreme sports story, and now setting it in a 1950s period. Though, Grizzly River Run still has a minimal story. Condor Flats was absorbed into Grizzly Peak, reimagined as the Grizzly Peak Airfield, now a forested, mountainous national park outpost. It also made Soarin’ feel more appropriately themed.

Paradise Pier was reimagined as well, becoming more timeless and perhaps acting as a turn-of-the-century counterpart to Main Street. A number of the seaside attractions were changed for the better, and the opening of Toy Story Midway Mania and The Little Mermaid dark ride made it hugely popular. And, each night, a brand new water show occurred in Paradise Pier’s small lake – The World of Colour, a moving show of rainbow coloured fountains, water screens, flamethrowers, and projections of Disney films.

And the newest land was Cars Land, incorporating the world of Cars, and a tribute to Route 66 as well. The level of detail is amazing, and Radiator Springs Racers has become of the park’s most popular attractions. The Tower of Terror closed and was reborn as Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, as the first part of the park’s future Marvel land. Paradise Pier is also being transformed into Pixar Pier, still maintaining its themes, but now with beloved Pixar characters around.

And, that’s about it. The changes that have come to Disney California Adventure reflect the attitude and business practices of Disney. Created as a cheaper resort following the disappointment of Disneyland Paris, DCA had no artistic flair to it, and was a soulless husk of a park made through dumb decisions, made by mechanical, commercially-focused nitwits who have no place in The Walt Disney Company. Turning Disneyland into a bigger resort was a good idea, but through such an empty process and aiming at the wrong audience was not the way too go.

People expect a certain level of standards at Disney theme parks, as Walt Disney did with Disneyland: A place of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy, that takes guests out of the real world for a while, and mostly hides it away to avoid breaking the illusion. DCA did the exact opposite, abandoning those ideals in favour of a grounded, modern-day sense of humour, and a blunt, flat, loveless look at the state it was apparently celebrating. Hollywood was a drab, fake, uncreative institution, the national parks were only relevant for extreme sports, and they even put in a generic amusement park area. And they had a tractor as an official attraction!

Thankfully, the park deservedly failed, and Disney allowed their actual Imagineers to apply bandages, and then build the whole thing from the ground. However, it is possible that park’s dismal creation and failure can be justified. Michael Eisner was clearly shaken by the commercial failure of Disneyland Paris, and immediately pulled the plug on any major expansions or projects at all the theme parks, perhaps out of fear of a repeated failure. Bigger was not always better. Yes, Pressler and his team clearly had no knowledge or skills in crafting a Disney theme park, but the limited space, reduced budget, and consideration for the locals may have also been taken into account.

The idea of celebrating California via a theme park was an interesting idea, but trying to keep guests from going to see the actual sights of the state by creating smaller versions seems a little redundant. And that lack of Disney magic and sentimentality stained the park, even if its heart was mean to be in the right place. Who wants to go to a Disney-grade resort and find a place filled with rubbish attractions, no charm, no magic, awful wit, and a sense of cynical modernity that has no place in Disneyland.

Eisner’s micromanaging and cost-cutting would go on to affect both Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, and then Hong Kong Disneyland, both of which are slowly growing to develop their own identities.

Luckily, DCA recovered and was injected with some much needed love and attention. Though not everything quite fits into the slowly degrading Californian theme, the newcomers and changes have brought in the masses, and Disney California Adventure is now extremely popular and successful.
 

Disney’s America ~ Disney’s Most Controversial Park That Never Existed

Disney has had many projects that never saw the light of day. Attractions, parades, shows, lands, even entire theme parks. From Disneyland’s original Mickey Mouse Park concept, to Walt Disney’s dream of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT); there is an endless treasure trove of forgotten ideas that have emerged from Walt Disney Imagineering over the decades. Walt Disney also had a love for American values, culture, and history, and often immortalised some parts in his parks, including his admiration for Abraham Lincoln, and the American Frontier.

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But, not many people may be aware that Disney once planned on building an entire theme park based around celebrating the history of the United States of America. A park that came with its out collection of controversies. Disney’s America was to have been built on a 3000-acre park in Haymarket, Virginia, actually announced as a planned project in 1993. But, the park was never built due to a number of reasons. We’ll go through the history of the doomed park, and explore what was too have been featured in Disney’s own tribute to the star spangled nation.

The park’s roots likely extend from Walt’s own love for Americana. This is evident across the early resorts. Disneyland has Main Street (based on Walt’s hometown of Marceline Missouri), and more historical-based settings like Frontierland and New Orleans Square. Walt Disney World as the colonial Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, and the similar American Pavilion over in Epcot. Critter Country could also be seen as a tribute to the Deep South. There are also attractions like Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, The Hall of Presidents, and the American Adventure, all animatronic shows celebrating the independence and liberties of the USA. You get the picture.

When Disney’s America was conceived, Michael Eisner, then-CEO of The Walt Disney Company, instantly fell in love with it. It appeared to become his pet project, since he was very much involved in its progress to the green light. It was right up Walt’s alley. The park was conceived as a way to honour America’s past, and be educational as well. What sort of attractions and themed lands could have been found at the park? Let’s take a closer look.

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Disney’s America would have been split into nine or so areas, each depicting different parts of American history and culture across time. There was Crossroads America, set around the 1840s, based around a village in the Civil War. There was an appreciated section dedicated to Native Americans, representing Mid-Atlantic tribes, with exhibitions showing the traditions of the peoples. There was also going to be a river rapids ride based on the historic expedition of Lewis and Clark. This ride eventually inspired Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, and Grizzly River Run at Disney’s California Adventure.

Another land, President’s Square, would have featured The Hall of Presidents, though it is uncertain if it would’ve been a new iteration of the theatre show, or the one from the Magic Kingdom simply moved to the site. Next up was a Civil War fort, featuring re-enactments of battles, and water battles between the Monitor and the Merrimac would occur. One of the most interesting lands is Enterprise, set during the Industrial Revolution. A 19^th century factory town, Enterprise highlighted American ingenuity and innovation. A major attraction would have been a high-flying, steel mill themed rollercoaster.

Other areas included a land inspired by Ellis Island with theme on immigration; Victory Field, dedicated to the heroism and duty of Americans in the World Wars, and based on an air strip; a state fair featuring a baseball field and folk art exhibits; and a recreation of an authentic farmyard where guests could see what it was like to work a busy life on a farm.

So what happened? Why didn’t it come to fruition?

Well, while Virginia’s governors and politicians were onboard with the project, Haymarket’s citizens were not. They didn’t want their neighbourhood to be urbanized and destroyed by an armada of tourists. There was also the concern that Disney would put their own, romanticized spin on American history, rubbing out the rougher edges of American history in favour of their family-friendly, squeaky clean ideals. This was also when Disney became a bit more aware of certain historical stereotypes and controversial portrayals of ethnic groups, which were now considered racist and offensive. This led to Song of the South being swept under the rug. An entire theme park based around Disney’s own take on America may have been too much.

On the other hand, Walt had always favoured the better aspects of American history, but always tried to maintain an educational level for his parks. The park invited guests to get to grips with what it was like to be a Civil War soldier, an explorer, or even, oddly, a slave on the run. Michael Eisner denied that last statement. People were worried that a theme park would trivialise American history, including some of the darker, more tragic periods, like slavery and the extermination of Native Americans.

Disney’s America was postponed, but revived in 1997. Disneyland’s neighbouring theme park, Knott’s Berry Farm, was up for sale by its owners. Disney got the idea to potentially buy the “other Walt’s” park and transform it into Disney’s America. It already had an identical replica to Independence Hall, and a resident ghost town. A number of attractions from the original concept would have been brought up to Knott’s. But, it was not meant to be. Knott’s family rejected Disney’s bid, concerned they would erase their park’s own history, and what their parents had originally built. Knott’s Berry Farm was bought by Cedar Fair, and Disney’s America was shelved for life.

But, like a lot of these stories, ideas from the park were borrowed and incorporated elsewhere. Disney’s California Adventure, in its initial incarnation, took a lot of inspiration from the all-American park. The river rapids, the farming area, the state fair, and a plane-based air strip, where Soarin’ would eventually be introduced.

Some things are not meant to be, but Disney’s America was a well-intentioned idea, with perhaps one too many issues. More information on why the park was never constructed can be found on its Wikipedia article.

All images are copyrights of The Walt Disney Company.

Disneyland Paris Expansion Ideas

With Walt Disney Studios Park getting one hell of an expansion starting in 2019, it makes sense for Disneyland Paris’ first gate gets some love as well. Though architecturally beautiful, DLP hasn’t actually had a major attraction added in that wasn’t a refurbishment (e.g. Buzz Lightyear). This blue sky re-imagineering would involve expanding the various lands of the park, introducing new attractions (not all being IP), and sorting out theming issues in certain places like Discoveryland.

Each phase would theoretically take place over five year periods, with Phase One starting in 2018 to 2021, when the major work on WDSP begins, so both parks would be expanding in unison. Phase Two covers 2012-2025, which would also celebrate the resort’s 30^th anniversary, while Phase Three is the distant 2025-2030.

PHASE ONE

The changes for Phase One are quite minimal to begin with. With Star Wars Land popping up in WDSP after 2021, it makes sense to move all related attractions over there, so Discoveryland would be stripped of its Star Wars features over time, though Star Tours wouldn’t go until Phase Three. In Discoveryland, Space Mountain returns to its original story and themes as “From the Earth to the Moon”, to keep in line with the original theme of Discoveryland.

Also in the refurbishment department, the Explorers Club Restaurant is returned to what it once was from Colonel Hathi’s Pizza Outpost, removing elements from The Jungle Book, and making the original British colonial theming front and centre. I can imagine it having a comedic tone akin to Marc Davis’ brand of humour, and having direct tie-ins to both the Indiana Jones coaster, and the growing world of S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers), as seen in other resorts. The animatronic birds in the restaurant would also be redesigned to host their own mini-tribute to The Enchanted Tiki Room with a jazzy song number or two. The menu may also be changed to reflect a more British or African cuisine choice.

One major issue in the park is a proper place to meet the beloved Disney Princesses. There is the small Princess Pavilion on the end of It’s A Small World, but it doesn’t feel impressive enough for such iconic characters. Instead, a new medieval hall would be built opposite the pavilion in-between Sir Mickey’s Boutique and the ice cream parlour. The new Princess Pavilion would be larger, and consist of an entrance to the queue line, which leads into two separate halls for M&Gs with random princesses, for some more variety, though times would be listed. Elsa and Anna would be together, though since Frozen will be getting a land of its own in WDSP, their appearances may be rarer than others. The old pavilion could easily be reimagined into another M&G area for other characters, or even a small shop related to It’s A Small World.

Phase One wraps up with one additional attraction. A brand new one in Frontierland. With the old ranch area on the left side of the land apparently no longer being used, it makes sense to replace it, and inject some much needed reasons to go over to that side of Frontierland.

The new attraction is a concept created by Marc Davis called America’s Wilderness, a dark ride that takes guests through four different nature scenes, each in a cycle of the season. We start in summer, than go through autumn, winter, and finally, spring. Guests approach an old wooden train station, where a large thicket of trees stand behind it to hide the show building. It might seem a bit weird having such a ride concept in such close proximity to the train station and Big Thunder Mountain, but why not?

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After settling in the quaint steam train, which can house up to 30-to-40 guests, the ride takes off into a tunnel and through a new take on Nature’s Wonderland. Each of the four scenes come with that classic Marc Davis brand of visual humour. In the summer scene, the train travels through an open, sunny prairie. Critters include a bear with its head stuck in a beehive, a groundhog take on whack-a-mole, and guests with an eagle eye may glimpse sight of Bambi, Thumper, and Flower. Things become a whole lot more colourful in autumn, as the trees change colour, and a variety of animals dwell in the scene, like squirrels and chipmunks fighting over food, and even a buffalo makes an appearance.

Winter is set at night under a beautiful full moon, making the snowy forest look like a dream. Even the temperature goes down. Wolves lurk amongst the trees, a snow owl stretches its wings on a branch, and a poor beaver attempts to free its frozen dam from the icy river. The final scene is in spring, marking the start of new life in the forest, with new baby animals like fawn and bear cubs exploring their home, before the train returns to the loading bay. Additionally, numerous attractions get upgrades, and a new daily parade and a fireworks show could be introduced too. 

Being a sucker for Disney nostalgia, I say bring back the classic Main Street Electrical Parade, or do a brand new night time parade, but one that isn’t Paint the Night. Each park should have their own unique entertainment.

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PHASE TWO

The second phase would come into effect whilst WDSP was undergoing its big transformation. To make up for this, Disneyland Park would incorporate some big new additions, and the start of a lengthy realignment for Discoveryland.

Let’s start in Fantasyland, with the introduction of a new sub-land. There is room to spare behind Fantasyland Station. Early plans for the park was to build the Matterhorn Bobsleds, and a tunnel had been made that would go under the railway. But, since the mountain never appeared, the tunnel was unused, covered by the Mickey Mouse M&G hall. Now, that tunnel shall be resurrected as the entrance point to a new subland based around Beauty and the Beast.

First off, the Mickey Mouse hall is bulldozed, with fans now able to meet Mickey in Main Street. The tunnel is opened up, taking guests under the train station, and right into the heart of Belle’s Village. The sub-land’s main paths wraps around the back of Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, with a secondary path linking up to the area where Casey Jr. and Storybook Canal Boats sit. Due to the limited land available, the Beauty and the Beast land is small, mostly dominated by the exterior of the show buildings for the attractions, which are hidden behind the mountains and an impressive model of Beast’s castle, which mixes with the rockwork, relying on forced perspective a little.

Guests can wander through Belle’s Village, which features a bookstore, Gaston’s Tavern (a counter service), and a couple of other shops. To the north of the village is a small path leading to Beast’s castle, which has the same exterior as the one at the Magic Kingdom. Travelling down the bridge to the entrance, takes guests into a large foyer that leads to the signature dark ride, and the Be Our Guest restaurant.

The dark ride weaves its way through the halls of the gloomy castle, the queue line illustrated with stain glass windows depicting the film’s prologue, and early moments. Based on the attraction eventually coming to Tokyo Disneyland, guest board giant tea cups, and travel through the scenes of the film.

We travel through the dungeons first, where Belle negotiates with the Beast to free her father. Onwards, the teacups go through winding, eerie hallways with gargoyles looming over us. However, there is a light waiting for us in the foyer - the candlelight of Lumiere welcoming us to the dining hall. The show stopping “Be Our Guest” comes next, a lengthy scene as we travel through the kitchens and into the dining hall, where the servants are putting on quite the show for Belle. Dancing cutlery, spinning plates, Lumiere atop a tower of tupperware.

Afterward, the ride takes us into the darker west wing, where everything is in ruins. We pass through the Beast’s chamber, glimpsing the rose as we pass by, only to take a sharp right and come face-to-face with a ferocious animatronic of the Beast, roaring at Belle to get out. However, we pass by a stain glass window, depicting the Beast’s battle against the wolves, and being saved by Belle. We pass by his bedroom, where Belle is healing him. The next scene depicts the library, where Belle and the Beast are reading a book together. The last scene is the iconic ballroom scene, which the tea cups circle from the outside. Before our eyes, the Beast transforms into a human as he dances with Belle. We depart from the story, down a hall, and into the unloading bay.

The other new addition to Fantasyland would a dark ride based on The Little Mermaid, another attraction that was meant to be in Disneyland Paris in early stages. I would prefer not to just be a carbon copy of the other versions of the ride, but more along the imagined ride, a simulated ride through can be viewed below. Though, the outside would be Prince Eric’s castle, with the queue line leading through caverns and to the loading bay. It was a little tricky deciding on where to put the ride, but it made sense with my plans for Discoveryland, to gut the Videopolis building, turning it into a joint building for two attractions, with room for a small restaurant too.

In seashells, guests sail through a sea of shipwrecks. Scuttle perches on a rock, attempting to recall Ariel’s story, but gets his facts mixed up. We travel under the sea, and through a large shipwreck before us, seeing Ariel and Flounder searching for human trinkets, only to be attacked by the shark. As we travel down into an underwater cave system, the beautiful towers of Atlantica are visible in the distance. The shells pass by scenes of “Part of Your World”, set in Ariel’s grotto, where a statue of Eric stands. Sebastian tries to convince Ariel to stay underwater, and we venture into the “Under the Sea” sequence, with a huge number of dancing animatronics.

The ride takes a darker turn, as Flotsam and Jetsam lead Ariel to Ursula’s lair, where they make their devilish deal via “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. Following Ariel legged shadow, we return to the surface, passing through Eric’s castle, and out into a lagoon where “Kiss the Girl” occurs, Ariel and Eric trying and failing to kiss. Flotsam and Jetsam appear to drag us back underwater, through a dark crevice, and then back to the surface into a frightening, stormy sea where a gigantic Ursula has seized the trident. A shipwreck ends up impaling her, and she is electrocuted by lightning, casting us into darkness. We pass by Ariel, who sits on a rock, and her tail magically transforms into a pair of legs. In a final scene, we pass by Ariel and Eric’s wedding ship as they sail away to their happy ever after.

The attraction also comes with a gift shop, and Ariel’s Grotto, for a M&G with our favourite mermaid.

Over in Adventureland, it makes sense to create a full circuit around the land to avoid bottlenecking on specific paths. For this, a new attraction is required. I’ve been wracking my brains on what to put here, from a Polynesian section with a Moana ride, to an indoor version of the Jungle Cruise. Instead, the new attraction is like the Jungle Cruise, but replacing the boats with jeeps.
 

Jungle Jeep Adventures is a dark ride through a remote but vaguely located jungle setting, with the tours run by the Jungle Exploration and Skipper Co. The exterior is another temple, resembling an extension of the Indiana Jones temple, both more inspired by Ta Keo in Angkor. Inside, guests jump into driverless jeeps which can hold about six people, and venture off through the temple and out into the jungle. The ride would be indoors, and would feel like a real jungle, being hot and humid, but obviously systems would be on hand should thing environmentally go wrong.

Several scenes from the Jungle Cruise are included – the elephant bathing pool, the hippo pool (with the jeeps going over a rickety bridge), the rhinoceros and the men up the pole, the crocodiles, the natives ambush, Trader Sam, etc. However, there would be a more linear hint of a storyline in the ride, with whispers of animal idols actually being gods, a cursed treasure (a nod to Pirates), and more connections to the members of the Society of Explorers and Adventures. The Trader Sam bar is adjoined to the ride, reimagined as a tiki-themed restaurant, once a skipper dining hall, now a “classy” joint for guests.

Discoveryland’s changes will be to unite the land under one theme – an 19^th century view of how the future could have been, based on the imaginations of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. However, most of the changes will come in Phase Three. For now, Videopolis is removed, and the building, or at least most of it, is repurposed to house a balloon simulation ride based on a mix of 80 Days Around the World and The Islands On Top of the World. Think like a steampunk, 19^th century take on Soarin’. The ride would use 360-degree Circle-Vision projections to give the impression that the balloon is floating around the globe.

PHASE THREE

The third and final phase takes place after the changes at WDSP are complete, which would incorporate a new lake, and lands based on Marvel, Star Wars, and Frozen. The concept art implies there may be room for a fourth land. Personally, I would put add one based on Winnie the Pooh. The silly old bear is even more popular than Mickey Mouse in some places, and he deserves his own land beyond a simple dark ride.

First off, with my plans for Frontierland, and the removal of Videopolis, there would be no theatres in the park. So, the Plaza Garden restaurant would be removed, and replaced with a large Main Street Theatre. It would take inspiration from the one that was announced at last year’s D23 Expo, but I don’t think that is being built now.

Let’s go to Discoveryland to make the final changes, which is a pretty large overhaul. Both Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours are removed, as do all traces of IP related to non-19^th century franchises (even that cute WALL-E and EVE statue has to go). I thought about what would fit in the new Discoveryland thematically, and what would go where.

  

One new attraction is New Horizons, a spiritual successor to Epcot’s beloved extinct attraction. A dark ride that delves into the history and growth of technology, New Horizons takes it one step further by exploring the technology that has developed since the 1980s, and then the potential to what lies beyond like space colonisation, ocean exploration, and growing communities in unusual environments. It also examines modern technology like virtual reality, the digital age, and medical marvels. I originally planned to place it in the disused Discoveryland Theatre, but decided to swap it out and put it in the old Le Visionarium building.

Another new attraction is War of the Worlds, based on H.G. Wells’ novel, the eventful radio programme, and the 1950s classic film. This would go in the altered Discoveryland Theatre, redesigned to house a shooter ride. I know it seems rather odd to not use Astro Blasters, but I’d like guests to walk into Discoveryland to see a sight of optimism with New Horizons, rather than an apocalyptic environment of killer aliens. The show building would be reimagined as a Mars red alien temple of some kind, an invasion of Earth, with everything covered in red weeds, hinting the building was once human in design but has been taken over by the Martians. Guests would board ride vehicles which are made from stolen alien tech, and must engage Tripods and Martian shock troopers in battle.

Star Tours is gone too, possibly moved to the new Star Wars Land. However, that simulation technology would be a waste to throw away. So, with a little bit of alteration and the construction of a small volcano to hide the show building, the replacement would be an alternative take on Journey to the Centre of the Earth, based on the ride at Tokyo DisneySea. The simulation technology, or “Terramobiles”, takes guests deep into the Earth’s unexplored, subterranean depths, encountering deadly hazards and nightmarish monsters along the way.

The final addition is perhaps the most ambitious – the near-legendary ride of Geyser Mountain. It was to have been built in Frontierland long ago, but never saw the light of day. I thought it would be a nice E-ticket attraction to put in the park. Yeah, there’s Big Thunder Mountain, but some variety doesn’t hurt.

Geyser Mountain is like a western version of the Tower of Terror, but instead of sending guests plummeting down an elevator shaft, it is up into the air, “powered” by a sudden geothermal eruption. Location wise, Geyser Mountain would actually be off-site, across the western railroad, and in the exterior corner of the resort. Chaparral Theatre would be removed, and replaced by a large rocky structure, acting as the entrance way to the attraction.

(C) Disney

It would also tie in with the overarching story of Frontierland, related to the mining history of Thunder Mesa and the Ravenswood family. The experimental, subterranean excavation machine is built within a complex facility, topped with a tall wooden tower, that actually houses the ride’s signature launch tower, meant to filter out an imaginary steam pocket of an underground geyser under the buildings.

After journeying through the mining facility’s workshop and various backrooms, guests file into the barn and board mining vehicles. The ride take guests through beautiful caverns based on the Rainbow Caverns from Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland. An earthquake occurs as you travel further into the mines, and the geyser erupts, causing the vehicles to speed up and to be launched up and down several times into the launch tower amidst a blast of steam. It would also give guests a spectacular view of the park. The ride takes guests sliding down a track, and to a slow, steady return to the unloading bay.

Those are some ideas of mine. If you have any of your own, leave comments, and please share on social networking. All images belong to their original owners. 

A Handy Dandy Guide to Kingdom Hearts, Part III

Welcome to the final part of our handy dandy guide to the Kingdom Hearts universe.

THE TIMELINE

Kingdom Hearts has a linear timeline that takes place over around twelve years. Most of the events lie around the machinations of Master Xehanort, and how our heroes (Sora, Riku, Mickey) deal with them. The timeline goes something like this:

Many years ago, Kingdom Hearts and its counterpart, the χ-Blade, kept balance between light and darkness in the universe. Many people held Keyblades, and were part of five Unions, each run by a Foreteller. The Master of Masters writes the Book of Prophecies, which predicts the Keyblade War. The war occurs, and everyone dies, save a small group of Keyblade wielders who from the Dandelions to protect the light. One of these is Ventus. The χ-Blade is shattered into twenty pieces, seven of light, and thirteen of darkness. The pieces of light become the Princesses of Heart. The Master of Master’s apprentice, Luxu, survives as well, armed with a Keyblade which contains the Master’s clairvoyant eye, and a black trunk which must never be opened.

Some time later, Xehanort become nuts about DARKNESS(!), and plots to kick off a second Keyblade War by recreating the χ-Blade. As a young man, he is approached by his Heartless from the future, telling him of things to come. As an old man and Keyblade Master, Xehanort plots to use Ven’s heart to forge the χ-Blade, and possesses Terra to see his plans come to fruition. Ven sacrifices his heart to destroy the χ-Blade, and he finds shelter within Sora’s own heart. Aqua puts Ven’s body in Castle Oblivion, but is trapped in darkness after saving Terra from the same fate.

Xehanort develops amnesia and becomes Ansem the Wise’s apprentice, researching the heart. He eventually regains his memories and plots to found Organization XIII, using the members as vessels for pieces of his heart to create the thirteen Seekers of Darkness. He banishes Ansem the Wise to the realm of darkness, steals his identity, creates the Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII. His Heartless and Xemnas both go about their own plans to forging the χ-Blade, making artificial versions of Kingdom Hearts from the hearts of lost worlds, and the hearts of slain Heartless. Maleficent also becomes a major antagonist on her quest to collect the Princesses.

Ten to twelve years later, Sora, Riku, and Kairi get involved in the events of the story. Sora wields the Keyblade, and thwarts Xehanort’s Heartless. During this, he stabs himself with a Dark Keyblade made from the Princesses’ hearts. This turns him into a Heartless, freeing Ven’s heart which is reborn as Roxas, and creates Namine, Kairi’s Nobody as well. Xehanort’s Heartless is blown up, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey close the Door to Darkness (the actual name for the Kingdom Hearts door). The lost worlds are restored, Sora leaving Kairi behind to find Riku.

Roxas joins Organization XIII and becomes buddies with Axel. One week later, Xion, a clone created from Sora’s memories, is recruited as the 14^th member. The three eat ice cream every day for a year and don’t get fat or diabetes. Elsewhere, Sora, Donald, and Goofy lose their memories in Castle Oblivion thanks to Namine, as per Marluxia’s plans. To restore their memories, Namine puts them in special pods to rebuild them, but they will lose any knowledge of the events in Castle Oblivion. Riku overcomes his darkness and teams up with Namine, Mickey, and DiZ to awaken Sora.

Over the next year, Roxas, Axel, and Xion build their friendship but it all comes crashing down as Xion must be erased from existence in order to awaken Sora. Roxas quits the Organization to find Sora, but is captured by Riku, who dumps him in the simulated Twilight Town until the time is right. Roxas spends a week in Twilight Town, before, reluctantly, bonding with Sora. Axel goes rogue from the Organization to see Roxas again.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy wake up, learning of the Nobodies and Organization XIII from Yen Sid. They set out to find Riku, battling the Organization, as well as Maleficent and Pete’s forces along the way. Kairi is kidnapped by Axel, and then Saix, and held captive in The World That Never Was. Sora and co. discover Xehanort as been posing as Ansem. Axel sacrifices himself to allow Sora access to The World That Never Was. Sora, Riku, and Kairi reunite. DiZ is revealed to be Ansem the Wise and attempts to turn Kingdom Hearts into data, but his machine to do so explodes, sending him back to the realm of darkness, where he crosses paths with Aqua.

Roxas and Namine bond with Sora and Kairi. Xemnas is defeated, and Sora and Riku return home to Destiny Islands. Mickey and Jiminy Cricket discover the existence of those lost souls linked to Sora’s heart (Namine, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Ven, Aqua, Terra), and Yen Sid anticipates Xehanort’s return. He and Mickey summon Sora and Riku to become Keyblade Masters. Maleficent and Pete start looking for the Book of Prophecies.

During the exam, Sora is abducted by the reformed Organization XIII, now consisting entirely of vessels/incarnations of Xehanort. He is to become the thirteenth vessel. Riku, Mickey, Axel, Donald, and Goofy come to the rescue, where Master Xehanort tells them to gather seven Guardians of Light – Keyblade wielders – to protect the Princesses of Heart. The Xehanort brigade vanish, promising to return when the time is right. Riku also receives data from Ansem the Wise, which could restore a lost heart.

Needing more Keyblade wielders to serve as the Guardians of Light, the revived Axel (Lea), and Kairi, are both recruited. Riku and Mickey plan to head to the realm of darkness to rescue Aqua, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy set out on their own journey to find other Keyblade wielders and rebuild Sora’s power, lost during Dream Drop Distance.

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ELEMENT OF THE UNIVERSE

In this final part, we’ll detail some of the vital parts of the Kingdom Hearts universe and how they tie into the story.

Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts itself, aside from being the title of the franchise, is the most important plot device of the games. It is described as the centre of the universe, or the source of all hearts. All hearts start there, and return when they die. Those of the Heartless also return there too. It appears as a heart-shaped moon, which can only be summoned the χ-Blade, its counterpart. It was swallowed by darkness during the Keyblade War, and briefly appeared during Birth By Sleep. Two fake versions appear in the games – the Door to Darkness, which is made from the hearts of worlds destroyed by the Heartless; and the moon in The World That Never Was, made from the hearts collected by the Organization.

The Keyblades

The iconic weapons of Kingdom Hearts, the Keyblades were created to combat darkness and can destroy the Heartless. Being keys, they can lock and unlock a variety of things, including doors, the Keyholes to various worlds, and access the contents of a person’s heart (i.e. memories). In Birth By Sleep, the Keyblades were connected to mechanical armour, and could be transformed into hovercraft-like Keyblade Gliders, which could allow the user to travel between worlds. Keyblade wielders who pass the Mark of Mastery Exam become Keyblade Masters. Keyblades, or the rite to use one, can be passed down to other people.

χ-Blade

The original Keyblade, the χ-Blade is the counterpart to Kingdom Hearts. The χ-Blade had the ability to open the hearts of all worlds, and exists as Kingdom Hearts’ guardian. It is the only tool capable of summoning it. At some point, the χ-Blade was used during the Keyblade War, but the mayhem caused it to shatter into twenty pieces. The seven pieces of light became the seven Princesses of Heart. Xehanort hopes to use pieces of his own heart to make the thirteen pieces of darkness, and with the seven Guardians of Light, recreate the χ-Blade. He nearly succeeded in Birth By Sleep, by using Ven and Vanitas to forge it, but Ven’s sacrifice led to its destruction.

Heartless

The main menace of Kingdom Hearts, the Heartless are made from the darkness in a person’s heart. They are driven solely by instinct to devour others hearts, those of other people, and the hearts of worlds. They can be slain by Keyblades, and their hearts shall return to Kingdom Hearts. If a Heartless and their counterpart Nobody are destroyed, they shall bond and recreate the original person anew. Xehanort created the Heartless, though it is possible they may have existed beforehand he started mass producing them. The Heartless come in two varieties – Pureblood, which form naturally; and Emblem, which are made by forced production.

Nobodies

Nobodies are the animated bodies and souls left behind when a heart becomes a Heartless. They are strangely, white creatures that also seek out hearts. Those who had a strong heart as a human, can maintain their human appearances as a Nobody, as well as their memories, but lack emotions. Organization XIII are such people. As it turns out in Dream Drop Distance, a Nobody will be able to regrow a new heart over time, explaining why Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Namine have human emotions (though Roxas had a heart to begin with, being Ventus).

Unversed

A weird group of fledgling emotions that feed on negativity and can take on monstrous forms. They are in fact parts of Vanitas, who is the extracted darkness from Ventus’ heart. They don’t have much of an impact on the universe, beyond being enemies for Ven, Aqua, and Terra to destroy. When Vanitas vanishes, they too disappear from the worlds, later replaced by the Heartless.

Dream Eaters

Creatures who dwell in sleeping worlds in place of the Heartless, Dream Eaters seek out the Keyholes of the worlds. The Nightmares eat good dreams and create bad ones, while the friendly Spirits help those in need. The Dream Eaters appear to have evolved from the Chirithy, cat-like creatures made by the Master of Masters to help Keyblade wielders resist the darkness. However, a Nightmare is created when their owner turns to evil.

The Book of Prophecies

The Book of Prophecies is a book which foretold the events of the future, as written by the Master of Master. The book’s contents are unknown, but it did contain information on the Keyblade War, and the eventual rise of the Heartless. Wishing to see further into the future, the Master attached his eye to Luxu’s Keyblade. The Master gave copies of the book to his Foretellers save Luxu. However, he gave Gula an exclusive page from his book, which claimed a traitor would lead to the Keyblade War. The traitor was never identified, and it is believed the Master caused deceit to kick off the war. Maleficent and Pete seek out the Book to create the worlds it has predicted, and conquer them. Jiminy Cricket’s journal may be connected to it.

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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

And to wrap everything up, here are a few questions that have yet to be resolved, and hopefully will be answered during Kingdom Hearts III.

-How will Ansem the Wise’s data help in restoring hearts? Will it bring back Xion?

-What happens if Roxas and Ventus meet?

-Will Aqua reach Ventus, and will he wake up?

-Why does Xehanort want to seek out the room Ventus is sleeping in Castle Oblivion?

-Who will the seven Guardians of Light be?

-Will Maleficent and Pete obtain the Book of Prophecies, and what is its link to Jiminy Cricket’s journal?

-What was the message Pluto had at the end of KH1?

-What happened to the Foretellers?

-What happened to the Master of Masters?

-What happened to Luxu, and when did he give the Keyblade to Xehanort, if he did?

-What happened to the Dandelions?

-How did Ventus, who is a Dandelion member, end up becoming Xehanort’s apprentice/victim?

-What is Marluxia’s goal, considering his identity as a Dandelion member?

-Who are the other members of the new Organization XIII?

-What is in the black trunk which Luxu was tasked to protect and never open?

-Is Vanitas a member of the new Organization?

-Will Master Eraqus be restored? What happened when Xehanort became a Heartless and a Nobody?

-Why is Xehanort’s method of time travel so complicated, when Merlin simply opened a door to the past with magic?

-What is the true goal of the Master of Masters, and did he want the Keyblade War to happen?

-Is the Riku Replica dead?

-What is the Key to Return Hearts?

-And most importantly of all – will Sora and Kairi get together?