Should Winnie the Pooh Get His Own Land in the Disney Parks?

Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood, where Christopher Robin plays. You’ll find the enchanted neighbourhood, of Christopher’s childhood days…

 

I have heard people express their hatred towards Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and Elsa, but I have never heard a single person say they despise Winnie the Pooh and friends. People just love and adore that silly old bear even more than the world’s most famous mouse. Nothing wrong with that of course. The lovable characters of A.A. Milne have found their home within Disney and the hearts of many, and have had two films, an animated series, and a big presence at the theme parks. Seriously, Pooh is huge in Japan. And Mickey has technically yet to star in his own film – if you exclude Fantasia, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Three Musketeers.

Pooh has gained a rising presence in the theme parks, but not without a few sacrifices along the way to the bear’s girth. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released in 1977, and is a mix of several shorts merged into one film. The shorts were made in 1966, 1968, and 1974 respectively, introducing American audiences to Pooh, and have Walt Disney’s magic touch to them. A second film, Winnie the Pooh, was released in 2011, and to this day, is Disney’s last hand-drawn feature film to be released.

 

Following a revival in popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, Pooh became a hot property in Disney, and CEO Michael Eisner wanted to bring the cuddly little tubby to the Disney parks. But, for Pooh to arrive, there would have to be sacrifices.

For years, Mr. Toad of Toad Hall was a hugely popular character at Disney and the Magic Kingdom. However, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride abruptly closed in 1997 at the latter. There had been rumours of its demise for a year, and passionate Disney fans rallied to protect Toad’s home in the Magic Kingdom. It was quite the sensation, with national newspapers reporting on the hysteria to protect the dark ride. But, the cries of the fans fell on deaf ears, the Disney closed Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride forever – literally five days after announcing its closure! Who does that? The ride was an iconic amongst fans, a clone of an attraction that opened on Disneyland’s opening day. Sure, Mr. Toad was as recognisable in the 1990s as he was forty years earlier, but in the theme parks, he was a god.

Still, despite Toad’s closure, his spirit lived on. A statue of Toad can be found in the Magic Kingdom’s incarnation of the Haunted Mansion. And even in the ride’s replacement, Toad can be seen pleasantly handing the deed to Toad Hall over to Owl. The backlash against the ride’s closure has pretty much cemented the Disneyland incarnation’s survival, and hopefully, Disney executives will think twice about touching such an iconic attraction. Disneyland Paris lacks the attraction, but does have a restaurant based within Toad Hall. Now that’s just classy.

But, even Disneyland wasn’t spared from the “wrath” of Pooh. 

The Country Bear Jamboree in Critter Country was closed down in 2001 to make way for Pooh. Swapping one group of bears out with another was a little bit more reasonable I suppose. One of Marc Davis’ finest creations, the Country Bears were the first ride adapted from Walt Disney World to Disneyland, and later opened in Tokyo Disneyland. Disneyland’s Bear Country was later renamed into Critter Country, with the arrival of Splash Mountain in 1983, creating a quirky but quaint land related to both Frontierland and had a Deep South setting.

The Country Bears closed their doors to make way for Pooh, but like Mr. Toad, Imagineers honoured what came before, keeping the talking animal heads of Buff, Max, and Melvin hidden within the ride. Ironically, The Country Bears movie came out a year after the Disneyland attraction closed – and the plot involved preventing the demolition of the jamboree hall.

Still, Winnie the Pooh was here to stay. The large show buildings of the vacated Mr. Toad and the Country Bears allowed The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to be opened, along with a large gift shop. It is a small but simple dark ride, and the sheer name alone was enough to draw crowds. The ride was coped in Hong Kong Disneyland, and then in Shanghai Disneyland, along with a honey pot-themed teacups ride. However, Pooh’s presence in Critter Country broke the Deep South setting, instead giving it a more warped sense of theming.

Over in Tokyo Disneyland, Pooh’s presence is a whole other ball game. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt was the first trackless dark ride in a Disney theme park, and with its impressive technology, is one of the resort’s signature attractions. The ride vehicle even bounce alongside Tigger. How cool is that? Pooh is extremely popular in Japan – they do love their cute characters after all – so it is fitting that he has such a huge, unique dark ride. Guests file past a huge open storybook, through Christopher Robin’s house, and then into the pages of said book, before boarding giant honey pots to explore the Hundred Acre Wood.

The beleaguered question and title of this article is does Pooh deserve his own land in a Disney park? Well, considering his popularity and how loved he and his friends are, the answer seems kinda obvious. The question is where could he go? Well, Disneyland Paris seems like a good location at the moment. Walt Disney Studios Park will be undergoing a large expansion starting in 2021, and by the looks of the concept art, there may be room to spare once Frozen, Star Wars, and Marvel arrive on the scene. There is a small space of greenery to the west of the Frozen land. Big enough for an extra land. The perfect spot for the Hundred Acre Wood.

Alternatively, there is space at the back of DLP’s Fantasyland, beyond the train station. Originally, a replica of the Matterhorn Bobsleds was to have been built there, but the project was abandoned. There was even a tunnel under the station to take guests there. There is a question of space, and the relocation of the behind-the-scene buildings that currently exist there.

So, here is my pitch for a mini-Winnie the Pooh land at Disneyland Paris, or at least speculation for what could be if such a land existed. 

First off, that ugly theatre building where guests can meet Mickey Mouse must go. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and hides the lovely train station from view. Nothing would replace it, and would open the path a bit more to the station.

Paths on both side of the station lead under it to the Hundred Acre Wood. As you might guess, the area would be heavily wooded. Trees, trees, and more trees. There is also a question of space from the back of the train station to the road to the north of the resort. The use of trees and gardens can help both make the space look larger, and to hide the outside world. Casey Jr. Circus Train’s railroad also winds around the available space. I would include a small hillock in the eastern part of that area, allowing the train pass through to glimpse the woodland.

Attraction wise, it would again be based on the amount of room. The smaller Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh would be the go-to choice since its been used so many times around the world. Personally, I would want to include the magnificent Pooh’s Hunny Hunt in the land, placing it at the back. The one problem is that, if you look at Tokyo Disneyland, Hunny Hunt has a quite a large, long show building. A smaller version, like the Magic Kingdom version of Pirates of the Caribbean, could easily fit into the land.

The way I imagine the layout – guests come out from under the train station’s two paths, with a third leading past Casey Jr. In the middle of the land is the Honey Pot Spin, a clone of the Shanghai spinner. At the back of the land would be the Pooh dark ride, either Many Adventures, Hunny Hunt, or maybe a new, original Pooh ride, with the exterior of a gigantic storybook acting as the main icon of the land. Pooh’s Corner, a gift shop, would be built in the north-eastern corner, adjoined partially to the dark ride’s show building. It would resemble a large British cottage or country house, nodding to A.A. Milne’s home in the Ashdown Forest, the real world inspiration for Pooh’s home.

Being a forest, there would be a large number of winding paths to explore. The western side of the land would be a walkthrough area, where guests can interact with the various houses of Pooh’s friends. Amongst them is Pooh’s house, where guests can hear him pondering about eating honey, and an animatronic Owl perches outside his treehouse. Pressing the ground-level door bell awakens Owl and he shall entertain guests with various stories about his wacky relatives.

Placing Pooh within Disneyland Paris would work quite well on a thematic level, being right around the corner from the British works of Peter Pan and Mr. Toad.

But what about elsewhere? Well, Shanghai Disneyland has plenty of room. It could easily close its Pooh dark ride, and create a larger, brand spanking new Hundred Acre Wood, and bring some more fluid theming to the rather bare bones Fantasyland. At the original Disneyland, Pooh’s presence in Critter Country is nonsensical, so a new ride in Fantasyland would at least suffice. Perhaps remove either the Fantasyland theatre, or It’s A Small World (I know, I know, it’ll never happen!), to make room for the dark ride.

I am surprised that Winnie the Pooh hasn’t received his own themed land yet. Epic rides yes, delightful meet-and-greets yes. There is a big question about what happens after Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens. What would Disney’s next goal be? Well, something smaller but equally important to their success and legacy, such as Pooh for example, might be a good way too go.

 

All images belong to the original creators.