What’s Next for Walt Disney World?

WDWNT on July 17, 2009

There have been a plethora of rumors floating around the web regarding what may be on the horizon for the four theme parks of the Walt Disney World Resort. It seems every time we reach a point in WDW history that we have no official word as to what is next, an incredible batch of rumors seem to run rampant (Those of you around in the late 1990’s probably remember rumors of Fire Mountain, Bald Mountain, and a Villains themed land for the Magic Kingdom). There is no need to fear, as Walt Disney World is probably on the verge of it’s largest theme park expansion in years, perhaps Disney is just waiting for the right moment to spring the news on the entire world (remember, the D23 Expo is just a few weeks away). To clear up some confusion, I wanted to take the time to make a post that recaps everything I have heard thus far on future plans, but keep in mind (as with any rumors) that anything listed below must be taken as a rumor until an official announcement is made by the Walt Disney Company. Let’s begin:

The Magic Kingdom

Fantasyland Refurbishment & Expansion: Since WDW News Today launched in July 2007, we have reported on rumors that a Little Mermaid dark ride attraction was coming to Fantasyland to replace Pooh’s Playful Spot and Ariel’s Grotto. It is important to keep in mind that this rumor pre-dates any formal announcement that Disney’s California Adventure would be building this long-proposed Disneyland Paris attraction. It seems likely that construction will begin soon in the Magic Kingdom, and the announcement by Disney a few months ago that they were looking for a “one-Disney” experience only bolsters the idea of this voyage “under the sea” taking place on both coasts. If this major addition takes place, it will most likely do more than add a major E-Ticket to the park in late 2011/early 2012, but will also add a large Disney Princess store and meet-and-greet area at the attraction exit (thus allowing the Princesses to leave the perhaps doomed Mickey’s Toontown Fair). This large addition may also force “Dumbo: The Flying Elephant” attraction to move to a new location. If the Little Mermaid dark ride comes to be, we can expect the remainder of the Fantasyland expansion to take place over the 4-5 years following, including: a Mad Tea Party with a new covering reminiscent of Disneyland Paris, the replacement of Snow White’s Scary Adventure with a “Beauty and the Beast” dark ride, and the addition of a Seven Dwarves Mine Train roller-coaster on the land now occupied by the old Fantasyland Skyway building. Also amid the rumored changes for Fantasyland are new facades for most Fantasyland attractions, shedding the “medieval fair” setting, and new visual effects and upgrades being added to both The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan’s Flight.

A competing (perhaps more current) concept follows the floor plans below (found on the Disney Report’s Soft Opening Blog), also adding Princess and Fairy themed areas with minor attractions while removing the entire north side of Mickey’s Toontown Fair. This plan also has Snow White’s Scary Adventure saved by building the Beauty and the Beast dark ride next door to a proposed “Gaston’s” restaurant. This would terminate the castle forecourt theme with a wall leading into the “deep woods” and lands themed to Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Dumbo, and Winnie the Pooh. This plan also includes similar upgrades (mentioned in the first paragraph) to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, with a new facade matching the look of the Hundred Acre Woods and a new Pooh character meet and greet area across the path. I had not seen this particular version of the plans before this week, but they are quite a bit larger than the plans I had spoken about above, making me skeptical as to how genuine this drawing actually is. We’ll just have to sit back for a little while and wait to see when and where construction walls eventually rise in Fantasyland.

fantasyland_plans

Another New Tomorrowland: Rumors suggest that there are plans in the very early stages for an overall refurbishment and expansion of the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland area. We’re still hearing that a “Wall-E” inspired Buy ‘N’ Large (BNL) takeover is in the works, with the concept being that we are entering a prequel to the film, just before Earth was covered in mounds of trash. Whatever the actual plan may be, it appears time may soon be up for Stitch’s Great Escape, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and The Laugh Floor. Why would such young attractions be removed so quickly? Well, Stitch’s Great Escape has been received as one of the worst attractions in Disney history, The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor was always meant to be a temporary addition, and Space Ranger Spin hasn’t been as cool as it once was before high tech versions of it were cloned around the world and Toy Story Mania! opened last year. Again, Disney is in the very early stages of planning these changes, and we probably won’t see anything happen until the Fantasyland expansion is complete.

TLC for Some Classics: Just because there may be a wave of new attractions coming to the Magic Kingdom, doesn’t mean they will forget about some of the classic offerings. Since 2006, we have seen extensive refurbishments of Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, the Jungle Cruise, the Hall of Presidents, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (re-opens in late August), and Space Mountain (re-opens in November). If rumors are correct, the next attractions in line for a fixin’ should be The Enchanted Tiki Room and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. In addition to these attraction fix-ups, a classic Magic Kingdom parade should also be seeing some exciting changes. Very quietly, Spectromagic has had some technological upgrades over the last few months, with most character costumes and the “finale rope” now sporting LED lighting. (these changes were quite noticeable, take a look next time you watch the parade). In addition, Mr. Smee and the Wicked Queen from Snow White are sporting completely new costumes. I would expect BIGGER changes to the parade before October 1, 2011, rolls around…

Epcot

Journey Into Imagination: Since October 1, 1999, we have been waiting for something meaningful to come to the Imagination! pavilion, and it seems our wait is almost over. We now know for a fact that Walt Disney Imagineering will be taking control of the pavilion at some point over the next twelve months, what is going to happen after that takeover is still debatable. We will most likely see the Dreamfinder reunited with Figment and perhaps the usage of the same trackless ride system that will be going into the upcoming Mystic Manor attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland. There hasn’t been much leaking on this project, but I have a feeling we will know much more about this project very soon.

The Rest of Epcot: Innoventions is going to continue it’s rapid evolution through the next few years, including the already announced addition of “The Sum of All Thrills” this Fall. The Universe of Energy is rumored to be next in line for a revamp after the Imagination! pavilion, followed by the now shuttered Wonders of Life pavilion. Test Track may see changes sooner rather than later, but that will be decided by the day to day performance of General Motors and how much longer they continue to operate. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth may be nearing the end of it’s run, but don’t be sad, not many nighttime spectaculars get the opportunity to run for more than ten years.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Monsters Inc.: One of the worst kept secrets in Disney Park history has to be the proposed Monsters Inc. family-style coaster that will be placed next door to the wildly popular Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction on Pixar Place. As has already been discussed on other credible sites, guests would enter the offices of Monsters Inc. following the events of the first film and somehow get involved in a wild door chase after Randall through the Laugh Floor and door warehouse. The coaster and the vehicles are supposedly going to be built by Vekoma and may look a little something like the trains seen at this link. While the Disney vehicles will probably sport a Monsters Inc. style transport door on the back of each seat, the attraction’s track layout might be one of the two featured on that very same webpage page. Just try to imagine the coaster below enclosed in a building.

SFC02

The coaster would also fly through dark-ride style scenes, leading to us eventually saving Boo and defeating Randall by putting him through a trash compactor (yes, the smae ending from the “Ride and Go Seek” attraction in Tokyo).

Whew! That should do it for now. I know it’s a lot to swallow, but there is a ton of these rumors flying around at the moment and I wanted to make sure everyone was well informed. While some (or most) of these rumored changes won’t actually occur, it’s always fun to speculate. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW NEws Today as we get more information on all of these exciting rumored projects.

The Tomorrow That Never Was, Is Now a Film

WDWNT on May 18, 2009

From the fine people over at Orlando Attractions Magazine:

With the success of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, based on the theme park ride of the same name, it’s no surprise that more park-inspired films are on the way. Rumors of a Jungle Cruise movie have been bouncing around the Internet for many months, but it now appears that Tomorrowland may be the inspiration for the next in the series.

From scifiwire.com:

Screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore told reporters that they have finished a draft of a script for Tommorrowland—the upcoming Disney sci-fi movie that will star Dwayne Johnson—and, like the theme park area for which it is named, it will posit a bright and shiny future.

The writers participated in a group interview in Las Vegas on Sunday to promote The Hangover. The following Q&A features edited excerpts of the interview. Tomorrowland is eyeing a 2010 release.

What are you guys working on writing?

Moore: We’re working on a sort of sci-fi action comedy for Disney with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which is called Tomorrowland. Disney had a ton of success with Pirates of the Caribbean, so this is their Pirates of the Caribbean in space.

Lucas: There are meetings every now and again where you can see the gears turning. It’s like, “Well, if we had a mountain in this movie, it would be really easy to call this [Space Mountain].” Tomorrowland is actually a pretty cool title, even though that section of the [Disneyland/Disney World] park is not maybe [as futuristic anymore]. It’s like, “Look at this refrigerator!”

So do you update it or go for the kitsch?

Lucas: We’re not laughing at the idea. We’re not laughing at Tomorrowland or the idea of what people in the ’60s thought the future would be. Our goal, whether we’re successful or not, is the vision of the future is actually the best future. It’s not post-apocalyptic or dark and gritty. It’s like everything you wish you could have, every gadget and device and car, that’s what it’s like in the future. So the future is actually really great.

What year is it set?

Moore: It’s a little bit of a moving target, but it’s about 350 years in the future.

Lucas: It’s hard because when you go back and watch good sci-fi, it’s like the year 2010, and we’re in 2010, and Kevin Costner’s not walking a mule around. You have to put it far enough that people in the theater aren’t openly laughing at the concept, but it can’t be so far. Things are changing so quickly that in 300 years things will probably be pretty unrecognizable.

Is this a fast track project?

Moore: No. It all depends. We’re going to be turning in a draft maybe in three weeks, but don’t write that down, because then we’ll get calls from the executives. It all depends on how the draft is received.

What’s Johnson’s character?

Moore: In Tomorrowland his character’s name is Rip, and he plays a present-day test pilot who tests a plane and gets shot into the future. So he’s a sort of a fish out of water in the future and he is sort of figuring out how everything works. Along the way, the people in the future don’t know who he is, and they actually think he’s bad guy bent on destroying the future.

Was he always involved when you started writing?

Lucas: We actually came on with him.

Moore: When we first started loosely talking to Disney about the idea, he was not involved but they said, “Hey, we want to do a sci-fi with him and you guys are pitching a sci-fi.” They put us together so when we actually sold the pitch to them, he was attached, so it was always designed for him.

Lucas: He’s also quite literally the easiest guy to work with, the nicest guy. I think he’s been doing it so long, he’s great, so we’re lucky to have him on board.

Does he tell you the formula he wants: sci-fi, comedy, etc.?

Lucas: We had some fun dinners with him. Seeing him in public is just like, he’s, like, 9 feet tall, and his smile is incredible. He’s such a gentleman with everybody, and we talked about movies with him. He’s a savvy guy. I think he knows what he’s doing. He knows what he’s good at. He’s coming out of a world, like obviously pro wrestling is not a very constant feeder into Hollywood. Hollywood kind of looks down on it, and the fact that he’s done as much as he has is a testament to how he sort of knows what he’s doing.

While the various incarnations of the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions throughout the world mostly feature the same specific characters and scenes, Tomorrowland is full of far fewer specifics and really relies on more of an idea or feeling, with its style and look even varying from park to park. It’s much harder to predict what a Tomorrowland movie will look like, but from this interview it certainly seems like it will be unlike anything we’ve seen in the parks before.

If this film does as well as Disney is hoping, don’t be surprised to see Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, and Mike Wazowski move out for the Tomorrowland of the movies (finally solving Disney’s long time dilemma of constantly updating the land over and over again). Stay tuned to WDW News Today as we get more information on this upcoming Disney film based on the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.

Imagine the Past (or the Future?)

WDWNT on April 23, 2009

While browsing the new-and-improved official Walt Disney World website, I stumbled over something interesting on an attraction information page. The page displaying information about the “Imageworks – The KODAK What If Labs”  at Epcot seems to have a few errors (or are they):

ImageWorks – The Kodak “What If” Labs features a vast array of hands-on, sensory-themed activities and exhibits where you can exercise your imagination and explore your creative side in exciting exhibits that include:

Dreamfinder’s School of Drama – Become the star of your very own film using greenscreen technology
Stepping Tones – Create your own music by stepping on electronic picture panels
Figment’s Coloring Book – Using electric paintbrush guns, add a little color to Figment and Dreamfinder
Electric Philharmonic – Conduct an orchestra through the use of electronic sensors
Rainbow Corridor – Stroll through an illuminated tunnel where colored lights follow you
Vibrating Mirrors – Watch as your reflection changes right before your eyes
Kaleidoscopes – Spin eye-popping colors in intricate designs via large-size kaleidoscopes
Voice-Activated Lumia – Speak out and behold a bevy of shimmering light effects
Bubble Projectors – Blow virtual bubbles on a circular screen and create colorful colors
Figment’s Melody Maker – Help Figment play an instrument to the tune of “One Little Spark”

The exhibits marked in bold lettering all closed as part of the original Imageworks in October 1998 for the refurbishment that brought together the new/current Imageworks, Journey Into Your Imagination (still makes me cringe), and renamed the pavilion “Imagination!”. Why would a website just updated in 2009 feature information this dated? Why are the old exhibits mixed together with the current ones on this list (Mind you, Stepping Tones has existed both upstairs and downstairs)? It’s no secret that Walt Disney Imagineering is working on an update to this troubled Future World pavilion, as a matter of fact, most of the company has already been made aware that the entire “Imagination!” pavilion is going to be handed over to Imagineering before next summer. So what’s going on? Is this just a mistake, or is this a hint of things to come? We’ll just have to wait and see. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today for more on this story as it develops.

Night Kingdom Scaled Back to Jungle Trek???

WDWNT on August 21, 2008

Our good friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media is now reporting that the Night Kingdom project (a fifth park for the Walt Disney World Resort that would only operate during the evenings, operate with a 2 to 1 cast member to guest ratio, and cost a pretty hefty ticket price) has been severely altered, and will now be tentatively named “Disney’s Jungle Trek”. The name change may not be all that was altered, as Jim goes into some detail in today’s article about various budget cuts the concept is already receiving in these very early planning phases.

Jim also reports that various surveys are going to be conducted very soon to gauge guest reaction to the idea of this proposed vanity park. So if your going to be at Walt Disney World in the not-so-distant future, be sure to be on the lookout for those research Cast Members wielding clipboards.

We would also like to remind you that project is still just a rumor and has not been discussed or announced in anyway by the Walt Disney Company. However, numerous sources have confirmed that a project of the sort is indeed in development, but may still never be constructed. To read Jim Hill’s complete article, go HERE.

More Details on Disney World’s 40th Anniversary

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

While we are still a little more than 3 years away from the 40th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1, 2011, there are many rumors of new additions to the Disney theme parks that are becoming more and more likely. We have already told you about the plan to renew classic attractions at the Magic Kingdom such as Space Mountain, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Country Bear Jamboree, and the Hall of Presidents, as well as add a few new attractions such as a Little Mermaid dark-ride and some new nighttime entertainment offerings. Now details are emerging on some planned projects for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the celebration.

By now, you are all aware of the world’s worst kept secret of Star Tours receiving its new story, queue, film, and store sometime in 2011, but you may not be aware of another film change that is now making the rounds. It appears that filming for the proposed “Soarin’ Around The World” film is set to begin soon and we can plan on seeing the updated Epcot and California Adventure E-Ticket debut sometime in late 2009/early 2010 if all goes according to plan. Epcot is also expected to be replacing Illuminations Reflections of Earth with a new show sometime in the 2009 and who can forget the still unofficial Monsters Inc. roller coaster that’s coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With all these big-budget projects and the expected financial downturn that WDW is about to go through, it will be interesting to see what from this list actually makes it off the blueprints and into the parks.

Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on these rumors as we get closer to Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary.

Monsters Inc. Sequel and Attraction in Development

WDWNT on August 6, 2008

It appears that Pete Docter and the people at Pixar are keeping busy working on some Monsters Inc. projects, according to IGN:

The collective clever clogs over at Pixar are hinting that one of their most successful flicks —Monsters Inc. — could soon receive the sequel treatment.

Speaking to MTV, Pete Docter, the director of the original, said, “We’ve thought about it. We’ve got a couple of ideas.”

He failed to elaborate further, instead saying that much of his team’s resources are currently being poured into the forthcoming Monsters Inc.ride at Walt Disney Resorts.

If you recall, we talked about a rumored Monsters Inc. themed roller coaster to be built for Disney’s Hollywood Studios sometime in the not-so-distant future. A number of Disney cast members also reported that a preview video of this proposed attraction was available on the Cast Member Hub website for a few hours about two weeks ago. With these two apparent leaks of confidential information about a future Walt Disney World attraction, we could expect an official announcement on the project very soon. Stay tuned to WDW News Today for more information on this rumored project as it becomes available.

One Monster Coaster

WDWNT on July 21, 2008

Just as we briefly mentioned at the end of last week, rumors are swirling that an inverted roller coaster themed to Disney Pixar’s Monsters Inc. will be the next major new attraction for the Walt Disney World Resort after the opening of the American Idol Experience this January. Our good friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media had a lengthy article about the proposed Hollywood Studios roller coaster today, although he did go into more detail on some other upcoming projects as well.

Jim also mentioned two new attractions that were first rumored to the public right here on WDW News Today over the course of the last year. First mentioned was that the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure will be themed to “A Bug’s Life” (probably in the very-near future), and next was the Little Mermaid dark ride that will most likely be heading over to Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in October of 2011. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today for updates on all of these very strong rumors, and be sure to read Jim Hill’s article HERE.

Taste Test Track

WDWNT on July 17, 2008

Remember the old Leave a Legacy kiosk over at Epcot? If you do, then you probably know it was shutdown last summer and has been a dead-zone pretty much since that time. However, as you can see by the picture below, work has already begun on fixing up the area:

If the rumors I’m hearing are true, we should see some representatives from the food and beverage division of the Walt Disney World Resort setting up shop here in the near future. The reason: this spot is set to become a taste-testing area, where different food and beverage ideas and concepts can be tested with the general public. While we’re not sure if this means guests can line-up to taste what’s next for the World, I’m thinking that they will just be pulling random guests out of the crowds to do all the testing (much like they do for all of the other different “experiments” they perform around the resort). While none of this is confirmed as of this moment, It is highly likely to happen in some way, shape, or form. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on this Epcot location.

Time To Turn Back Tiki-Time???

WDWNT on July 15, 2008

After months of hearing rumors that the Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management will be closing sometime in the near future to make way for a Stitch-involved makeover, a new wild rumor has hit the streets of the Magic Kingdom and has cast members in De-Nile (Attempt at a Jungle Cruise joke). Strong rumors now indicate that the original budget for the postponed major Jungle Cruise attraction refurbishment maybe heading across the way to fund the restoration of the talking audio-animatronics bird show to its original splendor. In short, the original Tropical Serenade show may return to the Magic Kingdom as part of a huge marketing campaign for the 40th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort in 2011.

The planned campaign is going to promote the idea of guests experiencing renewed classic attractions and entertainment inspired by the resort’s past. Among the planned updates for the celebration are updates to Space Mountain, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, The Hall of Presidents, and the Enchanted Tiki Room at the Magic Kingdom; Journey Into Imagination and Illuminations at Epcot; and The Great Movie Ride and Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Also rumored at this time are a new firework show and updated Spectromagic parade at the Magic Kingdom.

While most of these changes are likely to not take place (as is the nature with rumors), a few of them will make the line-up in time for October 1, 2011. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more info on these rumored changes becomes available.

Jim Hill Goes Off the Wall-E

WDWNT on July 14, 2008

Our good friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media has a great article up today about the rooms currently being re-decorated to Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo over at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. While the new movie themed rooms are very news-worthy, there is something towards the end of the article that is far more interesting and exciting.

When mentioning tomorrow’s article for the site, Jim brought up the rumor that plans for Shanghai Disneyland’s Tomorrowland area have it completely themed to Disney-Pixar’s Wall-E film. I found this pretty exciting since I had been told about a month ago that the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland may be getting the same treatment. Current plans include having the fictional “Buy N Large” corporation from the film Wall-E taking over tomorrowland, in order to give the land a cohesive storyline after years of mass-confusion. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Space Mountain, and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress would most likely only be touched up to reflect the new theme, but major changes would be happening to the remainder of Tomorrowlandunder the current plan. A Wall-E themed show is currently in the works in Imagineering and would most likely replace Stitch’s Great Escape (while Stitch moves over to the Enchanted Tiki Room), although there is also talk of the show replacing The Laugh Floor. Other plans include major refurbishments of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and the Astro Orbiter. While all of this is still rumor for now, there is a very strong possibility that most of the changes in this plan will take shape by 2012. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on the future of Tomorrowland becomes available.