Future of Toon Lagoon

[Mike S]

I don't think a Toon Lagoon conversion to SpongeBob will be as difficult as it sounds. The foundations of TL are fine, it's just not a land that you can enjoy if your not interested in the rides themselves with no relevant IP to keep you there. Having two water rides next to each other is fine, issue is you need to provide something dry. You don't necessarily need a ride, but a theater show could work.

Spoiler: Blue Sky

View attachment 20835
Basically split between 3 sections

• Glove World - where the theater/carnival games currently are. "Cover" the TL Theater with a Glove World facade/backdrop and put a flat ride in the courtyard area out front. Put theater entrance somewhere
• Bikini Bottom
• Jellyfish Fields - Popeye's area. If you repaint the rocks from orange to purple, you get pretty close to the SpongeBob aesthetic without doing much else here. It's pretty remarkable how close this area resembles SpongeBob, just needs a paint job.

Dining

• Krusty Burger (Comic Strip Cafe) - would pay for a whole new theme park on its own. It's a massive QSR location, really just need to work on the façade.
• Chum Bucket (Gasoline Alley) - convert to a counter service offering "chum" fries and whatever crazy things they can come up with. Should be easy to eat items, something to walk around with.
• Kelp Shakes (Wimpy's) - need to provide some sort of reason to make this location more popular/unique

Retail

• Barg 'n' Mart (Toon Extra)
• M&G Exit Shop (Wossamotta U)

Attractions

• SpongeBob Stage Show
• Flat Ride - something for kids to do themed to Glove World
• To Be Named (Ripsaw)
• Jellyfish Field Rapids (Popeye's)
• Meet & Greet Space (choice ala Princess Fairy Tale Hall) - Enter via SpongeBob's house (approx. AP lounge), indoor queue, etc. Exit through the gift shop (Wossamotta U)

This should be IoA’s next thing after Zelda. Not sure where I’d slot it in among resort wide projects, but for IoA definitely next up.

 

[Nico]

I always thought Mrs Puff’s driving school would be a great theme for a ride. Built in “everything goes wrong” vibes. I’d also love a gag animatronic of Mrs. Puff all blown up at the end of the ride.

 

[MLevell]

I remember when the first episode of Spongebob premiered and, for the first time with a NickToon, not enjoying it. So personally I would not want this to happen, but I can admit that it would be popular with the public.

I do agree that Toon Lagoon needs a dry ride, IoA's biggest problem to me was always that unless you wanted to get wet there were no rides between Spider-Man and Dueling Dragons, now Kong and VelociCoaster have reduced that problem but Toon Lagoon still needs something. I have always maintained that a Rocky and Bullwinkle water dark ride was the perfect solution, a nice slow journey through the woods with plenty of comedy gags and you have Boris and Natasha set off a bomb for your action moment.

 

[Wesker69]

I have always maintained that a Rocky and Bullwinkle water dark ride was the perfect solution, a nice slow journey through the woods with plenty of comedy gags and you have Boris and Natasha set off a bomb for your action moment.

As I mentioned before, Toon Lagoon was supposed to have a Rocky & Bullwinkle coaster, but sadly was cut because IOA was already having budget issues.

I was told that it would've also gone through & around "Mount Dudley". I'm sure there is concept art somewhere in existence. But yea, a dry ride would help the balance.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I always thought Mrs Puff’s driving school would be a great theme for a ride. Built in “everything goes wrong” vibes. I’d also love a gag animatronic of Mrs. Puff all blown up at the end of the ride.

Yeah I want to see that animatronic too lol

 

[Nico]

Yeah I want to see that animatronic too lol

SpongeBob in a crashed boat and Puff floating near the ceiling right before we go down Dudley’s drop.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

I don't think a Toon Lagoon conversion to SpongeBob will be as difficult as it sounds. The foundations of TL are fine, it's just not a land that you can enjoy if your not interested in the rides themselves with no relevant IP to keep you there. Having two water rides next to each other is fine, issue is you need to provide something dry. You don't necessarily need a ride, but a theater show could work.

Spoiler: Blue Sky

View attachment 20835
Basically split between 3 sections

• Glove World - where the theater/carnival games currently are. "Cover" the TL Theater with a Glove World facade/backdrop and put a flat ride in the courtyard area out front. Put theater entrance somewhere
• Bikini Bottom
• Jellyfish Fields - Popeye's area. If you repaint the rocks from orange to purple, you get pretty close to the SpongeBob aesthetic without doing much else here. It's pretty remarkable how close this area resembles SpongeBob, just needs a paint job.

Dining

• Krusty Burger (Comic Strip Cafe) - would pay for a whole new theme park on its own. It's a massive QSR location, really just need to work on the façade.
• Chum Bucket (Gasoline Alley) - convert to a counter service offering "chum" fries and whatever crazy things they can come up with. Should be easy to eat items, something to walk around with.
• Kelp Shakes (Wimpy's) - need to provide some sort of reason to make this location more popular/unique

Retail

• Barg 'n' Mart (Toon Extra)
• M&G Exit Shop (Wossamotta U)

Attractions

• SpongeBob Stage Show
• Flat Ride - something for kids to do themed to Glove World
• To Be Named (Ripsaw)
• Jellyfish Field Rapids (Popeye's)
• Meet & Greet Space (choice ala Princess Fairy Tale Hall) - Enter via SpongeBob's house (approx. AP lounge), indoor queue, etc. Exit through the gift shop (Wossamotta U)

Someone already mentioned it, but Ripsaw Falls should be converted to Rock Bottom Plunge. I'd also tear down TL Theater for a dark ride.

 

[BatCom]

This is my absolute dream

And I am fully convinced that the land would be EXTREMELY popular. Not to a Potter level, but a few notches below that.

I agree that an SB land would be a slam dunk. A well done, well themed Krusty Krab quick service would be the main draw.

 

[IzzyB]

I don't think a Toon Lagoon conversion to SpongeBob will be as difficult as it sounds. The foundations of TL are fine, it's just not a land that you can enjoy if your not interested in the rides themselves with no relevant IP to keep you there. Having two water rides next to each other is fine, issue is you need to provide something dry. You don't necessarily need a ride, but a theater show could work.

Spoiler: Blue Sky

View attachment 20835
Basically split between 3 sections

• Glove World - where the theater/carnival games currently are. "Cover" the TL Theater with a Glove World facade/backdrop and put a flat ride in the courtyard area out front. Put theater entrance somewhere
• Bikini Bottom
• Jellyfish Fields - Popeye's area. If you repaint the rocks from orange to purple, you get pretty close to the SpongeBob aesthetic without doing much else here. It's pretty remarkable how close this area resembles SpongeBob, just needs a paint job.

Dining

• Krusty Burger (Comic Strip Cafe) - would pay for a whole new theme park on its own. It's a massive QSR location, really just need to work on the façade.
• Chum Bucket (Gasoline Alley) - convert to a counter service offering "chum" fries and whatever crazy things they can come up with. Should be easy to eat items, something to walk around with.
• Kelp Shakes (Wimpy's) - need to provide some sort of reason to make this location more popular/unique

Retail

• Barg 'n' Mart (Toon Extra)
• M&G Exit Shop (Wossamotta U)

Attractions

• SpongeBob Stage Show
• Flat Ride - something for kids to do themed to Glove World
• To Be Named (Ripsaw)
• Jellyfish Field Rapids (Popeye's)
• Meet & Greet Space (choice ala Princess Fairy Tale Hall) - Enter via SpongeBob's house (approx. AP lounge), indoor queue, etc. Exit through the gift shop (Wossamotta U)

For me it is less about how easy, more there are bigger things out there that need fixed. First being not having a shuttered land in IOA, replacing Simpson, not having so many empty theaters, and replacing F&F.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

For me it is less about how easy, more there are bigger things out there that need fixed. First being not having a shuttered land in IOA, replacing Simpson, not having so many empty theaters, and replacing F&F.

Obviously there are more important things, just highlighting how simple a Toon Lagoon retheme actually is. It'd be a bit more ambitious than DreamWorks reskin, but I could easily see this as a comparatively cheap project compared to an entire LC redo.

 

[Rhian]

Turning TL into Spongebob would make it easy to demolish the Spongebob store in USF and move it over to make space for a better ET entrance. I'm not sure they'd leave the store open at USF since that might be confusing.

SpongeBob in a crashed boat and Puff floating near the ceiling right before we go down Dudley’s drop.

 

[Nico]

Turning TL into Spongebob would make it easy to demolish the Spongebob store in USF and move it over to make space for a better ET entrance. I'm not sure they'd leave the store open at USF since that might be confusing.



View attachment 20850

Ahaha it’s so beautiful

 

[docholiday]

Walking around today I really think the Middle Earth idea would fit well. Like I’ve totally come around on that. I know it’s likely an expansion for EU if it ever happens but In don’t hate the idea of it as a Toon replacement.

 

[WebHead1138]

Walking around today I really think the Middle Earth idea would fit well. Like I’ve totally come around on that. I know it’s likely an expansion for EU if it ever happens but In don’t hate the idea of it as a Toon replacement.

I disagree with this. It should stay toon themed. I personally would retheme it to DreamWorks Lagoon. The other park can have the “Land” version.

 

[Mad Dog]

They have LC to redo next. That will be a major project. I would doubt there's anything substantial, like a retheming of that whole Toon area, for a pretty long time.

 

[Mike S]

They have LC to redo next. That will be a major project. I would doubt there's anything substantial, like a retheming of that whole Toon area, for a pretty long time.

Plus I’m sure Universal would love to take advantage of trying to open Zelda sometime around the movies release.

 

[Magic-Man]

A Toon Lagoon retheme/replacement is probably a decade away now. Lost Continent and Springfield will come first if rumors are true, and between those and Epic there just won't be any extra funding to go around.

 

[belloq87]

Other than addressing Lost Continent, IOA doesn't need anything for a long time.

USF needs a decade's-worth of sustained attention.

 

[Magic-Man]

Other than addressing Lost Continent, IOA doesn't need anything for a long time.

USF needs a decade's-worth of sustained attention.

Absolutely. Fans might not like the land, but it's still a popular area during Florida summer (AKA March through November). Meanwhile, it sounds like Rockit and Simpsons are on the chopping block with Supercharged not far behind if the rumors are true. The parks will finally be equal to each other once everything is done hopefully.

 

[belloq87]

The parks will finally be equal to each other once everything is done hopefully.

I like your optimism... but let's not get ahead of ourselves!