Cars area coming to Magic Kingdom

[Nick]

Yup - I don't mind this change, but I don't agree with "forcing" everything under the Frontierland brand/name. Just kill it and rebrand everything.
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No need to keep Frontierland anymore. Just retheme a few facades and you can advertise 5 "new" lands at the Magic Kingdom (excl. Liberty Square).

Also, before anyone gets after me, I'm very neutral about HoP being remove, I just put it here for Blue Sky dreamin'.

I actually said the same thing during the presentation the other night to a friend. I really don't want to see HoP removed (I know that would be another controversial thing) but if it must and we get a Muppet AA show, I think it could be kinda cool.

 

[WebHead1138]

I find it hilarious that people are upset over a river getting replaced. That area is literally a dead zone. I’ve been to MK countless times and I have never once given it any of my time. Good riddance. Bring on Cars Land!

 

[Mad Dog]

Frontier in the USA has always been an ever changing element as settlers/pioneers pushed westward. Heck, I live in the Pittsburgh area and this was the original 'wild frontier' as settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountains. Nearly every original western Pa. settler was killed in the raids and wars that ensued. And the Settler/Indian wars were larger here and Ohio than they ever were further west. Cedar Point, Ohio has a replica Fort Sandusky that was a few miles from the park and was the furthest extent of settlement at one point in time. Davy Crockett's (featured at original Disneyland) first Disney TV adventures weren't in Texas at the Alamo. Those riverboat scenes happened much further east. Bottom line is that the Frontier Land could be anywhere in the USA. Louisiana was once frontier too...even Jamestown and Salem would qualify....It's really as broad based as 'Adventureland', 'Fantasyland', and 'Tomorrowland'. 'Frontierland' fits as well as any of those other original park lands.....Some peoples concepts of 'Frontier' are based more on old cowboy movies than any real history.

 

[GAcoaster]

Jason Cochran (travel writer for Frommers) does a great job explaining why this is a bad move:

Disney Is About to Gut Magic Kingdom, Fans Are Furious, and You Don't Have Much Time | Frommer's

Disney just announced a Cars-themed area that will destroy a huge heritage section of Magic Kingdom park in Florida. | Frommer's

www.frommers.com

 

[Mad Dog]

Jason Cochran (travel writer for Frommers) does a great job explaining why this is a bad move:

Disney Is About to Gut Magic Kingdom, Fans Are Furious, and You Don't Have Much Time | Frommer's

Disney just announced a Cars-themed area that will destroy a huge heritage section of Magic Kingdom park in Florida. | Frommer's

www.frommers.com

The point I like most about his article is how Disney continually drains the Theme Park profits to finance underperforming areas of the company, instead of channeling enough into the parks to increase capacity. I've been saying that for years, and I fully agree with that part of the argument.

 

[SeventyOne]

Frontier in the USA has always been an ever changing element as settlers/pioneers pushed westward. Heck, I live in the Pittsburgh area and this was the original 'wild frontier' as settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountains. And the Settler/Indian wars were larger here and Ohio than they ever were further west. Cedar Point, Ohio has a replica Fort Sandusky that was a few miles from the park and was the furthest extent of settlement at one point in time. Davy Crockett's (featured at original Disneyland) first Disney TV adventures weren't in Texas at the Alamo. Those riverboat scenes happened much further east. Bottom line is that the Frontier Land could be anywhere in the USA. Louisiana was once frontier too...even Jamestown and Salem would qualify....It's really as broad based as 'Adventureland', 'Fantasyland', and 'Tomorrowland'. 'Frontierland' fits as well as any of those other original park lands.....Some peoples concepts of 'Frontier' are based more on old cowboy movies than any real history.

This was the original plan for Frontierland. You started from Liberty Square (late 1700s), made your way to the Mike Fink Keelboats and Davy Crocket Canoes and Liberty Bell representing the "alligator-men" of the Mississippi/Appalachia, then moved into the cowboys of the Old West. The street numbers correspond roughly to the years as they pass. Of course, the whole thing was screwed up at open when it didn't go on to Tomorrowland (in the 1950s/60s, the moon program was sold as "the New Frontier" with astronauts portrayed as modern cowboys), and adding ca. 1870s GA in the middle of ca. 1880s Old West didn't help. Then the pre-cowboy references were largely removed. So at this point, sadly, I'm ok with subdividing the land, as long as the resulting attractions and mini-lands are solid. Something near perfect like Radiator Springs is better than a compromised Frontierland.

 

[jarmor]

Side note… now I’ve never been able to visit WDW, so this opinion could be way off base… but when you have this massive resort filled with places to just hang out and soak in the atmosphere (across the other parks, hotels, Disney Springs, and even the Seven Seas Lagoon just outside the main entrance) is an area like TSI and the ROA as necessary to the resort as a whole, as their counterparts are to the Disneyland Resort—which can’t offer anything like that outside of the main park’s gates?

It doesn't work like that. If I am in MK and I wanna take a break and chill, I am not going to exit the park and go to a hotel or Disney springs. You'd want some place close to you to do that.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Theming/Atmosphere is just as important as attractions in the theme park experience. All of the rivers/jungles in Animal Kingdom are critical to the park's experience/goal. Remove them in favor of adding retail/attractions with no regard to aesthetics, and you ruin the park.

A good example of taking abandoned/low-attended areas is VelociCoaster. It completely changed IOA's skyline, yet resulted in increased capacity and interest in areas of the park previously empty.

 

[belloq87]

A good example of taking abandoned/low-attended areas is VelociCoaster. It completely changed IOA's skyline, yet resulted in increased capacity and interest in areas of the park previously empty.

This is a situation with eerie parallels for me (though not on the level of significance or impact as ROA at MK). I know everybody tends to have the consensus that VelociCoaster improved the atmosphere and aesthetics of IOA, but I don't see it that way. I think the (quieter) jungle atmosphere of Jurassic Park was very important to the park.

But I won't get into that here!

 

[jarmor]

Yeah VC, to me, is an example of taking an area like TSI and adding a reason to go there as the waterfront area is still there but just not quiet as it use to be.

 

[belloq87]

The loss of aesthetic value is certainly going to be more pronounced at Magic Kingdom, unquestionably.

I can still go down by the lagoon in Jurassic Park if i want to (there's too many people and a coaster is constantly screaming by, so I don't want to much anymore... but at least I could!).

 

[saint.piss]

 

[Michael S]

It doesn't work like that. If I am in MK and I wanna take a break and chill, I am not going to exit the park and go to a hotel or Disney springs. You'd want some place close to you to do that.

Isn’t the seven seas lagoon just outside the park entrance? That’s pretty close for a spot to take a break.

My point wasn’t about being in the MK, tho. It was about this not being a loss to the resort as a whole, when there are plenty of places that can fill that void. We also don’t know if Cars might incorporate a few spots of its own, that meet that need. But I do understand your point.

 

[jarmor]

I think you should take a visit to the resort to see that the lagoon is not an accessible area for taking breaks. It has a walking path with no shade and (as far as I know) no benches).

 

[Michael S]

I think you should take a visit to the resort to see that the lagoon is not an accessible area for taking breaks. It has a walking path with no shade and (as far as I know) no benches).

I think you’re misunderstanding what I mean by break, in this case. I’m not talking about enjoying the shade or taking a seat; I’m talking more about being able to get a break from the crowds and have a quieter area to hang/walk around.

I’ve made it clear that my opinion could be off base, since I haven’t had the chance to visit the resort yet, but I’m sure I’d take a mid day break and walk by the lagoon—like I do when I go to Disneyland and hang out by the ROA for a little escape.

And, again, maybe there will be this element in Cars that can fill some of that void. We just don’t know yet

 

[belloq87]

And, again, maybe there will be this element in Cars that can fill some of that void. We just don’t know yet

I hope to be wrong, but I just don't think the area will be large enough to provide for any tranquil areas.

I suspect virtually every piece of walking path will end up being used for overflow queue space (once the attraction comes off its lengthy Virtual Queue designation, which we know it will have to start).

Now, I am intrigued by the presence of the Liberty Belle dock building in the concept art. It seems like that would have been a no-brainer to get rid of, yet it's continuing to exist (if we believe the concept art). Perhaps that will be repurposed into a multi-level scenic overlook of the new area, and if so, that could end up being a nice area to take in some scenery.

My hunch, though, is that it will become stroller parking or meet and greet space.

 

[BigHouseFootball]

It’s tough when an attraction you love and have grown up with goes away. I was crushed when Wishes went away. I proposed to my wife during it! Then when Illuminations went away I felt like a loved one had died. I did my CP at Epcot so I watched that show almost every night for half a year. But I decided something after Illuminations went away. I wasn’t going to be that guy who always gets upset when something changes. I wasn’t going to be the guy younger people roll their eyes at for not wanting change. Will I/do I still mourn when something from the parks from my childhood goes away? Of course. It’s only natural. Seeing Splash go was tough. But I’ve come to terms with nothing lasts forever.

It is undeniable that MK will be better off after Cars and Villains.

1. Just adding that many more walkways will help alleviate the crowds. There is going to be so much more park for everyone to be at, and should make the park feel less crowded.

2. They are adding 4 new rides! Again, this will help spread out the crowds and should help lower wait times across the park.

It sucks when parts of our childhood get taken away, and we should mourn those instances. But let’s not sacrifice the park for the sake of nostalgia.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I searched to see if anyone had posted this but it's from a screenshot I took on twitter/X regarding the current rivers of america situation. Any comments on how true this is?

"I can tell you that countless rides were taken on the riverboat by key people involved in this decision and it was not taken lightly. They know they have to blow everyone out of the water with what gets built on the site. (Pun intended) It still makes sense.


Cars being the IP was selected for WDI by others. Cars makes ridiculous financial and demographic sense. It sells merchandise like no other franchise, it will eventually allow for the removal of the Tomorrowland Speedway on the other side of the park to free up more valuable real estate in the park, it appeals to the Floridian demographic, and it appeals to families (not single millennials, if they were going for that demographic they would have themed the entire area to A Goofy Movie). Cars also is a friendly story that will provide the friendly alternative to the scary Villains land beyond.


How to fit Cars into the region is actually very real, as JL did concepts for the original films going through places like Yellowstone, but were never realized (though the adjacent franchise, Planes Fire & Rescue does take place in a Yellowstone-like national park). There is a lot more to this concept and I think you'll see some more Cars related IP coming round the bend.

The aesthetics of the land are based on the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area in DCA.
(Piston Peak instead of Grizzly Peak)

Obviously there are some aesthetic differences and it's a Cars ride instead of a rapids ride, but that's a product of the MK having Tiana's so close and the IP requirement set above.

In the end, there was no way to save the existing river system. The new lands have major elevation changes that can't be accomplished without altering the river, and the reality is that they have an obligation to push for more capacity in the park, even if it means at the cost of something so big. It will be tough to see for the next 5-10 years, but l've been assured it will all be worth it, and the new water features will be much cleaner and feel a lot more fun.

I hope that explains a lot of the decision making that went into this. Happy to answer a few other questions if you still have them."

Useful context if accurate.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I think the Velocicoaster comparisons make sense - but it'll definitely be a bit different considering MK is technically replacing 2 "attractions."

VC literally just took over abandoned backstage areas.

 

[Mad Dog]

I think the Velocicoaster comparisons make sense - but it'll definitely be a bit different considering MK is technically replacing 2 "attractions."

VC literally just took over abandoned backstage areas.

and my serene nap time on the wall in front of the Discovery Center, looking at the lagoon.....