Villains Land at Magic Kingdom

[Freak]

I would LOVE to see an Emperor’s New Groove coaster.

I don’t think this would be the right fit for it though. It would be more suited for an Adventureland expansion or even DHS. When I go to Villains land, I expect to see gothic, grand, and…..grandiose? I ran out of G’s. It shouldn’t be colorful or whimsey. I want dark, sinister, and foreboding.

As for the thrill factor, they’re not gonna have any rides that are over 48 inches max. High thrill just isn’t Disney’s fortay. You can have a good thrilling coaster that doesn’t go upside down.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

As for the thrill factor, they’re not gonna have any rides that are over 48 inches max. High thrill just isn’t Disney’s fortay. You can have a good thrilling coaster that doesn’t go upside down.

You also can't sell lightning lanes to families with younger children.

 

[belloq87]

I don't think anybody is (or would be) arguing that TENG couldn't make for a fine theme park attraction.

I think what's tripping some of us up is that it is tonally fairly incongruous with the atmosphere it has been implied (in concept art and via statements) this land will have, and it's an odd deep cut* to base one of your signature attractions around when there are other, more beloved movies (and villains) that probably deserve more representation.

* Full disclosure, I'd love to see the Horned King in this land (which I don't expect), and it doesn't get much deeper-cut than him, so the fact that the source IP may be on the more niche end isn't inherently disqualifying; it's much more about tone.

When I go to Villains land, I expect to see gothic, grand, and…..grandiose? I ran out of G’s. It shouldn’t be colorful or whimsey. I want dark, sinister, and foreboding.

Disney has already been orchestrating this sort of expectation (through the released concept art). The visual storytelling of that image suggests -- in terms of tone and feel -- something much closer to the Haunted Mansion end of things (with a medieval spin) than anything else.

So if that's not the intent, Disney will need to start communicating that very quickly, or else they could end up with a Galaxy's Edge situation, where the land doesn't quite deliver what a lot of fans expected/wanted.

(Insert mandatory "I think Galaxy's Edge is still really good" disclaimer here.)

 

[Viator]

When I go to Villains land, I expect to see gothic, grand, and…..grandiose? I ran out of G’s.

Ghastly? Grim?

 

[OrlandoGuy]

You literally said you wanted the coaster to be a vekoma tilt track coaster.

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[Timchat2]

I could see Villains Land being the foreboding vibes of Dark Universe's Darkmoor combined with the eclectic mix of character-based architecture of Shanghai Disneyland's Mickey Avenue.

 

[belloq87]

I could see Villains Land being the foreboding vibes of Dark Universe's Darkmoor combined with the eclectic mix of character-based architecture of Shanghai Disneyland's Mickey Avenue.

I think it could work very nicely to have a unifying design philosophy for the entire land, and then have sub-areas where particular villains have put their own imprint on things, while still being under that design umbrella.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think it could work very nicely to have a unifying design philosophy for the entire land, and then have sub-areas where particular villains have put their own imprint on things, while still being under that design umbrella.

Similar to how Fantasyland & Adventureland blend in different designs/architecture, yet it all coincides tastefully. The transition from colonial/victorian design at the start of Adventureland, to Middle Eastern, Pacific and then Spanish Caribbean is done fantastically.

I'd imagine we could see Captain Hook's galleon over by the water, maybe a Hades' Greek-inspired restaurant (food type we haven't seen at WDW yet), etc.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Still take this with a grain of salt, but I generally trust Tom Bricker to be fairly objective about any rumors. Here's his assessment of the report (I will add my own thoughts later):

Magic Kingdom's Bigger Villains Land Rumor: Emperor’s New Groove Coaster, Maleficent Mega E-Ticket, Hades Dinner Show & New Third Ride

New details about the rides & restaurants rumored for Walt Disney World's allegedly "bigger and bolder" plans for the upcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom. Here's a rundown about how the attractions have reportedly changed,

www.disneytouristblog.com

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Understand that a lot of rumors have a delay.

When "Beyond Big Thunder" was initially announced (Coco+Villains+Encanto), it called for 3 "sub mini-lands" to fill out the area around Rivers of America. Smaller lands just like Hong Kong's expansions... D'maro decided that wasn't good enough. This is where that bolder statement comes from.

I appreciate a lot of what insiders say, but recently there vague comments have made the fandom a frenzy to work with.


I'm looking forward to this D23 so the fandom can finally get solid answers as to the scope of the currently announced projects.



Anyway, an updated guess as to how Villains and Cars will be laid out based on latest permits.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Understand that a lot of rumors have a delay.

When "Beyond Big Thunder" was initially announced (Coco+Villains+Encanto), it called for 3 "sub mini-lands" to fill out the area around Rivers of America. Smaller lands just like Hong Kong's expansions... D'maro decided that wasn't good enough. This is where that bolder statement comes from.

I appreciate a lot of what insiders say, but recently there vague comments have made the fandom a frenzy to work with.


I'm looking forward to this D23 so the fandom can finally get solid answers as to the scope of the currently announced projects.



Anyway, an updated guess as to how Villains and Cars will be laid out based on latest permits.
View attachment 29087

I like how the old layout for the Rivers of America is breaking through like a soul trying to break free after a ghost has possessed its body.

 

[fryoj]

I'm the Universal guy, so you're more than welcome to doubt it - but my two cents? This feels more like a classic game of Telephone. Something probably got lost in translation.

Or a mole hunt.

Cause I can't believe they'd actually go with that.

 

[Hatetofly]

You literally said you wanted the coaster to be a vekoma tilt track coaster.

I never said it was gonna be 90 degrees Joe but nice try. Imagine if they used the tech in a way like Gringotts with something mid scene. Oh what’s Gringotts height requirement again?

 

[Tobias]

Galaxy’s Edge is ruined because it’s only the Disney characters which are all 2015 - present. Disney Villains are nearly a century years old, as long as they don’t only focus on villains from the 2020’s we’re fine.

For Galaxy's Edge, I'll respectfully disagree. The characters themselves do NOT ruin the land. Because RotR uses said Disney era characters and is wildly praised. Conversely with Smugglers Run, a Han Solo AA wouldn't fix anything because the ride itself is flawed in its concept/execution.

And back to Villains, well the latest rumor features villains before the 2020's, but the reception isn't exactly glowing for one reason or another. As for me, I'm perfectly fine with an ENG lab coaster...as long as it's indoors. But from the rumors it's going to be outdoors, which I feel doesn't take advantage of the concept nor make sense from what was shown in the movie.

Then there's the rumored Maleficent boat ride, now a boat ride could be all fine and dandy, especially if they go with Shanghai's tech which people have been clamoring for. But is the ride going to feature any other villains than Maleficent, or is it going to revolve just around her? If it's the latter, that would honestly be disappointing to have a big Villain's land and you're not featuring a good chunk of them in the big E-Ticket ride.

I know this is purely rumors and all, but the reactions are showing Disney can absolutely trip over themselves with this one way or another.

-------

Also, @Hatetofly . Respectfully, your idea would've been better conveyed if you mentioned Gringott's from the get-go. Because every Vekoma coaster with a tilt system has been nothing but 90 degrees.

 

[belloq87]

Then there's the rumored Maleficent boat ride, now a boat ride could be all fine and dandy, especially if they go with Shanghai's tech which people have been clamoring for. But is the ride going to feature any other villains than Maleficent, or is it going to revolve just around her? If it's the latter, that would honestly be disappointing to have a big Villain's land and you're not featuring a good chunk of them in the big E-Ticket ride.

If I were designing these rides (and I'm clearly not), I would focus the E-ticket dark (boat) ride around the biggest, heavy-hitter magic-users/supernatural villains (Maleficent, Jafar, Hades, Dr. Facilier, pepper in SNOW WHITE's Evil Queen, BLACK CAULDRON's Horned King, and Chernabog in smaller roles), and center the coaster around the more human-scale villains (Hook, Cruella, Gaston, etc.).

 

[Legacy]

The "bigger, bolder" plans, if true, is shifting the land in a more family-friendly direction- more like Berk, less like Darkmoor. Not ideal if true.

I told you they were doing an Ursula spinner

 

[DOOMBOT]

Making "Wrong Lever" the primary coaster of your new Magic Kingdom land feels like monumental commitment to a one-off bit from a mildly successful 2000s film. It's a cute idea, but ... man. I dunno if it's that cute.

 

[cdogsumo]

After listening to Disney Dish, Len couldn’t really say much (protecting his sources). But what he could say about the scope and logistics of the “bigger and bolder” Villains Land doesn’t gel with the Wrap article.

I wonder if Disney is contemplating announcing something to combat some of these rumors. Not sure it matters to them or not.

 

[OrlLover]

After listening to Disney Dish, Len couldn’t really say much (protecting his sources). But what he could say about the scope and logistics of the “bigger and bolder” Villains Land doesn’t gel with the Wrap article.

I wonder if Disney is contemplating announcing something to combat some of these rumors. Not sure it matters to them or not.

I think people would be foolish to believe Disney is changing plans this late in the game.

This is more family friendly approach was probably selected a long time ago. We are now just getting the rumor mills for potential attractions.

The only IP’s I’m sure would be represented are Maleficent because her castle is the focus point of the land and Hades for a dinner show makes sense.

ENG seems like something thrown out just to get people talking. However I wouldn’t mind either as well as l love that movie. The flat ride addition is the biggest win IMO for this project as another attraction is always welcome.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

NEW Walt Disney World Permit Shows Changes to Villains Land at Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World has filed a new permit showing some slight changes to the upcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom

blogmickey.com