Walt Disney World - 1966 Project

Fantasyland Park

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Enchanted Forest

 

Picture walking into this type of scene with dense forestation and giant imaginative trees and wildlife surrounding you. Lush vegetation, birds, butterflies, you're essentially walking into the unknown, but the forest really beckons you to discover more.

 

This would be like Oasis, but instead of going the realistic jungle route, we'd be going in a more fantasy driven route. Even though this is the entrance to the park, we could add in  an A-ticket and a meet and greet in the entrance/enchanted forest area for opening day

 

Flower Meet and Greet

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This has been brb's idea since day 1 and I think it would go really well as a meet and greet in the enchanted forest and within the entrance to the park as a whole! Nestled off to the side of the large trees and vegetation, you can meet Flower and other rotating characters from Bambi, a film that Disney released well before the date of 1966-1971 when this would be constructed.

 

 

A-ticket Tinker Bell attraction and Quick Service

 

My thought would be, on a somewhat smaller scale, as guests walk through the fantastical entrance to the park, that they walk through an edition of  Pixie Hollow. Peter Pan, another film that Disney would have released by now, would fit well in this area, and if we look at my really poorly drawn map...

 

If the Bambi meet and greet was somewhere towards the left of the entrance deep in the forests (the trees are the dashes on the map) then I was thinking the pixie hollow area would be what guests are walking towards before they reach the icon of the park and the tall mountain (which I will get to later)

 

The Pixie Hollow miniland could transition into a "Neverland" mini-area with a Peter Pan dark ride (this would be the wavy area without a number on it...as Neverland would be in a sense, a miniland of the Enchanted Forest.

 

The A-ticket could me more of a kiddie attraction mixed with some interactive play areas for kids, including mazes, and perhaps a meet and greet. The Pixie Hollow area would also include a Tinker Bell quick service area.

 

 

Covering that requirement (however I think there should be more than one quick service on opening day)

 

Overall this area would just be the appetizer to the other sprawling lands to explore in the Fantasyland Park, and be a scenic entrance into the park without a typical Main Street.

 

As another added bonus, the large mountain as the icon (which I will get to in the next post --- might surprise you) won't be seen until you get to the forefront of Pixie Hollow, and even then it'll use force perspective to seem further away and taller than it actually is.

 

Matterhorn Bobsleds

 

Yes, this will be the first (of many) times that Disney will "clone" a concept of another Disney Park. However this won't be an ordinary cut and dry clone.

 

This will be a new rendition of the Matterhorn - akin to comparing WDW's Tower of Terror to Tokyo DisneySEA's Tower of Terror - two different experiences and storylines, yet similar concepts.

 

Standing 200 ft tall and surrounding by a variety of vegetation, grassy plains, pixie hollow, and more - this Matterhorn will not be off of Main Street, visible from places like Tomorrowland and Frontierland. This time we are going to get it right.

 

The Matterhorn Bobsleds will be the icon of "Fantasy" since it does evoke a majestic aura to it not only as a Fantasyland attraction, but just in its scope and design. It almost looks like it comes out of a fairy tale mountain.

 

The Matterhorn will still have a dueling coaster design, and single rider, however on a much more grand scale, with banked curves and slopes through the icy caverns.

 

Essentially, given the time period, it will have a similar shape and design to 1975's Space Mountain

 

An Erector set model...yet built into a mountain range...swerving in and out of its icy slopes all while trying to escape the clutches of the Yeti, who will be on a much grander scale than the animatronic in Disneyland (for 1970s AA technology)

 

The queue will also be more heavily themed and contain a narrative of that you are on an expedition by Robert Sled -- trying to find out the mysteries of the mythical Yeti.

 

The mythology and fantasy basis of the attraction is why it would be the perfect icon for the park, because not only is it an amazing design, but it combines basically everything that the park is about. Majesty, fantasy, and mythology.

 

As said before, the backstory will be much more in-depth and involve Robert Sled -- for more details on him, we can also include the Robert Sled bench described and updated below from the SA Season 3 challenge in 2015.

 

 

Majestic Point - A Symbol of Imagination

 

Backstory:

Around 1866 in the golden age of alpinism, Robert Sled, a painter, sculpture artist, and aspiring mountaineer, tries his luck to scale the mighty Matterhorn Mountain with some of his friends. Unfortunately, after a harrowing journey, he and his friends cannot reach the top, and begin the descent back to the base of the mountain. Once at the base of the mountain, Sled looks up in awe at the beauty and majesty of the mountain from this unique perspective. Sled is inspired by this location, and feeling a creative connection to the environment, decides to build a bench for himself in the area. With the help of his friends, Sled is able to build a bench from a nearby Spruce tree. Sled oversees the design and decides to give the bench a 360 degree perspective, so he had have all the available beauty at his disposal. Sled also paints and sculpts the bench to his individual tastes, adding a wide variety of color patters and wood engravings in the bench, including his own name. Finally, after the bench was complete, he dubs it and the location, Majestic Point. Over the next few months, Sled paints and sculpts an eclectic variety of art.

 

However, one night, before packing up his art to head home, Robert Sled hears loud footsteps creeping out of the shadows. He sees a tall white figure with giant claws who takes a swing at him. He ultimately escapes but was to scared to ever return to the Matterhorn base again.

 

Decades later, while filming Third Man on the Mountain in Switzerland, Walt Disney notices the majesty of the Matterhorn and sends a postcard of the mountain to Vic Greene, an Imagineer, telling him to "build this." Upon further investigation, Walt notices a beautifully painted and sculpted bench and the yeti claw marks on it. He asks to take the bench with him - but it never saw the light of day in Disneyland when the attraction opened because imagineers thought it would rapidly decay in the heat. It ended up staying in storage for the time being. Nevertheless, while not on display in the park, the bench's design was the inspiration for the color scheme of the Matterhorn Bobsled attraction queue.

 

Bench Essentials:

 

Location:

The location of our new bench, named "Majestic Point", is on the walkway to the right of the Matterhorn. Guarded by a small Alpine rock formation, this quaint and picturesque area is where Majestic Point will be situated. Along with having enough space, there is a formidable tree on the side of the bench, which offers much needed shade for guests in the Florida sun.

 

Viewing Perspective - Facing the Matterhorn with the same viewpoint as Robert Sled

 

Double-Sided:

Majestic Point will have seats on both sides, offering multiple benefits to guests. Not only will Majestic Point be able to hold double the capacity of a regular sized bench, but guests are also given the option of two scenic views. If you sit facing the lagoon, you can passively observe two of the most iconic attractions in Disneyland: the Submarines and the Monorail. Nevertheless, if guests sit the opposite way, they can look up at the towering Matterhorn Mountain and reflect on the idea that this view was the same perspective that inspired Robert Sled to not only design the bench, but to paint, sculpt, and dream up masterpieces of art.

 

Material:

Robert Sled and his fellow companions built this bench in the 19th century from a Spruce tree at the base of the Matterhorn Mountain. The Spruce tree is the most common tree in Switzerland, with 46% of all trees being Spruces. WDI has refurbished the aesthetic features of the bench, which allows Majestic Point to offer a comfortable seat to relax and enjoy the views.

 

Color Scheme:

The base color of the bench is the same dark finish and eclectic color patterns that the queue building has, which you can see below:

 

Special Features - Around the Bench in Several Photos

 

Name Carving:

Robert Sled decided that he should carve his name into his bench so anyone who sees it knows who designed founded it. On the seat, he carved his name "Bob" into the bench. The artist's name was also a driving factor in designing the Fantasyland Park Matterhorn attraction around Bobsleds, as his name is actually Robert (Bob) Sled.

 

Yeti Claws:

When guests observe the bench, there are noticeable claw marks from when Harold the Abominable Snowman had a run in with Robert Sled. You will be able to stick the tip of your index finger into the claw marks, showing how powerful this monster truly is.

 

Future 2010s - Charge Ports:

In order to enhance the guest experience with Majestic Point, the creative designers at WDI decided to add one modern touch. You will see a Matterhorn logo on each corner of the bench, 4 in total, which are charge stations for electronic devices. While Fantasyland should be enjoyed technology free, Disney understands the growing necessity for electronic accommodations, and the hopes of these charge ports will be so that guests utilize them for the continued longevity of their devices and not to keep their heads in their smartphones. As an aside, these charge ports will not be on park maps, so they will act as a hidden, "in the know", Fansecret.

 

Wonderland Forest

 

Landscape Design

 

As a transition from the mythical side of Fantasyland and the Pixie Hollow area of the park, the Wonderland Forest will be very colorful and erratic compared to a more familiar forest setting.

 

Here would be what the land would look like

 

There would be 3 attractions

 

- The Alice and the White Rabbit C-ticket.

- The Mad Tea Cups spinner (B-ticket)

- A walk through Labyrinth maze

 

 

Essentially we could take a lot of elements from our Year 1 project in the House Cup!

 

The Wonderland Forest would also include the table service restaurant we need, themed to the Mad Tea Party.

 

 

Alice in Wonderland

C-Ticket

 

Join Alice as she follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and experience her many adventures!

 

 

Step inside a small English Cottage and wind your way through a Wonderland. Pass Tweedledum and Tweedledee, shrink to the size of flowers, and go through the Tulgey Woods!

 

 

Hop aboard a teacup and stay on the trail of Alice and the Cheshire Cat as they race through town in search of the White Rabbit while avoiding the Queen of Hearts and her deck of cards!

 

A Wild Ride That You Control

 

As you go through Wonderland, be on the lookout for the White Rabbit, which could make your teacup spin. Steer your vehicle a full 360 degrees as you manage to gain control and pilot to safety along the crazy course.

 

Lastly we go to the Neverland Mini-Land - which I would think would include Peter Pan's Flight, a pretty

good classic attraction, maybe with our own spin to it.

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In the 1970s, we don't have a lot of technology, the only difference I would do is make the attraction a bit longer and add some more effects, but we are limited in that regard.

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Fairy Tale Courtyard

 

Winnie The Pooh and the Honey Tree

Introduction
As part of our Fantasyland Phase 3 project, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh will receive a much needed refurbishment and upgrade. Since the attraction's inception in 1999, it has received mixed reviews among Disney fans, and with the rise in popularity of the patented trackless ride system, the attraction will be equipped with the touted ride system along with a brand new narrative.

In addition to the ride updates, the surrounding area will be "plussed" with more of the A.A. Milne created Winnie the Pooh landscape, as the Hundred Acre Wood will be expanded and immerse guests further into the Fantasyland Forest. Adding scenery to the eastern portion of Fantasyland, the Hundred Acre Wood will include an expanded interactive queue for Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree dark ride, as well as a character meet and greet location as guests enter Fantasyland from the Main Street Hub.

Interactive Queue
The attraction queue begins in the same location as it currently does, however the main extension and remodeling of the queue has to do with its meandering path around the side of the attraction and into the Hundred Acre Wood. Here you see Rabbit's garden with interactive vegetables, Gopher's hole, Owl's Treehouse, and Tigger's Bouncing spot, all in the shade as large oak trees shade the queue as guests travel through it.

Once the queue wanders indoors closer to the load/unload area, you see the classic A.A. Milne storybook pages on the walls showing excerpts of classic Winnie the Pooh tales and giving you the introduction to the ride as it says you're about to enter Pooh's house, he has just woken up, and he's going to begin his "exercise" routine.

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Scene 1
Your Honey Pot takes off with the classic Winnie the Pooh melody "Up, Down, Touch the Ground" playing in the background as you enter Pooh's House, where Pooh is standing in front of his mirror trying to touch his toes and talking to his reflection in the mirror and empty jars of honey laying around the floor.

Pooh: Oh time for something sweet...oh bother empty again...only the sticky part's left.

As you leave Pooh's house you enter the Hundred Acre Wood where your dark ride vehicles can move by themselves throughout the landscape as the Sherman Brothers "Winnie the Pooh" instrumental theme plays and other audio animatronic characters pop out.

From his door, Piglet says "Pooh look, I found a Honey Tree!"

Tending to his garden on the opposite side, Rabbit announces, "Don't climb that tree, there's bees up there."

Owl then chimes in from his treehouse, "Bees, never heard of such kind creatures"

As your vehicles turn throughout the Hundred Acre Wood in a 360 degree landscape, you approach the scene transition and see Pooh flying with a balloon up into the Honey Tree.

Scene 2
Pooh ends up stuck face first into the tree as the wind starts to blow, and Gopher pops out from his hole in the ground to exclaim:

"It's Windsday!"

The trees and surroundings start to sway (large fans are also installed in this scene to give guests the 4D wind effect, and your Honey pots vehicles spin around as the wind gets stronger. On the left you see Kanga holding onto Roo with a blanket as Roo laughs at the fun.

You also see Eeyores "gloomy place" made of sticks fall down in the wind as Eeyore sighs

"I guess I'll have to start over again"

As the scene concludes you hear commotion coming from under the tree Pooh is stuck in as the wind almost knocking Pooh out of the Honey tree as Tigger bounces into the frame.

Scene 3
"Don't worry old buddy old pal, I'll catch ya...come on folks, bounce with me" Tigger cheers as The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers song begins to play. Your vehicles move up and down along with Tigger as he bounces up and catches Pooh as he falls from the tree and the bees swarm out popping Pooh's blue balloon and heading back into their tree.

As soon as they reach the ground, the clouds get dark and rain begins to fall.

Scene 4
Eeyore pouts "First the wind...now the rain" as a flood begins to form and the characters use umbrellas to travel along the river of rainwater and the "Rain Rain Rain came down down down" song plays in the background

Tigger proclaims "Don't worry Pooh at least in this weather your honey is safe from those Heffalumps and Woozles."

Pooh "You mean elephants and Weasels? Uhh what do they do?"

Tigger "Oh nothing much, just steal honey"

Pooh "Steal honey?!"

Scene 5
As the rain stops and your vehicles transition into the new scene you see Pooh asleep in his nightgown and hat as the name Heffalumps and Woozles play again and again in his mind. You see a projection of Pooh fly off and tumble into a dream state as you go into the next scene

Scene 6
The Heffalumps and Woozles theme plays as you rotate around large audio animatronic luminescent characters in a larger than life dream sequence. The wide track allows your Honey pot vehicle to rotate in all facets and directions as you careen from one character to another. In the final scene you see the Heffalump and Woozle sitting with a giant jar of honey as you hear Piglet, Tigger, and other characters start to say in faint voices "Pooh" "Pooh bear" as you transition to the next scene

Scene 7
Pooh wakes up the next day and finds Christopher Robin and all of his friends gathered around a picnic table with several jars of honey and other food items for lunch.

"The wind knocked all the honey out of the honey tree, Pooh!" Tigger explains. "Here come celebrate with us"

The Winnie the Pooh melody begins again and the final scene of the ride is Pooh's head facing the ride vehicles surrounded in honey and smiling "Today's a good day" as the last page of the large storybook canvases reads "The End"​

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Peter Pan's Flight

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You board your pirate ship and set sail through the childrens' bedroom where on the walls you can see streaks of Pixie dust enveloping the your ship as Tinker Bell sprinkles you and Peter says "Come on everybody, here we go...off to Neverland"

 

Your ship rises as you fly over the streets of London which have all new LED glowing yellow city lights below you. There's also a new mist that flows by guests as if they are actually flying through the clouds, which adds to the illusion.

 

Another neat effect is that all of the other ride vehicles (ships) around you as you float by have a "pixie dust" golden yellow glow to them, which adds to the scenery of the attraction. With the city brightly luminescent below and the music swelling you twirl around the city and see Big Ben lit up in the night sky.

 

A sharp eye will also pick up Peter Pan, Wendy, and others on top of Big Ben, tinkering with the minute hand. As you end the scene you see Peter off in the distance in the classic "You Can Fly" pose as you sail off to Neverland.

 

One of the best additions to the attraction is the inclusion of a starfield as the transition from the London scene to the Neverland scene. Bright stars encompass your ship and swirl around you, offering a remarkable effect and nice moment on the attraction.

 

The mountains of Neverland are more luminescent now and the mermaid lagoon includes a flowing water effect off the side of the mountain. The mermaids move more fluidly now as well. You see the Native American tribe on your left as you fly by them, all with enhanced audio animatronics.

 

Below you can see more of the flowing water effect on the rivers which feel like they are miles below. You pass by Skull Island and hear the (Haunted Mansion esque) crow caw.

 

Skull Island is more detailed and you can hear a canon fire with a similar tone to Pirates of the Caribbean as a reference to that attraction. You board the ship and see Wendy standing on the plank. The ship animatronics have all been updated with the face projection technology of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and lines and expressions from the films are added to the characters to develop the story further.

 

You see the Lost Boys and Tick Tock in the water below before transitioning to Peter captaining the ship and Captain Hook trapped on the mouth of Tick Tock before returning to the load/unload area once more. ​

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Mary Poppins in the Park

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Scene 1
After walking through the Banks' House, you hear Mary Poppins announce that she will be taking up the offer to be the childrens' nanny even though Mr. Banks took down the "kind nanny" flyers that Jane and Michael had put up. You see Audio Animatronic Mary Poppins reaching into her bottomless carpet bag as the children watch in amazement.

Scene 2
In the childrens' bedroom you see Jane cleaning up and hear Mary Poppins singing " A Spoonful of Sugar" to the children. As you leave to transition into the next scene you faintly hear Michael ask if their kite that was broken (which you see in the queue) will ever be fixed.

Scene 3
The next day you are in the park where you see Mary Poppins and new character, Bert, on a stroll with penguin waiters at their service and the children, Jane and Michael, riding a carousel as ...Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ...plays in the background of the scene as the characters (and possibly you) sing along.

Scene 4
In the next scene you meet Uncle Albert, who laughs so uncontrollably that he rises to the ceiling, and your ride vehicles do as well as you soar up to the ceiling and through it onto the second floor.

Scene 5
You approach the Bank where Mr. Banks is being aggressively talked to by Mr. Dawes Sr. and the children run away into the East End as a bank run takes place with people asking for their money back. A somber transition occurs as the walks around you get dark and the burning smellizer from Spaceship Earth returns as you are on top of the rooftops of London.

Scene 6
Bert, a chimney sweep, tells the kids that their father doesn't hate them, and that he just has his own issues to deal with. Marry Poppins arrives and the group begins to sing "Chim Chim Cher-ee" as your vehicles go down the chimney and into the Banks household again where you hear Mary Poppins say "there's a change in the winds" and the children asking her not to leave.

Scene 7
In the Banks' foyer, Mr. Banks returns and has fixed the kite and Let's Go Fly a Kite begins to play as you see Mr. Banks dancing around and leaving the house with the kids. In the final portion of this scene, you see Mr. Banks and the kids off in the distance of the park, flying the kite at the end of Cherry Tree Lane, and Mary Poppins flying off with her umbrella in the other direction.