D23 (24)
I did create this as a place to talk about theme parks, so I’d better talk about theme parks sometimes, right?
The D23 convention — Disney’s biannual showcase in Anaheim — just wrapped up this past weekend. This year’s Parks Panel (officially titled Horizons: D23 Parks Experience Showcase) was expected to be on a grand scale. For one, the crowd was moved from the largest hall in the Anaheim Convention Center to the entirety of the Honda Center down the street, for two, much hay has been made of the Disney parks being on the back foot; with both the closure of the Galactic Starcruiser and the imminent opening of Universal Epic Universe in Florida taking some luster from the crown jewel that is Walt Disney World. The most recent D23 in 2022 (also the only one that I have attended), did not satisfy very much; there was a long “blue sky” conversation, several talks of opening dates for attractions we already knew about, sparse details about a new Avengers attraction, and a few new walk around characters.
I didn’t take on the trip or cost this time, but from what I was following on Twitter, the plate offered this year was much more filling (“nothing here is blue sky” said Josh D’Amaro, head of the Disney Parks), albeit with — as theme park fans are wont to supply — plenty of controversy already baked in. I won’t go over everything here (I do not care about cruise ships and you couldn’t torture me enough to watch the Broadway version of The Greatest Showman), but here’s what seems to be the most interesting:
Avatar and Coco coming to California Adventure
I group these together because they have what I think DCA has been sorely missing: a slow-moving boat ride. Sure, the Avatar ride seems to have the same technology as the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Shanghai Disneyland, but this will not be a boat ride guaranteed to make you wet, and that’s a win for me.
Coco seems to be a perfect fit for DCA — although the film is set in Mexico, California Adventure has, for the past several years, used the film as its IP for a Día de los Muertos setting called Plaza de la Familia, unique among Disney parks in its recognition of California’s significant Latine population. Otherwise this area, which was once part of Paradise Pier before it was rethemed to Pixar Pier and is now Paradise Gardens is relatively underutilized, with mostly nondescript theme park food, a beer cart, a Sunglass Hut, and a couple flat rides (shout out to my fave nighttime attraction, the Golden Zephyr!). It would make sense, given that Disney Parks are moving in an IP-only development process, to update that area to Coco, touching on California’s connection to Mexican culture much as Sanfrasokyo (on the other end of Pixar pier) touches on its connection to East Asian culture.
The other aspect of the Coco ride — and this is a far-flung idea — is that it might be a test run for the long-awaited re-theming of the Gran Fiesta Tour ride in Epcot.
As for Avatar — well, California doesn’t have a connection to James Cameron’s fictional space planet of allegorical indigenous blue aliens, but then again, it doesn’t have a connection to Monster’s, Inc. either. The rumor is that this area will be in what used to be the Hollywood Backlot area of the park, where the unused Hyperion Theater is now, which would make for an odd sightline, for sure — the benefit of Pandora in Animal Kingdom is that the park is already full of greenery, so that the grandeur of the land itself is hidden from view until the right moment. How this could work in a park that is mostly buildings save for one specific area — which is already filled with a water ride that I doubt will be removed — beats me. It will be years until we know for sure and ride it for ourselves, but as someone who is unapologetically obsessed with the world of Avatar as brought to life once by the Imagineers, I have high hopes — and, if nothing else, will never say no to another boat ride.
Pueblo Esperanza
Speaking of Animal Kingdom, we finally got more details on the newest land that is set to be opened there in the next couple years: the Tropical Americas area of the park, now officially titled Pueblo Esperanza, which will take the place of Dinoland USA.
First, the brontosaurus in the room: there are a good amount of people that feel as though Dinoland USA should be maintained and improved, rather than swapped out for (again) more IP-based content. Dinoland is, I would argue, the weakest of the Animal Kingdom lands by far; a clever idea with spotty execution, a place that, were it to be done again from scratch, would look nothing like it does now. When the land opened, it was an open-air museum of fossil replicas and prehistoric forests as well as the thrill ride Countdown to Extinction (later renamed Dinosaur), later most of the fossils were removed and replaced with a children’s play area (good), a now-defunct wild mouse coaster (fine), a Dumbo copy (less good), and a series of carnival games across a wide stretch of asphalt (bad). Dinosaur has been touch and go as a ride, often with low wait times due to being set far back in the park or with notoriously broken animatronics. The land has every reason to be either completely overhauled and replaced altogether, and yet, there are still those who believe that doing so will destroy the “spirit” of the park, a concept which they, the fans, have no ownership of, though we will talk about that later.
As for Pueblo Esperanza: the land appears to have three attractions: a carousel, a family dark ride through the casita from Encanto, and a new Indiana Jones ride. Rumors are that this will be a reskin of Dinosaur, as Dinosaur is, famously, the Indiana Jones ride from Disneyland with different sets. My expectation, though, is that the ride building may be kept but the rest will be changed. I am more excited about an Encanto ride; as I was delighted by the film and the setting of a magical house moving you around sounds like a reimagining of the Mystic Manor attracting in Hong Kong Disneyland.
Elsewhere in the land we can, I hope, expect what Animal Kingdom already has: impressive greenery and outstanding cuisine. The only outlying question is whether or not the land will include animals; Dinoland had only one on exhibit, an American crocodile, and the newest land, Avatar, has no real animals. I would hope that wildlife is incorporated into the experience, if done with care. As Joe Rhode, the Imagineer who created Animal Kingdom through Avatar said, any place in Animal Kingdom should follow three core tenants: the intrinsic value of nature, a call to action, and transformation through adventure. It seems more likely that can be achieved with new concepts than through a roadside carnival.
Monstropolis at Hollywood Studios
And here we come to our first controversial announcement: not because of what it is but because of what it might replace.
In development is a Monsters, Inc. land for Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World; which will feature shops, what appears to be a replica of the Harryhousen’s sushi(?) restaurant from the film, and, most interestingly, a new roller coaster through the hanging doors of the first film’s climax.
Very cool, very IP, very interesting.
When the land was announced, two pieces of concept art, which appeared to show two different areas of the park.
On one hand, the area could go in the Animation Courtyard, site of the Star Wars Launch Bay, an exhibit which sits awkwardly inside the former Disney Animation Studios where films such as Lilo and Stitch and Mulan were animated. The courtyard also has a theater for the Disney Junior Dance Party, a kids show, and the soon-to-reopen Little Mermaid musical show, but otherwise is an area that is completely unused, despite once being the beating heart of film production at the park. So: the courtyard has empty buildings and space to fill that will help to relieve capacity for the park that is already strained with crowds arriving for some of the most popular attractions at the resort.
On the other hand, it could go in Muppet’s Courtyard.
This seemed ludicrous to me, but according to The Wrap, it’s very true: Grand Avenue, the area that hosts the long-standing MuppetVision 3D, has been considered for demo and retheme for the new Monsters Inc. land. I do not think it is possible for me, in a single blog post, to explain how upsetting this is as an idea — not only is the show delightful and nearly original to the park, it is also the only attraction in any park that features the Muppets at all, a property that Disney owns but seems to have no understanding of. It was one of the final projects of Jim Henson’s life. It was a childhood joy for myself and countless others. If I go back with my family, it’s the first location we visit; not any of the new attractions or thrill rides, and we try and see it twice. I have seen multiple people on Twitter swear that they will chain themselves to the building, the show is that beloved.
Allegedly the idea to announce the location was scrapped and the Imagineers and D’Amaro are going back to the drawing board; in a few weeks we will learn their final decision. There is a third option for the back of the park, with the door coaster replacing Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, but, logistically, I don’t see that working.
As an optimist, I’m going to withhold my laments for MuppetVision 3D until I know it is needed; but I am also being clear about how much this attraction would be missed by fans of the show, of the Muppets, and of the park. I do not feel that sentiment about everything that is being overhauled due to these announcements, for example:
Cars and Villains at the Magic Kingdom
At the previous D23, part of the “Blue Sky” conversation was about “what was beyond Big Thunder Mountain” at the Magic Kingdom: an unused area behind the Rivers of America and between the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion attractions. A few ideas were shared, including Coco, but the one that won out, much to the delight of nearly everyone, was a Villains Land — a space taken over by the gay-coded baddies of the films, ostensibly full of crags and dark magic and swirls of green mist. With few other details, but knowing that permits are filed behind the Haunted Mansion, the Magic Kingdom seems to be making a positive change — were it not for the second announcement about that corner of the park: that the area where the current Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island sit will be filled in and replaced with a new area, with attractions themed to the Cars franchise, replicating the canyons and mountainous terrain of Big Thunder but draining the river and overhauling the wooded island for good. The community — at least that vocally poetic branch of it online — was agog.
For those who have not been, the Rivers of America are a shallow man-made lagoon that sits beside Frontierland and Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom. Unlike at Disneyland, there are only two ways to traverse the lagoon: aboard the Liberty Belle, a riverboat that takes a 20 minute loop around the waters to point out points of interest on shore, and a raft to Tom Sawyer’s Island. The island itself is a series of trails and play areas available until dusk. So yes, there is ambiance and placemaking, and there is nostalgia; after all, these were built when the park opened, as they were replicating the same experiences at Disneyland.
They’re also, to put it simply, not extremely popular attractions; outside of the busiest days there are never lines for either, most people never even bother to visit more than once, if at all, and neither are considered “must do” attractions. Still, there is the argument to be made that the “placemaking” of a body of water and an island indicates the frontier, but to consider that it is the only reasonable option is a limit to the creativity one can expect from Imagineers. One should also consider what the Rivers of America literally are, which is to say, a shallow body of water that takes up considerable space and requires a costly amount of maintenance:
There are also aspects of ROA and TSI that are outdated beyond repair: “Injun Joe’s Cave” is still there, and the “Burning settler’s cabin”, a racist leftover from Disneyland’s river. I’ll be the first to say that Cars are the least good Pixar films, but also that they are a franchise that sells to children like hotcakes, and that the Cars Land in DCA is, somehow, possibly the best looking area in the park.
Miscellaneous
- Lion King Splash Mountain for Paris: Cool!
- Pirates Lounge in the Magic Kingdom: Assuming this will be a reservation-only place and hard to get into, hopefully have an entertainment aspect, and will drag us closer and closer to MK being a booze-friendly park
- Spaceship Earth lounge: The concept art for this looked kinda boring, so I hope nobody goes there but they have good drinks and it becomes my new favorite place to chill out
- Walt Disney Animatronic: A lot of folks seem to hate this idea, but if there’s anyone who has ever lived who would want to be turned into an audio-animatronic show in Disneyland, it’s Walt Disney. Keep moving forward into the uncanny valley, WDI!
