Epcot Part 2: Future World West

The three pavilions that comprise Future World West, The Seas, The Land, and Imagination, all have seen major changes since the park’s inception. With these changes, however, each of these pavilions has moved away from one of the park’s original intents. Epcot was meant to be a theme park where not only could families go to have a good time, but also to learn new things. This idea of “edutainment,” combining education and entertainment, was evident in all of Future World’s original attractions. Unfortunately, as Future World has slowly moved away from being about the future, it has likewise moved away from the more educational aspects of its attractions. My plan for Future World east is very much about restoring this classic/retro Future World.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends is an attraction near and dear to my heart. The ride itself is not necessarily a bad one, but its placement is terrible. This is an attraction that has no business being in Future World. What makes this even more frustrating is that the pavilion originally was a perfect fit for this area of the park, highlighting the future of deep sea exploration. In 2007 the entire pavilion was given a Finding Nemo overlay to capitalize on the success of Pixar’s movie. My plans for The Seas call for the restoration of the pavilion to the original Seabase Alpha theme.

Upon entering the building, guests would first encounter a 360-degree preshow film about the world’s oceans utilizing footage from the Disneynature documentary “Oceans,” with Pierce Brosnan providing the narration. This 10-15 minute preshow would not only provide guests with a stunning circlevision look at the world’s oceans, but also set the backstory for the entire pavilion.

Here is a sample of the beautiful footage that would await guests:


After exiting the theater, guests would then be ushered into Hyrdolators that would simulate the feel of travelling deep beneath the ocean.





Once they have exited the Hydrolators, guests would find the restored Seacabs waiting to take them to Seabase Alpha. When the ride was converted from the original Seacabs to a Nemo attraction it was also lengthened. I would keep the attraction at its current length, but restore the original look and feel. Guests would first travel through beautiful coral reefs, the screens that now project images of characters from Finding Nemo converted to show real images of exotic sea life (continuing to utilize footage from "Oceans"). One of the best features of the ride was actually covered when it received its Nemo overlay. In place of the EAC section of the Nemo ride I would restore the tunnel leading through the aquarium where guests are completely surrounded by glass windows allowing breathtaking views of the marine life.



Once exiting off the ride, guests would enter into Seabase Alpha where they can explore various exhibits about the future of underwater research and exploration and have great views into the 5.7 million gallon aquarium.





One aspect of the Nemo overlay of the pavilion that I would keep is Turtle Talk with Crush. However, the storyline of the show would be tweaked slightly to fit into the Seabase Alpha theme. The introduction to the show would explain to guests that they are there to witness the trial of a new piece of underwater technology that will revolutionize our study of the oceans, the hydrophone. This technology will actually allow us to speak with various underwater creatures. After this introduction, Crush swims by and begins his conversation with the audience; this is actually very similar to how the show progresses at Tokyo Disneysea. With this new theming, The Seas would once again fit with the theme of Future World.

Moving to The Land, the changes would not be nearly as dramatic. I would not touch the Living With The Land boat ride at all. This is one attraction in Future World that still fits with the original intent and purpose of the park. Also found in The Land pavilion, the Circle of Life film is an attraction that is typically overlooked but one that has a good message about the importance of conservation and man’s harmony with nature. I would change the film to one that incorporates elements of the Disneynature documentary “Earth”. The new film would focus not only on conservation, but also take guests on a journey across the world following the change of seasons (similar to the storyline of “Earth”) and be narrated by James Earl Jones.

Visually, this would be a very impressive film, similar to what is seen here:


Soarin’ is an attraction that presents an interesting dilemma. It is by far the most popular attraction at Epcot, but it does not necessarily fit well with the theme of The Land. Fortunately, it would be easy enough to change the film so that it does fit better with this theme. Instead of Soarin’ over California, guests would now go Soarin’ over the earth’s natural wonders. This new film would be very dramatic and visually impressive, more so than the current version. Picture flying over the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, the Great Barrier Reef, the Sahara Dessert, the Himalayas, the Alps, the Amazon Rainforest, and much more.









To make the attraction even better than its current form, I would also add in multiple, random ride sequences, similar to Star Tours at Hollywood Studios, so that guests can experience something new each time they ride. As much as I love the current soundtrack of the attraction, I would change it to better integrate Soarin’ with the rest of the pavilion with a grand, dramatic instrumental orchestration of “Listen to the Land,” the song that originally appeared on the Living With The Land boat ride.

My plan for the Imagination pavilion is very simple, bringing back the original version of Journey Into Imagination. This is an attraction that never should have been changed and the version we have now is a sad shadow of its former self (although not as bad as the second iteration of the ride which did not have any Figment at all). I would not change anything from the old version of the ride.

Guests would first encounter the Dreamfinder who creates a figment of his imagination: "Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow, horns of a steer, but a loveable fellow! From head to tail, he's royal purple pigment, and there, Voila! You've got a Figment!" After leaving the Dreamfinder, guests then proceed through several rooms representing different areas influenced by the imagination such as art, literature, the performing arts and science.



Upon exiting the ride, guests would once again be invited to go upstairs into the glass pyramids (an area that today sits empty) to a restored Imageworks, "the creative playground of the future".



The theater that sits next to Journey Into Imagination, and that currently is the home of Captain EO, would receive a completely new show but one that actually pays tribute to a former attraction at Disneyland. Adventure Through Inner Space was an omnimover attraction that shrunk guests to a size smaller than an atom and then took them on a journey through the molecules of a snowflake. This version at Epcot would be a 3-D film rather than an omnimover, but the premise would be the same and would help to educate guests about the importance of atoms and advancements in molecular and atomic science. The film would also include a version of the song “Miracles from Molecules” which was composed by the Sherman Brothers for the attraction.



With these changes to The Seas, The Land, and Imagination, Future World West would have a much more clear and coherent theme, one that would hold true to the original premise and intent of the park and focus much more on the future than the current attractions that comprise this area of the park.

Up next, we will move to Future World East, an area that has already undergone major transformation since the park first opened. I have big plans in store for the former Wonders of Life pavilion.

Epcot Part 1: Entrance, Spaceship Earth, and Innoventions

Epcot is truly a unique theme park, unlike any other that had been built at the time it opened in 1982. Based upon Walt Disney’s idea of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, the theme park is a far cry from Walt’s ultra-modern city, but many of its forward-thinking and innovative ideas were recognized in Future World when Epcot first opened.



Originally known as EPCOT Center, the park’s name has changed over the course of its history, losing the "Center" from its title in 1994 and then in 1996 the name Epcot was no longer stood for an acronym. The name change of the park reflects one of the sad truths about Epcot and especially Future World in that it really does not reflect the ideals and themes of what the park stood for when it first opened. Therefore, my plans for re-imagining Epcot call for a restoration of the park’s identity. We will start in Future World where I want to bring back to the future.

First, I would restore the park to its original EPCOT Center name. Although Walt Disney was not around for the park’s construction and opening, it would be nothing today without his great ideas. This name pays tribute to Walt and his vision of the future.



The first change to the park comes as soon as guests enter through the main turnstiles. Leave A Legacy was a good concept, but its placement was very bad. All the large stones with their photographs of guests detract from the majestic beauty and sheer massiveness of Spaceship Earth and most guests just meander past them without even knowing what they are. In their place, I would restore the entrance plaza back to the way it looked prior to the addition of Leave A Legacy, giving the entrance a more open feel.





Spaceship Earth is a classic Disney attraction that has been a part of Epcot since it first opened. In 2007 the attraction underwent a rehab that tweaked the storyline slightly, brought in a new narrator, updated the audio animatronics, and completely changed the descent portion of the ride. The first three-quarters of the refurbed attraction are fantastic, but the new version of the descent, with the interactive touch-screen, leaves much to be desired.

I would make a few changes to Spaceship Earth. First, even though I don’t have as much a problem with Judi Dench’s narration as others, I would bring back Jeremy Irons to narrate the attraction; his voice is just so much more powerful and dramatic, more appropriate for an attraction of this nature. As far as the descent is concerned, I would actually incorporate elements of a former Epcot attraction. Horizons was an attraction that took guests on a journey into different scenes from the future focusing on different elements such as communication, energy, transportation, anatomy, physiology, along with man's relationship to the sea, land, air, and space.

As part of my new Spaceship Earth descent I would add in three different scenes from Horizons. First would be a view of the space station Brava Centauri, which depicts future space colonization.



Next, guests would travel to the desert farm of Mesa Verde, depicting arid-zone agriculture.



Finally, guests would encounter the Sea Castle research base, giving a glimpse of future ocean colonization.



Not only would this greatly improve upon Spaceship Earth’s current descent, it would also greatly please fans of the old Horizons attraction.

Behind Spaceship Earth, I would make a couple of aesthetic changes to Innoventions Plaza which would restore this area to the appearance that it had prior to the millennium celebration. I would start by removing the large purple canopy that covers much of the plaza, giving it a much more open and spacious feel. Along with the removal of the canopy, I would likewise eliminate the Pin Central kiosk that sits in the center of the plaza.

Here is the plaza with the canopy:



Here is what the plaza looked like without the canopy:





I would also remove the stage that is in front of the Fountain of Nations. While the stage itself does not necessarily look bad, it blocks a portion of the fountain from view and also prevents certain jets of water from being used.



I have always considered Innoventions to be an under-utilized space. There are many guests who just pass by the Innoventions buildings without even knowing what is inside while others enter the building just as a way of cutting through to another area of the park. The exhibits and activities inside Innoventions have become more about promoting the various sponsors rather than really being concerned with the future. I would bring majors changes to Innoventions that would completely change their function and purpose.

Innoventions is divided into two buildings, East and West. Inside of Innoventions West I would completely gut the building of its current exhibits and it would become the new home of Carousel of Progress. I have never really felt that Carousel of Progress fit in well with Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom; the spirit and themes of the attraction are more in keeping with the premise of Epcot and especially Future World. Carousel of Progress was also an attraction originally designed by Walt Disney himself and would therefore be a fitting tribute to have in a park that would never had come to be without his ideas, imagination, and love of the future.

I would make a few minor changes to the attraction, however. As it stands, the current scenes in the attraction are roughly the 1900s, 1920s, 1940s, and the future. It has always seemed like a large jump from the 1940s to the future so I would include an additional scene depicting the 1970s. I would also update the final scene to make it feel more futuristic. When guests exit the Carousel attraction they would then have the opportunity to walk through different rooms from a House of the Future, similar to the attraction that opened in Disneyland in 1957, where they would encounter amazing new technology for all rooms of the house.

Epcot purists may not like this next idea and I am somewhat conflicted about as well. With the new "Tron: Legacy" movie that came out last year there has been an increased interest in the world of Tron. I cannot really see any area in any of the Disney World parks that Tron could fit in quite as well as Future World in Epcot. Therefore, the space currently occupied by Innoventions East would become “The Grid,” an area of various interactive games, activities, and exhibits that would immerse guests into the world of Tron. Holding true to the essence of Epcot and Future World, this would be an area that would incorporate elements that are both entertaining as well as educational. The only part of the current Innoventions East that I would keep would be the Kuka robotic arms from Sum of All Thrills, which would be incorporated into this new Tron theme. As a way of creating even more space for “The Grid” I would remove the Electric Umbrella restaurant as well.





To make up for the loss of the Electric Umbrella I would make some changes to the current Fountain View Ice Cream Parlor. As it stands, the ice cream parlor only occupies a small portion of the building it is in. The rest of the building is comprised of the Character Spot meet-and-greet area and Club Cool. I would rename the ice cream parlor the Fountain View Café and expand it to occupy the entire building, including the removal of the Character Spot and Club Cool.

This would be a futuristic-themed hybrid between a counter service and sit-down restaurant. Upon entering, instead of ordering food at a counter, guests would be shown to their table where the tabletop is actually a touch screen that allows them to order their food (picture a giant I-Pad). Their orders are sent to the kitchen and when the food is ready the tabletop notifies the guests that they can pick it up at the counter. During the course of the meal, guests could use their tabletop touch screen to play various games, watch videos, and even visit certain websites. If you think this seems a little far-fetched, check out this video:



Stay tuned for my next entry where we will move onto Future World West, including big plans for The Seas, Imagination, and a revamped Soarin’.

Magic Kingdom Part 3: Fantasyland and Tomorrowland

Fantasyland:

Fantasyland is already seeing a lot of work being done with its expansion. All-in-all, I am pleased with the plans for the expansion areas featuring a Beauty and the Beast restaurant, Little Mermaid dark ride, Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train, and Dumbo’s Circus area. There is actually nothing I would change about the expansion that is taking place because I feel that it offers a little something for everyone.

That being said, the old part of Fantasyland still needs some work. Much of the changes I would make would not be to the attractions themselves, but rather to the aesthetics of the land. Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland pales in comparison to the Fantasylands at the other Disney parks. First, the exterior of Peter Pan’s Flight would get a major overhaul to give it more of the appearance of the one in Disneyland Paris.



For Mickey’s Philharmagic the exterior would likewise get a facelift to look like what was originally planned to be a shop called Mickey’s Music Store that would have been located in a proposed land called Mickey Ville (a Medieval-style Toontown) in Tokyo Disney.



Finally, the Teacups would get revamped to look similar to the ones located at Disneyland Paris, which are much more visually appealing.



One major change I would make concerns the area that is currently Snow White’s Scary Adventure. With the addition of the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train with the Fantasyland expansion, this attraction is set to be removed and replaced with a meet and greet area for the Disney princesses. I would still remove Snow White’s Scary Adventure, but in its place I would bring to Magic Kingdom a classic dark ride that is found at Disneyland in California, Tokyo, and Paris.

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey tells the story of Pinocchio’s misadventures along with his conscience Jiminy Cricket. Guests board a vehicle themed to a woodcarver’s cart and pass through memorable locations from the movie including Geppetto’s Toy Shop, Stromboli’s Puppet Theater, Pleasure Island, and even have an encounter with Monstro the whale. Like all things in Disneyland Paris’s Fantasyland, the exterior of this attraction is absolutely stunning and would serve as the model for Disney World’s version of the ride.





Tomorrowland:

In my opinion, of all the lands in Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland needs the most work. There is actually very little “tomorrow” in Tomorrowland. It has become a land where the attractions really don’t mesh together with what the theme of what the land is supposed to be. Attractions such as Stitch’s Great Escape, Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear do not belong in Tomorrowland. Another problem with having a land themed after Tomorrow is that it can become dated very quickly. I see two possible solutions to this. First would be to theme the land to a tomorrow that will never exist with more of a sci-fi feel. The second, and my preference, would be to theme it after a tomorrow that was envisioned but never came to be.

My vision of Tomorrowland is much more akin to Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris. Discoveryland presents a vision of the future as seen through the eyes of such visionaries as Leonardo da Vinci, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. It is a much more timeless theme because it presents a view of a future that never was and never will be. This would require a major overhaul of all of Tomorrowland’s attractions and the land’s overall appearance. The modern, streamlined feel of the land would give way to a more classic feel with a warmer color palette of gold, bronze, and copper.



The first change would be to the rarely used Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. I have only seen this counter service restaurant open on a handful of occasions and I have always found this transition from Main Street to Tomorrowland to be a little odd. In its place I would put a restaurant that was originally planned for Disneyland Paris. The Astronomers Club was a sit-down restaurant that would have allowed guests to dine in an opulent Victorian setting, smoothing the transition from Main Street to Tomorrowland. The restaurant would be themed after an observatory, with giant telescopes, star fields, and murals. Inside this restaurant, actors portraying famous astronomers throughout history, including Galileo and Leonardo Da Vinci, would wander amongst the guests, entertaining them with comedy, poetry, and tales of the stars.



Combined, the space occupied by Buzz Lightyear and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor is quite large and in place of these two attractions I would create a new dark ride themed after Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” The look and theming of the attraction would be very similar to that found at Tokyo Disney Sea’s attraction, but the ride system would be different. Whereas Tokyo Disney Sea’s Journey to the Center of the Earth uses a ride system very similar to Test Track, this attraction at Magic Kingdom (due to space limitations) would be more of a traditional omnimover-style dark ride. Nevertheless, the show scenes would be visually impressive, taking guests past flora and fauna, crystals and waterfalls, and even an encounter with a lava monster.







In place of Stitch’s Great Escape I would bring back an attraction that was once part of Tomorrowland, the Timekeeper. In this 360-degree movie guests encounter a robot known as the Timekeeper who takes them on a journey across the world and through time from the age of the dinosaurs into the future. This attraction would fit very well in this new Tomorrowland because at one point we encounter Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and actually transport Jules Verne into the future along with us. Instead of calling this attraction Timekeeper, as it was so named in the past, I prefer the name that the attraction had at Disneyland Paris and would therefore call it Visionarium.

I would keep Astro-Orbitor, but I would give it a new color scheme and style similar to the Orbitron found in Disneyland Paris.



Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café would likewise get a retheming, both exterior and interior, to make it similar in appearance to the Videopolis counter service restaurant in Disneyland Paris. In Paris, the Videopolis building is modeled to be a large airship hanger and the craft docked here is called the Hyperion, which is actually the name of the airship in a little-know Disney film from 1974 titled “The Island at the Top of the World.”



Another big change would come with the removal of the Tomorrowland Speedway. This attraction has never really fit with the theme of Tomorrowland and takes up a prime piece of real estate within Magic Kingdom. In its place I would bring back the 2000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction, but instead of making it like the submarine voyage that used to be at Magic Kingdom, the attraction would be more along the lines of the one found at Tokyo Disney Sea, which is much more efficient, easier to load, and has a far greater guest capacity.







Space Mountain would get a major overhaul to make it more similar, in appearance and in the ride itself, to Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris, which is based off the Jules Verne classic “From the Earth to the Moon.” Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris is actually more akin to Rockin’ Rollercoaster and guests are launched up the exterior of the building and into the blackness of space through the top of the mountain.



I love Carousel of Progress, but it does not really fit with the theme of this new Tomorrowland. I have always thought this attraction would be better in Future World at Epcot anyways (and this is exactly where I would move it). In place of Carousel of Progress, but still utilizing the circular-shaped building, I would put an attraction that first debuted at Disneyland but has since been removed. The Flying Saucers attraction was a part of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland from 1961 to 1966. The ride was akin to a giant air hockey table where guests rode in flying saucers and could crash into one another like bumper cars. Of course, this attraction would be themed to fit in with the rest of the land and would give this area of the park of more kid-friendly attraction to make up for the loss of the Speedway.



I would also remove the stage that was originally built for Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration and has since been used only for dance parties. Its location in the middle of Tomorrowland makes it more of an intrusion that anything. I would also bring back the Tomorrowland Theater in its former location between Carousel of Progress and Buzz Lightyear, which is now just being used as a parking lot. I would not have any set show to be performed at the stage, but it would be useful for special events like the Halloween and Christmas parties as well as Disney Magic Music Days performances.

This major retheming of Tomorrowland into an area similar to Disneyland Paris’s Discoveryland would breathe new life into this section of the park and also create a land that is more cohesive in theme and more timeless in nature than the current version of Tomorrowland that we now have.

This concludes my plan for the Magic Kingdom. Up next I will begin my re-imagining of a park that has always been one of my favorites, but has diverged from what the original theming of the park was meant to be. Big changes are in store for Future World in Epcot.

Magic Kingdom Part 2: Frontierland and Liberty Square

Frontierland:

Frontierland is home to two of the Magic Kingdom’s major E-ticket attractions, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, but the land still has some room for improvement.

One of the biggest areas for potential growth and development is Tom Sawyer Island. Tom Sawyer Island does present a couple of challenges, however. Just as with the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House in Adventureland, Tom Sawyer Island has a certain nostalgic value; it was a feature that was original to the park. It also offers a quiet escape, giving adults a place to go and relax, while at the same time gives kids an area where they can run around, explore, and have fun. There is also the issue of accessibility, with the only way of getting on the island being via raft. That being said, Tom Sawyer is not as relevant to today’s children as when the park first opened in 1971 and the island does offer a fairly sizable plot of land that could be put to better use.

To make the island more accessible I would be to construct a permanent bridge, near the exit of Big Thunder Mountain where the current Tom Sawyer Island boat dock is, spanning the Rivers of America that would allow for uninterrupted guest flow to and from the island. This would mean that the Liberty Square River Boat would no longer be able to make its voyage around the island (but I have other plans about the River Boat that I will explain later). With guests now easily able to get on the island, I would place something there that would make the area more worthwhile, an attraction that was supposed to be part of Magic Kingdom in its early design phases.

The Western River Expedition was meant to be one of the major highlights of Magic Kingdom, a boat ride on which guests would encounter cowboys, Indians, and other classic scenes of the frontier. Picture Pirates of the Caribbean set in the Wild West and that is what this attraction would have been like. This attraction would help to balance out the thrill-heavy attractions of Frontierland with something that the entire family could enjoy.







Another element of Frontierland that I would address would be the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon, which now sits empty for most of the year except when being used as a quick service eatery during the busy Holiday and Spring Break periods. The location was actually home to one of the park’s original shows back in 1971, the Diamond Horseshoe Revue, that featured old-western-style entertainment, with singing, dancing, comedy, piano-playing, and banjo-strumming; it was very similar to the format of the Hoop Dee Doo Review at Fort Wilderness today.

The Saloon originally featured a sit-down menu but was then changed to counter service until the location closed in 2003. I would bring back the counter service element of the Diamond Horseshoe along with the Revue show performed throughout the course of the day. The show would also now include a song-and-dance appearance by Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye from Toy Story to make it appeal more to children. Not only would this offer an additional entertainment and dining option for guests, it would also be a great place to escape from the Florida heat during the day.



Liberty Square:

This area of the park has changed very little from when Magic Kingdom first opened, except for minor tweaks to Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents. I would not change much here, but something would need to be done with the Square River Boat due to it not being able to travel around Tom Sawyer Island with the addition of a bridge connecting it to the rest of Frontierland.

What I would do with the River Boat is very simple and would bring back a show that was extremely successful and well-liked during its short-lived run a couple of years ago. Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee was a show that was performed to coincide with the release of Princess and the Frog. It featured a Madi Gras style procession through the streets of Liberty Square featuring Tiana, Naveen, Louis the alligator, dancers, and a live jazz band. The performers would then climb aboard the River Boat and perform various songs from the movie, with Dr. Facilier even interrupting the show at one point. I would utilize the River Boat for this sole purpose and have performances throughout the course of the day.



Stay tuned for my next entry as I finish my improvements of the Magic Kingdom with some tweaks to Fantasyland and major changes to Tomorrowland.

Magic Kingdom Part 1: Main Street USA and Adventureland

We will start first with the park that started it all, the Magic Kingdom. This park presents an interesting challenge due to its nostalgic value. It was the original park in Disney World and several of the attractions have been there since its earliest years and have very dedicated, passionate, and loyal fans. There are so many classic attractions here that guests to Disney World will never want to see change.

With the pending new addition to Fantasyland, not to mention that it already has more attractions than any of the other parks, Magic Kingdom is probably the park that needs the least amount of work. That being said, there are still some sections of the park that definitely need more attention than others. My main goal for Magic Kingdom is to improve the overall guest experience while still holding true to the nostalgia and classic feel of the park, maintaining the elements of the park that have become fan favorites while also adding new experiences to continue to keep the park relevant and fresh.

Main Street USA

Main Street USA sets the stage for the rest of the Magic Kingdom. It is the first area that guests encounter when they enter the park and thus, even though it contains no attractions, it plays a very important role.

My first change to Main Street USA would be at the Town Square Theater, which currently houses meet and greets for both Mickey and Minne as well as the Disney princesses. With Magic Kingdom being the only park at Disney World that Walt himself personally had a hand in designing and overseeing the construction of, there should be some tribute paid to his life and legacy here. For this reason, I would relocate Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream from Hollywood Studios to the Main Street Theater. This attraction would help set the stage for the rest of the park, its various artificats and memorabilia fitting in perfectly with the nostalgia of Main Street. The Mickey and Minnie meet and greet could remain, but would need to be rethemed from its current magic act look.



One thing that Magic Kingdom really lacks is a variety of sit-down dining options. This causes the current restaurants in the park to become very crowded and makes it difficult to get dining reservations even in the slower times of the year. At Disneyland Paris there is a restaurant on Main Street called Walt’s (named after Walt Disney, of course). The restaurant is located on the second floor, above the Main Street shops, and features a Victorian décor in keeping with the feel of Main Street while also including numerous photographs celebrating Walt Disney’s life and works. The restaurant is actually divided into six rooms, one for each land in the park. This restaurant would be a much needed addition to the Magic Kingdom and give an upscale alternative for adults looking for a more quiet dining experience. In addition, its location would offer great views of the parades passing down Main Street.





Further down Main Street, I would bring back an element that was removed several years ago. Today, on the right side of Main Street while walking towards the castle, there is a small side street known as Center Street. There use to be a continuation of Center Street on the left hand side as well, known as West Center Street, but this was removed in order to expand the Emporium. I would restore Center Street on this side because it offers a great, out-of-the-way place to relax and enjoy a quiet moment away from the hustle and bustle of Main Street. Center Street also helps give the allusion that Main Street USA is bigger than it actually is, adding some depth to the area. Here is a look at the original West Center Street which was home to Magic Kingdom's Greenhouse Flower Shop:



Going hand-in-hand with the restoration of a full Center Street is a revamped Emporium. The Emporium on Main Street has become one giant Disney store, selling merchandise that you can find anywhere else on Disney property. When you are inside, you almost don’t even feel as though you are on Main Street USA. I would divide the Emporium into a series of smaller stores, each selling their own specialty merchandise. Having several smaller stores as opposed to one large store would fit better thematically with Main Street and also allow for a greater variety of merchandise.

When Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Main Street included a Penny Arcade, Greenhouse Flower Shop, New Century Clock Shop, Cup'n Saucer China Shop, Wonderland of Wax Candle Shop, a Market sponsored by Smuckers, a Card Shop sponsored by Hallmark, and a House of Magic. While I might have these exact same stores, this is more in line with how I feel Main Street should be set up.



Adventureland

As you enter Adventureland immediately to the right hand side sits the Adventureland Verandah. Originally a restaurant, the building has stood empty for years before recently being converted into a new home for Tinkerbell meet and greets. I would find a new home for Tinkerbell and replace it with a “Pirates of the Caribbean” character dining experience. Disney offers several character dining options geared more towards girls, such as dining with the princesses in Cinderella Castle, but there is really nothing like this for boys. At this restaurant, children would be able to meet some of their favorite "Pirates of the Caribbean" characters, such as Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa. There would also be a pirate band performing sea shanties and other sea songs during the course of the meal.

The Swiss Family Robinson Tree House presents an interesting dilemma. It is an attraction original to the park and yet Swiss Family Robinson is not really relevant to today’s children. Added to this is the fact that the tree house is nothing more than just a walk through attraction. The challenge with replacing the tree house is limited space. An answer may be found at Tokyo Disney Sea with the Raging Spirits attraction. This is a rollercoaster that takes guests on a thrilling, high-speed ride (including a 360 degree loop) through the ruins of an ancient ceremonial site based on the Incan buildings in the mountainous region of Peru.



This would fit perfectly with the theming of Adventureland and the coaster itself was designed to fit in a small space. The footprint of the attraction in Tokyo would probably just barely fit in the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House plot. While Magic Kingdom already has rollercoasters in Big Thunder and Space Mountains, this attraction would not be on the same scale as these and would serve mostly to relieve the pressure put on these attractions.



Moving a little further into Adventureland, I would remove the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. With Dumbo moving and expanding with the new Fantasyland, there is no need to have another spinner attraction at the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Carpets attraction serves mostly to add unnecessary clutter to Adverntureland and the Arabian theming does not mesh at all with the rest of the land. In its place I would merely plant tropical trees and bushes to help add to the exotic feel of the land. In addition, I would also convert all of the Agrabah marketplace buildings near the Magic Carpets into more of a South Seas feel that matches the exterior architecture of the Enchanted Tiki Room. Here is a look at what the area looked like when the park opened in 1971:



Up next in Part 2 we will look at Frontierland and Liberty Square, including big changes I would make to the current Tom Sawyer Island.