Upcoming Concept: Sword in the Stone Dark Ride

I've been spending my Christmas break watching and pausing my favorite childhood animated feature, The Sword in the Stone.  And since childhood I've wanted the film to have more of a theme park presence... in ride form of course.

In an upcoming post I plan to state my case for why a Sword in the Stone Fantasyland dark ride WOULD be successful and why it WILL NEVER be built. I'm not one to believe that box office numbers dictate the popularity of a ride based on the same film.  Nor do I believe an "old, outdated, forgotten" film cannot make a great ride and remain popular.  Look at: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Splash Mountain, Alice in Wonderland, etc.  More thoughts to come.  This idea is of course not going to win the award for original concept for it is based on an already-existing creative work, but it will be fun to think about.

For now, enjoy (as I have this week) these great pieces put together by Sandro Cleuzo using Milt Kahl drawings.  Fantastic.

And these great shots have inspired me to put on thick-rimmed glasses and narrow black ties while sketching concept art at my drawing board.

THEN AND NOW: MK Fantasyland [Part 1]

Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom

 

Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland facades has seen relatively little change over the years.  You'll notice a lot of color changes though.

As for attractions, Mickey Mouse Review has sadly been gone for almost 3 decades... and now it no longer exists ANYWHERE as it was recently removed from Tokyo Disneyland.  

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you know, "that one thing with water and submarines and stuff that nobody liked because it used to cost a lot to maintain", well it's still gone.  Golly, I do miss it regardless of how much they tried to tell me it was "bad business" to keep around.

The Skyway tower still looks sharp.  Can we just keep it there forever?  It does no one any harm.

Thank you for no more Lion King in the area.  Oh wait, there's that one scene in Mickey's PhilharMagic.  That's ok, I suppose.

Thank goodness Cinderella Carrousel is no longer just for little girls.  And it's no longer Cinderella's.  And now it's regal.  It's the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel!

Winnie the Pooh is still the new Mr. Toad.  Speaking of "Pooh", shouldn't he be called "Winnie" or "Winnie the Pooh" and not just "Pooh".  Pooh is his species, right?  It's like calling Yogi Bear just "Bear".  

And another question: With the facade/queue of the "Pooh" ride being changes so radically from the (sort of) medieval courtyard look to a themed-out 100 Acre Woods look, will we see more of this sort of thing with the other existing Fantasyland attractions??  I would think they would limit this to anything outside what might be the castle courtyard area.  This makes sense for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and it's close proximity to what may become Fantasyland Forest (or whatever they decide on).  But I can only imagine a successful more immersive queue like this one might inspire a Neverland-themed interactive queue at Peter Pan's Flight that jets out into the walkway with a bunch of non-medieval courtyard-themed props placed every-which-way...?  And similar treatments to all other Fantasyland rides??  Don't get me wrong, I've always considered the medieval tent entrances to be a little less than exciting compared to say, Disneyland's 1983 Fantasyland make-over with it's super charming architecture adapted to the storyline of each attraction.  But the medieval courtyard look offers a pretty nice, consistent look throughout the area.  

So will this Pooh queue inspire a new movement that will change the existing Fantasyland to become yet another incohesive, hodgepodged, mix-matched land? I'm not referring to the expansion but the land as we know it today.  My fear is they'll treat each little piece of the land independently without much thought of the other pieces.  Think: Future World in the last 12 years.  

Now let's say the facade/queue of each attraction gets new treatment. Let's say there is a great master plan. Let's say there is great attention to each attraction AND to the look of the land as a whole.  This might be a good thing.  Not too many digital screens please.

Thoughts?

Related posts:

THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot Future World [Part 1]
ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 1]
Fantasyland Expansion Model
Matterhorn for Magic Kingdom Fantasyland

BONUS: Today marked the theatrical release of Disney's 50th animated feature "Tangled". Check out Rapunzel's tower at Disneyland's Fantasyland:  

Photos taken 11-16-10

Disneyland 1955 Model Close-ups

The Model

When this scale model was presented for Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary, I remember looking at it for the longest time. The detail was great but more interesting to me was the fact that this was the first time I’d been able to study the layout of the 1955 park in that way– all at once.  Until then we had some simple maps, some photos, and video footage but the model gives a different perspective.

The model was initially installed in the Opera House on Main Street on a flat surface.  Today you see it on an angle closer to the front doors.

The Ideal Disneyland?

Is 1955 Disneyland the way I’d like to see the park today?? Nope. I would like to go back and visit during that first year for sure, but it wasn’t ideal..... The idel time would be sometime around 1967.

Nonetheless, this model takes us to a great time in Disney park history. Better than DCA in its first year?? There's something to think about.  

The Close-up Photos

I ran across these on Flickr and as it turns out they were taken by Andy Castro of Dateline Disneyland. Excellent work.

Related posts:

2 Fantastic Disneyland Scale Models
Disneyland in 1955
Swiss Family Treehouse Model
1967 "New Tomorrowland" Broadcast
Disneyland Skyway in Your Backyard