All of Disney’s theme parks start life as sketches and concept artwork. In a new series of articles on Theme Park Tourist, we’ll take a look at how the company’s Imagineers envisioned the lands, rides and attractions that make up its parks.
We’ll start with the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, which opened in 1971 and is now the most popular theme park in the world. While its design was closely based on that of the original Disneyland, it was on a much larger scale.
Guests would enter the park via Main Street USA, passing underneath the station:
Here’s an early sketch by Herb Ryman of Cinderella Castle, which would become the centerpiece of the park:
And here’s a more detailed piece of artwork:
Over in Adventureland, the Jungle Cruise was the main attraction when the Magic Kingdom opened:
It was eventually joined by Pirates of the Caribbean following guest demands. Here’s a sketch of the “wench auction” scene:
A later addition was the Magic Carpets of Aladdin:
Here’s a close-up look at Liberty Square, which celebrates America’s past:
Over in Tomorrowland, the PeopleMover would offer an overview of the area:
Space Mountain joined the Magic Kingdom’s line-up in 1975:
The park’s second “mountain”, Big Thunder Mountain, had originally been envisioned as part of Thunder Mesa, which was to be the first expansion to the Magic Kingdom. However, this was parked in favor of building a version of Pirates of the Caribbean, and it was later revisited as a standalone attraction. Here’s an early concept sketch, followed by a more detailed treatment:
Another mountain, Splash Mountain, opened in 1992.
The New Fantasyland expansion is almost complete, with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train due to open in spring 2014. Here’s some final concept art showing off how Disney envisioned its latest update to the Magic Kingdom:
