For better or worse, the Disney Parks appear to be moving in the direction of singularly-themed lands: experiences and sections of the parks that usher guests into the world of a solitary film or franchise. Many of these areas have flourished or are expected to flourish upon their debut (Cars Land, Toy Story Land), while others have run their course without any major updates to their attractions or source material (a bug’s land).
Franchise-based lands may not be the only method by which Disney continues to expand its properties in the years to come, but there’s no denying their popularity with guests. These days, it takes more than a snazzy roller coaster or charming dark ride to captivate the average theme park visitor. Instead, parkgoers have come to appreciate and expect total immersion in the stories they love, from the crooked bends of Universal Studios’ Diagon Alley to the quaint storefronts of Disney California Adventure’s Radiator Springs.
While Disney is doing everything they can to capitalize on this trend—Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Marvel Land are both set to open over the next several years—the company still has a treasure trove of films and franchises to provide ample inspiration for a variety of themed areas within their parks. Here are just five concepts for franchise-based lands that the Disney Parks have yet to tap into…
IncrediLand (The Incredibles and Incredibles 2)
Image: Disney
Location: Hollywood Land (Disney California Adventure)
Marquee attraction: A Star Tours-esque motion simulator with randomly-generated villains and scenarios for the Parr family—and their newfound superhero sidekicks—to tackle. Potential villains may include Syndrome, the Underminer, and Screenslaver, among others.
Yes, “IncrediLand” is an incredibly silly name (“Metroville” would also work, though it’s arguably less exciting in the same way that Disney passed over “Radiator Springs” for “Cars Land”), and yes, the Incredicoaster is already scheduled to debut at Pixar Pier next week. There’s plenty of rich source material left to be mined here, however, from a Blue Bayou-tier dining experience inside a volcano to a Baby Jack-Jack Laugh Floor (or, for the not-too-squeamish, something along the lines of Stitch’s Great Escape!, with Jack-Jack throwing a temper tantrum and manifesting in his various superbaby forms). Thematically speaking, a superhero-infused 60s vibe would allow for a plethora of fun, colorful meet-and-greet areas and photo opportunities, while simultaneously solving the problem of the mismatched areas behind Hollywood Land’s main thoroughfare.
Zootopia (Zootopia)
Image: Disney
Location: Animal Kingdom (Walt Disney World)
Marquee attraction: A dark ride EMV attraction where guests hop aboard a police cruiser and explore the four outlying quadrants surrounding Zootopia in order to track down the source of night howlers that have been causing the city’s predators to turn feral.
Zootopia already has a wonderful variety of settings, including Judy Hopps’ hometown, Bunnyburrow, as well as the dozen or so districts that surround downtown Zootopia: Sahara Square, Tundratown, Little Rodentia, and the Rainforest District, to name a few. Just as Fantasyland offers the short-tracked Casey Jr. Circus Train, Zootopia might offer a miniaturized Zootopia Express (with different doors for adults, teenagers, and children) that runs around the perimeter of the land. The highlight would likely be the plethora of animal-themed eateries, however, including an organic “pawpsicle” stand, Acacia Juice Bar, Jumbeaux’s Café (perhaps sans the exorbitant $15 price tag on the jumbo pops), and what we suspect would be Officer Clawhauser’s favorite: The Big Donut.
San Fransokyo (Big Hero 6)
Location: Magic Kingdom – Tomorrowland (Walt Disney World)
Marquee attraction: A flying simulator (à la Soarin’ Around the World) that takes guests through the city and around the bay of San Fransokyo, down to the docks, out to the abandoned Krei Tech laboratory, and back again. Unlike Soarin’, guests won’t just be treated to a serene tour of the city, but may have one or two close encounters with the mysterious man in the Kabuki mask as well. (Or, to go the non-screen route: An outdoor steel flying roller coaster that allows you to glide over the city—not on Baymax’s back, but from his perspective instead.)
Granted, Big Hero 6 isn’t a proper franchise, and it doesn’t look highly likely that Disney will whip out a sequel anytime soon. Still, Tomorrowland could use a fresh coat of paint and an innovative new design, and it would be possible to retain some elements of the land without completely gutting it in a BH6 redesign. Since Tomorrowland has always focused heavily on innovation and technology, the Carousel of Progress could get a new scene focusing on microbot tech, healthcare robotics, and electro-mag suspension, while the facility that currently houses the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor might showcase real-world inventions from students around the globe.
Monstropolis (Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University)
Image: Disney
Location: Walt Disney Studios Park (Disneyland Paris)
Marquee attraction: A rollicking standing roller coaster that drops guests into the big chase scene near the end of Monsters, Inc. Scarers-in-training board on the Scare Floor, then zip and zag through endless combinations of doors—some closed, some open to reveal exotic or unusual locations, including the Himalayas, Paris, a tropical island, the bayou, etc.—as they try to avoid Randall’s grasp. (Bonus points if the ride vehicles are designed to resemble bedroom doors as well.)
It’s worth pointing out that Disney already developed several Monsters, Inc.-themed attractions in its parks, including the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor talk show theater in the Magic Kingdom, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek interactive dark ride at Tokyo Disneyland, and Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! dark ride in Disney California Adventure. On a grander scale, however, the world of Monstropolis might be brought to life with a sushi dining experience at Harryhausen’s, the scenic backdrop of Monsters University, and an interactive area in which guests can take part in a toned-down version of the infamous Scare Games.
Game Central Station (Wreck-It Ralph and Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2)
Image: Disney
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World)
Marquee attraction: A high-speed slot car attraction (think Test Track or Radiator Springs Racers) that allows guests to enter the Sugar Rush Speedway competition themselves. With ride vehicles patterned to look like those of Vanellope Von Schweetz, Taffyta Muttonfudge, Candlehead, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Jubileena Bing-Bing, Crumbelina DiCaramello, Gloyd Orangeboar, Swizzle Malarkey, Snowanna Rainbeau, Minty Zaki, and Adorabeezle Winterpop, racers will dodge giant gumballs, rush past geysers of diet cola and Mentos, and swerve around hills of giant cupcakes en route to the finish line. (Back in the summer of 2016, a VR-based racing ride was rumored to be replacing Stitch’s Great Escape! in the Magic Kingdom, though it seems no progress has been made on that front just yet.)
When Wreck-It Ralph first premiered in 2012, the Disney Parks created a few opportunities for guests to experience the inner world of arcade games. Disney’s Hollywood Studios got a Game Central Station-themed meet-and-greet area, complete with inaccessible portals to various game worlds, while Disneyland’s Starcade offered a free-to-play arcade version of the Fix-It Felix, Jr. game. In a full-blown Wreck-It Ralph land, some of those ideas might be more fully fleshed out: “portals” could usher guests into several different themed areas, from Hero’s Duty to Sugar Rush Speedway and even the Internet itself. Guests might dine at eateries patterned after Ms. Pacman, Tapper’s bar, and Sugar Rush Castle. And, while it may be a little on the nose, no arcade game land would feel complete without an area for kids to try their hand at, well, arcade games (both vintage and modern).
Of course, this list barely scratches the surface of the movies and stories Disney has yet to bring to life in its theme parks. What other lands would you like to see in the years to come?
