Activity › Forums › All Things Disney › Walt Disney World › Disney World Armchair Imagineer: Or How I Would Change The Park
I think we all have something we would like to change around the WDW property. I sat down and put some of my ideas down as ian armchair Imagineer. I also chose to assume no lasting COVID impacts.
Please feel free to comment or add your own ideas. Who knows, Disney just might be listening!
General
* Either move Disney Transportation bus drop-off/pick-up parking closer to park gate, not my first choice as it would clutter the entrance views, or add a separate dedicated “entrance gate“ for Disney Transportation bus passengers. This goes for all 4 theme parks. I think this would help alleviate the crush at the main gates and. since most of those using the Disney Transportation busses are staying on property. make them feel like they are getting something more for their dollars spent.
* A museum to the history of Disney World Resort. There really needs to be one somewhere on site!
* Provide live Webcams all around the parks & resorts so we can enjoy them when we are not there. Heck just a view up Main Street USA from atop the Train Station and block out during parades/Castle Projections/Fireworks if you must.
Magic Kingdom
Main Street USA
* Bring back the Main Street Arcade.
* Bring back Main Street Cinema as a cinema showing Disney shorts, old and new.
Adventureland
* Remove Aladdin’s Magic Carpets. How many whirley twirly things do we really need?
* Add Tiki Room and Pirates barker birds back.
* Add some streetmosphere beyond the Jack Sparrow’s learn to be a pirate. Think things like Dr. Livingston or the lost safari wandering around from the bridge to Tiki Room interacting with guests or someone with parrots.
Frontierland
* Bring back the old west streetmosphere pardner.
Liberty Square
* Add some streetmosphere.
Fantasyland
* Haven’t given this land too much thought.
Tomorrowland
* In general, harmonize the land more like the Tomorrowland movie, sleek and futuristic.
* Partner with a company like Tesla for a redesign for the Tomorrowland Speedway to utilize electric cars. Make the track longer (go under the railroad tracks?). Oh yea, also fix the steering on the cars!
* Add some streetmosphere like Push the trashcan. How about a barker robot outside Merchant of Venus enticing you to come in and shop.
* Take the Carousel of Progress back to the original 1964 scenes and retheme the entrance/wait area to make it like going to a “museum of the 20the century.”
* Upgrade Sonny Eclipse to where he is more interactive, like Turtle Talk With Crush.
* Not sure what to do in the spot that was Stitch’s Great Escape. I’m sure something will come to me.
EPCOT
General
Future World
* More partnerships with innovative companies like Apple, Tesla and such in a flex space.
* Partner with Space X and/or NASA for Mission Space. Replace the “spin around the earth,” boring in my estimation, on the Green side with something slightly more educational and random, like Star Tours. This would be a trip to say a comet, the sun, various planet(s) or black hole. Along the way the crew will learn a little something about where they are going, the sun for example could feature a sunspot that the computer or controller back on earth tells the crew about along with facts on the sun, size, etc. Of course, there would always be disaster waiting for you, so on the sun example a massive solar flare that arches up over the capsule and knocks out communication/ground control so the crew has to go to “manual control” and push the correct buttons to escape.
World Showcase
* Create a large show building which would act as a themed “mall” where countries who can’t afford a stand-alone pavilion could have a presence. Have the building themed something akin to the crystal palace, harkening back to the late 1800’s great world expos, that would contain flex spaces where the countries/regions could set up a shop or restaurant (counter service or sit down) and movie/VR experience (thinking like the void). Ooh, I can just smell the Indian food now.
Disney’s Hollywood Studio
Hollywood
* More streetmosphere.
* Add a cinema showing Disney shorts old to new. After all what is 1940’s Hollywood without a theater!
* Need to update Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. But to what/how I don’t know.
* Re-theme Rocking Rollercoaster to a Roger Rabbit Theme! Would really be a simple, cheap redo, as redos go at Disney. Anyhow of this might be harder as Bob Hoskins has passed, but then again Peter Cushing was gone when he “played” Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. You would start by not having to do so much on the architecture. Obviously remove the guitar out front and regress the exterior back to the 1940’s, I’m thinking a Red Car Trolly or Dip-mobile in the plaza. Instead of entering the recording studio you go into Eddie Valiant’s Office which is torn apart. Once everyone is in the preview room Roger and Jessica bust in looking for Eddie, a few toons are looking on thru the windows. After some dialog, slapstick antics and searching about they find a note asking Eddie to come to the Acme Gag Factory. They extol everyone that they need to get to the factory asap and they leave going out the door to a waiting Benny the Cab and zoom off. Guests exit the way they do now into a re-themed 1940’s auto repair garage or Red Car Trolly storage/repair facility. Instead of the Cadillac bodies the ride vehicles are now the ride vehicles are Benny the Cab. While you wait to be launched you get some voice over by Benny like “come on you mugs get a move on.” Once going inside the coaster it would be the same black light effects, but instead of freeway signs it would be things like the Hollywood sign, Toontown next right and possibly a few cars or Red Car Trollies at the turns so it will look like you will hit them only to turn at the last second and voice over/running commentary by Benny the Cab. At the finish you arrive at the Acme Gag Factory. Exiting you are met with a big video screen welcoming you to Roger and Jessica Rabbit’s Anniversary or Rodger’s Birthday party and that they love gifts from Acme. (As an aside, you ever wonder why when you “arrive” for the concert you get out of the ride but you are greeted with Aerosmith exiting the stage on the monitors? Seems like you missed the concert!) Of course, you exit thru the “Acme” gift shop, appropriately themed to the Acme Gag Factory with loads of plush, so you can “pick up a gift.”
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
* More streetmosphere. Think more characters and far more First Order Troops, you need to feel like you are being watched all the time.
Toy Story Land
* More shade!
* Second Slinky Dog track.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
* More “cooling spots.”
Disney Springs
* Reinstate the Adventurer’s Club. Case closed.
Transportation
A “steam train” that runs from/thru Fort Wilderness to Reflections to Wilderness Lodge to the TTC to augment the busses.
Resorts
Fort Wilderness
* Return/add nature trail along Bay Lake.
Other Areas
Wowsa! I love your ideas! I would have to have a think on this. I’m sure I can come up with a few things. Top of my head at this moment: Liberty Square needs a lot more “pizzaz” as well as Frontierland. (as it appears PayDirtBurt agrees). These two areas are rather boring in their appearance and people just seem to rush through to get to Splash Mountain or whatever.
But let me have a bigger think!
Good point, i just run through from Haunted mansion to Splash too
This is going to take soemthinking! (it seems like you’ve already put some time into this)
How financial viable do we have to keep this? I’d like to see the Monorail expanded to all parks, but i know it costs in the millons of dollars per mile so its not really realistic
Very much onboard with the museum! We used to have one mans dream, but thats even gone now too. Webcams seems like a solid idea too, they’d be so easy to do too!
I was going to say “unfortunately I have put some time in thinking about this,” but I would rather say “fortunately I have put some time in thinking about this” just more positive.
As someone who loves the World I would like to think I, actually we in this case, have terrific ideas for improvement that can be shared.
Cost? I say blue sky , within reason and can be built.
Monorails hither and yon, sure why not, i asked for a steam train, but an elevator to the moon, welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll, as they say in Alice in Wonderland “let’s not be silly?” Anyhow, I’m not sure exactly WHY the monorails supposedly cost so much, they are really kinda plug and play the way I see it, with very little infrastructure/site impact, not too much more than the Skyliner IMHO. Either way if one brakes down you have to get a ladder truck or lift out to rescue the people. Actually, if the monorail has just lost power but still can be put in neutral I believe there is a gas or diesel powered tug that can move them to a station. Plus with the monorail you don’t get that bouncy/swaying feeling. Dang you convinced me! Or did I convince me? Someone get Bob Chapek on the phone!
I think a museum, especially dedicated to Walt, Roy and the history of the WDW site would work, even over at Disney Springs. Something more than One Mans Dream.
I Agree With The Main Street Options, I Also Agree With the options of Disney Springs, World Showcase, Adding More partnerships with various Epcot Attractions & Changing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster to a Roger Rabbit Themed Coaster. I Have a Few Ideas too Such as (& Don’t Be upset by them):
Changing The Princess Royal Hall To a Mr. Toad themed ride.
A Jack Skellington Meet & Greet at The Haunted Mansion & Do A Holiday layout at Christmas time.
Adding The Dolls of Disneyland’s It’s a Small World to the Disney World version & Like Haunted Mansion A Christmas Layout.
Adding a Shooting Gallery to Adventureland.
Swap the Aladdin ride for Captain Hook’s Pirate Ship.
& (Here’s the BIG One) Swap Stitch’s Great Escape for a Return for Horizons!
I would gladly give up Stitch for Horizons!
Really, I like Stitch, I feel that Stitch deserves something way better than Stitch’s Great Escape, it was such a hack job IMHO.
Ooh, how about this, “Greetings Programs,” the Tron coaster becomes a Stitch coaster, ala the chase scene. Stitch’s Great Escape becomes a TRON theme, you start by going thru Flynn’s Arcade, when you go into the theater in the round to start with they project the old MCP to give you the back story then it rattles and shakes. as it does, to bring you into the computer, then it goes thru various scenes with disks flying around, lasers, projection mapping on the walls, sounds of people running around and such, culminating wiht you defeating the bad program(s) and you are extricated with the MCPs thanks. Stretch goal would be converting the Tomorrowland Terrace by enclosing it or adding another floor on the top of the building to create the End of Line Club as a club/restaurant.
I created a list on my desktop and it won’t let me copy and paste I don’t want to have to re-type it. Come on site, give me a helping hand!
I love the museum idea. I would add a warehouse onto that with tons of props from Disney movies. I LOVE stuff like that. But not just random things that were used on set. Stuff you would actually recognize. I was watching that show on Disney + where they took the little girl that played Jane in Mary Poppins to see her old coat from the movie and they had a horse from the merry go round and Mary’s umbrella etc…all just wasting away in storage! I’d spend a pretty penny to go into a HUGE exhibit of famous props. What a waste.
Ok so have you ever been walking at an outlet store or outdoor shopping place and hit a play area that has that rubbery ground that feels like your walking on a sponge and it feels so nice compared to the hard concrete? I would do all of the walkways and paths in that stuff and only leave a small portion for wheelchairs and such. At least half and half. I’ve always wondered why they don’t do that. Apparently it holds up pretty decently since they can make kids playgrounds out of it. Can you imagine having something comfortable to walk on to spare our poor bodies?
I’m all for the monorail to be expanded. I also don’t buy that it would cost any more than any of the other stuff they decide to build each year.
Ok here’s a big one. I would fill in the 7 seas lagoon and get rid of the TTC and Ferry. I HATE that part of MK. It’s one thing in the mornings but it’s super annoying at night when you just want to go home.
I’d add at least one more dark ride to each of the lands at AK. There just isn’t enough to ride in that park. I’d add a Jungle Book boat ride. A Lion king ride, A Tarzan ride and an UP ride!
At Epcot every pavilion gets a ride. That has always been on my list. China gets a Mulan dark ride. Germany gets a Pinocchio ride but not cheesy like the one at DLR, but more a tour of Germany featuring the Characters as tour guides, Italy gets a gondola ride, Morocco gets an Aladdin ride, Japan would have a super cool trackless ride of some sort England would get an updated Alice in Wonderland ride and Canada gets Brother Bear.
Bring back Innoventions the way it was in the 90’s where you can try new technology and not just sit through these boring exhibits. They RUINED that area. I would also bring back Figment the way it was because we all know they still have all of that stuff in a warehouse somewhere just sitting around. I’d also create an area dedicated to Epcot of the past with a ride that has a compilation of all of the rides from the past showing the progression of future world. Probably where Test Track is….doing away with the Odyssey to make room and starting with Horizons, moving through Universe of Energy and Cranium Command/Body Wars through World of Motion and then taking off at the end like Test Track! (in my best Ralphie voice while writing his theme paper) “yeah that’s great!” lol I mean let’s face it…we’re not going to get our whole theme park with defunct rides but how easy would it be to make just one ride that incorporates them all? I mean Epcot was all about rides that showed the progression of everything so why not the progression of Epcot itself? I need to be an imagineer. lol