Yesterday we saw a few of the changes coming to the Magic Kingdom in part one of the update. Today we dive deep into Fantasyland and the expansion we’re all waiting to explore. Dumbo’s courtyard home is almost a memory now. The construction walls now… Read More »Magic Kingdom Weekend Update – Part II
With the holiday rush officially over, it’s time for the Magic Kingdom to expand the walls for its New Fantasyland expansion and start the placemaking that will transform the area behind the castle into a forested wonderland. Part A of that plan is to dismantle… Read More »Dumbo Moving to New Home in Storybook Circus
Denise and Jeff from MouseSteps just posted some of the least scintillating video to ever get me excited about my next trip to the Magic Kingdom. The new Dumbo spinner entered the earliest phases of testing today (they only have four elephants mounted). The speeds… Read More »New Dumbo Spinner Testing in Storybook Circus
Continuing our stroll through Walt Disney World… Part one had a bunch of Fantasyland Expansion photos, let’s start with a few more:
A lot of rock work is still underway, but those trees you see in the foreground are newly planted. They’ve also been doing some other landscaping, which is behind the wall, so you can’t see it. On the left you can see that more progress has been made on Belle’s cottage.
Here’s a shot showing how close the rock work and castle wall from Beast’s castle comes to the back of Gaston’s Tavern. Note the saddle roof design. Should be really beautiful when finished.
Click image for Larger. Here’s another view where the saddle roofs are more obvious.
The first major tree was added to the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland Expansion earlier this week. It’s the first of many as the whole area is supposed to have a forested feel. Here’s a photo shared by Walt Disney’s Imagineers. According to the Disney Parks Blog:… Read More »First Tree Planted in Fantasyland Expansion
Part of the Fantasyland expansion in the Magic Kingdom is a dark ride based on the one of Walt Disney Animation’s classics – The Little Mermaid. I’m very happy that this dark ride is returning a tradition we associate with classic Fantasyland dark rides, a… Read More »Mural for Little Mermaid Attraction – Behind the Scenes with Disney’s Imagineers
Walt Disney Imagineering has released a new time-lapse video showing the progress of New Fantasyland. If you look close you can see the crane used to put Holiday Lights up on the castle last September. Also note that the video actually ends a few months… Read More »Time-Lapse Video of New Fantasyland Construction Progress
Click to view larger size.
Disney has announced some slight updates to the schedule for the phased rollout of the new Fantasyland. The Storybook Circus area will still be the first to start opening up, but it too will open in phases. I also had the opportunity to interview the Imagineer Art Director for the Fantasyland Expansion about how the vision for the Fairytale Forest and StoryBook Circus areas are being realized.
First here is Disney’s recent release on Storybook Circus which will now start opening in phases beginning in early 2012.
Is Dumbo spinning in the wrong direction?
Actually, Dumbo is just reversing decades of flying in counter-clockwise circles. Call it “unwinding,” if you will. And in a new location within Magic Kingdom.
Guests will board Dumbo the Flying Elephant from the lovable critter’s left side — like mounting a horse … and unlike the way guests hop aboard for a whirl at Disney parks on three continents. It is scheduled to begin happening in early 2012 when select experiences in the Storybook Circus neighborhood of New Fantasyland debut just northeast of Mad Tea Party.
Also early 2012, the existing Dumbo attraction near Prince Charming Regal Carrousel will close, be refurbished and be moved to a location in Storybook Circus next to the new Dumbo attraction. The result when completed later in 2012: double Dumbos, one going this-a-way, one going that-a-way … a real circus act, if you will.
There also will be a “big top” that serves as a queue area for the popular attraction. It will feature a variety of interactive experiences currently being developed.
Two other Storybook Circus elements planned for opening early in the year are The Barnstormer and Fantasyland Station. Guests who enjoyed The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm will be happy to know the junior coaster thrills of that attraction are back with a thematic change: Goofy has sold the farm and is now a circus stunt pilot and magician, The Great Goofini. The completely re-imagined train station will serve as the gateway to Storybook Circus and all Fantasyland points beyond.
Below the jump is The Disney Blog’s interview with Imagineer Chris Beatty:
Read More »New Fantasyland Imagineer Shares Vision, Timeline Adjusts