Admiral Halsey
Banned
Honestly I wish they'd just say screw it and just go full on cheese. Run with it instead of trying to hide it.
Laughin' Place: Redefining Disney
- Thread starter HeX
- Start date
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It's what they did in Florida OTL, which has worked somewhat well.
To me at least they haven't done enough, still too much pasting over old material. Hopefully the new attractions and updates will improve things - https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs...-details-on-disneys-massive-tomorrowland-redo
That might be the better way to go. Kind of a fusion of steampunk and clockpunk, or really just a fusion of Verne and DaVinci.
You know, you got me excited when you said there is a Jules Verne Steampunk ride in France's Disney, but then I looked it up and saw it has been redesigned into a freakin' Star Wars theme. Blergh
Wild Wild West
"Where are the pirates?"
--A disgruntled guest able to be heard in the broadcast of Magic Kingdom's opening day
"The Cowboys are Coming! The Cowboys are Coming! Thanksgiving 1971!"
--Promotional pins handed out for free in Frontierland during the 1970 and 1971 seasons
"Watch it! You don't want none of those Injun arrows hittin' you! They sting like the dickens!"
--Hoot Gibson, the audio-animatronic owl guide of the Western River Expedition
It's 1971. The Magic Kingdom, and with it, Disney World, opened a year earlier to much fanfare, but attendance was dropping. Lacking a thrill ride like the Matterhorn was costing the park a lot, and its general lack of attractions wasn't helping it either. Luckily, WED had an ace up their sleeves.
Although the rabid masses in Florida were demanding a version of Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt held strong. Pirates in California was refreshing, but pirates in Florida had been done by real pirates. The peninsula was far too close to the Caribbean to receive a carbon copy of the original attraction, so while a new, reworked version would go on the backburner for an eventual opening somewhere down the line, all focus was placed in one thing: Thunder Mesa.
Thunder Mesa is an absolutely enormous upgrade to Frontierland. IOTL, it was to feature the Pirates-like ride Western River Expedition front and center, along with a roller coater themed to a runaway mine train and various walking trails passing waterfalls and Indian villages. ITTL, it manages to come about as it should've.
Opening a year after MK's own debut, Thunder Mesa instantly made Disney World the theme park of Florida, beating out fledgling wannabes like Busch Gardens. In fact, because of Disney World's dominance in the '70s, Busch Gardens never evolves into a real amusement park, and simply becomes a cool zoo people sometimes visit in Tampa with one or two roller coasters.
Back to Thunder Mesa. The Western River Expedition was an instant hit, and immediately silenced everyone asking for Pirates. Big Lightning Mountain provided MK its first thrill ride, and its innovative backwards drop (think OTL Expedition Everest, which got the idea of a backwards coaster from this idea) and zigzag track at certain points (to replicate its namesake) provided many a scream. The paths and trails were a bit less interesting, but adults preferred to walk them rather than the noisy, child-friendly Tom Sawyer Island's. People couldn't have been happier, and were more than tide over until Space Port and EPCOT Center's opening later in the decade.
Guests then board their bateux, shaped like lashed-together logs (think OTL Splash Mountain cars at MK), and begin their journey. The sun rises, and with it, the animals, for after going up a waterfall animatronic buffalo begin roaming and prairie dogs pop in and out of holes in the ground like whack-a-mole.
The first sign of danger comes with a couple of rabbits cowering in fear behind a large rock. A little further down is a stagecoach being robbed by bandits in bandannas and all black. They've tied up and gagged a rich man, his wife, and the driver, and threaten the guests passing by that they'll "meet again sometime soon downriver" while waving their .45s.
The guests are then swept through an Old West boomtown named Dry Gulch, similar to the town scene in Pirates. The song "Wild, Wild West," penned by the musical force of X Atencio and the Sherman Brothers (the madmen behind "Yo Ho Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me" and "it's a small world, after all" respectively), really kicks in here, having only been a slight twang in the background. Now, though, the inhabitants of Dry Gulch belt it out drunkenly.
Chaos is ensuing all throughout the town. A bank robbery is taking place, but what the robbers up front don't realize is that the vault is already being looted from another gang who busted open the back wall. Across the street (or canal, I suppose), a drunk cowboy riding his horse on the roof of a building takes potshots at them, kicking up dust by the robbers' feet. Further down, past more minor scenes, some crooks in white-and-black striped uniforms and ball-and-chains pop up out of a hole they've tunneled from the sheriff's jail. The sheriff himself is in the Burning Town-esque finale, as the bateux sweep through a hole in the side of a saloon.
Inside the saloon, all hell has broken loose and only the bartender is attempting to do anything about it, as he shoots his pistol to try and get a few guys out of the rafters. Cowboys hooted and hollered, burping loudly and sloshing their tankards as they clung to each other to keep from falling over and sing a slurred version of "Wild, Wild West." A few saloon girls were about the place as well, using their cunning and wit to swipe money from a bunch of gambling cowboys at the center.
The guests then leave the premises, and are sent back into the wilderness. There they find an Indian adobe homes, and the Indians themselves dancing a rain dance, which is successful and actually causes precipitation to fall from the skies. The Indians then notice the guests, and start to snipe them from the cliffs until they're out of range.
The end of the ride is the payoff--the same stagecoach robbers from the beginning return, and are just about ready to blow a whole thing of TNT to take down the whole boat full of guests. But just before they can coax the goat with the TNT plunger to do the deed, the guests plunge down a huge waterfall, splashdown, and the ride ends.
--A disgruntled guest able to be heard in the broadcast of Magic Kingdom's opening day
"The Cowboys are Coming! The Cowboys are Coming! Thanksgiving 1971!"
--Promotional pins handed out for free in Frontierland during the 1970 and 1971 seasons
"Watch it! You don't want none of those Injun arrows hittin' you! They sting like the dickens!"
--Hoot Gibson, the audio-animatronic owl guide of the Western River Expedition
--------------------------------
It's 1971. The Magic Kingdom, and with it, Disney World, opened a year earlier to much fanfare, but attendance was dropping. Lacking a thrill ride like the Matterhorn was costing the park a lot, and its general lack of attractions wasn't helping it either. Luckily, WED had an ace up their sleeves.
Although the rabid masses in Florida were demanding a version of Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt held strong. Pirates in California was refreshing, but pirates in Florida had been done by real pirates. The peninsula was far too close to the Caribbean to receive a carbon copy of the original attraction, so while a new, reworked version would go on the backburner for an eventual opening somewhere down the line, all focus was placed in one thing: Thunder Mesa.
Thunder Mesa is an absolutely enormous upgrade to Frontierland. IOTL, it was to feature the Pirates-like ride Western River Expedition front and center, along with a roller coater themed to a runaway mine train and various walking trails passing waterfalls and Indian villages. ITTL, it manages to come about as it should've.
Opening a year after MK's own debut, Thunder Mesa instantly made Disney World the theme park of Florida, beating out fledgling wannabes like Busch Gardens. In fact, because of Disney World's dominance in the '70s, Busch Gardens never evolves into a real amusement park, and simply becomes a cool zoo people sometimes visit in Tampa with one or two roller coasters.
Back to Thunder Mesa. The Western River Expedition was an instant hit, and immediately silenced everyone asking for Pirates. Big Lightning Mountain provided MK its first thrill ride, and its innovative backwards drop (think OTL Expedition Everest, which got the idea of a backwards coaster from this idea) and zigzag track at certain points (to replicate its namesake) provided many a scream. The paths and trails were a bit less interesting, but adults preferred to walk them rather than the noisy, child-friendly Tom Sawyer Island's. People couldn't have been happier, and were more than tide over until Space Port and EPCOT Center's opening later in the decade.
--------------------------------
The Western River Expedition begins its journey with its queue, much like Pirates, as guests wind their way through a sleepy western ranch at night. They walk by passed out barnyard animals, and go inside a dimly lit farmhouse where they can hear the farmer and his wife talking softly upstairs, snoring coming from another room.
Guests then board their bateux, shaped like lashed-together logs (think OTL Splash Mountain cars at MK), and begin their journey. The sun rises, and with it, the animals, for after going up a waterfall animatronic buffalo begin roaming and prairie dogs pop in and out of holes in the ground like whack-a-mole.
The first sign of danger comes with a couple of rabbits cowering in fear behind a large rock. A little further down is a stagecoach being robbed by bandits in bandannas and all black. They've tied up and gagged a rich man, his wife, and the driver, and threaten the guests passing by that they'll "meet again sometime soon downriver" while waving their .45s.
The guests are then swept through an Old West boomtown named Dry Gulch, similar to the town scene in Pirates. The song "Wild, Wild West," penned by the musical force of X Atencio and the Sherman Brothers (the madmen behind "Yo Ho Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me" and "it's a small world, after all" respectively), really kicks in here, having only been a slight twang in the background. Now, though, the inhabitants of Dry Gulch belt it out drunkenly.
Chaos is ensuing all throughout the town. A bank robbery is taking place, but what the robbers up front don't realize is that the vault is already being looted from another gang who busted open the back wall. Across the street (or canal, I suppose), a drunk cowboy riding his horse on the roof of a building takes potshots at them, kicking up dust by the robbers' feet. Further down, past more minor scenes, some crooks in white-and-black striped uniforms and ball-and-chains pop up out of a hole they've tunneled from the sheriff's jail. The sheriff himself is in the Burning Town-esque finale, as the bateux sweep through a hole in the side of a saloon.
Inside the saloon, all hell has broken loose and only the bartender is attempting to do anything about it, as he shoots his pistol to try and get a few guys out of the rafters. Cowboys hooted and hollered, burping loudly and sloshing their tankards as they clung to each other to keep from falling over and sing a slurred version of "Wild, Wild West." A few saloon girls were about the place as well, using their cunning and wit to swipe money from a bunch of gambling cowboys at the center.
The guests then leave the premises, and are sent back into the wilderness. There they find an Indian adobe homes, and the Indians themselves dancing a rain dance, which is successful and actually causes precipitation to fall from the skies. The Indians then notice the guests, and start to snipe them from the cliffs until they're out of range.
The end of the ride is the payoff--the same stagecoach robbers from the beginning return, and are just about ready to blow a whole thing of TNT to take down the whole boat full of guests. But just before they can coax the goat with the TNT plunger to do the deed, the guests plunge down a huge waterfall, splashdown, and the ride ends.
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So would you say Busch Gardens' business model is more similar to SeaWorld now?
Unfortunately, I do not know enough of Disney theme parks to actually ask many questions. I've never actually been to one personally.
Yeah, a lot like SeaWorld actually, except Busch Gardens ITTL is even less focused on rides.
I'm impressed you're reading this then! Don't worry, things will really start to branch out once we hit the 1980s.
Wild Wild West Part 2
"Howdy pardners! For yer safety, remain seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train--and be sure to watch yer kiddies. If any of you folks are wearin' hats or glasses, best remove 'em--'cause this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!"
-- Safety spiel from Big Lightning Mountain
"Though the old meandering ride through a natural wonderland may be gone, Big Lightning Mountain represents a new step forward in the history of Disney theme parks."
-- Tony Baxter, up-and-coming Imagineer at WED in a 1971 interview with the LA Times
"Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition was the beginning of our most grand adventures in theme park and attraction creation. Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion were drops in the bucket comparatively, until Pirates hit the Magic Kingdom in 1985."
-- Walt Disney, from the third volume of his autobiography, One Man's Dream: The Story of Walt Disney
Primarily designed by Claude Coats and Tony Baxter but with significant input (as with all of Thunder Mesa) from Walt and Marc Davis, Big Lightning Mountain was an instantaneous hit with the guests. While it still lacked inversions (Space Port was Disney's first), the so-called "wildest ride in the wilderness" made up for it with its backwards section, the first in the world. That alone drew thousands near and far, but the coaster's other defining feature, a section of zigzag track, was talked up just as much.
The train immediately turns left after exiting the station, and into a small cave and dips suddenly before popping out the other side. While to the average rider it seems like nothing special, it's actually the transition from outside and into the massive Thunder Mesa showbuilding housing both the WRE and the coaster.
A few little dips and turns later, and the cars hit the first lift hill. It brings them up high, and they plummet down, going through various caverns and banked turns and hitting the signature lightning bolt track, which by the end has slowed them considerably. It's here they go up the second lift hill, which takes them up about twice as high as before.
Once at the top, the the train stops, facing a downed bridge that would've taken the guests across a canyon. After hanging there a few tense seconds, the car drops backwards, shooting down an alternate path, down and around glittering diamond caverns, a man floating by in a bathtub in a flooding cavern, Tyrannosaurus Rex bones sticking out of the wall, and spindly outdoor rock spires that seem to barely be supporting huge rocks atop them. The cars take a large loop around a geyser that sets them back straight, and round the final turn to get back to the station.
-- Safety spiel from Big Lightning Mountain
"Though the old meandering ride through a natural wonderland may be gone, Big Lightning Mountain represents a new step forward in the history of Disney theme parks."
-- Tony Baxter, up-and-coming Imagineer at WED in a 1971 interview with the LA Times
"Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition was the beginning of our most grand adventures in theme park and attraction creation. Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion were drops in the bucket comparatively, until Pirates hit the Magic Kingdom in 1985."
-- Walt Disney, from the third volume of his autobiography, One Man's Dream: The Story of Walt Disney
--------------------------------
Big Lightning Mountain opened just in time for Christmas 1971, a month-and-a-half after Thunder Mesa proper and the Western River Expedition did. This was because almost all of the Imagineers at WED were working double time to get WRE open on time, letting Lightning Mountain wait a while. But when Disney World's first thrill ride opened up, the Western River Expedition was blown from the water.
Primarily designed by Claude Coats and Tony Baxter but with significant input (as with all of Thunder Mesa) from Walt and Marc Davis, Big Lightning Mountain was an instantaneous hit with the guests. While it still lacked inversions (Space Port was Disney's first), the so-called "wildest ride in the wilderness" made up for it with its backwards section, the first in the world. That alone drew thousands near and far, but the coaster's other defining feature, a section of zigzag track, was talked up just as much.
--------------------------------
Big Lightning Mountain, just like the WRE and most other Disney attractions, has its story and atmosphere begin in the queue. Guests first pass cacti and small desert fauna, before reaching an old abandoned boomtown named Tumbleweed. The path leads through a street or two, past dusty windows with things inside left forgotten, before taking the guests back out of the town and closer to the boarding station, winding around an old mineshaft elevator and sluices (resembling OTL Disneyland's wait area). It's here that a signpost stands, with painted arrows pointing out directions every which way, like "Dry Gulch, 10 Miles" and "The Moon, A Zillion Miles." Guests then board the old mine train, being told it's the "last trip to good ol' Lightnin', and then Mistuh Bullion says it's time to high-tail it out!"
The train immediately turns left after exiting the station, and into a small cave and dips suddenly before popping out the other side. While to the average rider it seems like nothing special, it's actually the transition from outside and into the massive Thunder Mesa showbuilding housing both the WRE and the coaster.
A few little dips and turns later, and the cars hit the first lift hill. It brings them up high, and they plummet down, going through various caverns and banked turns and hitting the signature lightning bolt track, which by the end has slowed them considerably. It's here they go up the second lift hill, which takes them up about twice as high as before.
Once at the top, the the train stops, facing a downed bridge that would've taken the guests across a canyon. After hanging there a few tense seconds, the car drops backwards, shooting down an alternate path, down and around glittering diamond caverns, a man floating by in a bathtub in a flooding cavern, Tyrannosaurus Rex bones sticking out of the wall, and spindly outdoor rock spires that seem to barely be supporting huge rocks atop them. The cars take a large loop around a geyser that sets them back straight, and round the final turn to get back to the station.
With the enhanced focus on Frontier Land I see the Wilderness Junction themed hotel next to Fort Wilderness getting built sooner rather than later. OTL this is an idea that has been getting kicked around by Disney since the late 1970s. They are finally building it on the old River Country site and it will have DVC villas which makes me happy:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-bz-disney-hotel-new-20181018-story.html
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-bz-disney-hotel-new-20181018-story.html
The Land of the Rising Sun Part 2
Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
October 16, 1973
*Walt Disney, Masamoto Takahashi, and a Cast Member dressed as Mickey Mouse stand upon a stage before a crowd of swarming people, separated by a line of other Cast Members waving and dressed as famed Disney characters.*
Walt: *Speaking in Japanese* To all of you who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will leave behind today to discover the enchanted realms of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy. May Disneytropolis become an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the people of the world. And may this new fantastical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America.
Takahashi: *Speaking in Japanese* It has always been a dream of mine to bring the children of Tokyo the same joy as the children of Los Angeles. And so, it brings me great pleasure to help Mister Disney open the first international Disney theme park!
*Walt steps back as Takahashi whips out a pair of golden scissors (more like hedge clippers, really) and cuts the red ribbon, officially opening Disneytropolis.*
-- Masamoto Takahashi, in a 1972 interview discussing the recent announcement of a "Tokyo Disneyland"
"It was a little rough around the edges at first, sure, but Disneytropolis was set on the path from the beginning for greatness."
--Marc Davis, in a February 2000 interview for the book The Man Behind the Mouse, also the final interview before his passing
"It was an outrageous amount of people who showed up. I remembered the tides of anxious guests on July 17, everyone trying to get in and do anything and everything. But the people of Japan were kind, reverent, and didn't make us feel like the park was being swallowed whole by a human tsunami, despite the 30,000 extra people."
-- Walt Disney, from the third volume of his autobiography, One Man's Dream: The Story of Walt Disney
Disney couldn't have been more pleased.
About twice as many people as projected showed up, and in that crowd were future creative forces of Japan that hadn't yet come to prominence yet, including Shigeru Miyamoto, Hayao Miyazaki, and little three-year-old Masahiro Sakurai. Unlike Disneyland's "Black Sunday" opening, in which a miriad of things went terribly wrong, the Japanese were respectful and did much less pushing and shoving than Americans would've, despite there being thirty thousand more people than the Magic Kingdom's opening day.
Kodai Machi is the Main Street, U.S.A of Disneytropolis. It is somewhat nostalgic, inspired by Imperial Japan and its capital, Kyoto, but also a familiar entrance to lands of fantasy. Kodai Machi is filled with shops, restaurants, a stage show concerning the mysterious samurai, the main station of the Disneytropolis Railroad, and hosts the nightly parade.
First up is Tomorrowland, the second-largest land at opening, and by far the most popular. Japan was up-and-coming at the time as a futuristic, high-tech nation, and WED tried to capture that here. While a slimmed down version of Space Port was in the works for both Disneyland and Disneytropolis, it wouldn't be coming for a other two years, so the land was also somewhat lacking. Slightly altered versions of Adventure Thru Inner Space and Mission to Mars hang around here, but just like at the Magic Kingdom, a version Autopia failed to make an appearance. Seabase Ryūjin, a new form of the Submarine Voyage/Seabase Atlantic at Disneyland and MK, lies here as well, taking guests on a nautical tour of the seas of Asia. The Monorail glides around above the land, crossing over across the street to the Metropolitan Resort, Disneytropolis' only hotel. Atop their station sits the Rocket Jets, basically another entry in the OTL Astro-Orbiter line. Nearby resides the Skyway to Fantasyland entrance, taking guests on a beautiful aerial tour of the park to the other station. Finally, in place of a CircaVision 360 theater there is the Progressland Expo, a place where Japanese companies can display new prototype technologies for guests to explore and investigate.
Fantasyland is up next, and still full of classics. Peter Pan Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, it's a small world, and the Mad Hatter teacups all return, along with a brand-new ride based on Beauty and the Beast. The Skyway to Tomorrowland is at the far end, as well. The crown jewel of the land, however, is an all-new Haunted Mansion, totally different from any yet seen. It's based in the urban legends surrounding the mysterious Himuro Mansion, and has gone full-blown horrifying. Guests are constantly warned this ride isn't for children, and those six years of age and younger aren't even allowed in line. Those who brave the insides find the opening scene the most terrifying: a scene depicting the Strangling Ritual, a twisted Shinto ritual too horrible to describe.
Next is Westernland. Named out of necessity (Japanese has no direct translation of "frontier"), it boasts a version of Big Lightning Mountain... and not much else. Though later additions would fill it out nicely, other than the coaster here the only attractions are a train station for the Disneytropolis Railroad, a riverboat trip around the Rivers of America, and a shooting gallery.
Between Westernland and Adventureland is the one-trick pony of the park, New Orleans Square. It houses just one attraction, that being a port of Pirates of the Caribbean from Disneyland, fully intact with no scenes absent. However, the Blue Bayou and Chicken Plantation restaurants overlooking the Rivers of America provide some of the best food and views in Tokyo, according to some critics.
Finally, we come to Adventureland. Like most incarnations, this version prominently features the Jungle Cruise, and has the Enchanted Tiki Room (here named Tropical Serenade) and the Swiss Family Treehouse to back it up. No other attractions are to be found here, sadly.
For its somewhat lackluster lineup on opening day, Disneytropolis was a hit and welcomed its millionth guest merely a month later, in November. The park's success made one thing blatantly clear: the outside world was hungry for Disney, and Walt planned to keep on feeding it.
October 16, 1973
*Walt Disney, Masamoto Takahashi, and a Cast Member dressed as Mickey Mouse stand upon a stage before a crowd of swarming people, separated by a line of other Cast Members waving and dressed as famed Disney characters.*
Walt: *Speaking in Japanese* To all of you who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will leave behind today to discover the enchanted realms of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy. May Disneytropolis become an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the people of the world. And may this new fantastical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America.
Takahashi: *Speaking in Japanese* It has always been a dream of mine to bring the children of Tokyo the same joy as the children of Los Angeles. And so, it brings me great pleasure to help Mister Disney open the first international Disney theme park!
*Walt steps back as Takahashi whips out a pair of golden scissors (more like hedge clippers, really) and cuts the red ribbon, officially opening Disneytropolis.*
--------------------------------
"The Oriental Land Company is proud to step forwards into a new era with Walt Disney Productions."
-- Masamoto Takahashi, in a 1972 interview discussing the recent announcement of a "Tokyo Disneyland"
"It was a little rough around the edges at first, sure, but Disneytropolis was set on the path from the beginning for greatness."
--Marc Davis, in a February 2000 interview for the book The Man Behind the Mouse, also the final interview before his passing
"It was an outrageous amount of people who showed up. I remembered the tides of anxious guests on July 17, everyone trying to get in and do anything and everything. But the people of Japan were kind, reverent, and didn't make us feel like the park was being swallowed whole by a human tsunami, despite the 30,000 extra people."
-- Walt Disney, from the third volume of his autobiography, One Man's Dream: The Story of Walt Disney
--------------------------------
The opening of Disneytropolis was arguably as important as the openings of Disneyland and Disney World. It being the first international Disney theme park, Disneytropolis was the benchmark for how well they would do internationally. It was important for it to do well.
Disney couldn't have been more pleased.
About twice as many people as projected showed up, and in that crowd were future creative forces of Japan that hadn't yet come to prominence yet, including Shigeru Miyamoto, Hayao Miyazaki, and little three-year-old Masahiro Sakurai. Unlike Disneyland's "Black Sunday" opening, in which a miriad of things went terribly wrong, the Japanese were respectful and did much less pushing and shoving than Americans would've, despite there being thirty thousand more people than the Magic Kingdom's opening day.
--------------------------------
Disneytropolis features six themed lands, those being Kodai Machi, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Westernland, New Orleans Square, and Adventureland. The order is mirrored from the American parks, which place Adventureland and Westernland/Frontierland in the west and Tomorrowland in the east, not only because it was refreshing, but because Westernland was closer to home in the east and also the Japanese write right to left.
Kodai Machi is the Main Street, U.S.A of Disneytropolis. It is somewhat nostalgic, inspired by Imperial Japan and its capital, Kyoto, but also a familiar entrance to lands of fantasy. Kodai Machi is filled with shops, restaurants, a stage show concerning the mysterious samurai, the main station of the Disneytropolis Railroad, and hosts the nightly parade.
First up is Tomorrowland, the second-largest land at opening, and by far the most popular. Japan was up-and-coming at the time as a futuristic, high-tech nation, and WED tried to capture that here. While a slimmed down version of Space Port was in the works for both Disneyland and Disneytropolis, it wouldn't be coming for a other two years, so the land was also somewhat lacking. Slightly altered versions of Adventure Thru Inner Space and Mission to Mars hang around here, but just like at the Magic Kingdom, a version Autopia failed to make an appearance. Seabase Ryūjin, a new form of the Submarine Voyage/Seabase Atlantic at Disneyland and MK, lies here as well, taking guests on a nautical tour of the seas of Asia. The Monorail glides around above the land, crossing over across the street to the Metropolitan Resort, Disneytropolis' only hotel. Atop their station sits the Rocket Jets, basically another entry in the OTL Astro-Orbiter line. Nearby resides the Skyway to Fantasyland entrance, taking guests on a beautiful aerial tour of the park to the other station. Finally, in place of a CircaVision 360 theater there is the Progressland Expo, a place where Japanese companies can display new prototype technologies for guests to explore and investigate.
Fantasyland is up next, and still full of classics. Peter Pan Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, it's a small world, and the Mad Hatter teacups all return, along with a brand-new ride based on Beauty and the Beast. The Skyway to Tomorrowland is at the far end, as well. The crown jewel of the land, however, is an all-new Haunted Mansion, totally different from any yet seen. It's based in the urban legends surrounding the mysterious Himuro Mansion, and has gone full-blown horrifying. Guests are constantly warned this ride isn't for children, and those six years of age and younger aren't even allowed in line. Those who brave the insides find the opening scene the most terrifying: a scene depicting the Strangling Ritual, a twisted Shinto ritual too horrible to describe.
Next is Westernland. Named out of necessity (Japanese has no direct translation of "frontier"), it boasts a version of Big Lightning Mountain... and not much else. Though later additions would fill it out nicely, other than the coaster here the only attractions are a train station for the Disneytropolis Railroad, a riverboat trip around the Rivers of America, and a shooting gallery.
Between Westernland and Adventureland is the one-trick pony of the park, New Orleans Square. It houses just one attraction, that being a port of Pirates of the Caribbean from Disneyland, fully intact with no scenes absent. However, the Blue Bayou and Chicken Plantation restaurants overlooking the Rivers of America provide some of the best food and views in Tokyo, according to some critics.
Finally, we come to Adventureland. Like most incarnations, this version prominently features the Jungle Cruise, and has the Enchanted Tiki Room (here named Tropical Serenade) and the Swiss Family Treehouse to back it up. No other attractions are to be found here, sadly.
For its somewhat lackluster lineup on opening day, Disneytropolis was a hit and welcomed its millionth guest merely a month later, in November. The park's success made one thing blatantly clear: the outside world was hungry for Disney, and Walt planned to keep on feeding it.
Ready Player One?
"How did this happen? HOW? I want specifics, and I want names!"
-- Walt Disney, in an outburst of anger after viewing the premier of The Aristocats on March 1, 1974
"It's shape up or ship out."
-- Don Bluth, new head of Walt Disney Production's animation department, in the wake of The Aristocats
"The Aristocats is a dark spot in the history of Disney. Critics and audiences alike agree that it is by far one of the worst Disney films of all time, a mess of a movie edited and animated in nonsensical ways. The only good thing that came out of it was the rise of Don Bluth and the Disney Renaissance."
-- Excerpt from the post "The Mess that Made Disney," from the blog The Mouseterpiece, April 10, 2010
While overall basically the same as OTL, those key differences listed above are what change it for the worse. It coming after the excellence of Beauty and the Beast certainly didn't help it, leading to a severe critical panning, disgust from general audiences, and revulsion from Walt himself. Although he'd sworn off a direct hand in animation and movies to better focus on his theme parks, Walt still wanted that branch of his company to succeed. Quite obviously, whatever they were doing now wasn't working. That required fixing.
Bluth had caught Walt's eye upon his return to the company in 1971. His sheer skill and creativity made him known, and Walt bookmarked him for later re-examination. It seemed his time had come, and Don Bluth was made head of animation after Walt's "Sunday Morning Massacre," where the living legend went off and fired dozens of animators and higher-ups who'd let a mess like The Aristocats happen just two days after the movie released.
Bluth was then tasked with getting Disney back on track. It was no small feat, and if he failed, Bluth knew he'd be out too. All projects in the works (including a rather strange adaptation of Robin Hood) were scrapped immediately, and he and the team delved into the fairy tales and legends of the past. They needed something new and refreshing, but simultaneously reminiscent of the past classics.
Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Musketeers, Little Red Riding Hood, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and The Emperor's New Clothes were all seriously considered, as well as recent Newberry winner Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, but three ideas stole the spotlight as the possible new make-or-break animated feature: The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, or Hercules.
In the end, The Snow Queen won out. The major deciding factor of this was the fact that Marc Davis and the guys at WED were finishing up an attraction based on the very same story, and the concept art had captivated Bluth. He went out and spent a few weeks with Davis, got to know him a bit, and essentially became his temporary protégé, all while getting to know the Davis art style they'd be attempting to integrate somewhat into the film. When Bluth showed the first storyboards of The Snow Queen to Walt, he was very impressed and allowed this to be the project to fix the animation department.
Don Bluth, it seemed, would be the savior of Disney.
Walt had pulled over at a bar to stop and use the restroom. He had to hurry; Lilly was in the car. He ducked out of the bathroom attempted to show his face as little as possible... and stopped dead.
"The hell is that?"
A crowd of people had just parted, tearing themselves away from a cabinet shoved in a corner. It was a tall wooden rectangle, smaller than a fridge, with a yellow front framing what appeared to be a television screen. On the cabinet's front face were two knobs and a slot. Just above the screen was one word in all caps: PONG.
"Like what you see?" came a voice behind Walt.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I suppose," he replied, startled at the man's sudden appearance.
"We just got 'er in Tuesday. Since then, that corner's been more full than the actual bar. People can't get enough of that silly machine."
"...What is it?" asked Walt.
"It's what they call a 'video game.' Two player only. Want to go a few rounds? I've been honing my skills the past couple of days."
Walt shrugged. "I mean, I should really be getting back to my wife in our car..."
"Oh, c'mon! It'll be quick. Just one round. I'll even drop the quarter for us."
"...Alright."
Walt walked up to the Player One knob, and the other guy slid his coin into the slot and grabbed the other one. The game was quick, considering Walt had no clue how to play it. He soon got the hang of it, though. The goal of the game was to basically play virtual ping pong and use the "paddle" on your side and hit the "ball" which could bounce off your paddle or the walls into the opposing person's "goal" (really just the space behind their own paddle). In a few minutes and a few tries, Walt was hooked. He couldn't get over just how fun it was.
It seemed not that long had passed when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Walt turned his head quickly, spouting out, "Just one second!" before seeing who it was: Lilly, with a murderous look in her eyes.
"Uh oh."
-- Walt Disney, in an outburst of anger after viewing the premier of The Aristocats on March 1, 1974
"It's shape up or ship out."
-- Don Bluth, new head of Walt Disney Production's animation department, in the wake of The Aristocats
"The Aristocats is a dark spot in the history of Disney. Critics and audiences alike agree that it is by far one of the worst Disney films of all time, a mess of a movie edited and animated in nonsensical ways. The only good thing that came out of it was the rise of Don Bluth and the Disney Renaissance."
-- Excerpt from the post "The Mess that Made Disney," from the blog The Mouseterpiece, April 10, 2010
--------------------------------
The Aristocats is much more similar to OTL's The Black Cauldron in its hasty, slapped-together nature than OTL's original movie. The whole movie is jumpy, several scenes are simple reskins of ones from other Disney films, and the plot is all over the place.
While overall basically the same as OTL, those key differences listed above are what change it for the worse. It coming after the excellence of Beauty and the Beast certainly didn't help it, leading to a severe critical panning, disgust from general audiences, and revulsion from Walt himself. Although he'd sworn off a direct hand in animation and movies to better focus on his theme parks, Walt still wanted that branch of his company to succeed. Quite obviously, whatever they were doing now wasn't working. That required fixing.
Bluth had caught Walt's eye upon his return to the company in 1971. His sheer skill and creativity made him known, and Walt bookmarked him for later re-examination. It seemed his time had come, and Don Bluth was made head of animation after Walt's "Sunday Morning Massacre," where the living legend went off and fired dozens of animators and higher-ups who'd let a mess like The Aristocats happen just two days after the movie released.
Bluth was then tasked with getting Disney back on track. It was no small feat, and if he failed, Bluth knew he'd be out too. All projects in the works (including a rather strange adaptation of Robin Hood) were scrapped immediately, and he and the team delved into the fairy tales and legends of the past. They needed something new and refreshing, but simultaneously reminiscent of the past classics.
Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Musketeers, Little Red Riding Hood, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and The Emperor's New Clothes were all seriously considered, as well as recent Newberry winner Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, but three ideas stole the spotlight as the possible new make-or-break animated feature: The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, or Hercules.
In the end, The Snow Queen won out. The major deciding factor of this was the fact that Marc Davis and the guys at WED were finishing up an attraction based on the very same story, and the concept art had captivated Bluth. He went out and spent a few weeks with Davis, got to know him a bit, and essentially became his temporary protégé, all while getting to know the Davis art style they'd be attempting to integrate somewhat into the film. When Bluth showed the first storyboards of The Snow Queen to Walt, he was very impressed and allowed this to be the project to fix the animation department.
Don Bluth, it seemed, would be the savior of Disney.
--------------------------------
Walt Disney needed a vacation. Well, he was on one, but he felt like he needed a vacation from this vacation. Too much was on his mind to relax, and the drive back from Smoke Tree had allowed him far too much time to worry about the studio's future in movies. Could they do it without him? Adapt to survive? He sure hoped so. That Bluth character seemed like he had it in him.
Walt had pulled over at a bar to stop and use the restroom. He had to hurry; Lilly was in the car. He ducked out of the bathroom attempted to show his face as little as possible... and stopped dead.
"The hell is that?"
A crowd of people had just parted, tearing themselves away from a cabinet shoved in a corner. It was a tall wooden rectangle, smaller than a fridge, with a yellow front framing what appeared to be a television screen. On the cabinet's front face were two knobs and a slot. Just above the screen was one word in all caps: PONG.
"Like what you see?" came a voice behind Walt.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I suppose," he replied, startled at the man's sudden appearance.
"We just got 'er in Tuesday. Since then, that corner's been more full than the actual bar. People can't get enough of that silly machine."
"...What is it?" asked Walt.
"It's what they call a 'video game.' Two player only. Want to go a few rounds? I've been honing my skills the past couple of days."
Walt shrugged. "I mean, I should really be getting back to my wife in our car..."
"Oh, c'mon! It'll be quick. Just one round. I'll even drop the quarter for us."
"...Alright."
Walt walked up to the Player One knob, and the other guy slid his coin into the slot and grabbed the other one. The game was quick, considering Walt had no clue how to play it. He soon got the hang of it, though. The goal of the game was to basically play virtual ping pong and use the "paddle" on your side and hit the "ball" which could bounce off your paddle or the walls into the opposing person's "goal" (really just the space behind their own paddle). In a few minutes and a few tries, Walt was hooked. He couldn't get over just how fun it was.
It seemed not that long had passed when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Walt turned his head quickly, spouting out, "Just one second!" before seeing who it was: Lilly, with a murderous look in her eyes.
"Uh oh."
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I should say that none of those ideas are scrapped. They're all still on the table for future consideration.
Admiral Halsey
Banned
If American Tail gets made still as well then theoretically we should still get Land Before Time as well. Apparently Spielberg had been wanting to do "Bambi but Dinosaurs" for awhile.
- Status