Yesterday was a big day for the Magic Kingdom! The first phase of the new Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland“soft” opened to guests including:
The first part of “Dumbo, the Flying Elephant,” with Dumbo spinning clockwise for the first time in Magic Kingdom history
“The Barnstormer, Starring The Great Goofini,” a family coaster attraction featuring Mickey’s best pal and
“The Fantasyland Train Station,” one of the three stops for The Walt Disney World Railroad.
“The Storybook Circus area pays tribute to the traveling circuses of the 1950s and 1960s – the setting for Walt Disney’s Dumbo – and we’ve put a lot of signature Imagineer details into every nook and cranny” said Chris Beatty, Creative Director, Fantasyland Expansion for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Dumbo, one of the circus’ most famed acts, flies guests around the Big Top area – featuring shiny new red and gold colors (inspired by ‘50s- and ‘60s-era tin toys), newly-created signature illustrations from one of the animators of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and a beautiful new water feature circling the base of the attraction – a first for the Magic Kingdom Park attraction.
“We were truly honored to be asked to design the new Dumbo,” Beatty said. “Every time a new piece of it came in, it would get us excited all over again.”
The Storybook Circus has just set up shop and peanuts, hoof and paw prints can be seen in the walkways – remnants of the circus animals and guests milling about the area.
The Great Goofini, the circus’ stuntman, presents for guests one of his most daring stunts – The Barnstormer – which features an amazing array of aerial acrobatics. Some of the Great Goofini’s other stunts can be seen in posters around the circus area including “Bear Wrasslin” and “Aquamaniac.” The stunts and posters are a tip of the hat to some of the great Goofy short subjects of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
And the Fantasyland Train Station design pays homage to both the elegant train travel of America’s past and Disney history, complete with a Casey-Junior-inspired weather vane and Carolwood Park sign, with “Fair Weather Place,” a nod to “Fair Weather Route,” Walt’s tag line for the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, the steam engine Walt Disney had running through his backyard.
The attractions are in what we, in the biz, call “soft opening,” which means that they will be open at certain times and not at others.
This is just the first phase in what will become the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom Park history – nearly doubling the size of Fantasyland.
The first part of “Dumbo, the Flying Elephant,” with Dumbo spinning clockwise for the first time in Magic Kingdom history
“The Barnstormer, Starring The Great Goofini,” a family coaster attraction featuring Mickey’s best pal and
“The Fantasyland Train Station,” one of the three stops for The Walt Disney World Railroad.
“The Storybook Circus area pays tribute to the traveling circuses of the 1950s and 1960s – the setting for Walt Disney’s Dumbo – and we’ve put a lot of signature Imagineer details into every nook and cranny” said Chris Beatty, Creative Director, Fantasyland Expansion for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Dumbo, one of the circus’ most famed acts, flies guests around the Big Top area – featuring shiny new red and gold colors (inspired by ‘50s- and ‘60s-era tin toys), newly-created signature illustrations from one of the animators of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and a beautiful new water feature circling the base of the attraction – a first for the Magic Kingdom Park attraction.
“We were truly honored to be asked to design the new Dumbo,” Beatty said. “Every time a new piece of it came in, it would get us excited all over again.”
The Storybook Circus has just set up shop and peanuts, hoof and paw prints can be seen in the walkways – remnants of the circus animals and guests milling about the area.
The Great Goofini, the circus’ stuntman, presents for guests one of his most daring stunts – The Barnstormer – which features an amazing array of aerial acrobatics. Some of the Great Goofini’s other stunts can be seen in posters around the circus area including “Bear Wrasslin” and “Aquamaniac.” The stunts and posters are a tip of the hat to some of the great Goofy short subjects of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
And the Fantasyland Train Station design pays homage to both the elegant train travel of America’s past and Disney history, complete with a Casey-Junior-inspired weather vane and Carolwood Park sign, with “Fair Weather Place,” a nod to “Fair Weather Route,” Walt’s tag line for the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, the steam engine Walt Disney had running through his backyard.
The attractions are in what we, in the biz, call “soft opening,” which means that they will be open at certain times and not at others.
This is just the first phase in what will become the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom Park history – nearly doubling the size of Fantasyland.
Fantasyland Opens "soft"
Since the announcement of the expansion of Fantasyland back in 2010, the construction has come a long way. With the first half set to open in fall 2012, they still have a lot of work to do. Watch the video below for a general idea of whats going on.
The Dumbo attraction will be relocated to the Storybook section of Fantasyland. The existing Dumbo attraction will close around January 9th, 2012 to move to its new location with a circus theme. A new Dumbo ride carriage will be added allowing for twice the guest capacity. The queue area will be considered a holding area where guests can enjoy interactive experiences before boarding the ride without waiting in line the entire time. Some rumors have pointed to guests receiving a boarding pass upon entering the holding area (also known as the big top). When it’s your turn your boarding pass number(s) will be announced. The newly relocated Dumbo attraction will be one of the first attractions to open in early 2012 (possibly as early as late February or early March)
The ex-Goofy’s Barnstormer roller coaster will be renovated into the Great Goofini. This magically redesigned attraction featuring Goofy the Magician will reopen in early 2012.
Also opening in early 2012 will be the newly rebuilt Fantasyland train station. Guests will be able to pick-up the train and make stops at the newly created Storybook section of Fantasyland.
Next to the train station will be the ‘Casey Jr. Roundhouse’, a circus-themed, interactive water play area. This attraction will open with Dumbo and the Great Goofini in early 2012.
A major new attraction, Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid will take guests through Ariel and her friends’ world. Climb aboard a clamshell as you make your way through this attraction with background music from the classic film. This attraction is scheduled to open no later than early 2013.
Near the new Little Mermaid attraction will be ‘Scuttle’s Scavenger Hunt’. This fun, interactive game will allow guests to find treasures from the human world. No date range has been announced for this attraction, but it will probably open around the same time as the Under the Sea – Little Mermaid attraction.
‘Castle of the Beast’ or Beast’s Castle will be visible from most of Fantasyland. Inside this castle will be a new dining outlet called ‘Be our Guest Restaurant’. The restaurant will feature an elegant ballroom setting with fast food counter service by day and full table service by night. Just outside Beast’s Castle will be Gaston’s Tavern (non-alcoholic) and Bonjour! Village Gifts (a souvenir shop). Nearby will be Belle’s Cottage where guests can enjoy a new kind of storytelling experience called ‘Enchanted Tales with Belle’. A magical mirror awaits and guests are transported to Beast’s Library where Belle and Lumiere await. These attractions are scheduled to open no later than early 2013.
 | |
| Top view of Beast's Castle |
 |
| Be Our Guest Restaurant |
 |
| Bonjour! Village Gifts |
 |
| Enchanted Tales With Belle |
 |
| Princess Fairytale Hall |
Another brand new attraction coming to the Fantasyland Expansion is the ‘Seven Dwarfs Mine Train’ coaster. Guests will move in and out of this attraction. The attraction will feature a first-of-its kind ride system that rocks the train side to side. Guests will enjoy animated figures of the Seven Dwarf characters mining for diamonds with background music from the classic film. This is scheduled to be the last attraction to open in the new Fantasyland expansion sometime in 2013.
 |
| Seven Dwarfs Mine Train |
As with any major expansion at Walt Disney World these dates and attraction details can change based on construction delays, construction challenges, and Imagineering updates. Until then I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in 2012 and 2013 in the new Fantasyland section of the Magic Kingdom; one of the biggest and boldest expansions in Disney World history. This is going to be HUGE!
In the video below, Walt Disney Imagineering takes you onto the construction site to learn more about the innovative technology the Imagineers are using to build the new attractions, restaurants and other guest areas that will make up the expansion.
As you’ll see, this visualization technology allows the team to identify any potential challenges before construction begins. Tablet computers also allow Imagineers to take the program onsite to see how work is progressing.
In response to Monday’s post, many of you asked how tall the new castle is, or if it would even distract from the view of Cinderella Castle (this shot was taken from the queue at Dumbo the Flying Elephant). Well, the next few photos should put your mind at ease. As you can see, Beast’s castle actually uses forced perspective architecture to make the structure look more grandiose in size than it appears in reality.
Forced perspective works as sort of an optical illusion, tricking the eye into believing a structure is much larger or taller than it really is. This is done by manipulating the size and scale of a building, based on the perspective it will be viewed from.
The company’s use of forced perspective started with Walt Disney during the construction of Disneyland park in California. At that time, Walt paid special attention to the scale of each building, as well as the specific shrubs and trees that flanked them in order to create the best sense of height and drama.
As you can see in this comparison between the artist rendering and the current construction, the castle sits high atop what will be the Be Our Guest Restaurant, which is really the gateway to the castle’s interior. Here, the restaurant will offer quick-service lunches and table-service dinners inside the Beast’s elegant ballroom, gallery and eerie “west-wing.” The construction to the far left will become Maurice’s Cottage.
No comments:
Post a Comment