This series focuses on bringing new attractions, mini lands, restaurants, shops and more to the Disneyland Park! This is episode three of the series, in first one we re-imagined Frontierland and in the second one we re-imagined Adventureland!
Today we focus on the most magical place! So, let’s put on those imagineering hats and get to work!
Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.
Walt Disney
In Fantasyland, we only have additions, which speaks for the land in its current form.
There’s two rather simple fill-ins of currently underused land, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, an improved and expanded version of the Hollywood Studios ride (most likely it would be the updated version that is currently under construction in Toon Town, Anaheim), and the fantastic current iteration of Disneyland’s Alice in Wonderland ride that will give the land even more kinetics (and make the Alice mini-land in that area even bigger).
The current Meet Mickey building will still host a Meet & Greet area but will have to share some of its space with the entrance/exit to MMRR, whose queue will continue through a tunnel under the train tracks.
The Alice ride has an attached snack window facing It’s a Small World. Due to the curious show building in Anaheim which is situated mostly on top of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, DLP’s version would have to get a noticeably changed track layout to adapt the ride to the building’s altered shape – and as the ride mostly happens on the upper floor, there will be an empty area under the ride on the ground floor that could best be used for additional Cast Member and backstage space.
Moving on, there’s the big undertaking that is the new Little Mermaid mini-land with its attached Tangled area. Located between Discoveryland and It’s a Small World, the new area includes entrances from both ends: The main entrance from the Fantasyland side which is basically a smaller version of the new Fantasy Springs entrance in Tokyo Disney Sea with plenty of waterfalls and fountains, beautiful landscaping and spectacular lighting in the evening – and the Nautilus themed entrance from Discoveryland, that takes you far under the sea. (Discoveryland article coming soon!)
To make the best use of the comparatively little space we have, the underwater grotto area called Under the Sea is built on two levels, with the lower one being half a floor under the current ground level to also keep the show building as unobtrusive as possible. The upper level also has to accommodate the railway tracks which will receive a new show scene that’s also themed to an underwater experience but without the Mermaid IP as to fit in better with the more realistic show scenes of the rest of the train ride (see also Adventureland and Discoveryland).
On its two levels, the new indoor area will treat guests to a large seawater tank alongside the stairs with tropical fish and corals that can be seen from both restaurants, one being a counter service on the lower floor, Off the Hook, the other a table service restaurant overlooking the grotto from the upper floor, King Triton’s Hall. Both restaurants, as well as the adjacent Snuggly Duckling, will use the same kitchen. At the back of the area, under the train tracks, guests can reach the entrance to The Little Mermaid dark ride, and right next to that, under the Discoveryland entrance, there’s the exit through the gift shop (Ariel’s Treasure Cave).
The Ariel dark ride is not a clone of an existing attraction but an entirely new offering using the Peter Pan ride system. This attraction actually had originally been proposed once for DLP but has never been built. We have a detailed blog post about the attraction, make sure to check it out!
Through the Fantasy Springs entrance area, guests can also reach the Tangled area which is a restroom. Nah just kidding… Nestled into the lush landscaping of the Springs, guests find the Snuggly Duckling in a cozy glade. Beyond the front door, there’s a Counter Service restaurant and the entrance to the attraction through a not very well hidden trapdoor. Guests will find themselves after a short tunnel in an open-air queue with lots of sun protection decorated with Rapunzel’s art. In front of the tower is the load/unload area for this family coaster which is similar to an extended Flight of the Hippogriff at Universal’s Wizarding World, traversing three highly themed show scenes (Inside the Tower, Canyon, Festival of Lanterns).
Parts of these show scenes (canyon waterfalls, some track to add kinetics) should be visible from the Fantasy Springs area. The canyon scene is outside, the other two are indoor scenes. Lanterns should still have representation in the queue area and preferably also be visible from the Fantasyland area, in general, to draw guests towards this more hidden part of the extension!
That’s it for Fantasyland! This one is, by far, the biggest one yet!
As always, That’s a Wrap!
Full credit to WickedMrWombat
The Main Street News 