You’d think that — what with Disneyland’s “Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters” opening in May, DCA’s new “Block Party” parade featuring nothing but Pixar characters, that theme park’s “Monsters, Inc.” ride due to open next January, Tomorrowland’s “Finding Nemo” -themed submarine replacement slowly making its ways through the approval process as well as “Cars” -themed concept work already being worked up for DL’s “Autopia” — that the Disneyland Resort would have kind of had its fill of Pixar-related project. At least for the time being.
Well, think again, folks. Word’s just out of WDI that at least three more Pixar-related projects are currently in the pipeline for Anaheim. With two of them slated to be built in Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ranch area, while the third attraction will go out out in the Timon parking lot next to DCA.
As for the two attractions being developed on that big parcel of land off of Big Thunder Trail … Surprise, surprise! They will be themed around the Sheriff Woody, Jessie and Bullseye characters from the “Toy Story” films. Current plans call for a classic kid-friendly dark ride as well as something called a “critter carousel.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
Said one unnamed WDI vet:
“We’ve tried doing the meet-n-greet thing with Woody, Jessie and Bullseye down in Frontierland. But that setting was a just little too real for them. These cartoon characters just looked odd standing next to a full-sized steamboat or by a real-looking western saloon.
But — at the same time — these ‘Toy Story’ characters clearly don’t belong in our European-themed Fantasyland. Which is why we have to create an all-new space between these two lands that can serve as a logical home for these three.”
According to what I’ve been hearing, “Sheriff Woody’s Corral” (One of several names being considered for this proposed addition to the park) is deliberately being designed to serve as sort of a transition “land” for Disneyland. Meaning that guests who are walking from Fantasyland to Frontierland along Big Thunder Trail … Well, they’ll go from a cartoonish looking old Europe to a cartoonish Old West to a more realistic looking western frontierland. Making for a much smoother transition from one part of the theme park to the other.
Conversely, Disneyland guests traveling from Frontierland from Fantasyland along Big Thunder Trail will leave a somewhat realistic portrayal of the Old West for a cartoonish take on the West followed by a cartoonish version of Europe.
Our source within WDI continues:
“This project will actually satisfy two needs. Guest surveys tell us that people really want to spend time with the ‘Toy Story’ characters. Not just Buzz but Woody, Jessie and Bullseye too. So this expansion area will help service that need.
But — as the same time — a lot of Imagineers have been bothered by Big Thunder Trail. They feel that, for years now, it’s been a bad transition area in the park. That Disney’s cohesive story always falls apart whenever guests use that walkway.
But now — with this new Woody expansion area going in — both of these problems can be solved simultaneously. Guests will finally be able to have a place in the park to go to if they want to meet Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. Plus — at the same time — we put a proper buffer between Fantasyland & Frontierland. Something that works story-wise no matter which way you’re walking on Big Thunder Trail.”
Provided that this proposed Pixar-related project gets a greenlight soon, Disneyland guests could be visiting “Sheriff Woody’s Corral” as early as late 2007 / early 2008. Which — not-so-co-incidentally — will be about the same time that “The Incredibles” set up shop over at DCA.
This new E-Ticket that’s currently in the works for Disney’s California Adventure will be everything that “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” was not. Meaning that it won’t be a clone. It’s been a one-of-a-kind original that — through clever use of large screen projection and synchronized movement of specialized ride vehicles — will make it seem as if you’ve actually entered the world of “The Incredibles.” That you’re racing alongside Dash, that you’re able to infiltrate a secret fortress as steathily as Elastigirl and/or able to help Mr. Incredible as he & his family go toe-to-toe with new super villains.
“And just how is Disney going to do this?,” you ask. Follow this link. This is the ride system that Disney is reportedly considering for its “Incredibles” E-Ticket. And I think that — if you watch the Robocoaster demo videos — you’ll immediately see how it would be possible to base a truly incredible “Incredibles” attraction on this unique new ride system.
Of course, I guess I should mention that — in spite of all the Pixar-related projects that have been proposed and/or greenlit — there are still a number of people at WDI who are unhappy. Why for? Well … Because it seems like the only thing the Imagineers ever work on anymore are Pixar-related attractions.
JHM’s source within WDI concluded:
“That’s why so many of us within Imagineering are really pulling for ‘Chicken Little’ or ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide’ or “Wilbur Robinson’ to be huge hits. Just we can then work on something different for a change.
Don’t get me wrong. We all love the Pixar movies here. We’d even love to see Disney renew its deal with that studio. Just so we’d all have more great movies to watch.
But sometimes it just gets tiring to only design attractions for the stateside parks that are based on Pixar films.”
Speaking of which … Take a close look at this photograph of the exterior of the “Carousel of Progress” as it was decorated for this year’s “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” at WDW’s Magic Kingdom.
Photo by Jeff Lange
My sources inside of WDI are telling me that we should all consider these “Buzz Lightyear” -themed Halloween decorations to be sort of a coming attraction. Meaning that “Toy Story” ‘s little green men will mostly likely be moving into Tomorrowland’s theater-go-round building — offering WDW visitors flying saucer driving lessons — sometime in late 2007 / early 2008.
So what do yo folks think? Are all these Pixar-related attractions that are slated to go into the Disney theme parks over the next few years really too much of a good thing?
Your thoughts?