Today, however, I want to be able to make this place of amazement even more awe-inspiring. While everyone loves Disney World, we can all admit, that some changes could be made to make it even better. For just the length of this post, I am going to put on my Imagineering hat, with ultimate power and unlimited cash in my theoretical hand, and look at the four parks and suggest some changes that could be made to improve this vacation haven for the entire world.
To simplify matters slightly, I will remain focused exclusively on attractions and shows, not the logistical or technical side of things. Strictly speaking from an entertainment perspective, this is my evaluation of Disney World and what could be improved upon.
Magic Kingdom
I'll begin at the place where everything in Central Florida began: the Magic Kingdom. Overall, it's extraordinarily tough to find flaws in the Magic Kingdom because usually, this is the park everyone remembers for years and years to come. Everything from the castle to the classical attractions to the unforgettable character experiences makes the Magic Kingdom the supreme leader in theme park entertainment worldwide.
So how do you improve upon perceived perfection?
In my opinion, the place that needs the most work is perhaps my favorite land in the entire park: Tomorrowland. First of all, Stitch's Great Escape needs to go. I applaud the Disney Imagineers for trying to give Stitch some theme park love, but reverting him back to his former way of living after witnessing his remarkable transformation in Lilo & Stitch is counterproductive. If you're going to give Stitch some respect in Tomorrowland, the drawing board must be revisited. Maybe upon further investigation, we discover that Stitch just doesn't fit in this particular part of the park. Luckily, we have other options. In 2015, Disney released an entire film called Tomorrowland. Now, looking back at the box office numbers for this George Clooney-led film, one might be apprehensive to giving this one an attraction in Tomorrowland, but if you've seen this movie, you know that when the setting shifts to the actual Tomorrowland, there are some tremendous gadgets and inventions that would be great to explore more in depth in its motherland of sorts. Plus, this movie has a cult following, so it could replicate the success of other cult classic attractions at WDW, like the late Maelstrom at Epcot and The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios.
If we don't want to go with Tomorrowland, we could take a page out of Shanghai Disneyland's book and bring Tron to the Magic Kingdom. The concept art released from Shanghai's Tron soon-to-be attractions were breathtaking, and my immediate reaction was that Disney World needed Tron in Tomorrowland. This wouldn't be the first time Disney Parks shared among themselves either. Think about the Tower of Terror going to Disneyland and Soarin' coming to Epcot. I'm sure we can figure out a way to get Tron into Central Florida. Another option for the proposed vacant building currently belonging to Experiment 626 is to bring Pixar some more love by giving Wall-E an attraction. Everyone's favorite Disney robot would be quite perfect for Tomorrowland. Who wouldn't want to further explore the adventures of the Axiom and its notorious crew.? Pixar already has a strong presence in Tomorrowland, so why not let the one movie that lends itself best to the theme of the land take over for Stitch and company? All in all, we have to find a replacement or major refurbishment for Stitch's Great Escape.
Furthermore in Tomorrowland, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin needs a minor refurbishment. Although it remains one of the more popular attractions at the Magic Kingdom (it's one of my all-time favorites as well), we're trying to improve the Magic Kingdom, and one way we can do that is by giving guests what they want, and what they want is to be able to tell which laser is their own personal laser when they're slaying Zurg and his army. This problem was solved greatly with Toy Story Midway Mania at Hollywood Studios. Obviously, you couldn't do it exactly like that, but giving each blaster a unique color so the guest knows what to look for wouldn't be a bad idea. Plus, while we're at it, why not enable the blasters to freely move without being constrained to the ship? These are two minor changes that would tremendously improve the quality of an already fantastic attraction.
Moving over to Fantasyland, Mickey's Philharmagic simply needs an updated movie. I love seeing these classic Disney scenes come to life like never before, so while I don't want an entirely new attraction, an updated film featuring some other classic Disney scenes (The dancing scene from Cinderella? The "I've Got a Dream" sequence from Tangled? A Sugar Rush race from Wreck-It Ralph?). The possibilities are truly endless. Keep the spirit of the attraction but just give it a slight but significant upgrade.
Finally, let's bring back SpectroMagic and rid ourselves of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Musically and thematically, SpectroMagic, in my opinion, is the far superior nighttime parade. It is one of the few things that are no longer at a Disney Park that I genuinely miss. Jiminy Cricket narrating both SpectroMagic and Wishes would be a perfect way to end the day at the Magic Kingdom, just like in the good ole days.
The Magic Kingdom doesn't need reinvention, but these proposed changes could go a long way in satisfying generations to come beyond their wildest imaginations.
Epcot
When thinking about how to improve Epcot, I think the one thing we can all agree on is that Epcot needs a more broader appeal to families with children. Every time I help one of these families out in planning their Disney vacation, they always wonder if they should spend any time at Epcot beyond just a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I cannot tell them that they should go to Epcot for an entire day. Nowadays, as I have grown to appreciate what Epcot really is, I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world, but as a child, Epcot was by far my least favorite park of the four. Let's change that with three key additions to this legendary park.
Primarily, and I wrote a blog about this specific topic a few months ago, we must give the Imagination Pavilion (currently occupied by Figment and Captain EO) an upgrade courtesy of Inside Out. One of 2015's biggest hits, Pixar has one of their crowning achievements simply begging for Epcot to let them in because thematically, it's a picture perfect fit. I won't just rewrite that previous blog here, but if you want to read my detailed proposal of this addition, follow this link: http://insidedisney407.blogspot.com/2015/11/from-inside-out.html.
Secondly, following the trend set up by Frozen taking over Norway, why not allow for more Disney characters to be prominently featured throughout World Showcase? Now this proposal won't necessarily be a popular one, but I actually like the idea of characters in WC. Therefore, if Anna and Elsa get Norway, why not let Mulan become the highlight of the China Pavilion? She already has a periodic meet and greet in China, so I propose that we reimagine this pavilion to let Mulan become the focal point. Mushu and Cricky are just begging to host an attraction or show, so because I'm an Imagineer for the day, I'm giving them one! Furthermore, let's expand Mulan's presence and give her an attraction to be featured in too. Mulan is one of the most underrated Disney classics of all-time, and to have an entire pavilion dedicated to her home, limit her to a meet and greet only, and then still have the problem of attracting families to Epcot is a mistake. This reimagining would be great for the reputation of Epcot.
In addition to that proposal, let's go over to the France Pavilion and let Ratatouille take over. One of the most mature animated films of all-time, Remy and company would be a perfect collaborator for France as both kids and adults alike love this movie. Prominently featured in the film, let's allow for Gusteau's to be the main dining destination for World Showcase like we did for Be Our Guest over at the Magic Kingdom. To further enhance the Ratatouille experience, we can let Remy have a meet and greet of sorts throughout the restaurant. Who doesn't want to eat at Gusteau's after watching this movie? Disney World is the place where dreams come true, and this addition would allow for some of those dreams to be fulfilled.
Families need a reason to stay at Epcot all day long, and the additions of Inside Out, Mulan, and Ratatouille to the scene in addition to the continued presence of Nemo and friends and the expected arrival of Frozen this year, Epcot would quickly become a family destination without harming the adult vibe already associated with it.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
By now we all know that the additions of Star Wars and Toy Story are coming to Hollywood Studios in the coming years, so for the purposes of this task, I will focus on everything else. What can we do in the meantime to help Studios become a must-see destination again?
Chiefly, let's give the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Muppet Vision 3D some much needed upgrades. Disney recently purchased the rights to Indiana Jones and The Muppets, so we clearly have some plans for those two entities within the parks, so let's take two fairly popular attractions and give them a face-lift. The stunt show has run its course, and while I still thoroughly enjoy it, we can do something better for this brand new generation of vacationers. It could be just as simple as focusing on another Indiana Jones film like The Last Crusade. I'm not advocating for its removal, but I do want to see some upgrades. For Kermit and the gang, Disney obviously wants to capitalize on their investment, but having a 3D show from the turn of the century isn't the best way we can use the Muppets at Studios. Even if we didn't want to give them an attraction, let's give Muppet Vision a brand new show to display the talents of some of the popular characters from the new movies and television show, something new audience members can recognize and enjoy. Now that I've mentioned it, though, giving the Muppets an attraction would be tons of fun! Nonetheless, the Muppets need something new and improved at Studios.
Theatrically, the Beauty and the Beast stage show has come to the end of the road. This film is my favorite Disney film of all-time, so this is rather painful to admit, but with New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom boasting a brand new section devoted entirely to Belle and the Beast, I think it would be better suited for the improvement of the resort if we allowed for other musicals to take over the Theater of the Stars and let Beauty and the Beast dominate Magic Kingdom. One such possibility for a replacement could be a Tangled musical. Having Rapunzel and Flynn's presence be felt beyond just a restroom area at the Magic Kingdom is something Disney needs to make a priority, and giving this modern day classic a stage show at Studios would be a perfect way of doing just that. Along those lines, The Princess and the Frog would be another worthy replacement because Tiana and Naveen need something substantial at WDW. These two films are too great for them to be relegated to a meet and greet and a restroom area. We must expand their influence to greater heights.
Similarly, with The Voyage of the Little Mermaid in Animation Courtyard apparently witnessing its final days as we prepare for Toy Story Land, let's speed that process along and get a brand new show in there, like Tangled or The Princess and the Frog. Another possibility could be Aladdin considering the recent success of such a show at Disneyland. This allows for audiences new and old alike to experience something truly remarkable even if they've been to Studios twenty times in the past two decades.
Hollywood Studios is a park in transition. Let's speed that transition along and implement these significant changes to improve the experience of guests's worldwide while we wait for Star Wars and Toy Story to arrive.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
We finally come to Animal Kingdom. The newest of the four parks is in pretty good shape overall, but we can still make changes to make it even better while we wait for Pandora- The World of Avatar to entertain us all.
Foremost, let's give It's Tough to Be a Bug an upgrade like I've proposed for Muppet Vision 3D. I like A Bug's Life taking over the Tree of Life, but I want to see Flik and company get a new and improved film to show in this uniquely cool theater. To me, the movie showing now isn't worthy enough to occupy that space. Therefore, give it an upgrade or get something else in there, like The Lion King or hold on and wait for Zootopia to take over the world.
Venturing on over to Dinoland USA, Pixar just recently released The Good Dinosaur, and while it wasn't met with the highest of praise, reimagining Dinoland to focus on Arlo and Spot would be a solid idea in my book. To have a Pixar release about dinosaurs take over a section of Animal Kingdom that desperately needs an upgrade almost makes too much sense. Why have generic dinosaurs when you can have dinosaurs people have seen and interacted with? This would be a major upgrade in a minor way because you would still keep the integrity of this section without sacrificing innovation.
Finally, let's bring the Pocahontas and Tarzan shows that once entertained audiences for years back where they belong. These two films deserve respect in the Disney Parks, and they simply aren't getting it currently. We're going to have Tarzan take over the Theater in the Wild for the Finding Nemo musical, allowing for Epcot to exclusively have the Nemo draw. For Pocahontas, let's finally replace the Flights of Wonder show that needed to be replaced years ago. These two new additions would further draw families to Animal Kingdom to stay all day, something the park still struggles with.
Pandora will help this problem out superbly, but I still feel as if Animal Kingdom needs something else to make it an all day park for families and guests of all makes and models. If Zootopia becomes a global sensation, allowing for this fictional world consisting of nothing but animals to have its own little niche in Animal Kingdom would be something worth investigating. Obviously, we have to wait and see on that one, but some other options could be just to give some more love in the form of attractions or shows to other movies focusing on animals, like The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, or the aforementioned The Lion King. Having Simba and friends expand their presence beyond The Festival of the Lion King would be a nice addition to the park, similar to the New Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
So there's my assessment of the Walt Disney World Resort. Change is good, healthy even, and when it comes to Disney, change could mean further dominating the theme park landscape worldwide like never before. Walt Disney once said, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Let's ensure that we keep Walt's spirit alive and well by pressing on, never resting on our laurels, and continuing to make dreams come true for years to come!
-Cody Fleenor, Imagineer
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