What do you want to see in Villains Land?
Let's play at-home Imagineer again. I just got off a video call with Josh D'Amaro, and one of the things that he emphasized was that he likes hearing from fans about the state of the theme parks and specific projects.
So, in that spirit, let's talk about one example that we discussed on the call - Villains Land at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Construction is underway, but Disney has been coy about what exactly will be featured in this new land. (Josh did not reveal anything, BTW.)
What would you like to see Disney do with its Villains Land? What attractions, experiences and vibes do you want from it? How should it compare with other projects (from Disney and other companies) that might be considered as benchmarks?
Replies (4)
I’d love to see a Monsters Unchained-level dark ride that is also a massive people eater. That, and a highly themed coaster or thrill ride that is totally immersed in a contained environment. I’m thinking something along the lines of a super-plussed Matterhorn mixed with Journey to the Center of the Earth from Tokyosea (sorry if that actual attraction name is different).
The issue with the expansion of MK is that the park already has so many different attraction types and when you expand to the other WDW parks, it's tough to identify a ride system that is not already utilized in Orlando. To me, WDI has to be really careful with the design and choices they make in this land, and not simply fall back on old Beastly Kingdom concepts. Also, I anticipate that fans will expect to see something similar to what Universal has produced with their Dark Universe land at Epic Universe, so WDI needs to address those expectations while not creating something that is too similar to what Universal has presented up the road. I think there are a lot of potential pitfalls here for Disney, and obviously whatever they're planning for Piston Peak will change the MK landscape before Villains Land opens.
I do think MK is missing an iconic modern motion-base e-ticket indoor dark ride, and could also probably use a motion theater attraction. My initial thought was a revamp of the old inverted coaster concept from Beastly Kingdom (ultimately was "borrowed" for Dueling Dragons at IOA). This idea could probably be revamped using a modern Axis-style coaster so as to not replicate the coaster type being utilized over at DHS for Monsters Inc. The whole point of Beastly Kingdom and the current revolution into Villains Land is to appeal more to adults, which the Axis Coaster does with its intense maneuvers and unique ride experience. However, if Disney wants to be more accommodating, which is probably the case, they could use the SFX Coaster concept from Dynamic Attractions to create a more accessible coaster experience that would allow for more intricate theming than you could get from Axis. This thrill attraction could be themed to a journey to the various settings of the animal-based villains like Maleficent, Chernabog, Ursula, Scar, Jafar (in snake form with Genie's powers), and more. Riders would be flung into each environment (block) to escape the clutches of the villains.
The motion theater or motion-base dark ride attraction could be based on classic Princess villains in a Soarin' type or RotR-type experience visiting each of their iconic castles/environments. Initially, I think perhaps a system similar to FoP would work here with guests boarding horses instead of banshees, though I do think WDI could come up with an experience that could be differentiated from the system over at DAK.
The most important thing is that this land needs to be filled with live characters, preferably walking around and interacting with guests, not stuck in rooms with hour long queues for staged photography. It might also be great for this land to have a water-based attraction that allows guests to cool off. The proximity here to TBA makes it a bit difficult, but perhaps WDI could take a queue from BGW and come up with a concept that could work with a shoot the chutes style attraction like Escape from Pompeii.
The Villains IP gives WDI lots of latitude, also sky high expectations in a park that is already full of iconic experiences, so I think regardless of what they actually do here, it's bound to be heavily criticized.
As the Toy Story float is an integral part of the parade I want a Sid attraction with his monstrosity toys which can be bought in an adjoining shop called Sid's Monstrosities.
I've had a few ideas, so I'll go first.
I'm thinking three attractions: a maleficent-themed vekoma coaster (of any thrill level), a hades river styx boat ride, and a flat ride of some sort themed to jafar. I'm not expecting to see too much of Ursula or Captain Hook considering they've already got representation of the park. Maybe an Evil Queen themed restaurant?
Since this is clearly Disney's response to Dark Universe, I hope this land manages to differentiate itself.