Not too many details have emerged yet on what exactly is planned for this “extra” Disney day that they have given the promotion title, “One More Disney Day”.  I’m hoping  they have plenty of things lined up that they just haven’t announced for this day to truly make it something magical for all who choose to visit on February 29th. However, a press release I received stated the following:

Experience 24 hours of magic in celebration of Leap Day. Yes…for the first time in history, both Magic Kingdom® Park in Florida and Disneyland® Park in California will be open for 24 hours straight*, beginning at 6 a.m. on 2/29/12, to enjoy select attractions and entertainment! That’s an entire nonstop day (and night) of magic, characters and beyond.

Maybe they have more planned than what that little blurb mentions, but at the moment I’m left wondering and dreaming what they might could plan. In general, I like the idea and possibility of spending 24 hours in MK or Disneyland, but I also had a few thoughts about what they might consider doing to make it even better than just another 10 + 14 hours at the park.

Plussing One More Disney Day

• Free entry for anybody whose birthday is 2/29 – Similar to the “What will you celebrate” promotion in 2009, where they gave away free tickets/passes for your birthday, but this one would be specifically for those whose birthday is on this day, since I assume they missed out on the celebration a few years ago.
• Midnight Character buffet – this is an idea I have had for quite a while since I went on my first cruise (Carnival, not Disney). A (free or minimal cost) midnight character buffet, or even an early morning buffet for all who are in the park at 5am.
• Special Giveaways – pins, hats, cups, etc. marking the first ever 24 hours of MK/DL.
• Parties and Celebrations – bands? They could use already established, popular Disney stars and other “celebrity” appearances.
• T-shirts or other souvenirs  (on exit) for all who survive the 24 hour event.
• Special Fireworks or Parade? – Of course, fireworks are done nightly at most every Disney park, so a “special” show, might be a stretch for them to put together. My point here is that if you do fireworks for everything you call “special”, then at some point they’re not special, they’re just normal. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy fireworks, but sometimes I just think they’re overdone. Perhaps during the 24 hours, the could do a launch of some sort on the hour, every hour counting down to the final hour.
• Contests/scavenger hunt – Host a special event a few times throughout the day where guests are challenge to go thru the park and find something special. Use the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game that is currently being installed at MK (if it’s ready), and come up with a special game just for this day.
• Park-wide dance party – This would take a little more to pull off, but train about 50 or so CM’s and place in them in key areas around the park at designated times and hold a park-wide dance party with them leading guests thru some simple, but fun(nny) dance moves. Make sure to have lots of video cameras about to tape and upload to Youtube!
• Random Merchandise, Food and prize giveaways – In the same vein as the “Year (s) of a Million Dreams” promotion, deploy castmembers throughout the park at random times to give away things.

These are just a few of the ideas off the top of my head. But, what I really think they need to do for this, is just make it an all out crazy, fun, all day party, where guests and even CMs get to 6am on March 1st and leave feeling tired and exhausted, but also soaring on cloud 9 like they just had the absolute best time of their lives at the park.

Concerns for 24 hour operation

I would be remiss if I didn’t voice some kind of concern for this “extra” day also. I’m sure, or I hope, Disney has already thought about these, and is taking the necessary steps to prepare accordingly, but here are a few of those concerns:

• Rides and attractions being open for 24 hours – I have experienced a few EMH and after hours events, and most of them were somewhat unimpressive. Many of the food stands, counter service restaurants and gift shops close up at the normal time, or soon thereafter leaving the park feeling almost deserted. Sure, it’s fun for a while when there’s not many people around, at first, but then it just gets kind of eerie feeling and not very fun. Then there is the other aspect, rides running for 24 hours. On several occasions at late night EMHs, I’ve seen attractions be closed due to supposed break-down. It would be embarrassing for Disney if this happened, but also pretty irritating for guests if it did.
• Security – Let’s face it, some guests just don’t know how to behave. Mix that with low crowds, and possible break-downs, with not enough CMs on duty to run everything, it could turn into something like what happens in Roller Coaster Tycoon when guests are unhappy.
• What will be open? – Will it be like an EMH? Food? Many restaurants and shops close for EMH sometimes making it feel almost desolate. Based on the quote above of “select attractions and entertainment”, it sounds like a typical EMH. Hopefully this will change.
• Over-night custodial? This is typically when the parks get a more thorough cleaning, restocking and some key maintenance issues are dealt with. Hopefully the parks are ready to sustain a full day’s worth of activity without much downtime.

I also have to wonder if this event goes well, and is highly attended, might they add the event for another day this year? Seems kind of weak to just do this for one day this year.

If I lived closer and had the opportunity to do this, and didn’t have to work for the 29th and 1st, I would definitely be there for this. Whether I could make it all the way is another story, but I would still take a shot at it.

That’s What I Would Do, What Would You Do?

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Virtual Realities

From the beginning of time, children have dreamed of being a grown up, and doing grown up things. What if there was a way they could experience one or more of these? It would seem to me that technology has advance to the point that some of these might be possible.

• Train Simulator where kids young and old could drive a (virtually) real train
• Airplane Simulator – how many kids have dreamed of being a pilot?
• Fire Truck –
• Semi-Truck – drive the big rig
• Race Car – NASCAR, Indy/Formula 1, etc.
• Monster Truck
• Space Shuttle – be an astronaut and fly into space

This could be built in one of several places at WDW, Imagination pavilion at Epcot or Disney Quest at Downtown Disney.

Test Track Overhaul

Rumored to be on the schedule for a refurb/upgrade sometime in 2012, here’s a few random thoughts of my own for what they might consider in the upgrade. This happens to be one of my favorite attractions, but certainly could use a refreshing.

• More interactive experience
• Allow riders a choice of different vehicles or colors
• In-car “Radio” where they can choose their music while riding
• On-ride video for purchase
• Allow participants to choose which tests are performed
• Use the EMV vehicle technology and enhance the ride, maybe an off-road option
• Drive thru America/World – different (changing) scenes on route
  

In-room Concierge / Next Gen

An idea I had recently based in part on a rumored new RFID wristband technology being tested and supposedly rolled out at WDW in the near future. If you’ve followed mine or any other Disney blogs this year, you’ve probably seen a mention or two of what’s being called “Next Gen”. I’ll spare the details, but in brief it’s a big project that Disney Imagineering is working on in secret to re-engineer the parks and resorts. There have been many rumors about just what this project will bring, but here are some of my own thoughts on how they could enhance the guest experience.

In-room concierge via a “smart TV” in the room. This service would show the guests’ agenda and/or planned activities for the next day and allow them to make changes and additions, including schedule reservations for table service restaurants based on availability and preferences. To further enhance the system, it could even suggest a park touring plan, restaurants and other activities based on their family dynamics. To make this even better, a summarized day plan could be sent to your smart phone where you could even make changes as you go thru your day. This is just a rough idea that has a lot of potential.

Castaway Cay DVC

With the apparent success of Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii, it would seem the other DVCs built in the right place, might be a good idea. So, why not build out the island that is owned by Disney and used by the cruise line, Castaway Cay. Currently, it appears they only use about a 1/4 or even less of the island. With more work building up the infrastructure and support systems on the island, they could expand the runway (if needed) and then charter flights in and out a few days a week. It could be their own tropical oasis that would make for a truly unique vacation experience.

Ticketing Options

Admittedly, this one is a bit of crazy idea since ticketing options are already pretty varied and somewhat confusing, but just bear with me as I try and hash it out.

More ticketing options

1. 70 – (Value) Base Ticket – Not eligible to use Fast Pass
2. 75 – Fast Pass Eligible
3. 80 – FP + includes One Snack + One Quick Service Meal
4. 95 – FP + One Table Service Meal (or two Table Service Meals) + Refillable Cup (Optional $25 in park credit)
5. 105 – FP + TS + QS + Snack + Refillable cup/mug

The optional $25 credit could be used if a TS restaurant was unavailable. Good for use at any restaurant in WDW.Base tickets cost $85 right now.Typical Counter service meal + drink runs about $11-12 ?Typical Table service meal + drink runs about $23-25 ?Typical snack is $2-4 Refillable cup value – $5 (Single day use)If the RFID/Next Gen project kicks off and does in fact utilize RFID wristbands or other electronic forms of ticketing, they could expand ticketing options even further to something similar to the old ticket books that were originally used at Disney Land and Walt Disney World. I’m not crazy about the idea, but what if they had multiple level purchasing options that would allow you to ride a specified number of attractions in a given day. I realize this is a step backwards in some sense, but given that the parks are continuing to increase in attendance spread throughout the year, something like this may at some point be necessary, especially during peak periods around the holidays.

Tomorrowland Shooting Gallery – Space/Future themed

An idea I’ve tossed around several times involves a Frontierland style shooting gallery, only with a space or futuristic theme in Tomorrowland. I could see a side area where kids and adults could blow a buck or two shooting aliens or spaceships with a laser blaster rifle or handgun.

I’m not totally committed to this idea because in some sense, there is a shooting gallery of sorts, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, so adding this might just be overkill. But, as a former arcade playing, space ship/alien shooter, I can attest to the fun that I used to experience from such activities. I could never get enough of shooting at space ships and invading aliens from other worlds.

So, that’s my wish list for the coming year(s), what do you think? Anything you would add or change?

The second variation would appear to use the same suspended gondola car, but is on a circular track and remains stationary. Of the two, this one got my wheels turning on feasible ways it might be used in the parks. Take a look at the drawings and description.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of a cable-suspended vehicle ride system similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 but using one track combined with three carriers each providing a winch to support and position a passenger vehicle (e.g. to alter cable lengths while the carriers are selectively moved about a path defined by the track to provide a wide range of vehicle positions (or work spaces)).

When I saw this and read the description, it triggered almost immediately something I saw sometime back at jimhillmedia.com. Jim wrote an article about Unrealized Epcot rides, in which he discussed several attractions that were at one time on the drawing board, but never made it to reality. One such of these attractions was a new concept using the Circlevison technology in use at the China and Canada pavilions. Here’s the description, with pictures following:

Just thinking out loud here, but if the open spaces on this are encircled with walls, then they could project moving images on there from almost anywhere, including Japan as if riding the bullet train attraction here, or as some have speculated they could re-create different scenes from Avatar as if moving through space on a ship or flying in a “skybus” over the surface and thru the mountains of Pandora, or anywhere else. Since this is just a patent application, anything is possible here, and what exactly (if anything) Disney will ultimately do with it, remains to be unknown, at least for now.

Note: It has been brought to my attention that this patent application was filed June 8, 2010.

Update: 9/01/11 – Click here to see some pictures Jeff Lange took of the new RFID cups and fill stations being tested at Disney’s All Star Sports resort.

Regardless, I think this could benefit Disney and their guests in many ways, depending on how it’s utilized. The immediate benefit would seem to be that it would prevent abuse of the walk-up drink stations from people who didn’t purchase a refillable mug or a single use cup. In my own trips to WDW, I’ve seen this abuse by guests a few times, so I know it happens, but I don’t see where it would be a huge loss to Disney, considering how much they charge for a refillable mug or a cup of soda. I think the real benefits of this system may be two-fold, one for the resort (ops and revenue), and one for the guests.

For Disney, these machines, if rolled out property wide, could free up some positions at the counter service restaurants. Many of these restaurants will have extra cast members during busy times and all they do is fill cups for soda and place them on trays. With the RFID system, the CM filling the order would simply give you the cups with your order and direct you to the soda machine. This would also have an added benefit of potentially faster service at these restaurants.

For the guest, these machines, if rolled out property wide, could offer more flexible opportunities to refill the mugs which are currently only supposed to be used at the resort purchased. With this system, Disney could offer a tiered pricing scheme with multiple options.

Refillable Mug Options

1. 1-Day/1-park – this would be for guests who only wanted a refillable cup/mug for use on the day of purchase. With this option, they could refill their cup all day long, while in the park they purchased it from.
2. Multi-day/park – this would be the same as the first option, only it would allow usage for 7-14 days, in the parks only.
3. Resort only – this option would work the same as it does now. Mugs could only be refilled at the resort purchased.
4. Resort Plus – this option would allow the refills of the mug at any resort.
5. Premium – this option would allow the refill of the mug anywhere on property, at a resort or any of the parks.

The first two options would be for cups purchased in the parks. Options 3-5 would be for resort guests, or DVC members or AP holders. There are other options that could be considered as well including an option that would only allow for a certain number of refills. This could be used for regular (paper) cups purchased at a restaurant and they could limit a guest to only 1 or 2 refills per purchase which would benefit the company in a small, but perhaps noticeable way when you consider how many drinks are purchased across WDW in a year’s time.

Additionally, these options could be tailored and included for specific ticket or resort promotions/discounts.

Along these thoughts for the RFID drink machines, I would also like to see Disney install the Coca Cola Freestyle machines. If you’re not familiar with these, they are incredible! I believe they might have one of these in Coca-Cola’s Ice Station Cool at EPCOT. Basically, it’s a Coca Cola soda fountain on steroids, or you might call it their next gen soda dispenser. With these machines you can mix your own soda using a menu that will allow over 100+ drink combination choices and flavors to add-in (sorry no alcohol). They’re pretty impressive, but they’re also pretty overwhelming the first time you use one. Flavor add-ins include: Peach, Grape, Orange, Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry and Lemon. If anything, there are too many options to pick from, which I could see causing delays at a busy counter service restaurant in WDW.

Coca Cola Freestyle Machine

The news for Disney’s Orlando parks wasn’t as nice though. Disney saw about 400,000 fewer guests last year. Meanwhile Sea World saw about 700,000 fewer visitors. I’m going to speculate that the combined loss of 1.1 million visitors to Disney and Sea World were largely due in part to what’s been called by some as the “Harry Potter effect”.

If you exclude WDW and Sea World from the top 10, they all saw an increase, which would seem to support my speculation about the “Harry Potter effect”.

The exact numbers for the top 10 U.S. theme parks are:

1. Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World, 16.972 Million -1.5%

2. Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort, 15.980 Million +0.5%

3. EPCOT, Walt Disney World, 10.825 Million -1.5%

4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, 9.686 Million +1.0%

5. Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, 9.603 Million -1.0%

6. Disney California Adventure, Disneyland Resort, 6.278 Million +3.0%

7. Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando, 5.949 Million +30.2%

8. Universal Studios, Universal Orlando, 5.925 Million +6.1%

9. Sea World, Orlando, 5.1 Million -12.1%

10. Universal Studios, Hollywood, 5.040 Million +26.0%

In the water parks category, Disney held on to the titles of number 1 & 2 in attendance worldwide with Typhoon Lagoon, followed by Blizzard Beach, although both were down by about 1%. They might lose one of these positions next year if the new water parks in China and Korea, which made the 3rd and 4th positions have a good year.

The top 10 for worldwide water parks are:

1. Typhoon Lagoon, Walt Disney World, 2.038 Million –1%

2. Blizzard Beach, Walt Disney World, 1.872 Million –1%

3. Chimelong Water Park, Guangzhou, China, 1.8 Million (New)

4. Caribbean Bay, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, 1.736 Million +19%

5. Aquatica, Orlando, FL, 1.5 Million –6%

6. Ocean World, Gangwon-do, Korea, 1.375 Million +5%

7. Wet N’ Wild, Orlando, FL, 1.223 Million –1&

8. Wet N’ Wild Waterworld, Gold Coast, Australia, 1.175 Million +7%

9. Aquaventure, Dubai, UAE, 1.04 Million +6%

10. Sunway Lagoon, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1 Million +10%

You can see the full report by clicking the link above.

Also, if you want a little more detail, be sure to check out a couple of spreadsheets I’ve been maintaining for a while that show a bit more historical data.

The first is a view of the top 12 U.S. theme parks and their historical attendance estimates: U.S. Theme Park Attendance Estimates

The second is a specific breakdown of Walt Disney World historical attendance estimates.

I don’t mind the question really, except when people get extreme about it, and start into a rant about the current whatever being so far out of line with what Walt Disney would have done IF he were still alive. I’m sure I have used the WWWD phrase myself a few times as well. Mind you, I think it’s important to think about how or why Walt would have done things in his time, given the projects he worked on. And, in some capacity, many of those principles that he formulated, are still applicable in today’s world, and more specifically in the parks and movies that bear his name. However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he’s not with us anymore, and we have to figure things out for ourselves. And, I think, based on some of his work and ideas, we can do so with a good balance that respects him and what he did, while also moving forward. 

The part that gets a little “hairy” though, is when you start talking about changing or removing so-called classic attractions that Walt was a part of, either in concept, design or creation. In my opinion, there are a few of these that could be changed or completely removed, but for the sake of keeping this post flame-free, I will refrain from naming any. But, thinking about what Walt would do, it is my belief that he would feel the same way. An attraction is only good, and worth keeping around if the majority of guests still enjoy it, and it will continue to represent the sponsor and Disney company well. Old worn out attractions need to be either removed or updated.

It’s just my own belief based on what I’ve seen and read about Walt, but I’ve come up with the following list of what I believe to be some basic principles behind his ideas for building the parks and attractions the way he did.

APPEAL TO ALL – I think this was his inspiration and number 1 driving factor behind building Disneyland and the attractions he wanted for that park. He wanted a place where kids and adults could laugh and play together. A place where adults could act like kids, and kids could play with their adult parents who had been magically transformed.

Supporting quotes: “We believed in our idea – a family park where parents and children could have fun- together.” and “It has that thing – the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement- I knew when I was a kid.”

FANTASY – Stemming from his many years in making cartoons and films, he knew how to tell stories that carried people away to make believe worlds of fantasy and fiction. He himself said: “I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in the Park (Disneyland). I want to feel they’re in another world.”

PASSION – When he built Disneyland, I think Walt was at a point where he was looking to do something new and then just kind of stumbled into it. But, I don’t think it was the kind of thing that was just a throw together. No, Walt had drive and determination about him that might be labeled as close to obsessive. It was a deep-rooted passion that led him to create such an incredible and magical environment. A passion that overflowed from him into many others who saw it and wanted to be a part of it. “When we opened Disneyland, a lot of people got the impressions that it was a get-rich-quick thing, but they didn’t realize that behind Disneyland was this great organization that I built here at the Studio, and they all got into it and we were doing it because we loved to do it.”

VISION – Along with the passion, I believe he also had a grand vision of what he wanted, not just from the start, but for the future as well. And this is where my own frustration comes when communicating with others about what Walt would do. See, I don’t believe that he would be happy with attractions staying the same for years on end and growing tired and stale. I think he himself would have been constantly pushing and tweaking them to make them even better. Just read the following quotes and I think you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

“It’s something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing…and adding to.” 

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

“I’ve always said that there will never be another Disneyland, and I think it’s going to work out that way. But it will be the equivalent of Disneyland. We know the basic things that have family appeal. There are many ways that you can use those certain basic things and give them a new decor, a new treatment. This concept here will have to be something that is unique, so there is a distinction between Disneyland in California and whatever Disney does in Florida.”

“I’m doing this because I want to do it better”

And, of course, the quote that I use for this blog:

“Whenever I go on a ride, I’m always thinking of what’s wrong with the thing and how it can be improved.”

So, based on the principles above, I’m hoping to start a new feature/segment titled, That’s what I would do (TWIWD), and consequently, ask the question, What would you do (WWYD)? I don’t mean for it to be irreverent or dis-respectful to Walt Disney or any Imagineers past and present, but more along the lines of exploratory and let’s see what else we can come up with, in the spirit of the Imagineering concept of “blue sky” – where there are no limits. Now, personally, my ideas tend to be somewhat less than blue sky, as I usually toss in a healthy dose of realism to make them more palatable, or affordable, as I know how the real world works, all too often with tight budget and time constraints.

So, check back soon, I hope to have a TWIWD post shortly.

Quotes ref: http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/quotes/

Five years ago (April 7, 2006), Disney opened their latest themed mountain and E-ticket attraction at Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest. In my opinion, it’s one of the finest examples of a themed attraction with a great story woven, not just into the queue and attraction, but the surrounding areas. So, today, in celebration of the attraction’s 5th birthday, I bring a few of my own pictures from around the attraction, plus something special.

First, a few pictures from around the village. I believe these are on the walls outside the “hotel”, where the bathrooms are located, as you approach the attraction. I’m guessing most people just pass right by here without paying much attention. But, if you stop, and read some of the “propaganda”, the story begins.

Just one of my favorite, far-off shots of the mountain, taken from the bridge that leads into Harambe.

Here’s something I stumbled upon recently, at a bargain book shelf. I imagine these were souvenirs that were only sold in the EE gift shop after the attraction opened. For a Disney Imagineering junkie like myself, it was a real treasure to find. It’s a fun read, with pictures of Joe Rohde and his team as they explored the region and the legend of the Yeti. In it, you will find pictures of some of the buildings they used as models for the attractions, as well as some of the early concept drawings of the Yeti.

Most Disney fans know that the Yeti has been “broken” for a couple of years and has remained stationary with strobe lights for effect, instead of the full motion he was designed for where he would sweep his arm very close to passing trains. There have been a few different rumors as to what the problem was, but seemingly nothing was being done to fix him, until recently. Sometime in early March, the Yeti went completely missing, or he was behind a big tarp with no light whatsoever cast on him. It is my hope, and I’m sure many others’ that a solution to fix him is finally in the works, just in time for his 5th birthday.

So, here’s a big Happy Birthday, to Expedition Everest, and high hopes that he will return for a big, scary celebration with full motion restored to the original design!

We’re back from the 2011 Flower & Garden festival with a few pics.

While I don’t own this book, my discovery of it intrigued me to start doing some research and creative thinking that led to a new idea. So often, when I start dreaming up new ideas, I find myself repeatedly being drawn to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK) and its lack of attractions and what could be done to improve this park. And, as much as I would love to see the long rumored and originally planned Beastly Kingdom built, another idea came to mind that I think might work just as well. The park, in its current configuration, consists of two small re-creations of real world areas, Asia and Africa, and three  fictional areas, Dinoland, Camp Minnie Mickey, and Discovery Island. Oh, and there’s also, the often forgotten and only slightly visited area waaay in the back of the park, Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

Supposedly, Camp Minnie Mickey was set up as a temporary land to fill the gap when they decided not to go forward with plans to build Beastly Kingdom. I’m not terribly opposed to Camp Minnie Mickey, except for the fact that it just doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the theming for the park. I think the area has potential and I’ve suggested in the past, that if they were stay with the “Camp” theme, then they should go full bore and make it into a fun-filled area with lots of activities like those you might find in a real camp. However, if they ever decide to scrap the camp, I think I’ve come up with an idea that could be even better than what was once proposed.

I have asked myself the question many times, what would be a good fit for the space currently occupied by the camp. The answer that would seem to be the best fit for the space and the park is South America. With such countries as Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and others, this continent is rich in culture and boasts a wide variety of animals that could be featured here. Some of the animals that can be found there are the Jaguar, Blue and Yellow Macaw, Giant Anteater, Maned Wolf, Piranha and the notorious Anaconda. Aside from the animals, the best known and biggest feature in South America is the Amazon river and its jungles. The Amazon is the greatest river in the world by so many measures; the volume of water it carries to the sea, the area of land that drains into it, and its length and width. It is one of the longest rivers in the world and, is reportedly almost 4,200 miles long, stretching across the northern part of South America.

It would seem to make sense to have the river and rainforest in the same park with Mt. Everest since they are two of the biggest and best known natural features on earth.

There are several reasons why I think South America would be a good fit.

Population/Demographics –  I don’t know the numbers, but many a WDW visitor can tell you that in a given year, a good number of visitors from South America make their way North to Florida, specifically to see the mouse. So, there is already a good “fan base” for such an area based on the continent.

Africa and Asia are the most populated continents on earth, which of course are already covered in the park, but followed by Europe which is 3rd in world population and North America after that, South America is 5th, followed by Australia and Antarctica.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_continents_by_population#Area_and_population

History – In the early 40s Walt himself visited South America as a goodwill ambassador for the war, plus they made a couple of films specifically targeting that market, Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros. It’s a shame that they re-themed the indoor Mexican boat ride using the Three Caballero’s, as that ride and those characters would fit nicely here. Although, Disney has other characters they use in more than one attraction on property, so what would stop them from doing it here?

Film references – In my research, I was surprised to find at least 4 films Disney has released with a South American influence.

• Saludos Amigos (1942)
• Three Caballeros (1945)
• Emperor’s New Groove (2000) (Inca/Peru)
• Up (2009) (Venezuela)

Of these four, certainly they could come up with some content to build on, but then again, is it really needed? Look at the other two real-world lands in AK, and neither of them have very much, if any film references, so really, having a film reference could be a moot point if Imagineering were to create some good standalone stories and attractions like in the other lands.

Concepts & Ideas

Amazon Adventure – The big question with a new land is what type of attraction to build for the weenie. Should it be a low thrill, campy attraction like Jungle Cruise in MK, or maybe a medium thrill attraction where you might get a little wet, similar in style to Islands of Adventure’s Jurassic Park? Another option might be an indoor type of water ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean but maybe with more thrill added.

Imagine floating down the Amazon thru the rainforests of Brazil, with a mix of live and animatronic animals along the river banks and in the water. Also along the banks would be the natives of the rainforest, the friendly ones, and the not-so friendlies. Somewhere along the way you would encounter a pool of piranha, and perhaps even an Anaconda.

The area just behind The Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom and to the south of where Camp Minnie Mickey is would seem to be the best place to build such an attraction, and of course, it would be a perfect tie-in to the restaurant. I’m not sure what kind of arrangement Disney has with the restaurant, but they could conceivably set this up so the exit for the ride would dump guests directly into the restaurant gift shop. The area there, is already cleared, so even if they didn’t build out the full land for South America, they could just build a ride that would be loosely attached to the restaurant. There seems to be a good bit of land there that could be used for such an attraction.

Perhaps they could use some of the elements imagined for the once planned Tiger River Rapids envisioned for Asia when the park was still in the initial planning phase. Some of the elements from this conceived attraction actually did make it into the park, like the fire scene and the rapids. However, the best part didn’t. Apparently, the ride plans were for a river “train” consisting of two boats tied together. The first half of the ride would essentially be a tame jungle exploration with educational type information and scenery from the rainforest. But then, as your “train” ventured further into the rainforest the water would start getting rougher and faster, eventually the boats would come apart somehow and one of them would split off and go into the wilder part of the river with rapids. I think it would be neat to try and use this concept for this attraction. Ideally, they could use it to provide two different levels of excitement and water splashing. Consider, if the train had two boats, the front boat would naturally get more splashing, then toward the end, the front boat would be detoured to descend a more intense set of rapids and for the finale descend a bigger, scarier drop than the second, thus offering essentially two levels of excitement in one ride. So, for the guests who maybe didn’t want to get wet or were afraid of steep drops, they could ride in the rear boat and those who like to get wet and love the thrill of crashing over a water fall, they could ride in the front boat.

Alternatively, they could build two rides, one indoor or mostly, and the other outdoors. The indoor version would be mild and guests would only get a light splash of water, but the outdoor version would be wild and very wet. I might add, that by having two sides or versions, they could conceivably shut down half the ride for maintenance or during cold(er) weather.

I wish I had more ideas to insert here for this land, but at the moment, I don’t. I’m not familiar enough with the continent to be able to adequately represent it. Regardless, the continent, its countries, its people their cultures, animals and foods, are surely enough to lend themselves to a very diverse and rich area inside DAK. So, if Disney’s willing, I’ll be more than happy to join their research team and explore South America to come up with some ideas for rides and story creation for this land.

One final thought. I have to wonder if it’s possible that Disney might have planned or alluded to in some early concepts to put South America here at a future date? Or is it just a nice coincidence that they built a Rainforest Cafe here?

Update 5/14/2011: There has been some rumors circulating in the Disney community in the last month about an article that appeared in a Brazilian newspaper with regards to Disney entering into talks for a supposed attraction or pavilion, featuring Brazil. No specifics were given, nor has Disney mentioned anything officially, but speculation is that it would be a new pavilion to go into Epcot’s World Showcase. Over the years there have been many such rumors about new pavilions to be built at Epcot, some were even officially announced by Disney, but none have been built since Norway was added in 1988. Stay tuned, maybe something will happen, eventually.