From day one, Disney Parks have been all about character. Whether from Disney’s own film catalogue or from the minds of Imagineers, the characters brought to life at Disneyland and Walt Disney World become icons; central, memorable figures beloved by the generations who grow to “know” them year after year. From lovable classics like Peter Pan and the “Ghost Host” to new-age favorites like C-3PO and Albert, Disney characters have the unimaginable ability to join us on adventures and turn us into heroes.
Are Disney Parks FULL? Where We Think Each Park is Growing Next…
For better or worse, theme parks can’t grow forever. At some parks, physical space is the limit, with little room to expand outward. At others, designers are boxed in by existing architecture. Sometimes, guests legs simply can’t take another lap or a new land without buckling.
Whether limited by roads, rivers, rides, or guests’ energy reserves, opportunities for growth are always at a premium for Disney Parks. Below, we’ve taken a look at the six Disney Parks in the U.S. from above to highlight their opportunities for expansion. We’ll point out projects currently in the works, but also imagine where future development might take place… even if it means replacing what’s already there. Of course, if we have a rumor, we’ll tell you outright that it’s a rumor. For the most part, the areas you’ll see below are either confirmed by Disney, or simply our daydreaming of new areas for Imagineers to expand into.
10 Gasps-and-Goosebumps-Inducing BIG Scenic Reveals in Disney Parks
What makes Disney Parks different? While our list of answers may go on for days, one of the key elements we always return to is that unlike carnivals, boardwalks, and amusement parks that predated Disneyland (and unlike the Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks of today), Disneyland and its successors were built by filmmakers and artists.
And like any good film, almost every successful Disney ride has at least one moment where sets, sounds, lighting, and music crescendo to create an epic, emotional reveal that leaves audiences breathless. Here, we’ve collected 10 of the most awe-inspiring, breath-taking, gasp-worthy, jaw-dropping, tear-jerking, goosebumps-inducing scenic reveals in Disney Parks; moments that are so cinematic in their reveal, it could only be filmmakers that imagined, storyboarded, and constructed them.Â
Think You Know These 16 Extra Iconic On-Ride Quotes By Heart?
Earlier this year, we gave you a challenge: to see if you could recognize and identify 16 Iconic Ride Dialogue Lines We Bet You Know By Heart… and whaddaya know? You did! From unforgettable safety spiels to bilingual announcements; classic narration to beloved pre-shows, it turned out that lots of Imagineering super-fans have tried-and-true lines down pat. Naturally,…
We Bet You Know ALL of These Iconic On-Ride Quotes by Heart…
The sights! The sounds! The smells! The snacks! If there’s one thing Disney and Universal’s parks do well, it’s to engrain themselves in your mind; to act as the backdrop to timeless memories. It’s no accident that Disney and Universal’s best attractions are the ones that become evergreen classics; the kinds of rides you can’t to get back to and…
“That’s Not Dory” and 8 Other BAD Voice-Acting Moments at Disney and Universal Parks
What would the Haunted Mansion be without a Ghost Host?
The Enchanted Tiki Room without Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz?
Carousel of Progress without John and Martha?
Voice acting is a major piece of great theme park attractions, lending life to Audio Animatronics, characters on-screen, and even ever-present narration! In fact, the delivery of lines can become so iconic, we created a two-part list of ride voiceover lines we bet you know by heart, from “This here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!” to “Thank the Phoenicians!”
Continue reading ““That’s Not Dory” and 8 Other BAD Voice-Acting Moments at Disney and Universal Parks”Some Assembly Required: 10 Memorable Moments when Disney Animatronics Froze, Burned, and Lost Their Heads
Like all Disney Parks fans, we love Audio-Animatronics.
That’s why we created a must-read list of the 25 Best Audio-Animatronics on Earth, celebrating the essential role that Disney’s greatest invention plays in the parks today. Make no mistake – these complex, dynamic, sensational figures have been cutting-edge since their debut in 1963. And like all technological marvels, they don’t always work the way they’re supposed to…
For Imagineering fans, the only thing more amazing than watching one of Disney’s Animatronic marvels work is catching one when it doesn’t. Thanks to the age of the Internet, fans’ cameras are ready at every moment to capture the slightest crack in Disney’s shell of immersive show. That’s why we’re able to curate this countdown of 10 misfiring, malfunctioning Audio-Animatronics across Disney Parks, offering a fascinating glimpse into Disney’s rare failures and flubs…
8 “What Were They Thinking?” Disney Parks Mistakes We’re Happy to Forget
There are plenty of fan-favorite attractions that have come and gone from Disney Parks. In fact, our Lost Legends series was compiled just for super-fans to dig into the histories of beloved closed classics… But sometimes, even Imagineering can make a mistake… a big one. No, we’re not talking about regrettable Declassified Disasters like Stitch’s Great Escape, Superstar Limo, or Journey into YOUR Imagination.
We’re talking about giant eyesores, sorry icons, and big bad decisions that we just can’t believe happened to begin with. Check out these eight massive features that we’re glad to have seen removed in our lifetime.
Mini to Massive: How Disney’s BIGGEST (and Smallest) Parks Measure Up
Discerning Disney Parks fans are known to critique and analyze all aspects of the parks they love: their style, their stories, their smarts… But what about their size? From miniscule to massive, Disney Parks come in all shapes and sizes… but does size matter?
On our cross-continental tour today, we’ll stop by each of the 12 Disney Parks on Earth to take their measurements. Sometimes, Disney’s official numbers don’t quite add up… That’s why we’ve used simple acreage calculator maps when we need to to get closer to the real figures about just how big (or not) these parks are. Our ultimate agreement? We measure the simplest shape of a park – including its showbuildings and behind-the-scenes facilities – but excluding parking lots and empty expansion pads (which you’d think Disney would exclude, too, but they don’t always).
Continue reading “Mini to Massive: How Disney’s BIGGEST (and Smallest) Parks Measure Up”From Big to GARGANTUAN, These are the Enormous Showbuildings You Never See
What do an off-roading ride through the last minutes of the Cretaceous and “the happiest cruise that ever set sail” have in common? Not a whole lot. But like so many of Disney and Universal’s E-Ticket adventures, one thing they do share is the kind of building in which they take place. Most of the industry’s leading, anchoring, epic attractions take place in enormous soundstage-style warehouses – called “showbuildings” in Disney-speak – that are (to varying degrees of success) completely hidden from the view of Guests.