9. The Lost Continent – Merlinwood at Islands of Adventure
Lifetime: 1999 – 2008 (9 years)
Maybe-possibly inspired by the never-built plans imagined for Beastly Kingdom, Universal’s Islands of Adventure opened in 1999 with its own land dedicated to myths and legends. There, the Lost Continent was an entirely-original creation in the otherwise IP-oriented park. The land was divided into three legendary realms: the Lost City (home of the Declassified Disaster: Poseidon’s Fury), the Midde-Eastern themed Sinbad’s Bazaar, and the spectacular Merlinwood.
It’s the latter, in particular, that fascinates fans. Crafted around an original Arthurian tale, Merlinwood invited guests into a Medieval village of pubs, craftsmen, and inventors. But just outside the village in the old castle ruins stood Dueling Dragons – two intertwined coasters performing an aerial battle with precision-timed near-miss maneuvers. Merlinwood was a living example of the fusion of storytelling and thrills, and evidence that Universal could hold their own in both theming and in world-class coasters… all at once!
What happened: As if you don’t know… In 2010, the area became The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, demolishing Merlinwood in favor of Hogsmeade. Though Dueling Dragons survived until 2017, it played second fiddle to the land’s new headliner: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Eventually, the last vestiges of Merlinwood met their end when Dueling Dragons was permanently removed to make room for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure leaving just an Easter egg in its wake. The other two realms of the Lost Continent continue to exist, though both need (and deserve!) a major injection of attention by Universal Creative.
10. Bear Country at Disneyland
Lifetime: 1972 – 1989 (17 years)
While Disneyland guests are used to their favorite rides being cloned in Orlando, it’s not every day that an attraction gets cloned from Disney World to Disneyland. In fact, the first case of such a move was in 1972 when the Modern Marvels: Country Bear Jamboree made its way West. Unlike at Magic Kingdom where the bear band plays in Frontierland, Disneyland used the opportunity to carve a new land out around the Rivers of America. In fact, the Country Bears remained the stars of Bear Country till nearly two decades later when they lost the spotlight.
What happened: In 1989, Splash Mountain joined the land. The new “Ride the Movies” thrill was an early example of a new way of doing business at the parks, relying on thrilling, epic, cinematic attractions. Since Br’er Rabbit and his critter pals of the Briar Patch would now be the star, Bear Country became the more inclusive Critter Country – a land Disney World visitors should be jealous that they don’t have themselves.
Ultimately, the Country Bears vacated their Critter Country playhouse in 2001, yielding to the unstoppable force of another bear: Winnie the Pooh. Still, Bear Country remains the only permanent land ever to disappear from Disneyland’s lineup.
11. Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure
Lifetime: 2001 – 2018 (17 years)
One last stop at Disney California Adventure brings us to the park’s one-time starring land. In 2001, Paradise Pier contained nearly all of the park’s rides – albeit, mostly off-the-shelf carnival rides. Still, the Pier contained that same fatal flaw: it was too modern, filled with stucco walls, circus freak posts, neon signs, Beach Boys music and rides like launch towers, yo-yo swings, the bronze-faced Sun Wheel, and two bare steel roller coasters.
As part of the park’s reimagining, Paradise Pier got an aesthetic upgrade. The land’s timeline was reset from modern day to the early 1900s (the same time period as Main Street) becoming a historic Pacific Ocean boardwalk of strung Edison bulbs. While it got an infusion of Disney characters, they were pie-eyed, classic versions of the characters from the 1930s and ‘40s, fitting the land’s style and exemplified by the refurbished Mickey’s Fun Wheel.
What happened: Despite getting Paradise Pier on the right track in 2012, Disney didn’t stop there. As part of the park’s next era of transformation (oddly, axing the Californian story they just spent a billion dollars to create in favor of IPs), Paradise Pier changed again in 2018. The resulting Pixar Pier is a cute-but-dumb mish-mash of Victorian architecture, vibrant jewel tones, and… well… Disney’s highest-earning Pixar intellectual properties, crammed together in “neighborhoods” (Disney’s new cop-out for juxtaposing things where they don’t belong). Weirdest of all, it’s still reigned over by a very confusingly named Ferris wheel. It doesn’t make sense, but hey, what does anymore?
12. Future World at Epcot
Lifetime: 1982 – 2020 (38 years)
The creation of EPCOT Center is an epic tale in its own right. But suffice it to say that when the park opened, one of its foundational elements was its division into two realms: Future World and World Showcase – each a “permanent World’s Fair” of monumental pavilions. Since then, Future World’s story has been defined by evolution. Over time, nearly every one of its pavilions has dropped the epic, educational dark rides that defined them (the Lost Legends: Universe of Energy, Body Wars, Horizons, World of Motion, Journey into Imagination, Kitchen Kabaret, and The Living Seas).
At the semi-annual D23 Expo, then-Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Bob Chapek was on hand to announce that Epcot would undergo the most radical transformation in its lifetime. At last, the park’s Future World would receive the intentional, purposeful, and thoughtful master-planned reimagining it has needed for years. But for Future World to be reborn, it would need to die…
What’s happening: Since Future World has long-since dropped its focus on futurism and industry in favor of discovery and thrills, the Future World name will be retired. Instead, it will be subdivided into three “neighborhoods” (there it is again): World Discovery, World Celebration, and World Nature. They don’t really roll off the tongue, but Disney’s betting big that this reinvention of Epcot will fix some of its foundational flaws and put it on course to be “more timeless” and “more Disney.” We’re not sure when the new naming conventions will officially kick in, but sometime this year is a good guess.
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