Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom, Part 6
Fantasyland
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Walt said it best:
"Fantasyland is dedicated to the young at heart and to those who
believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."
Which one are you?
And, for the first time in decades, Fantasyland will undergo a major facelift. Commonly referred to as Fantasyland 2, most everything from the other side of Pooh to the train tracks will be razed (that would be Mickey's Toontown Fair), and rebuilt themed to Disney's more recent (and recent is a relative term) princesses, such as Ariel and Belle...
Princesses are big business these days... So are pirates, but that's another attraction and a different area of the park.
Though more and more of the attractions are modern, Fantasyland is still about classic Disney. Mickey's Philharmagic is Magic Kingdom's 3-D movie. It's Disney's Greatest Hits from Fantasia to Aladdin, not a single Pixar movie included. Pooh, Peter Pan, not to mention the home to Magic Kingdom's icon, Cinderella Castle are here.
Most of the current Fantasyland that exists will remain, though Snow White's Scary Adventures was axed in late May 2012 and will be re-themed. The Mine Car ride in Fantasyland 2 will become the new Snow White Attraction. D23 reported they were able to salvage over 50 items from the ride.
Dumbo has reproduced (Hmmm... How'd that happen...) and there are dual Dumbo rides in a new circus area in Fantasyland 2. It is reportedly in operation as of Summer 2012.
Peter Pan's Flight has fallen victim, and has been closed. You can find some video of of the attraction here. It's be a lot better if the lights were on and the vehicles moved at half the speed. Well, maybe not.
Video of Snow White's Scary Adventures
Video of The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
"it's a small world"
If you enter Fantasyland from Liberty Square, you end up staring at "it's a small world" all the way from the bathrooms.Of all the attractions at Walt Disney World, I think the most remembered and iconic attraction might be "small world". Hated or not, I'll bet you know the words.
As originally planned, every country you sailed through would have the dolls singing that country's national anthem. The resulting ride had overlapping anthems, and it was terrible. Bob Sherman said it sounded like a million kids all singing different things. It was a cacophony.
So Walt brought The Boys (Sherman Brothers) back in. They were his go to guys every since they wrote Mary Poppins (which wouldn't be released until 1964 because of Mary Travis problems), and their help with the Tiki Room. He asked them if they could write one song that would cover everything? And they replied, "Well, we'll try."
It's said "it's a small world" is the most well known song in the world.
I highly recommend a DVD called "the boys:the sherman brothers' story". It's the story of the brother's that had a tremendous influence on Walt and his company. It's on Disney+ if you have access.
I also had the pleasure of seeing Dick Sherman live at Destination D: Walt Disney World 40th. Follow that link for a description and pictures.
"it's a small world" is also the first ride that had the boat ride/load system. They found it had such a high throughput, that Pirates (that was being built in Disneyland) was converted from a walk-through to the boat system we know today.
Here's video of "it's a small world" in Magic Kingdom.
"it's a small world" (Magic Kingdom)
And the orginal World's Fair version in Disneyland.
"it's a small world (Disneyland)"
Fantasyland 2 Construction
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| Fantasyland 2 will be the home of Beast's Castle |
When I was there in March 2012, Disney was staring to soft open the Circus. But not when I was in Magic Kingdom... sniff...
Storybook Circus
I have pictures from Storybook Circus and other areas of Fantasyland 2 from my September 2012 Trip Report.
End Magic Kingdom - Part 6.
| Jump to: | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 |
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