Snow White’s Scary Adventures to close May 31
First of all, apologies for the lack of updates over the last month or so, work has been hectic and then I went on 1 of 2 trips to Disney World this year!
Quick update really to say that Snow White’s Scary Adventures has been confirmed to close on May 31st of this year so you only have a couple of weeks left to ride it!
The good thing is that the construction for the new Snow White attraction is coming along very nicely indeed and it is looking to be one of the most exciting attractions not just in the new Fantasyland, but in the whole of the Magic Kingdom!
So as one ride closes another will open (hopefully this year) but that’s not to say we all won’t miss the original ride!
Fantasyland Time Lapse Video
Take a look at this amazing time lapse video of the new Fantasyland in the making over the past 18 months.
As you can see, the imagineers have come a long way in the past 18 months and with just a few more months to go before the rest of the new area is due to open, lets hope that everything else goes to plan!
First Look Inside The Be Our Guest Restaurant In The New Fantasyland!
It looks like the construction of the “Be Our Guest” Restaurant is coming along very nicely indeed! In the video the imgaineers go into detail on how the great mural was created.
As you can see by the video, the restaurant is still a very long way from being completed and you can expect to be dining in this fantastic restaurant in late 2012/early 2013!
New updates on this as soon as I hear them!
New Costumes For Cast Members At New Fantasyland
Disney have released another video that goes behind the scenes of the Fantasyland Expansion project at the Magic Kingdom. This its all about costumes and just how a decision was made on what cast members were going to be wearing when the section of the park opens.
The costumes really look awesome but it is also interesting how the imagineers go into more detail about the land itself. In the video they call the new section “rustic, rural, woody and overgrown”. Sounds like they are talking about a lot of focus on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!
They also reveal the costumes that will be around the circus tent, both male and female costumes have ringmaster look and feel to them
What do you think of the costumes for the new Fantasyland?
First Opening Phase Of New Fantasyland On March 12th?
There have been a lot of rumours circulating the web over the last couple of weeks to suggest that the first section of the new Fantasyland will be opening on March 12th of 2012. How true are these rumours and just what can be expect to see open in this very first phase?
New Dumbo Pushed Back
The biggest reason why a lot of people assume that part of the new Fantasyland will be open on March 12th is simply because the new Dumbo ride has had it’s opening date pushed back to the same date. If Disney physically want to let guests on the attraction then they are going to have to open up a walkway to the new attraction at the very least!
What Will Be Open?
Disney are very unlikely to open very much in the first half of 2012 and if they open anything at all it is expected to be Storybook Circus as this is where the new Dumbo attraction is housed. It is also the area that is looking the most complete at this point in time. Do not expect to be dining with Beauty and the Beast just yet.
So are any of these rumours true? Only time will tell!
New Dumbo Attraction Has A Test Flight
It’s exciting times for everyone that is awaiting the opening of at least some of the new attractions in the new areas of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom as one of the new Dumbo attractions has had its very first test flight, so what does this mean?
New Dumbo Opens Soon!
According to Disney the old Dumbo ride is closing on January 9th and the new attraction will be open on February 18th! This means that not only will guests get to ride a brand new attraction but it also means that storybook circus will be open to the public, at lease part of it anyway!
There is still no word on when the rest of Fantasyland will be opening but rumors are that there will be more openings before the end of 2012!
Imagineering Insight Into The Mural Behind Journey Of The Little Mermaid
The Imagineering department at Disney always manage to throw a good video together and this time they go into detail on what technology went behind the mural for the upcoming attraction, Journey of the Little Mermaid.
The plan is that this will sit at the load and unload station for the attraction which means it is incredibly important that it looks right. Although the mural was assisted by technology you can see that a lot of manual work has gone into the piece and Disney have done an awesome job at creating a piece that looks just as good as the hand drawn animation seen in the classic movie.
Plans To Extend The Queue For Peter Pan
I mentioned this attraction in my “3 rides that are in need of an update” post a couple of weeks ago but now it would seem that at least some work is going ahead to improve the queuing area of the Peter Pan ride. Park guests will already know that in terms of the wait this ride is one of the worst and not just for the amount of time you have to stand in line. The entire area for waiting for the ride is far too hot and cramped and really dampens the whole experience.
Disney being Disney have finally taken notice of the fans and have announced the changes and ways they are improving the area much as they have done with the Winnie The Pooh queue recently which is certainly a big relief.
The Peter Pan Queue Changes
The Fantasyland skyline stop became a stroller parking area when the ride was shut down in the past and since then it has been a large area that people really haven’t taken any notice of. Disney are now going to be using this for bathroom space as they are going to demolish the restrooms that are currently in place near the Peter Pan ride. Do no worry because the stroller parking will be moved elsewhere and none of this is going to be taken away from park guests with younger children (especially in Fantasyland).
This new restroom area should allow guests to get access from Liberty Square too so let’s just hope this doesn’t make the Haunted Mansion even busier during the busy Summer Months.
What do you think about the Peter Pan queuing area, is it really in need of a big change like this?
The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh Gets New Look
Whilst the Fantasyland updates are well under way now it seems that rides that are not closing such as Winnie the Pooh are also being updated to keep in line with the upcoming new look of the park.
When I was over in Florida late last year you couldn’t get into the queuing area of Winnie the Pooh and you had to queue to the side but at the time I thought that this was due to Its A Small World being closed but it seems Disney were just updating the queue and area for the ride.
I was disappointed last time I was in Fantasyland to see the play area that used to bear the tree from the franchise had disappeared am relieved to see they have relocated it at the front of the ride.
On top of this they have added a better look the ride area and queue to make it feel a lot more like the Hundred Acre Wood. See the video below for the full updates.
Why The Name Change Of The Carrousel?
Well firstly I know it looks like I have spelt Carrousel wrong but it is how the French spell it and this is how Disney seem to spell it too. Now onto the main event of this article, why on earth has Disney changed the Carrousel name from Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. This all seemed a bit pointless but there could be a couple of explanations on why Disney have made this move. First of all let’s take a look at the back story that Disney have come up with to go along with the new name change:
The New Prince Charming Carrousel Back Story
“Following their fairy-tale romance and happily-ever-after wedding, Cinderella and Prince Charming took up residence in Cinderella’s Castle. With peace throughout the kingdom, Prince Charming had time to practice for jousting tournaments. In the countryside near the castle, he built a training device of carved horses, on which he could practice the art of ring-spearing, a tournament event in which a knight rides his horse full speed, lance in hand, toward a small ring hanging from a tree limb, with the object of spearing the ring. This event was known by various names throughout the lands, but generally came to be called “carrousel.”
The carrousel device drew the attention of the villagers, who wanted to take a turn on this amazing spinning contraption. So Prince Charming had a second carrousel constructed closer to the Castle, where everyone could take a spin on this wondrous invention. Instead of a working knight’s training device, however, this new carrousel is more befitting its regal location in the Castle Courtyard – its rustic training horses replaced with ornately decorated prancing steeds adorned with golden helmets and shields, flower garlands, feathers and other festoons. Prince Charming invites one and all to test their horsemanship skills and to enjoy their own happy ending.”
Source: DisneyWorld Blog- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/carrousel-name-change-at-walt-disney-world/
Part Of The Fantasyland Update?
One reason many people have speculated that Disney have made this move is because of the major updates that are in progress within Fantasyland at the moment and are of course due to be completed by 2012. It is not like Disney to make a change like this that could potentially upset (has already upset) many hardcore Disney fans so I hope that in the near future they provide a reason for this.
Boy Friendly Carrousel?
Another option to why Disney have done this is to make Fantasyland a bit more boy friendly and whilst I think a lot of Disney experts are stating this to be the reason I am not so sure. They already have fantastic attractions such as Peter Pan and Mickey’s Philarmagic when it comes to what boys would be interested in, what is a name change going to do?
The fact is that the Carrousel at DisneyWorld is a ride suited for both sexes and people of all ages, I am shocked to see the name change but I am sure Disney have something up their sleeve that will be revealed at a later date. Stick with Top Florida because as soon as I hear the news, so will you!
