Mouse Extra

For quite some time now, we have been hearing rumors of a major project that would change the face of the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland at Walt Disney World.  Everything from new and re-imagined attractions and eateries to an expansion of the areas entire footprint has all been part of the rumors.  But over the last 48 hours this story has really picked up steam and now it appears to include all of the above.

You can’t seem to find a Disney related website that isn’t covering this to some extent, but let me point you to a couple so you can get up to speed on the particulars of this rumor.  First, click here for a posting by Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel’s Theme Park Rangers Blog.  He has published a blueprint of what this new Fantasyland would look like, however no one can seem to confirm whether or not these plans are actually genuine.  But the blueprint is the engine that has launched this rocket.  (Okay, I have been watching too much on the 40th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing!!)

Then I would suggest reading this morning’s posting by Kevin Yee over at MiceAge.com.  He does an exhaustive look into these blueprints and extrapolates from it what it may all mean.  There is a lot to digest here, but Disney fans should find this to be an exciting rumor and worth talking about even if it is all only an elaborate hoax by a princess-obsessed fanatic.

The highlights of the rumor include an Ariel dark ride that could well be the same as that going up in California, a “Be Our Guest” restaurant that is likely an audio-animatronics based eatery, and even a second Dumbo ride.  (I can’t believe it took 35 years to come up with that idea!)  This is a gigantic project with an undoubtedly enormous budget, so just on the financial end alone one has to question whether Disney has really green lit this project or if it isn’t just pie-in-the-sky stuff from hopeful Imagineers.

The one thing you will notice, and something most have been discussing, is that this new Fantasyland is clearly riding the coattails of the Princess franchise and therefore very girl-centric.  In fact, I would imagine boys over kindergarten age will find little to do here.  But to that I say, “It’s about time!”  The Magic Kingdom has always been mostly boy-centric and if the girls get one corner geared just for them then so be it.

As I am sure you have read from me a dozen times in the past, Fantasyland is not my favorite place at Walt Disney World.  In fact, I usually do everything I can to bypass it in order to save my ankles from the pain of what appears to be drunken stroller drivers, or worse, the stroller driver on a cell phone!!  So I need to hear from those of you who do truly love the current Fantasyland, and I know there are many of you.  I invite you to add your comments below and tell us what you think.  Do you like this idea?  Are you afraid of a change to your favorite area of the Magic Kingdom?  Are you giddy about the possibility of cutting the line at Dumbo in half?  Or are you concerned about seeing construction walls for years to come?