New Fantasyland - coming in 2013 to Magic Kingdom

[Chris]

The official Press Release (note this covers several topics):






The Plan (note, this appears to have changed slightly; it would seem as though Dumbo and Pixie Hollow have swapped spots):






And Concept Art:

New Fantasyland Overview:

*Note that the newly redone and expanded land does not affect the west side of the existing Fantasyland, home to Peter Pan's Flight and it's a small world.



Much of the focus of Fantasyland will be on interactions with the characters - but not your standard meet and greet / snap a phone sign a book and move along. These will be true interactions which take place in the character's natural settings straight out of the film, starting with:



Cinderella

Guests wishing to meet Cinderella will find her in the country chateau in which she grew up, also home of Lady Tramaine and her wicked step sisters.



Once inside, with the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella will literally transform right before your eyes from her servant clothes into a beauty gown fit for a royal ball.



However, a dress isn't all one needs to prepare for the ball; after all, you need to know how to dance! Young ones will be invited to practice dancing with Cinderella herself, while others wishing for a more "manly" activity will have the chance to train to be a royal knight.



Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Guests wishing to meet Aurora will find her in the secret forest cottage in which she was raised by the three good faires, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.



As you recall, Aurora was hidden in the cottage until she turned 16 to avoid the curse put on her at birth by the evil Maleficent. Unfortunately, that plan backfired when Aurora pricked her finger on that fabled spinning wheel, putting her into a deep slumber - and in turn causing her to miss her Sweet 16 Party. Of course, everything turned out happily ever after, and guests are invited to make their own birthday cards for Aurora and..



Present those cards to Aurora personally at the surprise Sweet 16 Birthday Party we hold for her!



Belle

Those wishing to meet Belle will find her in her father's countryside cottage.



Once inside, a magic mirror will transport guests into the Beast's castle, where guests will be selected to perform in a comical retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast.



After their rehearsal, the talent cast of young volunteer actors will perform the show for Belle herself in the Beast's Library.


Be Our Guest Restaurant

Inside the Beast's Castle, guests will be able to dine in a brand new, highly interactive full service dinner location.



Gaston's Tavern

Or, if you're on the go, guests can opt instead to grab a bite at Gaston's Tavern, a brand new quickservice food location.



True to his word, Gaston uses antlers in all of his decorating!



Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Guests wishing to meet Ariel can find her in a newly redesigned Ariel's Grotto, but if just meeting the Princess of the Sea isn't enough for you, take a ride along with her in the new E-ticket attraction, Ariel's Adventure.


This omni-mover dark ride will take guests through Ariel's undersea world, with an emphasis toward's the films award winning musical sequences.



Any good story needs a little conflict, and Ariel's Adventure is no different as Poor, Unfortune Souls encouter the wicked Ursula.



A happy ending awaits as the prince Kiss(es) The Girl.



Dumbo's Flying Circus

Fantasyland's most popular attraction gets a much needed boost as Dumbo will more than double its rider capacity while completely eliminating the ride's queue. To do so, a Big Top full of interactive games will be created to allow guests to play instead of wait!



To increase capacity, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin will be removed from Adventureland, rethemed and relocated to the new Fantasyland, placed side-by-side with the original Dumbo The Flying Elephant attraction in its new location.



Pixie Hollow

In a sort of Phase 2 to the Fantasyland Expansion, guests will shrink to the size of a fairy and enter Pixie Hollow, home of Tinkerbell and all her enchanted friends.



The newly re-imagined Fantasyland will open - with the exception of Pixie Hollow, in 2012 at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Pixie Hollow is expected to be complete sometime in 2013.

[Mike]

Wow Mermaid's facade is beautiful.

[Rinith]

Wow, I really like putting Dumbo in a circus tent. Makes that rather common-place ride a little more special.

Also, is Toontown Fair included in this?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Rinith

Wow, I really like putting Dumbo in a circus tent. Makes that rather common-place ride a little more special.

Also, is Toontown Fair included in this?

Toontown Fair is GONE!

The Dumbo attraction will be on land previously occupied by Toontown Fair.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Chris

Toontown Fair is GONE!

The Dumbo attraction will be on land previously occupied by Toontown Fair.

That looks amazing. Hard to believe they are doing that big a remodel.

[Mike]

So does the announcement hold true to the concept art leaked on the internet earlier this year? I'm not too sure, but from the birds eye view it looks as if Dumbo is sitting on the plot that's currently being occupied Barn Stormer. Anybody care to weigh in?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Mike

So does the announcement hold true to the concept art leaked on the internet earlier this year? I'm not too sure, but from the birds eye view it looks as if Dumbo is sitting on the plot that's currently being occupied Barn Stormer. Anybody care to weigh in?

The plan was legit. I had it for a while before it ended up leaked publically. I'll post it on here now that it's no longer a secret.

[sfogviper]

Looks very nice. A bunch of meet and greets, basically, but very attractive... and anything is an improvement over the current Fantasyland. I'll actually have a reason to go there in 2012!

Jeff

[Chris]

Originally Posted by sfogviper

Looks very nice. A bunch of meet and greets, basically, but very attractive... and anything is an improvement over the current Fantasyland. I'll actually have a reason to go there in 2012!

Jeff

There's no denying that the scope of this work in terms of new things it brings are essentially better looking meet and greet spaces, but holy cow, it's going to be beautiful.

I'm curious to learn more about the Be Our Guest Restuarant and Gaston's Tavern as well. I don't think it's just a standard dining location.

BTW - check the original post again. I updated it to include the Fantasyland Plan which got leaked online a month or so ago.

[Mearn]

These plans look pretty good. I think this may be the largest addition to the Magic Kingdom in my lifetime.