HighwayinBlueSky
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2025
- Messages
- 4
Hi everyone! 
I’ve been deep in a Western River Expedition / Thunder Mesa rabbit hole for a while now, and I wanted to share a personal project I’ve been working on — and hopefully connect with others here who’ve never quite let this one go.
I’m currently creating a long-form video project focused on resurrecting Thunder Mesa as a complete themed land — not just Western River Expedition, but the entire experience as it was intended to exist in the early 1970s: the mesa itself, the surrounding town, attractions, restaurants, pathways, sightlines, and story beats that would have tied it all together.
The goal isn’t to redesign it or modernize it, but to reconstruct it as accurately as possible, using original research as the foundation — production art, maps, memoirs, interviews, Imagineering notes, and contemporary park design philosophy from that era. From there, I’m using modern tools (including AI and Photoshop) strictly as a simulation and visualization tool — essentially to create a walk through Thunder Mesa as if it had actually opened alongside the rest of Magic Kingdom in the 1970s.
Think less “reimagining” and more themed-environment archaeology:
I know Thunder Mesa and WRE come up often here, but I’d love to hear from anyone who:
Happy to share more details as the project develops — and mostly just excited to talk with people who still care deeply about what may be Disney’s greatest unbuilt place.
Looking forward to the discussion!
I’ve been deep in a Western River Expedition / Thunder Mesa rabbit hole for a while now, and I wanted to share a personal project I’ve been working on — and hopefully connect with others here who’ve never quite let this one go.
I’m currently creating a long-form video project focused on resurrecting Thunder Mesa as a complete themed land — not just Western River Expedition, but the entire experience as it was intended to exist in the early 1970s: the mesa itself, the surrounding town, attractions, restaurants, pathways, sightlines, and story beats that would have tied it all together.
The goal isn’t to redesign it or modernize it, but to reconstruct it as accurately as possible, using original research as the foundation — production art, maps, memoirs, interviews, Imagineering notes, and contemporary park design philosophy from that era. From there, I’m using modern tools (including AI and Photoshop) strictly as a simulation and visualization tool — essentially to create a walk through Thunder Mesa as if it had actually opened alongside the rest of Magic Kingdom in the 1970s.
Think less “reimagining” and more themed-environment archaeology:
- How all the attractions worked together as a single place
- What guests would have seen, heard, and experienced moving through the land
- Where Western River Expedition fit within the larger complex
- How restaurants, outdoor spaces, elevation changes, and forced perspective supported the story
- And how Marc Davis’s approach shaped the tone of the entire area
I know Thunder Mesa and WRE come up often here, but I’d love to hear from anyone who:
- Has favorite obscure details, concept art, or first-hand recollections
- Remembers older books, articles, or interviews that aren’t often cited anymore
- Or has thoughts on how Thunder Mesa was meant to function day-to-day as a living land
Happy to share more details as the project develops — and mostly just excited to talk with people who still care deeply about what may be Disney’s greatest unbuilt place.
Looking forward to the discussion!
