Lol Stitch's great escape is a waste of space. Monsters Inc Laugh floor is a waste of space.
The tree house is not.
Besides the obvious issues of not gaining practically any meaningful new real estate, the tree house is a core part of the land's design direction. All the place making and art direction called for that forested area opposite the development. Wider pathways were never called for and would distort the art direction.
That's one of my favorite atmospheres in the park, and simply bulldozing is not called for or appropriate.
Additionally those sorts of little experiences are what sets Disney apart. You can call that ridiculous, but I like the little areas that are off the beaten path and that you can explore. It's the same basic show as the original treehouse at
Disneyland, and it was done so simply and so well.
It struck the right chord with individuals. What kid (or adult) doesn't want to live in a treehouse? Especially with all that cool stuff? It resonates even today. Unlike many parks, classic Disney Parks were multilayered. The tree house is one of them.
Animal Kingdom actually follows most closely to this model on the Jungle and Falls treks. One of the reasons Disney's Animal Kingdom is fab.
@rteetz I wouldn't mind going back to the original design, in fact I'd prefer it, but now I'd say Magic Carpets is the premier spinner in the park.
What the silly people missed while doubling capacity at dumbo was it was never just about riding the Elephant. That was certainly part of it, but not all of it. It was riding the elephant next to a castle and magical realms. Now it's... Kind of anticlimactic. The place really did matter.
Magic Carpet is in a far more interesting environment. Much more enjoyable to ride now. Plus there's nostalgia from my childhood, but that can make way for design intent. It's a give and take
