Rumors Greatest Hits

[dbm20th]

I was reading another Beastly Kingdom rumor and thought to myself, there have been quite a few things that Disney seemed to have on the drawing board and for one reason or another (usually Eisner stupidity) it never happened. I was wondering what you guys think are some of the best idea/rumors that seemed credible but never happened?

 

[Tink's Tormentor]

I'd have to say Beastly Kingdomme was a good one.

 

[Jason71]

Villain-themed land or park to compete with IOA and placate teens. (After numerous projects to preempt other competitors--Living Seas, Disney/MGM, PI, AK--it kind of made sense, and could have been a marketing dream.)

 

[ryley26]

new counrties in WS at epcot evry year rumor

 

[Micca]

Monorail to the airport and to all the deluxe resorts.

 

[MJMcBride]

The strip club at Pleasure Island.

 

[jimmytammy]

Gutting Spaceship Earth and turning it into a rollercoaster.

 

[JimB.]

I always got a kick out of how many times I read "Fire Mountain is a GO!!" on the Internet (this board included).

Some supposedly whiz-bang roller coaster that was going to be built on the 20K site about 5-6 years ago.

 

[ChrisFL]

Star Tours getting updated with new prequel stuff

 

[Another Voice]

Best "Big" Idea - the Mineral King Ski and Vacation resort

Best "Land" Idea - Discovery Bay at Disneyland

Best "Ride" Idea - any of the dozens concepts for Epcot's Space Pavilion except for what actually got built.

Best "Ultimate" Idea - Walt's EPCOT.

 

[flatline]

that tomorrowland speedway is going to be removed.

 

[dbm20th]

Best "Big" Idea - the Mineral King Ski and Vacation resort

Best "Land" Idea - Discovery Bay at Disneyland

Can you add some details to these? Thanks

 

[Kelly Grannell]

that tomorrowland speedway is going to be removed.

Maybe only a rumour, but I wish they at least update the thing with electric motors or get rid of it. The fume, the noise, the cars being dead in the middle of the track is just no fun. Also if they have more than one loading dock, why only use one (most of the time)?

 

[dbm20th]

I always got a kick out of how many times I read "Fire Mountain is a GO!!" on the Internet (this board included).

Some supposedly whiz-bang roller coaster that was going to be built on the 20K site about 5-6 years ago.

Is this something that we have seen recently? Can you refresh my memory?

 

[wdwguide]

Best "Big" Idea - the Mineral King Ski and Vacation resort

Best "Land" Idea - Discovery Bay at Disneyland

Best "Ride" Idea - any of the dozens concepts for Epcot's Space Pavilion except for what actually got built.

Best "Ultimate" Idea - Walt's EPCOT.

Quite honestly, I prefer Mineral King as part of the National Park instead of being a huge tourist destination. But it was a cool concept that I would have supported at a less sensitive site.

For those of who who don't know about Mineral King, it was a plan for a Disney Ski Resort developed by the WDC in the late 1950s though the 60s, cancelled some time after Walt's death. The Country Bear Jamboree was originally developed for that project.
The site was annexed into Sequoia National Park in 1978.

 

[wdwguide]

Is this something that we have seen recently? Can you refresh my memory?

That cropped up starting in the late 1990s through about 2000. It seemed like a very solid rumor at the time, with plenty of evidence that it was under serious consideration to be greenlit by the company.

 

[dbm20th]

That cropped up starting in the late 1990s through about 2000. It seemed like a very solid rumor at the time, with plenty of evidence that it was under serious consideration to be greenlit by the company.

Anything more specific about the ride itself?

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Anything more specific about the ride itself?

From what I remember about Fire Mountain was that it was going to be part of Adventureland. It was going to be a roller coaster built inside of a volcano, and during the course of the ride an eruption would happen, and ala Expedition Everest, you would go careening backwards through the volcano trying to escape the fire, ash, and lava. Sound like it would have been a fun ride to me!

 

[Another Voice]

Mineral King – considering what the National Park Service has allowed to happen at Yosemite, an overrun auto clogged freeway, I often wonder if Disney’s plan would have been all that much worse. By isolating the resort in the valley (accessable only by a train), I think Mineral King would have been a model resort that the Parks Service should have copied.

For background, this project came from Walt’s experience hosting the Winter Olympics in Squall Valley, California. It was designed as an Alpine village with sking in the winter and the hiking and boating in the summer. Originally adjacent to a national park in the Sierra Nevadas, the environmental lobby forced Disney to abandon the plans (although there was a dead-on-arrival idea to move the resort to an area called Mineral King). The ‘Country Bears Jamboree’ show was designed for this development.

Discovery Bay – was a land proposed for Disneyland. It would have been located on the Rivers of America where the Indian Village is currently. The theme was Barbary Coast San Fransisco, as seen in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It would have featured a waterfront area of ships and restaurants. The ‘Nautilus’ would have been docked in the bay as an “underwater” restaurant. Other major attractions would have included a time-travel thrill ride and a ‘Jungle Cruise’ like zeppelin ride based on then upcoming movie Island at the Top of the World.

Discovery Bay would have been linked to another land, Dumbo’s Flying Circus. This area is similar in a lot of way’s to Disneyland’s ToonTown in that it was mainly for children and featured a lot of interactive areas rather than dark rides. A balloon assent would have transported guests between Discover Bay and the Dumbo’s, and a realigned Casey Jr. would have connected the Circus to Fantasyland (this area would have been located on what’s now the Big Thunder Ranch behind ‘Big Thunder Mountain’).

Fire Mountain/Atlantis/Tarzan/etc. - Disney decided it was going to add a rollercoaster at WDW. There were several proposals on which one to buy and how to decorate it. Since the Magic Kingdom hasn't had a major addtion in a while (Splash Mountain?), it was the natural place to start. One idea was as a replacement for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - and since all Disney coasters are mountains, a volcano seemed natural. Perhaps the one from Fantasia or another Villian's lair. For a while it looked like the 'Jungle Cruise' was going to be closed, so the volcano was moved to Adventureland...but cost cutting resulted in a Tarzan "vine surfing" ride, etc.

In the end, it was decided that Animal Kingdom need the boost in attendance far more than the Magic Kingdom. So to coaster was bought and decorated as Everest.

 

[darkacre]

The biggest and best rumor ever was WestCOT, an Epcot clone that was to have been built where DCA now sits.