What's for boys in the "new" fantasyland?

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Pinnochio is a great dark ride at DL. As far as what they could do, I'm sure if imagineering put their minds to it they could figure out something. They have much better ideas than I would have.

Robin hood is a great story with sword fights, arrows flying etc. The Sword in the Stone is a classic legend. A Lost Boys playground so that the poor brothers wouldn't have to hang in line with the sisters waiting for the princesses would have been nice. Max is a skateboarder which could make for something fun.

People have talked about gender typing, and I guess my point is that a good story is fun for everyone. That is why grown up guys still like peter pan. The opportunity to meet princesses really only appeals to about half the population. Unless we are talking about Ariel with her seashell cleavage. I do think that the little mermaid maid ride will be fun.

 

[lugnut33]

Maybe they could introduce Stitch to Fantasyland? You know, like have this singing and dancing show where Stitch sort of interacts with the crowd that is melting under the hot Florida sun!!

 

[Alice28]

I've been to Disneyland 30-40 times- while Pinocchio is a very cute 'dark' ride, it NEVER HAS A LINE. Why would WDW mimic a ride that DL has that doesn't have a pull?

Again, Fantasyland is based on the FAIRY TALES that Disney has made successful movies out of....Most fairy tales include princesses!!!! I don't get what the big deal is- my boys are 8 and 11 and they could plainly tell you the same thing. And guess what- they're not sitting there pouting that there is no real 'boy' thing involved.

I'm 37 years old and I'm stoked to see Beast's castle, Sleeping Beauty's cottage, Ariel's attraction and Cinderella's chateau. Because they are TIMELESS stories that the Walt Disney company made into beautiful movies. Not because they are 'girly' or 'princessy'. I can totally appreciate it for what it is.

And furthermore, like tons of previous posters have said- we go to Disney to enjoy DISNEY! Not to feel like we need to soak up whatever is Gender appropriate. If that were the case, my boys would be sitting on Peter Pan, Pirates, Dinosaur, Star Tours & Buzz Lightyear the entire vacation. (according to some of your genderizing).

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

LOL, they are making it because princess = money!

And, while it is nice your boys princessy things, mine, and many like them don't.

 

[Alice28]

I didn't say my boys liked the princesses- i said they understood the theming of it.

Here's the thing- Disney can't do everything all the time, to please everybody. Bottom line they ARE a company who is looking out to make money. Fortunately, they just do what they do, WELL- well enough that millions of people spend their cash there year after year to absorb a piece of the magic.

A huge chunk of the population that goes there....has.........are you ready for it??????????? LITTLE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!! And a huge chunk of Disney's revenue comes from------------------------THE PRINCESS MOVIES!!!!! I mean seriously- when you say Disney to the average person, they're gonna say, 'Mickey Mouse' OR 'Princesses.' Why the fuss that ONE LITTLE AREA of the magnitude that is Walt Disney World, is concentrated on Princesses.

Shall we make the argument of the last 10 attractions to debut in WDW? Haven't most of them been geared towards 'boy' or 'gender neutral'?

I'm sorry, but doing a whole space on movies that are considered 'flops' by Disney doesn't make sense....(and I love the movies too, but Robin Hood, Sword in the Stone and Goofy/Max are by no means the shining stars in Disney's crown as far as movies go).

 

[Plumeria]

Give me a break! There are plenty of things for boys to do in the Disney parks, and those examples have already been stated.

You can always try Universal if Disney's not working for ya, because I don't see them getting rid of the princesses anytime soon!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Give me a break! There are plenty of things for boys to do in the Disney parks, and those examples have already been stated.

You can always try Universal if Disney's not working for ya, because I don't see them getting rid of the princesses anytime soon!

lOL, We love Universal, too. Why do people get so huffy if you think Disney could do something better? It is a theme park, for Heaven's sake, not your home I'm criticizing. Last time I looked there was always room for improvement...didn't Walt say the same?

I liked the Princesses before they became cartoon caricatures. I have oringinal cels from Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Those are classics. The pink walmart crap with distorted faces, etc., not so much.

 

[FigNewton]

While I understand the frustration of parents with only boys, I do think it's possible for Disney to make the FL expansion appeal to boys as well. I'd like to see some knights riding around, for starters. It looks like they are making efforts to do those kinds of things from the production art but how it gets executed is a huge question.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

knights would be cool. Although, knights aren't really fantasy, are they? j/k!

 

[Plumeria]

lOL, We love Universal, too. Why do people get so huffy if you think Disney could do something better? It is a theme park, for Heaven's sake, not your home I'm criticizing. Last time I looked there was always room for improvement...didn't Walt say the same?

I liked the Princesses before they became cartoon caricatures. I have oringinal cels from Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Those are classics. The pink walmart crap with distorted faces, etc., not so much.

Not getting huffy. Just have a different opinion from you. Of course there's room for improvement and additions. But why should Disney remove girly things to please parents with little boys? If their little boys aren't happy, then maybe Disney is not the right fit for their vacation.

Last time I checked there were things to do for boys in each land of MK. Is Animal Kingdom girly? Oh I guess the Indy and car shows at DHS are girly too. Star Tours is super girly as well. As is Future World and World Showcase.

So I say again...give me a break!

 

[MusiqChic99]

While all the girls are in the princess areas, we can be on pirates and other rides. This might work out great. LOL

Really though I think Disney is for everyone regardless. Fantasyland is just a small portion if you think about it.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Actually, I'd say that Animal Kingdom has an appeal for boys and girls. Epcot is well rounded, although some say more for adults than children. Magic Kingdom was fairly gender non specific. This area is a girly area where there are no options for the brothers except to just sit and wait. That is poor planning, imo.

You seem keen to insist that if I don't think the place perfect I should go elsewhere. Weird outlook at life.

 

[letthewookiewin]

Give me a break! There are plenty of things for boys to do in the Disney parks, and those examples have already been stated.

You can always try Universal if Disney's not working for ya, because I don't see them getting rid of the princesses anytime soon!

I don't think anyone suggested getting rid of the princesses anytime soon. Below are some great examples of what they could have done to include boys. I agree that the new area looks great, but I would have loved to see something like below. Fantasy doesn't exclusively mean priness or fairy as the poster I quoted below does a great job proving. Also, how about a boy themed character meal? They are either princess theme or gender nuetral. I know there is Stich, but that is the only one.

Also, the reasoning that people spend more money on princess stuff than boys stuff doesn't fly with me. Parents with boys would spend just as much money on boy specific items than parents with girls would spend on girl specific.

Do you always scream? How about Pinnochio (DL's is a blast). Robin Hood. The Sword in the Stone. (not the crappy 10 minute program.) Mickey and Minnie aren't exactly real. Goofy and Max? The Lost Boys? All are appealing to boys, all are fantasy.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

While all the girls are in the princess areas, we can be on pirates and other rides. This might work out great. LOL

Really though I think Disney is for everyone regardless. Fantasyland is just a small portion if you think about it.

i agree! I just feel bad for the boys that will be bored while their moms and sisters wait in line.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I don't think anyone suggested getting rid of the princesses anytime soon. Below are some great examples of what they could have done to include boys. I agree that the new area looks great, but I would have loved to see something like below. Fantasy doesn't exclusively mean priness or fairy as the poster I quoted below does a great job proving. Also, how about a boy themed character meal? They are either princess theme or gender nuetral. I know there is Stich, but that is the only one.

Also, the reasoning that people spend more money on princess stuff than boys stuff doesn't fly with me. Parents with boys would spend just as much money on boy specific items than parents with girls would spend on girl specific.

LOL, I agree.

Although I suspect that sometimes all of those mom's buying all of the princess stuff are really just living vicariously through their girls.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I already said this in another post but I keep thinking about it so much I thought I would directly post the question. What is there for boys?

I love Cinderella's castle and my boys actually do too but with the new fantasyland sketches the Magic Kingdom is becoming overly girly!

Why isn't there more pirate stuff? I asked in another post too, how about putting in a replica of the Black Pearl and having Jack, Will, Elizabeth, and maybe even Barbossa on hand?

What about a villans area?

I would love a sit down restaurant with pirate or villans as the theme. It seems like there is so many possibilities to interest boys but we keep hearing about princesses as the focus.

I definitely understand that we can't underestimate the marketing power of the princesses but c'mon give this Disney-loving mom of boys something to look forward too!

The following *all* have appeal to boys (and to girls, but they are not *girl-centric*)
- The Pirates League
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial
- The Jungle Cruise
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- The Frontierland Shooting Arcade
- The Haunted Mansion
- Peter Pan's Flight
- It's a Small World
- Mickey's Philharmagic
- Dumbo
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Goofy's Barnstormer
- Donald's Boat
- The Judge's Tent - Mickey
- Tomorrowland Autopia
- Space Mountain
- Astro Orbiters
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
- Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor
- Stitch's Great Escape (we may hate him but he is DEFINITELY geared to boys)

The following have *more* appeal to girls
- Pixie Hollow
- Snow White's Scary Adventures (though this could be enjoyed by boys as you only see Snow 2 times)
- Cinderella's Carousel
- Ariel's Grotto
- The Judges Tent - Princesses
- Bipity Bopity Boutique
- Cinderella's Royal Table

Personally I see a balance that weight MORE heavily in the favor of boys at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[letthewookiewin]

The following *all* have appeal to boys (and to girls, but they are not *girl-centric*)
- The Pirates League
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial
- The Jungle Cruise
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- The Frontierland Shooting Arcade
- The Haunted Mansion
- Peter Pan's Flight
- It's a Small World
- Mickey's Philharmagic
- Dumbo
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Goofy's Barnstormer
- Donald's Boat
- The Judge's Tent - Mickey
- Tomorrowland Autopia
- Space Mountain
- Astro Orbiters
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
- Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor
- Stitch's Great Escape (we may hate him but he is DEFINITELY geared to boys)

The following have *more* appeal to girls
- Pixie Hollow
- Snow White's Scary Adventures (though this could be enjoyed by boys as you only see Snow 2 times)
- Cinderella's Carousel
- Ariel's Grotto
- The Judges Tent - Princesses
- Bipity Bopity Boutique
- Cinderella's Royal Table

Personally I see a balance that weight MORE heavily in the favor of boys at the Magic Kingdom.

The biggest problem with that list is that anything that is gender nuetral you put in the boy list. The ones I highlighted are the ones that I disagree with the most. You also forgot to list the Princess meals.

 

[Plumeria]

The following *all* have appeal to boys (and to girls, but they are not *girl-centric*)
- The Pirates League
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial
- The Jungle Cruise
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- The Frontierland Shooting Arcade
- The Haunted Mansion
- Peter Pan's Flight
- It's a Small World
- Mickey's Philharmagic
- Dumbo
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Goofy's Barnstormer
- Donald's Boat
- The Judge's Tent - Mickey
- Tomorrowland Autopia
- Space Mountain
- Astro Orbiters
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
- Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor
- Stitch's Great Escape (we may hate him but he is DEFINITELY geared to boys)

The following have *more* appeal to girls
- Pixie Hollow
- Snow White's Scary Adventures (though this could be enjoyed by boys as you only see Snow 2 times)
- Cinderella's Carousel
- Ariel's Grotto
- The Judges Tent - Princesses
- Bipity Bopity Boutique
- Cinderella's Royal Table

Personally I see a balance that weight MORE heavily in the favor of boys at the Magic Kingdom.

Thank you!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

The following *all* have appeal to boys (and to girls, but they are not *girl-centric*)

- Pirates of the Caribbean

- The Jungle Cruise
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- The Frontierland Shooting Arcade
- The Haunted Mansion
- Peter Pan's Flight
- It's a Small World

- Dumbo

- Tomorrowland Autopia
- Space Mountain
- Astro Orbiters

Gender neutral. As a girl these were all of my favorite rides. And IASW? You have to be kidding! Every boy I've ever talked to would love to go on that ride armed with 3 baseballs!

Of the newer rides, I think that there are as many girl pirates as boys, Buzz is one of my favorite rides in the MK. Pooh and Donald are both for babies or girls. There are also as many girls as boys waiting to see Mickey. And I'd suspect that the numbers for the barnstormer are fairly even.

plumeria, I suspect that you don't even have any children, and thus have no intimate knowledge about what a boy would enjoy or be bored with. And telling those that see there could be more options that we should just go elsewhere is like those that think that the grownups without kids really should just go to Universal. Disney is for kids. Rude, huh?

 

[Plumeria]

plumeria, I suspect that you don't even have any children, and thus have no intimate knowledge about what a boy would enjoy or be bored with. And telling those that see there could be more options that we should just go elsewhere is like those that think that the grownups without kids really should just go to Universal. Disney is for kids. Rude, huh?

WOW! You suspected right! And I suspect YOU are one of those people who thinks anyone without kids doesn't deserve an opinion on certain subjects. Wrong!

I have a younger brother, so yes, I think I do have an "intimate knowledge" about what boys enjoy.

No, it's not rude at all. It's called having an opinion. It's not rude to assume if someone has that much of a problem with what Disney parks have/or don't have to offer, then maybe they aren't the type of vacation destination for them. There are lots of vacationing spots to chose from. I just suggested Universal in a general sense.