Update on Magic Kingdom Renovations

About a week ago I blogged about the renovations being done in the Toontown section of MK. The new Fantasyland will include a few new rides and attractions and will double its size and will open in phases in 2012, with full completion coming in 2013. The imagineers are very excited about the expansion. They said, "We're thrilled about the expansion because it'll allow us to tell our treasured stories in new ways and give you the opportunity to interact with some of our beloved characters like never before."

Here's a few updates that give us more information on what is going in there:

The new attractions will include:

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will feature a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth as they whisk along track. The journey will naturally feature songs from the movies as well as the animated characters of Snow White and her dwarf friends. This will surely be a good addition - Disney could use a few more coasters, and a part of me wonders if they are trying to make up for getting rid of Snow White's Scary Adventures. Here are some pictures of the ride:

Storybook Circus (including Dumbo and The Great Goofini)

The same Dumbo ride we know and love will become part of a section of the new Fantasyland known as Storybook Circus. Within the circus will also be the Barnstormer and Toontown Fair train station. The Barnstormer will now contain The Great Goofini roller coaster! Inside the circus will be a Big Top tent with (of course) be interactive games for kids "of all ages."

Fairytale Hall


In place of the current Snow White's Scary Adventures will be Princess Fairytale Hall which will be home to Aurora, Cinderella and other Disney princesses, including Tiana and Rapunzel. It'll be a place where we can go to meet the characters.

Belle

I am most excited for this portion! Disney is building Belle's village which will include Gaston's Tavern, a new restaurant, and Bonjour! Village Gifts. Also in town will be Belle's cottage where Belle, Lumiere and park guests will be able to interact with the characters as they retell the "tale as old as time." Across a stone bridge from Belle's village will be the Beast's castle which will be home to Be Our Guest Restaurant (which will seat up to 550 guests!)

The Beast's castle is already in the works! Using forced perspective the imagineers are able to create a castle that looks far bigger than it actually is (so don't worry, it won't overshadow Cinderella Castle!) Forced perspective is an artistic technique which creates a sort of optical illusion, tricking your eye to, in this case, believe the castle is much larger.

Above shows the forced perspective, see the man?

Here is a picture of the plans, and what is being executed! SO interesting!

Little Mermaid


We're still not done! The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Adventure mimics Disney's more classic rides, with updated technology. The same ride is currently being built in Disney California Adventure theme park so all my pictures come from there.

These are models of the chairs guests will ride in on our journey. They remind me of the Haunted Mansion ghost-mo-biles!

Here's a fun video on the animatronics:

It seems like it is going to be a wonderful addition! I can't wait to be there as the phases open. From what I read the Belle section will be opening first, so we'll probably be there for it's opening! SO exciting. I can't wait. That's all for now! Enjoy!