D23 didn’t reveal a Villain’s Land in a place where it might realistically work. We’ll wait to explain why… but we do know a far more likely location.
Over the next few days, I have a lot to talk about when it comes to the D23 Parks presentation that went over “blue sky” additions that might be coming to Disneyland and mostly Walt Disney World. I’ve been chatting with a couple of people with some background knowledge of what in the world is going on and why Disney came up with a reveal for things that are clearly unlikely.
Concept art of a villain’s area far behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Today, however, I’d like to start by taking on the Villain’s Land idea.
Out of all the stuff we were shown for the “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” concept, the only addition that seems even remotely at the quality of level of Disney Parks is the Villain’s Land. The reasons are quite simple:
- Encanto is based in Columbia. Columbia doesn’t belong in Frontierland whatsoever. One is about the American western concept and one is South American magical realism. They’re two different genres and settings.
- Coco is an easier IP to imagine going into Frontierland, but it still makes little sense. Frontierland isn’t just a geographical setting, it’s a setting in a fantasy timeline as well. Coco is set in the the last decades.
But a Villain’s Land could definitely work. It’s wanted and it fits the idea of a different type of setting. Having Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, and a Villianland is conceptually consistent.
Having it go beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad though… that makes absolutely no logistical sense.
So where should it go instead?
Talking to individuals who know what is going on behind the scenes, let me start by saying that all of this is very far off and ill-conceived. Disney’s not ready to roll any of this out at all. But if Disney does decide to actually put the appropriate amount of money behind a Villianland, there’s really only one place that it can go without damaging Magic Kingdom’s layout.
In the back, hidden away, exactly where the bad guys and gals should go.
Behind Fantasyland, all Disney has to do is connect to an 8 acre expansion pad by removing the restrooms at Gaston’s Tavern and building a themed bridge over a backstage roadway which provides access to the utilidors. For guests, there’s no reason they should ever even know it’s a bridge. Just theme it and build the walls high. A secondary entry into the land could do the same through the back area of Storybook Circus.
Sure, you’d have to fix some drainage issues, but in terms of where to put villains, there’s simply no place better than this giant area tucked away behind Magic Kingdom. It’s so much better than putting fantasy baddies behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad that it’s difficult to even understand why Disney would have given the presentation they did at D23.
Well… except that I basically know what they were up to… and I’ll be sharing very soon.
As for whether or not we’re getting a Villain’s Land anytime soon, I don’t know that I’d be holding my breath. I think the Adventureland addition is coming much sooner even if they didn’t show it at D23 for reasons we’ll cover later this week.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts on where a villain’s area should go!
