Sometimes you don’t just say something unless there’s a real possibility of it happening…
There’s been a lot of talk about The Walt Disney Company re-routing roadways that free up extremely valuable real estate west of Adventureland. We’ve talked about it here at That Park Place. Specifically, we’ve mentioned that there may be an effort to craft a super luxurious resort experience in the area with a connecting point to a new Adventureland expansion pad area.
The key to this rumor is that the hotel would not have a Monorail connection. Rather, the hotel would connect directly to The Magic Kingdom via a fully-enclosed and themed drawbridge which would cross the access canal to a new Adventureland expansion. I’m told this expansion and hotel would be a hefty monetary investment for Disney as they reach out for new sources of attendance. The expansion itself, while available to all guests, would have an entrance/exit point for guests of the new ultra-premium hotel. The expansion is reportedly aiming for a 4-5 acre addition to Magic Kingdom, south of the Pirates of the Caribbean show building, and featuring two attractions (perhaps one E-Ticket), a restaurant, restrooms, and at least one retail location.
— WDW Pro
Well, it’s starting to look like we have a solid candidate for the non E-Ticket attraction. According to Lin Manuel Miranda, the composer behind Encanto, he’s already spoken with Disney CEO Bob Chapek about the idea. Reportedly he was inspired by the Little Mermaid attraction at Disney’s California Adventure.
I talked to him [Chapek] and said, “I know there’s a world in which this casita lives in a theme park and we get to actually walk through it in real life.” And that’s really exciting, but the other byproduct of all these characters is that there’s a lot more folks want us to explore and a lot that’s being explored in fan art all over world. I don’t know what form that takes. I don’t know if that’s an animated series. I don’t know if that’s a second movie. I don’t know if that’s a stage adaptation where we have a little more time to go deep. I think it’s all possible, but we had no conversations about what they actually are.
— Lin Manuel Miranda, The Wrap Interview
Are we looking at the distinct possibility of an Encanto show building just south of the main Pirates of the Carribean show building? It’s definitely on the table. And for the Magic Kingdom, Disney is definitely keen on finding ways to increase capacity. I’ve particularly enjoyed complaints about how much new pathway is being added for Tron… all the while knowing that it’s by design. Disney wants to make more room.
They may have the chance if they’re showing all the rooms at the Casita in an Adventureland Expansion coming to you.
Let me know how you would design an Encanto attraction for the theme parks in the comments below. And keep reading all the latest here at That Park Place!