Ranking Disney’s Recent Themed Lands

We’re anxiously awaiting news on how Disney will spend $60 billion.

CEO Bob Iger has filed the government paperwork to inform investors what’s coming next.

Soon, all Disney theme parks will expand, and you shouldn’t miss the timing here.

Construction will begin anew soon after CommuniCore Hall & Plaza opens in June.

That’s the cycle Disney maintains in guaranteeing that theme park fans can always look forward to the next thing.

Still, we should look back sometimes and appreciate how much Disney has improved during its current developmental cycle.

Let’s rank Disney’s recent themed lands.   

San Fransokyo Square

I’m only including this one as a technicality.

Disney has reimagined several themed lands over the years, but some overhauls are more dramatic than others.

For example, I didn’t list the former Future World locations at EPCOT, which have become three Neighborhoods.

That’s because they’re somewhat the same…but also different. How do you rank something like World Nature?

That place is basically The Land pavilion, The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion, and Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.

Other aspects have changed, but it’s basically just a ranking of Moana.

So, I’m mentioning San Fransokyo Square as a one-for-all approach for this sort of makeover.

Disney has taken the former Pacific Wharf and added recognizable features from Big Hero 6.

Honestly, most of the changes are quite modest, though.

They’re largely eating and drinking experiences plus a Baymax character spot.

I’m not underselling the rebuild, as I’m a huge fan of Big Hero 6 and Baymax. But this is a lesser Disney theme park renovation.

Mickey’s Toontown

Conversely, I would describe the changes at Mickey’s Toontown as somewhere between evolutionary and revolutionary.

Imagineers took the wonderful but decidedly outdated elements of the old-themed land.

Then, Disney modernized all elements of the experience to make it more accessible for everyone.

Frankly, I love the new, more interactive play elements, encouraging guests to hang out here and have fun.

That’s what a Disneyland theme park visit should be.

After all, Walt Disney was visiting a playground when he came up with the idea!

Even better, Disney has added Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, one of the best attractions of the 21^st century.

Before the redesign, many people’s biggest impression of Mickey’s Toontown was as a place where a family brawl occurred.

Now, this area of Disneyland has fundamentally changed to a destination location.

Toy Story Land

I know that the version of Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has proven divisive to some.

Critics point out the area’s shortcomings, caused by highly publicized budget cuts and construction constraints.

When Toy Story Land first debuted, it lacked proper amounts of shade or seating. Also, the main walkway can grow congested at times.

Still, I consider those concerns trifling relative to what Toy Story Land has added at Hollywood Studios.

Toy Story Mania!, while charming and addictive, had always felt a bit isolated from the rest of the park before the expansion.

Now, guests can experience an entire miniature world as they shrink to the size of toys and wander the area.

Plus, Disney added two rides, both of which emphasize fun.

Alien Swirling Saucers certainly has its detractors, but it’s a must-ride attraction for me during a park visit.

Then, we have Slinky Dog Dash, which often requires the longest wait at Hollywood Studios.

If that’s not a demonstration of popularity, I don’t know what is!

To a larger point, Disney deserves credit for creating a realistic portrayal of scale via Imagineering tricks.

You’ll find human-sized versions of children’s toys here that make you believe you’re that small, too.

 

Nobody plays with scale as effectively as Disney, and Imagineers were at the height of their power in building this place.

Avengers Campus

We can discuss all the other reasons why Avengers Campus has leveled up Disney California Adventure.

However, I think this video speaks for itself.

You’ll find Spider-Man soaring through the sky every day at Avengers Campus!

To me, that’s not even the most remarkable part. This technology comes with a failure rate significant enough to matter.

So, Disney has built fail-safes into the system…and they’re hidden in plain sight! Watch Spider-Man hit the wall here:

What looks like a part of the background is actually a collapsible wall for this eventuality.

Disney has seeded Avengers Campus with some of its most advanced tech, and the results come with a wow factor.

Something else I love here brings us back to that conversation of scale.

At Pym Test Kitchen, you’ll find oversized items that reflect the Pym Particle dynamic Ant-Man uses to get small/big.

That’s right, folks. Disney doesn’t just improve its themed lands. It embraces the conceit of each one in myriad other ways, including the food!

Pandora – The World of Avatar

Now, let’s talk about the two themed lands that should have you salivating at the thought of more.

Disney introduced the world to Pandora in 2017, an eternity of seven years ago by theme park standards.

When you roam through this alien planet, you should appreciate just how completely Disney had mastered its craft by then.

Imagineers created two fully formed theme park attractions, each of which fills in the blanks about Pandoran exploration.

At Na’vi River Journey, you explore the dangerous yet gorgeous jungles of this alien planet.

Then, on Avatar Flight of Passage, you take to the sky to learn about the planet from the atmosphere. And those are just the rides!

You’ll know you’ve reached Pandora the instant you look up in the air and notice the Hallelujah Mountains.

This floating structure exists in the movies, but it shouldn’t be possible in a themed land since it breaks the laws of (Earth) physics.

Somehow, Imagineers cracked the math to turn the impossible into reality. I’ll always marvel at this artificial construct.

Disney brought Avatar to life in a believable way at the parks, and what they learned during this endeavor directly led to…

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Currently, you can visit three alien planets at Walt Disney World.

I already mentioned Pandora, EPCOT hosts the Wonders of Xandar pavilion, and Hollywood Studios offers something even better.

Guests can touch down on the planet of Batuu and explore the legendary Black Spire Outpost.

This shady locale is notorious for being the final home for intelligent life before Wild Space.

So, when you visit here, you’re at the last outpost at the end of the interstellar map.

This situation can be compared to a classroom. The people who sit at the back of the class don’t want the teacher to call on them.

Anyone living on Batuu doesn’t want The First Order sniffing around their lives and/or business dealings.

You may have spent countless hours at Galaxy’s Edge and not even realized this fact.

However, the sheer depth of backstory on display at Galaxy’s Edge is what differentiates it from lesser theme parks.

Sure, Disney has built a couple of breathtaking attractions here.

You’ll usually wait an hour for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and much longer for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

The latter attraction represents the pinnacle of Imagineering. Frankly, the entirety of theme park design led to its creation.

Rise of the Resistance stands on the back of every innovation that came before. Under the hood, you’ll find all of it driving the ride.

So, Galaxy’s Edge exists on two levels. On the one hand, it’s the ultimate in theme park design and storytelling.

On the other hand, this place is just plain fun for Star Wars fans, who can build droids and lightsabers while drinking Blue Milk.

Final Thoughts

Remarkably, Galaxy’s Edge turns five years old this summer.

That thought alone underscores why the proposition of park expansion is so tantalizing.

Disney has had five more years to come up with bigger, even better ideas since then.

I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

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