Disney Village - the future

[soundtracker]

As you may or may not know, the Disney Village entertainment district is set to undergo some radical changes in the next few years, with the introduction of a number of new venues, along with an extensive beautification project.
Things have already got off to a good start with the opening of the Gaumont IMAX cinema (and for those of you who haven't seen it yet, it's a thing of beauty!) but there is plenty more in store.
First of all, the Disney Village will be getting a whole new look. The industrial, claustrophobic feel of the place has been seen to be a problem for far too long, so most of the giant metal pylons that line the central street will be removed, creating a lot more space. This means the "starry sky" effect will also have to go, but this will be replaced by strings of large coloured lanterns closer to ground level. (A lot like Downtown Disney's Westside.)
Once these changes have been made, the ground will be re-paved in warmer colours, and a series of flowerbeds will be introduced to add a little greenery to proceedings.
There are plenty more changes to come after that, but I'll have to save those for my next post.
So what do you all think? Do you welcome these changes? Are they long overdue, or do you like the Village the way it is? Let's get a discussion going, people! I don't think I've seen a single Disney Village thread on this site yet.

[Olivier]

The industrial, claustrophobic feel of the place has been seen to be a problem for far too long,

Too long indeed!
Anyway, this is a GREAT news! I've never been a fan of the Disney Village, even if I think that some good things appeared recently.
Beautification, I think that it's what the Disney Village really needs.

[Speedway]

Well I always enjoy my experiences at Disney Village, but I don't dispute it could be improved greatly. Downtown Disney at the WDWR feels to expansive for me though, I think it needs to be a bit more intimate.

[DLRP_bopazot]

i heard that at the Cast Members Rendez Vous in January 05 and i've seen the Future of the Disney Village . The Future of DV is Great and they will also add before 2008 a World OF Disney instead of the old parking lot next to the Mc Donald's .

[milo_vhw]

Great news indeed. Especialy the greenery. That will help a lot. Now there's only some at the Rainforest Cafe. Why don't they even throw in some more amusement like a DisneyQuest. The new cinema and of course the balloonride are a good start...

[soundtracker]

Hello everyone, and thanks for the replies. It's nice to know I'm not alone in thinking the Disney Village needs a bit of sprucing up.

Milo is right - the IMAX and Panoramagique balloon are both great starts, and they're actually original attractions, as opposed to clones brought in from other Disney entertainment districts.

So what else is due to happen on the main Village street? Well some of you may already know that some of the shop façades have been refurbished recently (Billy Bob's, for example), but this is just the start. I'm told that ALL the shops and restaurants are due to get a complete overhaul of their exterior structures, while some will be changing inside as well.

First up is the Disney Store. Bopazot has already given us a clue by telling us that a new World Of Disney shop is due to be built on the corner between the IMAX cinema and the Disney Village main entrance. This basically means the current Disney Store will be closing its doors. The rumours state that it will be converted into a Virgin Megastore, which would be a very good move IMHO.

Next door, the scène central (Centre Stage) will be removed, which is also a wise decision. It causes huge crowd flow problems, and the arcade area behind it is dark and dirty. A friend of mine who also attended the Rendez-Vous des Cast Members spoke to one of the Imagineers and learned that the space would become a sort of leafy square, filled with benches and kiosks/food stalls. Sounds interesting!

There's a lot more to discuss, but once again I'm out of time.
Keep those opinions coming!

[innerSpaceman]

I am so glad to hear this. The area has always been tres UGLY.

(But, well, it gave me a new appreciation for our own Downtown Disney in Anaheim, which I began to think of as an architectural masterpiece after experiencing DLP's Disney Village (heheh, fka Festival Disney).

[TDLFAN]

I am not sure that emulating the bland look of WDW's west side is such a great idea. This happens to be WDW's worst looking area on property.

[drnilescrane]

The industrial, claustrophobic feel of the place has been seen to be a problem for far too long

Thats what happens when you hire Frank Ghery to design an outdoor space when he is (not much) better at buildings. Dam Eisner.

[soundtracker]

Personally, I quite like the look of Downtown Disney Westside. I was there just over a week ago, and was impressed at just what an attractive space it is. Admittedly, not many of the buildings stand out, but I think that's a problem that Disney Village would be able to overcome fairly easily - just look at the King Ludwig's Castle restaurant. Either way, Disney Village will never be an exact copy of Downtown Disney, but it would definitely benefit from importing a few features.
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, working along the main Village street...
Rumour has it that the dark and poky Sports Bar will soon be gone. This makes sense, as a new ESPN sports bar, restaurant and night club will be built alongside the new Village parking structure. A second sports bar would be somewhat superfluous, so the existing bar will probably become either an Irish pub (Lord help us) or an Italian bar/restaurant.
You've probably noticed that a lot of the brand new facilities (IMAX, World Of Disney, ESPN bar, etc.) are being built OUTSIDE the original Village area, along the new boulevard that was recently driven up to the Fantasia Gardens, between the Gaumont building and the new car park. This area is set for even more development - a games room will be added to the IMAX building later this year, containing a bar, miniature bowling and other activities for families. There will also be a Chinese restaurant appearing next door to the IMAX within the next few years.
In addition to this, the new boulevard will be lined with a few fixed kiosks - once agin, taking a leaf from Downtown Disney's books.
Ultimately, this boulevard will becaome a long awaited second street for the Disney Village, almost doubling its capacity. But perhaps the most exciting addition to this new section is the rumoured construction of... wait for it... A MONORAIL STATION!
More news on that in future posts.

[milo_vhw]

A MONORAIL. Wouldn't that be the best!!!
Any other rumoured stations?

[WDW1974]

A monorail? I doubt anyone here will live long enough to ever see Disney add (or expand) a monorail system in any resort, let alone Paris.

[drnilescrane]

Please Please PLEASE Style it like the MKVI rather than the Tokyo Monorails!

[soundtracker]

Ok, here's my final update on the proposed Disney Village development. You've already heard me mention the new parking structure, and some of you are no doubt aware that the old car park has been closed for a good long while now. It's quite a large plot of land, and is earmarked for another major construction project - a new resort hotel.
Now there is still some debate as to whether or not this will be an official Disney hotel, and I honestly don't want to bet either way at the moment. The only thing that is known for sure at present is that the hotel will incorporate a large attractive garden, leading right down to the shore of Lake Disney. This new area will be extensively landscaped with a number of pathways leading through it. There will also be a large pathway giving access to the bottom end of the new Disney Village boulevard, where most of the new entertainment developments will be located.
So here's the inevitable question - if this is to be a Disney hotel, will it be money well spent? Personally, I'd rather see a major new E-ticket in the Disneyland Park, but beggars can't be choosers. Furthermore, there is no word as to what theme this hotel will follow. Does anyone out there have any ideas/suggestions?

Lastly, some mention must be made of the new business convention centre that is due to be built across the way from the Newport Bay Club hotel. I know it's technically nothing to do with Disney Village, but Disney have included it in the same expansion phase, and it's presence is bound to have a knock-on effect. If nothing else, it will change the resort skyline for ever - this thing is going to be HUGE! I forget the exact dimensions, but you could fit an army in there. And from the few models I've seen, it will have quite a funky, contempoary design that will complement the Disney Village area quite well.

Oh, and something I forgot in my previous post - there are plans afoot for a complete rehab of the outside of the Gaumont cinema. The new IMAX extension is very pretty indeed (all glass and art deco), and the plan is to extend this new façade all around the original Gaumont building.

So there you have it. Our beloved resort could soon look very different indeed. Now if only they'd give us a big, original E-ticket to play with....

[milo_vhw]

I'm not sure what to think of another Disneyhotel. If it generates more money (-> eventually new E-Ticket) i'm ok with it, but i'm not certain if the other Hotels are overbooked. The same goes for the office building. Only if it will generate enough money so that visitors can enjoy it by getting a new ride...