Western River Expedition at Disneyland

[MANEATINGWREATH]

I have been planning the construction of this never built masterpiece for a long, long, long time. If you have heard of Marc Davis' topper of Pirates for WDW's Frontierland that Roy O. Disney approved, this is it, except it is finally built at Disneyland's Frontierland in place of Big Thunder Ranch. The large Thunder Mesa complex will take over all of the ranch, rise over the railroad track and demolish some of the Fantasyland Theater. I will post a ridethrough later on this month. The attraction will also feature Test Track/Journey to the Center of the Earth/and Radiator Springs Racers technology so guests will board Conestoga wagons and ride through the original show scenes and gags climaxing with a speedy canyon adventure on the outside of the mountain. (Think Journey to the Center of the Earth). I also think that all of Frontierland should get a massive overhaul, think new Rivers of America show scenes, Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment, Golden Horseshoe Revue returning, new paint, Tom Sawyer's Island back to normal, Fort Wilderness reopened, maybe a new entrance to the land, I don't know, help me out here people.

[aashee]

Good idea MEW. There have been many discussions about lands that need something and it always seems to be Frontierland, Tomorrowland & Toon Town. Frontierland takes up a pretty sizeable chunk of the park and has only one big draw. I'm on your side with the idea that Frontierland needs something added without part of it taken away (Pirates on Tom Sawyer's Island).

[BassBone]

There have been many proposals for that on MiceChat. They all sound good.

[aashee]

Originally Posted by BassBone

There have been many proposals for that on MiceChat. They all sound good.

Agree. All the ideas sound better than petting a goat or watching a cow sleep.

[BassBone]

Originally Posted by aashee

Agree. All the ideas sound better than petting a goat or watching a cow sleep.

Don't you be talking trash about Maggie. She's my favorite cow in the whole world.

[techskip]

Originally Posted by aashee

better than petting a goat or watching a cow sleep.

Careful aashee... a subject like that could get this thing derailed and litterboxed in a matter of a couple posts! Best to keep the goat petting stories and cow sleeping analogies to a minimum!

To the TS welcome to Micechat. Many have proposed similar plans to what you have stated. Everything sounds interesting. I would recommend expanding on those plans. Personally I would love a return of Cascade Peak in that area... and use it's structure to house three, potentially even four attractions. A "kiddie" ride modeled in a similar fashion to the old Mine Train through Nature's wonderland. A mine shaft based in a similar manner to ToT, but with a water effect based on a geyser. A huff n puff style self propulsion attraction. And a stagecoach. This of course would redevelop the entire side of Big Thunder Trail as well as Big Thunder Ranch and the Festival Arena.

[Uncle Bob]

It would definitely be great to do something more with that area, and like Tech pointed out, a lot could be done and share land to save space. I have mixed feeling about WRE, just because it is a lot like Pirates, but it does look like it coud be a really cool attraction. Anyway, I do like a lot of your ideas, and there have been many good ideas posted in other threads too.

[techskip]

I had a chance to look around today while standing on board the Colombia. One of the things that struck me is that the Mine Train Tunnels, and track, appear to be in decent shape. It is a superficial inspection, obviously an in depth one would have to be done to determine the structural integrity of the tunnels... and the stability of the land the tracks are on (the tracks would obviously need to be replaced). Depending on the results of those tests here are my thoughts.

Take a small amount of Thunder Trail away (minimal amount near the tunnel in order to be able to have a turn there)... and route a scenic miniature train through that area. You could use the entire length of Big Thunder Trail. The track layout would depend on the terrain, but using both tunnels you have at least one loop that allows you a stunning view of the River and TSI.

The second thought is to rebuild Cascade Peak. But with a twist. Cascade Peak is now a full scale mining operation, that struck a geyser in the heart of the mountain. Guests stand in line on the outside of the mountain, and enter though a series of mining tunnels. Once inside they are loaded onto what appears to be a mine shaft elevator (similar to ToT) and then "shot up" a variety of times and dropped accordingly. Near the top of Cascade would be an opening where the car would provide an outside view of TSI and the rest of the park. The geyser would also explain the large falls of Cascade Peak. Cascade Peak would also provide a tunnel for the Disneyland RR which could be a potential new Diorama. It could also provide a tunnel for the miniature scenic railroad mentioned previously. Something similar to Knott's current offering of the Calico Mine Train.

This would then spur the redevelopment of the entire area. Someone on here suggested a fun "bathub based geyser teacups" attraction which sounded amazing.

[DeathDealer]

I would love for the petting zoo to relocate to the county fair, where it belongs.

[themur]

I would really like to see Cascade Peak return. Just the sound of running water from the falls would be a welcome addition. I too would love to see the old Mine Train right of way on the rivers return. That extra "motion" on the banks of the river would be great.

[Ride Warrior]

Your enthusiasm is contagious, Maggie. Almost everybody has been wanting Disney to build this attraction for ages on end. One thing against it in modern times is the PC nature of do gooder groups and their desire for Indians to not be racially stereotyped. I belong to the Chickasaw Nation (cousin tribe to the Cherokee's), and love cowboy and Indian films. Wish it was legal to go out and scalp my some trouble makers.

[Peoplemover Priit]

I have always thought about building a full out mine train ride with the most advanced AA to make a true show and ride combination.

[techskip]

I would love to bring back the Stagecoaches except I have a few logistical concerns. My primary concern is the size of the coaches. Having them travel would mean that the trail, tunnels, and old Mine Train Track would all need to be expanded. I am not even sure how feasible that would be. #2 is the route. It could stretch almost the entire length of the Frontierland side of the river, or only go out on the loop. #3 is capacity, shorter track means only 1 coach, but an expansive track may allow up to 3. Even then it would be a longer wait, due to a severly reduced capacity. In short, low ridership and expensive enhancements to make it possible IMO would kill it before the project were even off the ground.

[manifest]

If Western River Expedition was built, majority of the great ideas Marc Davis
drew up would never make it past the drawing board.

Disney buckles to any controversy. In 1997, Disney cleaned up Pirates of the
Carribean. Pirates were no longer womanizers...they were just hungry for food.

The only way a ride like this would be built is if either Pixar made a movie
about it and it grossed more than 300 million in the box office or you could
shoot at the indians with lazer guns.

[techskip]

Originally Posted by manifest

If Western River Expedition was built, majority of the great ideas Marc Davis
drew up would never make it past the drawing board.

Actually WRE is the main influence for several attractions including Thunder and Splash.