MK's Fantasyland Forest for Shanghai?

[Hathaway Browne]

In the new issue of D23 there's an article on the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland Forest expansion, and maybe I'm reading too much in between the lines, but there's a quote from an Imagineer...

"We're going to look at this model as our template for other Fantasylands worldwide as we build new Magic Kingdom's around the World."

Ok, so that doesn't specifically name Shanghai, but it sounds to me like its being considered.

Is that a good or bad thing though?

[Bryce05]

Good thing. Fantasyland Forest looks much more immersive than a traditional Fantasyland.

Fantasyland has always been the most thematically-lacking land to me.

[Ice101]

Oh so Shanghai Disneyland will have Mainstreet USA, Toon Town, and Meet n Greet Land (so-called Fantasyland)?

I'm willing to put down 5 bucks on that.

[FigmentJedi]

I'd imagine that in bringing Fantasyland Forest to other places that they'd balance out the whole rides to giant meet and greets ratio.

[Baloo]

yeah i think that they will get the emmersive elements of miniature lands and environments and develop a much more convincing fantasy element instead of having several buildings with darkrides next to each other like the original fantasyland

[Hathaway Browne]

I just hope they don't skimp on the proper attractions in favour for the immersive meet and greets.

[RandySavage]

^ Remember Disney's explanation as to why HKDL had so few rides at opening: market research revealed that the Chinese prefer to walk around and take photos than go on rides...

I hope they(TWDC) have the humility to look back and understand just how wrong they were.

[icepenguin77]

I would like it to be inspired by it, but definitly not copies.

IMO Paris's fantasyland comes very close to the Fantasy Forest concept, with a more spread out feel rather than buildings just clumped together. It has a winding river, lush gardens, Toad Hall and Peter Pan along the English Country Side, a labyrinth, an old mill, Casey Jr. and Storybookland. etc.

[Trekkie313]

*ignore this*

[wumbology]

I imagine it's likely that this will be the case.

I think Jim Hill said that the new attraction going into TDL's Cinderella Castle is actually the same Cinderella attraction going into Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom, so it's already starting.

Didn't Bob Iger say that a resort in Shanghai would have almost as many people within two hour's driving distance as there are people in the United States? So maybe we can consider SDL to be a "locals' park," like Disneyland California is so often considered. But Fantasy Forest is going into Walt Disney World, and Disney is under the impression that the majority of the people visiting WDW only come from across the world, every one or two years, and they just want to do everything and take pictures with characters. I don't know if we can expect SDL to be the same.

[stevo505]

Another Little Mermaid clone should go there too, hmm? Enough with the cloning I say.