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[Anthony]

Walt Disney Studios Park - 2017

Warning: Since this is in the Imagineering forum, it's my own ideas. There's no guarantee any of it will come true.  I have, honestly, tried to be realistic with this 10-year plan, though. I think they could honestly do it. If we had a whole new park built just 5 years ago and are getting Buzz, ToT, Stitch, Crush and Cars in the space of 3 years, then they can sure as hell do this in 10!

Following the success of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Toon Studio and helped by the boom in business at Disneyland Resort Paris, an ambitious 10-year investment programme has been announced for Walt Disney Studios Park.  This plan will take the park beyond its current boundaries and, once complete, bring the park to an equal scale of Disneyland Park next door, providing over 1.5 days worth of entertainment.

THE PLAN

Here it is! (Open in a separate window so you don't have to scroll)



(I traced over Google Earth on my computer screen to get it accurate, in case you're thinking I'm strangely superhuman, lol)

THE STUDIO LOTS

In 2017, the park will now present the following "Studio Lots"...

- Front Lot/Disney Studio 1
- Hollywood Studio
- Toon Studio
- - Toon Town Hills
- Backlot Studio
- CGI Studio

TOUR THE 2017 PARK

Here we go! A full tour of the park, addition-by-addition:



No.1 - Soarin' (2009)
If this doesn't get built here, I'll eat my Sorcerer's hat.



No.2 - Disney's Soda Fountain & Studio Store (2009)
Replacing the Place des Stars is a new, square building with a store based entirely on the real Soda Fountain & Studio Store. Features a general Disney/Hollywood boutique and a drinks café, with outdoor seating on the parade route side.

No.2 - Mouseketeers' Hair & Make-Up (2009)
Next to the Soda Fountain, opposite the Walt Disney Television Studios is the Studio's answer to Dapper Dan's. Rather than a shave, though, this offers hair and face painting for children in a salon interior filled with antique '50s TVs playing old episodes of the Mickey Mouse Club and Disneyland TV shows. The idea is the kids come here first before heading to their TV debut at the studios next door. Could even be run like those Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques, offering costumes and more with a fun photo shoot at the end.



No.3 - The Brown Derby (2009)
Replacing Rendez-Vous des Stars is a table service or buffet restaurant based on the two different styles of Brown Derby restaurant. The exterior is completely rethemed, the interior could stay fairly similar. The more simple, pueblo deco style of the original (like that in Studio1) fills the wall facing Tower of Terror, whilst the large circular section is given a giant, dark red hat (keeping its windows), with the trademark Brown Derby sign on top.

No.4 - Completion of Hollywood Placemaking (Theater Disctrict) (2009)
The Hollywood placemaking is completed with addition of Soarin', the Brown Derby and a few new sets along the grass opposite.



The biggest change is for CinéMagique, which now has an authentic reproduction of Grauman's Chinese Theater as its facade (built the same was as the current Hollywood Blvd placemaking). As part of the changes, the waiting area is converted to an indoor theater lobby with intimate lighting and lively organ/jazz music from the silent era.  One of the sides of the Soda Fountain is themed to the El Capitan, Disney's restored palace theater in Hollywood and next to the Soda Fountain in real life.

No.5 - Sci-Fi Dine In (2009/10)
More restaurant capacity is finally added, along with a new icon for the boulevard leading to Backlot. As you walk toward Backlot now, in the distance between Moteurs and RNRC are a series of giant, vertical Area 51 rock formations, like fingers towering into the sky, with a crashed UFO sticking out of one side! The UFO has coloured flashing lights and smoke pours from the crater. You enter the restaurant through a secret portal in the rocks to the "underground bunker".



A tent-like structure (very similar to the current Pizza Planet in Discoveryland) which houses the sci-fi themed drive through almost identical to that at Disney-MGM Studios, though perhaps more like Tim Burton's Ed Wood than the slightly campy MGM style. The Sci-Fi theme should add some needed character to Backlot, and could use themes similar to Ed Wood of outdated sci-fi effects from across the ages. A more tongue-in-cheek look at backlot effects of the past. The restaurant would likely be counter service, menus giving food names based on Alien parts.. haha.

No.6 - Toon Studio Prop Shop (2010)
A proper store for Toon Studio, selling "props" and costumes from Disney/Pixar animations. In the future it will be joined up with a new attraction that will cover some of the current Studio Tram Tour route.

No.7 - Pizza Planet (2010)
A Pizza Planet restaurant that actually looks like the one in the film. The thin section would be the counter service area, seating would be across 2 or 3 floors in the giant Pizza Planet itself. It could even be a "pizza buffet", letting you chose from a huge selection of different pizza slices, with appearances from Pixar characters such as Buzz, Incredibles, Bugs Life, etc. Dinner with Pixar characters? They'd rake the cash in!

Adjoining the building close to Cars is a giant rocket ship like that seen next to the restaurant in the film. This would be an important "weenie" for the path through here.

No.8 - New Studio Tram Tour loading station (2010/11)
The new restaurant and boutique would the lead to a brand new Studio Tram Tour station, based pretty much on that at Disney-MGM. The changes would also include a new "soundstage" set (Prince of Persia? narnia?) on the scale of catastrophe canyon as the grand finale of the tour.

(Image)

The tram route would rise slightly to pass over the Roger-Rabbit esque tunnel leading to a future expansion area (itself sunk slightly (this area is lower than the park already), so the tram climb is minimal). It would then pass the costume department (as if you're picking up a costume for the upcoming shoot), then Catastrophe Canyon and a couple of Dinotopia-sized basic sets before the final scene.

No.9 - New Toon Studio Attraction (2011/12)
The change in Tram Tour route could happen overnight. Once it does, work begins immediately on a new dark ride for Toon Studio (the space isn't quite big enough with the tram there), about the scale of Pinocchio or Snow White at DLP. A theme? Not sure... Something to do with the music of Disney, since they don't pay tribute to it elsewhere. A ride-through Philharmagic. (not the 3d show itself - the park will have too many theatres)

The building will join up with the Toon Studio Prop Shop. The Hollywood Hills of the 2007 placemaking remains in place at this point, the tunnel simply leading onto the old Studio Tram Tour route dotted with props (now a path around to the new station and Pizza Planet)

No.10 - Toon Town Hills houses (2012)
Fairly low-key new attractions for WDS' 10th anniversary, since the 20th is being celebrated with a new E-Ticket for DLP.
Rather than the slightly dull suburbia of Toon Town itself, the Toon Town Hills is the glamorous locale where the Toons stay when they're shooting at Toon Studio. With Disney's new short films (started with Goofy's How to Wire Your Home Cinema) booming and more people interested in the classics, the entire area is based on these. You'll find a few character houses on the other side of the tunnel, such as Minnie & Daisy's house (which is just one giant wardrobe), a Playhouse Disney house (to finally get them featured at DLRP) and maybe a Chip 'n' Dale treehouse play area.

The Toon Town Hills street would actually follow the current route of the tram tour toward the Dinotopia set, meaning minimal impact on the forest and cheaper costs. The tunnel wouldn't need to be that expensive at all. Any trees removed from the forest could be replanted in the area marked CGI Studio, sheltering the back of the park.



No.11 - Donald's Boat Bumpers (2013)
The first "body of water" in the park! Based on the short film Boat Builders, this is Tokyo DisneySea's Aquatopia with a Donald Duck theme. Story is, Donald's bought a whole load of remote control boats to keep himself busy with between film shoots. You climb aboard and off you go - but before you know it, there's too many to handle! Donald has lost control and you're all zooming about all over the place as angry shouting comes from Donald's Boat itself (the loading platform). Features several islands dotted with scenes from Silly Symphonies and other short films. You may get wet.



No.12 - Mickey's Barnyard Olympics (2013)
Based on the classic short film of the same name, this attraction sees the residents of Toon Town Hills inventing their own midway-style games for a grand Summer olympics - only the best Toon wins! Yes, it's Midway Mania with a Fab-5 spin! Any animated characters could be involved, Mickey joins them all together to see who can come up with the most challenging game. For example, Goofy could invent some kind of game which inevitably leads to him being injured through poor calculations. Could be marketed joint with Boat Bumpers similar to Cars & Crush. Toon Studio's biggest attraction.

Disney Bros. Studio

As Tower of Terror followed up Cars & Crush with an expensive new "heart" for the park, the brand new Disney Bros. Studio follows up Boat Bumpers & Barnyard Olympics with the real, final hub of the park. No chinese theatre or flat Hollywood backdrop, no simple fountain - this will be to WDS what Discovery Island the Tree of Life is to Animal Kingdom, a real mini land that joins the entire park together.



The concept has been thought up by Imagineering themselves, first for DL then for DCA - a replica of the original Disney Bros. Studios on Hyperion avenue - here a giant Discovery Island-style Central Plaza for WDS with a walk-through, theater, shop and restaurant...

For Walt Disney Studios, it would not only give the park a real purpose and heart, but connect all of the themes together - this is where Hollywood meets Toon. Where classic Backlot set productions eventually lead to stunning CGI. It connects the lands in the way a sorcerer's hat, castle, sun disc or volcano never have before.

Construction would begin following Studio Tram Tour's move, including the removal of the 2007 tunnel to continue the street with more facades like Gone Hollywood. A real boutique would infact be featured next to Gone Hollywood, in front of the Art of Disney Animation toilets. This would lead guests to be unsure as to what is real and what is just "movie magic". Other sets would hide the backstage of the 2011/2012 Toon Studio attraction.

No.13 - The Walt Disney Story (2014)
Similar to the exhibition at Disney-MGM Studios, this is a self-guided exhibition detailing the entire life of Walt Disney. The building is the offices of the old Hyperion Studio, and you're free to explore and wander through the corridors as if you're Walt checking up on your animators.

Features a full reproduction of his famous office, desks of animators with sketches from "future" films left on the drawing board, as if frozen in time. As such a tribute to Walt Disney, it might be that the Walt Disney Company will fund a lot of this, and provide some great resources. The outside will even feature the famous "Mickey Mouse & Silly Symphonies" sign.

No.14 - Hyperion Theater (2014)
This is actually a 100% faithful recreation of the first Disney soundstage (upon which Disney Studio 1 was loosely based), though inside you'll now find a fully furnished, grand broadway-style theater, similar to that at Disney's California Adventure. The theme of the theater is as if it's still a real working soundstage, with the audience "watching in" on the filming of Disney's classic live-action films from the 50s and 60s - 20,000 Leagues, Swiss Family Robinson, all those musicals...



The production upon opening? Fresh from a Europe-wide tour, it's Disney's Mary Poppins, the West End production now with a permanent home at the heart of the Walt Disney Studios. Shortened to 45 minutes, obviously, but provides much buzz and excitement for the park.



No.15 - Animator's Palette (2014)
The most exclusive and magical restaurant in either Disney park, the Animator's Palette is based on the Disney Cruise Line creation, with colour-changing walls and frequent appearances of classic 20s, 30s and 40s characters (Fab 5 in retro style,etc). First full table service.

The location of Animator's Palette and the Roger Rabbit trolley car will bridge the divide between animated Toons and real-life Hollywood, a little like the Peter Pan's Flight/Captain Hook's Galley/Pirates of the Caribbean section of Adventureland/Fantasyland.

No.16 - The Pacific Red Car Trolley line & terminus (2016)
2015 is given over to developments at Disneyland Park (De La Terre a la Lune returns, New attraction in place of both HISTA and Star Tours), but in 2016 the trolley tracks around Hollywood Studio are finally brought to life with the Red Car Trolley line based on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Guests can take a ride on one of three trolley cars from the terminus around the circuit, alighting at the Soda Fountain if they wish or completing the journey. All guests must alight upon return to the terminus, which features a pre and post-show of small Roger Rabbit scenes. The side of the building facing the Disney Bros. Studio could even be themed to Maroon Cartoons, as if a rival cartoon studio to Disney. Terminus building features a family-friendly café/bar on its first floor, based on that in the film, serving sandwiches amidst its shaking walls and lights.



Could even be brought into service as early as 2009 if funds allow. Though costly, the kinetics and unique Disney experience given by this attraction is seen as reason to include it. Only by including features similar to the Main Street Vehicles, walk-throughs, theaters and restaurants/boutiques of DLP will guests see the two parks equally and spend more time here.

Trolley cars would run on electricity, batteries charged every time they return to their bay in the terminus building.



No.17 - New Backlot Street Sets (2016)
Real street sets like those seen at Disney-MGM Studios finally arrive, filling the pathways around Backlot Studio's portion of the hub and the area opposite Café des Cascadeurs. New York and San Francisco theme likely. San Francisco for the route toward the trolley, New York for the route to CGI Studio and Studio Tram Tour.



No.18 - Star Tours II (2016)
The park expands further beyond its original berm with a brand new version of Star Tours, already a hit at this point in California and Tokyo, featuring advanced simulators, digital projection and 3D glasses, it's the mega follow-up to Tower of Terror again unlike anything else in Europe. Guests are wowed. Due to the massive upgrades required, it could work out more beneficial to relocate Star Tours for its second version. Such a strong franchise would certainly have more effect as a new attraction at WDS rather than hidden away in Discoveryland. Guests would see it more as brand new, rather than another Mission 2/Indy Backwards con. Positioned on the site of the old Reign of Fire set, the attraction has an environment based entirely on a location from the film. It could initially be a part of Backlot, before later forming part of a new "CGI Studio" (or something similar) when further expansion sees rides based on more fantasy franchises such as Narnia and Prince of Persia.

CGI Studio could eventually invite guests to step "into the computer", into the worlds of Narnia, etc, through immersive themeing and state of the art dark rides.



No.19 - Lagoon & Hollywood Bowl Arena (2017)
A mega new area seating around 5,000 people, based on the famous Hollywood Bowl but with the audience covered rather than the lagoon stage. One problem with a Fantasmic-style show is the initial cost to build an arena which, in Paris, would only be used during the Summer. However, with entrances from both Toon Town Hills and Backlot/CGI Studio, this arena can be used for two completely different shows...

When no show is being performed, trams from Studio Tram Tour can circle the front of the lagoon and be treated to an automatic blast of cannons and splashes from the water.

No.19a - Pirates of the Caribbean: Epic Stunt Spectacular (2017)
A large-scale version of the show presented on Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland, a classic Pirate stunt show featuring characters from the films, the Black Pearl and large sets. It would join Moteurs... Action! in the same way Indy joins Moteurs at Disney-MGM, two huge stunt productions presented every day. Entrance via Backlot/CGI Studio paths.

No.19b - Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Colour (2017)
For this special nighttime Summer show, you enter via the animated Toon Town Hills. Building one extra queue line just for a nighttime show is much more likely than an entire arena. I really hope WDI think of the dual show possibilities they already use at Disneyland.

As seen at Disney's California Adventure, this grand nighttime spectacular of water, colour, music and pyrotechnics comes to life at the 5,000 seat arena every night during the park's Summer season, finally taking some strain from the bursting Disneyland Park nighttime entertainment. The sets of the year-round Pirates of the Caribbean stunt show can be removed or covered over with Fantasmic-style sets easily. Thanks to the two large entrance/exit paths of the arena, guests can leave quickly and without a crush at the end of the day via either Toon Town Hills or Backlot, making their way back along Hollywood Boulevard, past the trolley terminus, Disney Bros. Studio and the illuminated Tower of Terror to eventually leave through Disney Studio 1.... Magical, no?

Did you manage to try everything? No?! You'd better make it a 2-day visit.

Ahhh, that's the magic of Walt Disney Studios in 2017!

Sceptical? Imagine if someone 10 years ago in 1997 had presented a 10-year plan for the resort saying there would be the following developments in the next 10 years:
- HISTA
- Indy Backwards
- Val d'Europe
- 5 Partner Hotels
- Cafe Mickey, King Ludwigs
- Walt Disney Studios Park - 10 attractions, 4 restaurants, 4 stores
- Countless new entertainment, incl. mega-cost productions like LOTLK
- SM: Mission 2
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
- Crush's Coaster
- Cars Race Rally
- 2 Placemaking projects
- Tower of Terror
- Stitch Encounter

Would you have believed them?

So don't forget - 10 years is a long time, and Walt Disney Studios has a lot of potential.

[-breeno-]

Wow! :shock:  I love your ideas Baloo

[The Butlin Boy]

WOW!!! How did you do it. Call the imagineering department right now and demand a job! :wink:

I love your ideas Baloo, they are all fantastic, especially the Barnyard Olympics ride, joining a great ride idea that is currently being developed with a brilliant and unique theme, I LOVE IT!!!
I also like the Star Tours 2 and POTC/WDWWOC theater ideas as well.

Well Done

[Owain]

I really like the knew exspansion areas.

You shoulf send you ideas in, there great.  

[Owain]

New attraction in place of both HISTA and Star Tours.

Im thinking maybe Mission: Space ?

[Kristof]

Now this came totally out of the blue!!!  :lol:   I know, I've requested this, but so much?  It's really really really how I'd love to see WDS.  

How did you came up with this in the first place?  The trolley line, KATCHOW!  And the Pop & Soda building ON Place des Stars, that's just amazing.  Imagine how it would change the WDS face forever??

Congratz!  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>

[Soap]

Amazing imaginering Baloo!!! If they could only realise half of it....but it is possible! Thx for this great piece! And now just [-o<


Amen Baloo....

[-b-e-n-9-5-]

wow thats a lot

[RnRCj]

We'll have to wait and see if any of this comes true by 2017 It would be funny if some things did!

[Anthony]

Now this came totally out of the blue!!!  :lol:   I know, I've requested this, but so much?  It's really really really how I'd love to see WDS.  

How did you came up with this in the first place?

Once I started I just kept going!

And the Pop & Soda building ON Place des Stars, that's just amazing.

Place des Stars had me thinking for a long time... it's a tough area to build anything, but then I drew a square building and yes - it would solve the problems and provide some nice real "streets" to walk around. At the moment people just walk right across the courtyard.  The stage could move to the area outside AODA next to Cars, so Toon Studio has a proper show area.

I suppose things like a trolley line, Disney Bros Studio and Star Tours moving to WDS are a bit unlikely (they're usually Phase 1), but if they want to make WDS an equal 2nd gate it needs things to match the railroad, riverboats, etc. That's where DisneySea really rocks, with its electric railway and so on.

The biggest must-do is to turn RDV des Stars into Brown Derby and add Sci-Fi Dine In to Backlot. They'd both do great business.

[kermit]

:shock:

Ever thought of becoming the CEO of WDI.
Every single idea would perfectly match. That´s what I call a studios park. Forget Disney Pixar Studios Florida. If only 20 % of your ideas would become true, I´d be the happiest man on earth.

Just a small thing. Could you find a little spot for Muppetvision 4D, please ? :wink:

Great work Baloo.

[Maarten]

You've got some very good ideas Baloo! I like your Hollywood Studio, Toon Studio and Sci Fi Dine additions/improvements in particular.

I never thought of expanding Toon Studio like that, especially with the current lay-out of the Studio Tram Tour in mind. I think it would work really well. The Pizza Planet addition seems like a no-brainer really... good match! In that case they can carry on with the Toon Studio movieset storyline. In my opinion, the new attraction for Toon Studios should be similar to Monsters Inc. Ride and Seek at Tokyo Disneyland since this attraction uses an immersive new technology like Midway Minia, but with a different theme. In that case WDS and MGM can both have a state of the art attraction without copying each other (remember that at lot of Britains go to Orlando aswell).

The entrance of Sci Fi Dine would be a perfect weenie between Rock n' RollerCoaster and Moteurs... Action! However, I think the building shouldn't be a tent like Pizza Planet since it would definately stick out. In my opinion it should be build in the same style of Studio 8 and 9 (Rock n' RollerCoaster). By the way, I just realize that the Sci Fi theming would fit the Backlot Studio quite well since Cafe des Cascadeurs shares a similar style. Good match once again!

[Anthony]

We'll have to wait and see if any of this comes true by 2017 It would be funny if some things did!

When I did the old 2012 plan, I shaded in areas along the sides of the route toward STT and put a big Hollywood Hills backdrop at the end. I thought "nice thinking, but they'll never do something like that".  They did...

Could you find a little spot for Muppetvision 4D, please ?

No! :lol: BUT - One thing I do regret about this plan is not being able to fit the Muppets in there somewhere... If they're successful at bringing them back, they can go next to the Studio Tram Tour station in a new Muppets Studio with a Great Muppets Movie Ride. :wink:

In my opinion, the new attraction for Toon Studios should be similar to Monsters Inc. Ride and Seek at Tokyo Disneyland since this attraction uses an immersive new technology like Midway Minia, but with a different theme. In that case WDS and MGM can both have a state of the art attraction without copying each other (remember that at lot of Britains go to Orlando aswell).

Oh yeah, I forgot about this ride! I just thought of the DCA Monsters ride and then "hmm.. maybe not".

I'm glad you like the Toon Town idea with the tunnel. For some reason that stretch of STT seems perfect to me for a little Hollywood-style Toon Town, and I'm not sure where else Toon Studio could go. Perhaps the Monsters Inc. attraction could go here instead of the Barnyard Olympics, as if the whole Toon Town gets its power from Monstropolis? I know the TDL attraction is being themed exactly to the power plant in the film...

[Nicholas-c]

Very Nice ideas there, could come very true aswell but who knows!

btw, what font is that you used on photo ?

[DynastyGo]

I think it's a dream, as we all know between 2009 and 2012 there won't be any new attraction in the resort. And Eurodisney still does'nt have enough money in order to build all of this.

Soarin in 2009 is the only one possible. We have to wait, to see how much money can be spend in the future for new addition to the park. If all of this was possible Splash Mountain would have been built in the Magic Kingdom