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[Anthony]

There are a million more productive things I should be doing, but a few days in DLP really fires you up and a new attraction always seems to leave you wanting more for the Studios.

My overriding reaction to Toy Story Playland wasn't so much at the land itself but the feeling I got as soon as I stepped out. It's really shocking - you're suddenly in such an incoherent, messy, ugly place with vast swathes of "nothingness". It almost feels like they did a cheap job of the Animation Courtyard placemaking just for this day, so that the new land feels so much of an improvement and an escape.

I always disliked the original Animation Courtyard area but occasionally stuck up for Flying Carpets. Not any more. Even the Toon Plaza and its weird sort-of-but-not-quite Toon Town theme had me annoyed, it's the wrong direction for the land. What I'd prefer is a seamless series of "Toy Story Playlands". The way to take this half of Walt Disney Studios at least might be as if you're George in CinéMagique, stepping from one movie to another barely noticing the transition. I loved something pussinboots said last week about the park simply having lots of good attractions still in their boxes. Toon Studio should be more seamless and the successful areas should be allowed to "unpack" and expand themselves far more into the unthemed/dull spaces, with rich theming right up to the "join". I mean, movies don't trail off with several minutes of a grey screen between scenes, do they? The cut in the celluloid is seamless.

Here's the plan:





Major must-do number 1: Re-theme Flying Carpets Over Agrabah to Finding Nemo. I was stood on the viewing platform looking over the land when this hit me. Toy Story Playland works because of the multiple rides allowing more space for the "theme" in between. These two are right next door. Let Nemo overlap onto the Carpets, to become...

Mr Ray's Swimming School

Everyone remembers the scenes with Crush being like a roller coaster, but weren't the scenes with Mr Ray also a lot like the Flying Carpets/ Dumbo ride system? The fish ride on his back, floating up and down with him around the coral reef. It's the perfect theme for this ride, and will finally give those poor kids too young for Crush's Coaster a chance to ride a real Finding Nemo ride! Mr Ray would be perfect to model into a 4-person ride vehicle.

Replace the filmset backdrop with a spectacular, towering, textured, colourful coral reef with a giant waterfall cascading and splashing over one end. The whole ride area would be dotted with the ensemble cast of fish from Finding Nemo. Every spinning ride needs something at the top, and this ride's Timothy Mouse would surely be Dory, shouting "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" as you glide around.

The current "green room" queue would become more enclosed, like undersea tunnels (think Tokyo DisneySea's Mermaid Lagoon), with interactive touchscreen/pushbutton games hosted by Mr Ray testing your knowledge of the seas with multiple choice questions in several languages. This would also be the perfect chance to expand the Crush's Coaster queue line further back, with a non-cattlepen design.

Finding Nemo The Musical

Give Studio 3 a modest spruce-up* and a whole new show. Animagique is fun, but will have probably run its course in a few years if no new scenes are added. Finding Nemo The Musical seems like a perfect addition and will make good use of the 1,100 capacity with a top quality broadway-style musical. And we all know DLP desperately needs a big new theatre show. Mr Ray's Swimming School alone wouldn't be easy to advertise, but with a musical beside it it'd make for a popular proposition.

* ie: Don't redo it completely as a Finding Nemo theatre, leave it open for other theatre shows in future, but at least take the chance to make it look less awful.

Cozy Cone Motel / Radiator Springs Drive-In Diner

Knock down the current Toon Plaza and expand the area right back, up to the walls of the Costuming building. More than anything, this area now feels like a whole load of wasted space with empty character locations and a backdrop which gives the feeling of being at the "back" of the park, even though you no longer are. The theming is very poor quality compared to that just opposite, and with a sequel on the way Cars has more than proved itself worthy of more space.

The towering Cozy Cones (thanks to Alan for this idea) would provide some good height to make the corner seem less of a dead end, positioned around where the planters current are, and having at least one set up like a real Cozy Cone bedroom would provide a nice walk-in experience a la the Dragon, Statue of Liberty Tableaux. Something to do if you don't want to wait 70mins for the Parachute Drop.

Radiator Springs Drive-In Diner could occupy the corner with a counter service style similar to Last Chance Café and a high roof canopy/tent structure shielding a giant movie projection screen above the serving counters and as much covered seating as possible. A Cars merchandise kiosk on the corner opposite Casa Della Tires would also make sense.

Disney Animation Studios / Pixar Animation Studios

The glue between these disparate pieces would be the two flagship movie studios themselves, each represented at the two different entrances. Enter via the first entrance and you'll see an area reminiscent of Disney Animation - the hat building is already there, and the icon Mickey Mouse. The horribly boring planters could be bulldozed for a new bandstand-style stage themed to The Band Concert, with the surrounding area filled with as many colourful Flowers and tall Trees as possible to form a Silly Symphony Gardens area.

The meet 'n' greets of the current Toon Plaza could move here behind the stage, and the open expanse of the parade route (something which doesn't do the land and favours) could be put to good use more often as a viewing area for the stage, which would replace Place des Stars - allowing Production Courtyard to follow on with its own redevelopment.

Pixar Animation Studios meanwhile would be brand new. The currently empty second walkway into Toon Studio would use the same theming as Pixar Place at Disney's Hollywood Studios, except with a glass atrium roof for part of its length like that at the real Pixar studios. Welcome shelter from the rain and a new space for photolocations for the other Pixar films. At the end, at the junction between Buzz Lightyear, Radiator Springs and Ratatouille, where all you currently see is the corner of the Costuming building, the Luxo Jr audio-animatronic lamp, icon of Pixar, would sit facing you atop the Pixar-style brick walls as a "weenie", popping out every so often to tie the whole area together. The mouse and the lamp both equally represented, tied together in Toon Studio.

But maybe all that's getting carried away. Mr Ray's Swimming School (like that pun?) alone would be a simple and inexpensive way to take some heat off Crush's Coaster and make that whole area feel so much less disjointed.

[jwagner]

=D>  =D>  =D> WOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! =D>  =D>  =D>
this is brilliant, i even don't know what to say about this
everything fits well, would be a great improvement and so on

This is just the way it has to be done!!!!!

[norhel]

=D>  =D>  =D> WOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! =D>  =D>  =D>
this is brilliant, i even don't know what to say about this
everything fits well, would be a great improvement and so on

This is just the way it has to be done!!!!!

I'm completely agree! The Studio definitely need something more than it is today.

[luke85]

Great ideas Anthony! Would make the area far more cohesive.

[CafeFantasia]

Great ideas Anthony. I wrote a piece before about actually demolishing the Flying Carpet ride and extending the Crush's Coaster queue out into that space, with some external Australian harbour theming. But your idea is equally valid. It would be nice if Mr Ray's Swimming School squirted you with water in the summer, like One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish does over at Islands of Adventure, and had a custom score that matched the duration of the ride.

I also like the idea of bringing the Finding Nemo Musical to the Animagique theatre, for two reasons:

1. I hate Animagique (the disturbing image of Baloo in a fluorescent coconut bra)
2. It would help to create more of an immersive Finding Nemo land

I hope the Euro Disneyland Imagineers are reading this forum, because Toon Studio still needs a lot of work. The only problem is, they've spent a lot of time (and a bit of money) re-developing the area in the last few years. So perhaps they will take a break, and focus more on developing Production Courtyard after the Ratatouille ride opens.

Keywords: Walt Disney Imagineering, WDI, Euro Disneyland, EDLI, DLPI, Crush's Coaster Re-theme, Crush's Coaster Makeover, Crush's Coaster Placemaking

[disneyrules]

Amazing idea :thumbs:
It would be such a good improvement i always thought that genies flying carpets never fitted the park and mr rays swimming school would be a vast improvment and the new backdrop would be great.  
Lets just hope that someone from WDI hears about this
I would love to see a giant luxo jr lamp and i think the pixar animation studios would be much better for the park than toon studios.

[Columbiad]

I never liked it when people suggested the Toon Studio area should simply me called Pixar Studios becuase of huge Pixar infulance. The classic disney animation should be represented.

But i think you'd devised a perfect balance between classic and new. It'd a shame so see the Carpets gone, as they kinda represtented the Classic side, but the immersive Nemo area sounds far better.

I'd give it five stars simply for Fantasia gardens though. WDS needs as many trees as it can get.
The Meet & Greet area there could be themed to a pernament Mickey's caravan. As much as the original was really naff, a pernament, proper, "toony" one would be brilliant.

Out of interest - the area behind the flying carpets - do you think that area could possibly be expansion area? Not that I think they'd have any plans to expand into there, but is it area that could be considered?

[dlrpkris]

In. Love. With. This. Idea. Makes so much sense and let's face it... DLP moves from one dramatic theme to another with some degree of subtlety. WDS has random things plonked all over it and you're right... it makes no sense!

The Flying Carpets retheme I imagined right away. It's just right for the attraction. Period. Nemo show... a huge success. Right location, size and not stupidly expensive either.

As for an extended Cars area, sure. Can't say I get excited by places to eat anymore, but if it adds to the theme and experience AS WELL as being a place to eat... I'm in!

And all this would cost? Trying to come up with a figure in my mind...

[JelleP]

If this became reality, it would really be amazing! I mean: Aladdin next to Crush and Mater? Hmmmm.... :shock:

Really wonderful ideas Antony! And Animagique could really use a replacement...

[Anthony]

Out of interest - the area behind the flying carpets - do you think that area could possibly be expansion area? Not that I think they'd have any plans to expand into there, but is it area that could be considered?

I was wondering that myself, it's only a car park for the Costuming/CM building at the moment. I thought about suggesting a modest Finding Nemo dark ride (something on the Snow White/Pinocchio scale), but then that wouldn't add the kinetics to the area that the flying carousel does.

The cost would depend on how well they did the job. Re-theming just the carpets would surely only cost about €10m, done properly, but to implement all these changes with the same quality as Toy Story Playland would be pushing €20-25m or more, perhaps? But the restaurant is desperately needed and the two Finding Nemo additions would be easy to advertise together.

However I'm afraid Alan is probably correct that they really see it as "problem solved", after that awful placemaking project which painted everything blue and poured a load of ugly asphalt tarmac everywhere. Oh yes, that'd be my first major change: Rip that up and lay some warm-coloured, textured concrete down (the Toon Plaza meet 'n' greet area at least has this right).

Glad you like those ideas anyway!

[bigrossco]

great plan Anthony and love the use of the land! if only disney would do the same

[CafeFantasia]

If you look at satellite imagery you'll see there's a fair bit of car parking space behind Crush's Coaster and the Flying Carpets. Surely they could use at least half of it to flesh out the Finding Nemo area:

[Adam]

All great Anthony. Being realistic, the Studios has run out of space once Ratatouille has been done!

I think the areas that will be looked at next in the next few years will be the whole of Studio Tram Tours, which I expect will be revamped to drastically improve it to introduce new scenes, alongside using the rest of the forest area and car park for something like World of Colour (which I think would be good, but I am unsure there is going to be enough space for a full view of the lake and area for people) or possibly displace the route backwards to allow for a new area and a few new rides. Another area will hopefully be a few restaurants added. The only other small parcels of land are between Cinemagique and Stitch, and between Rock n Roller Coaster and Moteurs Action.

Therefore, I think it is likely that they will revamp the area in question, as there is a lot of dead space. Clearly, the Pixar theme is building, so it is logical to get rid of Flying Carpets. I don't think they will go much further backwards in this area, because they will want to keep the roadways behind and will also not want to get much closer to DLH.

[Disney_Dreamer]

There are a million more productive things I should be doing, but a few days in DLP really fires you up and a new attraction always seems to leave you wanting more for the Studios.

My overriding reaction to Toy Story Playland wasn't so much at the land itself but the feeling I got as soon as I stepped out. It's really shocking - you're suddenly in such an incoherent, messy, ugly place with vast swathes of "nothingness". It almost feels like they did a cheap job of the Animation Courtyard placemaking just for this day, so that the new land feels so much of an improvement and an escape.

I always disliked the original Animation Courtyard area but occasionally stuck up for Flying Carpets. Not any more. Even the Toon Plaza and its weird sort-of-but-not-quite Toon Town theme had me annoyed, it's the wrong direction for the land. What I'd prefer is a seamless series of "Toy Story Playlands". The way to take this half of Walt Disney Studios at least might be as if you're George in CinéMagique, stepping from one movie to another barely noticing the transition. I loved something pussinboots said last week about the park simply having lots of good attractions still in their boxes. Toon Studio should be more seamless and the successful areas should be allowed to "unpack" and expand themselves far more into the unthemed/dull spaces, with rich theming right up to the "join". I mean, movies don't trail off with several minutes of a grey screen between scenes, do they? The cut in the celluloid is seamless.

Here's the plan:





Major must-do number 1: Re-theme Flying Carpets Over Agrabah to Finding Nemo. I was stood on the viewing platform looking over the land when this hit me. Toy Story Playland works because of the multiple rides allowing more space for the "theme" in between. These two are right next door. Let Nemo overlap onto the Carpets, to become...

Mr Ray's Swimming School

Everyone remembers the scenes with Crush being like a roller coaster, but weren't the scenes with Mr Ray also a lot like the Flying Carpets/ Dumbo ride system? The fish ride on his back, floating up and down with him around the coral reef. It's the perfect theme for this ride, and will finally give those poor kids too young for Crush's Coaster a chance to ride a real Finding Nemo ride! Mr Ray would be perfect to model into a 4-person ride vehicle.

Replace the filmset backdrop with a spectacular, towering, textured, colourful coral reef with a giant waterfall cascading and splashing over one end. The whole ride area would be dotted with the ensemble cast of fish from Finding Nemo. Every spinning ride needs something at the top, and this ride's Timothy Mouse would surely be Dory, shouting "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" as you glide around.

The current "green room" queue would become more enclosed, like undersea tunnels (think Tokyo DisneySea's Mermaid Lagoon), with interactive touchscreen/pushbutton games hosted by Mr Ray testing your knowledge of the seas with multiple choice questions in several languages. This would also be the perfect chance to expand the Crush's Coaster queue line further back, with a non-cattlepen design.

Finding Nemo The Musical

Give Studio 3 a modest spruce-up* and a whole new show. Animagique is fun, but will have probably run its course in a few years if no new scenes are added. Finding Nemo The Musical seems like a perfect addition and will make good use of the 1,100 capacity with a top quality broadway-style musical. And we all know DLP desperately needs a big new theatre show. Mr Ray's Swimming School alone wouldn't be easy to advertise, but with a musical beside it it'd make for a popular proposition.

* ie: Don't redo it completely as a Finding Nemo theatre, leave it open for other theatre shows in future, but at least take the chance to make it look less awful.

Cozy Cone Motel / Radiator Springs Drive-In Diner

Knock down the current Toon Plaza and expand the area right back, up to the walls of the Costuming building. More than anything, this area now feels like a whole load of wasted space with empty character locations and a backdrop which gives the feeling of being at the "back" of the park, even though you no longer are. The theming is very poor quality compared to that just opposite, and with a sequel on the way Cars has more than proved itself worthy of more space.

The towering Cozy Cones (thanks to Alan for this idea) would provide some good height to make the corner seem less of a dead end, positioned around where the planters current are, and having at least one set up like a real Cozy Cone bedroom would provide a nice walk-in experience a la the Dragon, Statue of Liberty Tableaux. Something to do if you don't want to wait 70mins for the Parachute Drop.

Radiator Springs Drive-In Diner could occupy the corner with a counter service style similar to Last Chance Café and a high roof canopy/tent structure shielding a giant movie projection screen above the serving counters and as much covered seating as possible. A Cars merchandise kiosk on the corner opposite Casa Della Tires would also make sense.

Disney Animation Studios / Pixar Animation Studios

The glue between these disparate pieces would be the two flagship movie studios themselves, each represented at the two different entrances. Enter via the first entrance and you'll see an area reminiscent of Disney Animation - the hat building is already there, and the icon Mickey Mouse. The horribly boring planters could be bulldozed for a new bandstand-style stage themed to The Band Concert, with the surrounding area filled with as many colourful Flowers and tall Trees as possible to form a Silly Symphony Gardens area.

The meet 'n' greets of the current Toon Plaza could move here behind the stage, and the open expanse of the parade route (something which doesn't do the land and favours) could be put to good use more often as a viewing area for the stage, which would replace Place des Stars - allowing Production Courtyard to follow on with its own redevelopment.

Pixar Animation Studios meanwhile would be brand new. The currently empty second walkway into Toon Studio would use the same theming as Pixar Place at Disney's Hollywood Studios, except with a glass atrium roof for part of its length like that at the real Pixar studios. Welcome shelter from the rain and a new space for photolocations for the other Pixar films. At the end, at the junction between Buzz Lightyear, Radiator Springs and Ratatouille, where all you currently see is the corner of the Costuming building, the Luxo Jr audio-animatronic lamp, icon of Pixar, would sit facing you atop the Pixar-style brick walls as a "weenie", popping out every so often to tie the whole area together. The mouse and the lamp both equally represented, tied together in Toon Studio.

But maybe all that's getting carried away. Mr Ray's Swimming School (like that pun?) alone would be a simple and inexpensive way to take some heat off Crush's Coaster and make that whole area feel so much less disjointed.

That would be great. If they were to make that area of toon studios into a pixar area, it would tie the rides together and then it would not be such as a mess. I didn't like Crush's Coaster when I rode it a few years ago so Mr Ray's Swimming School would have been an excellent substitute in diving into the world of Finding Nemo. With there now being not very many shows in the studios, especially since the cancellation of HSM, Finding Nemo the musical would be a great addition to the studios and it would probably make the studios more attractive to the younger generations who enjoy the makings of Disney Pixar. I hope it would happen. Lets just say that I hope the studios lives up to the standards it should be setting so it can at least compete against the Disneyland Park in visitor numbers and general satisfaction. Lets hope they plan to do something new for the 20th Anniversary celebrations.

[lil-shawn]

Great idea Anthony, i mostly like the fact that there would be a little fountain, a waterfall with a
stream. something WDS is really lacking. Also the idea of making the backtrop of Mr Ray´s
like a coral reef is perfect.
i would say if the expand this coral reef and implement it into crush the whole thing has one big theme.

If you look, you will see that TSPL, Ratatouille and your Nemo Land has one thing in common, the theme
of shrinking! the only think now wont fit is Cars.
in my opinion they should demolish art of disney animation and build there a bugsland, with 3 new attractions
+ 1 rethemed, a snack stand and toilettes. it would complete the whole theme of shrinking and would
also add more green to WDS.

Hmmm maybe they should then rename toon studios into Pixar Studios Playground  :lol:  :lol: