In the realm of new and coming attractions, I am most interested in Hong Kong Disneyland's new Mystic Manor. (The attraction has "soft opened".) This new take on the Haunted Mansion seems to have all the makings of a classic: intriguing storyline, interesting characters, and the necessary tie-in to merchandise to please the Disney accountants.
With just a bit of tweaking, I really think this could be a perfect fit for California Adventure. The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California could be just the right inspiration and tie right into the California theme without being a stretch. Not a clone, an enhancement.
Imagine a queue that lets you "explore" the house while you wait to board the attraction vehicle. Isn't that something every fan of the Haunted Mansion or Phantom Manor would love to do? Who wouldn't want to wander the halls, discover some of the rooms on our own? With these few additions, the Imagineers could thereby extending the length and drawing power of the actual ride. Or even create two different experiences within one location.
It all could be just the right attraction for those who crave something unique without having to board The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I imagine its placement just off to the side of Paradise Pier, drawing guests to an underused area of the park. An instant landmark making use of available space that also blocks out some ugly sight lines that still remain.
With the official opening of the attraction just weeks away, but a great video here, we'll soon get to see for ourselves if the Imagineers have created a masterpiece or if fans receive it as just another attraction that's "good enough".
New Thought:
Per the comments below, what about a new take on the idea? Perhaps a magician and we tour his home a la the old Magic Island and Magic Castle dinner / entertainment / attractions that used to be in Southern California?
New Thought:
Per the comments below, what about a new take on the idea? Perhaps a magician and we tour his home a la the old Magic Island and Magic Castle dinner / entertainment / attractions that used to be in Southern California?
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
4 comments:
Mark I love this idea. I've thought a lot about a suburban area for dca as the California suburbs in the 50s seemed like a neat theme to me. Ok maybe not exciting and marketable but appealing in their own way. A creepy Victorian mansion could fit into that too with some tweaking. Though I seem to remember there being some stipulation when these hkdl additions were first announced that they were supposed to be unique to hkdl. Whether that just meant at the time if their debut or for the foreseeable future I do not know. It sure would be neat to get something like mystic though
With Disney so clone happy these days, maybe it will happen. Or what about a variation on its theme? A magician's home instead. An idea similar to the old Magic Island in Newport Beach?
Is the Mystic Manor ride soundtrack available anywhere for purchase? It's simply amazing!
I'm waiting for it, too!
Post a Comment