Imagineer Tony Baxter has been the driving force behind some of Disney's greatest theme park attractions. Do you absolutely love Splash Mountain? Is the Indiana Jones Adventure the first attraction on your must-do list at Disneyland or is it Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Are you still mourning the demise of Epcot's epic Journey Into Imagination and miss Figment and Dreamfinder? If the answer to any of these is yes, you're probably a big fan of Tony's work. (And take it from me- you've got to see Disneyland Paris, where he led the entire design team for the park! Great article here.)
Perhaps you find yourself drooling over concepts for the never built Discovery Bay. Well, now it's time to add another piece of concept art to fawn over. Presenting Tony's unbuilt Fantasyland. (Do click on it for the largest size possible.) Have fun exploring!
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Want more Tony Baxter? He's a hotly debated subject. Start here at Part One of at two part look at why he's loved, hated, and so much a part of Imagineering's past. Finish here at Part Two.
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Want more Tony Baxter? He's a hotly debated subject. Start here at Part One of at two part look at why he's loved, hated, and so much a part of Imagineering's past. Finish here at Part Two.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
Beautiful ! Even though Fantasyland in Paris is one of the best in Magic Kingdoms around the world, this concept art is a step higher ! There's a force coming from it, like the town depicted has a life of it's own, with all its winding streets and the variety of the buildings ! I love it. I hope more of these concepts turn up, I never knew about this concept.
ReplyDeleteI really like this one as well, William!
ReplyDeleteKinda makes me think of that lost concept for a Medieval Toontown :
ReplyDeletehttps://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6a/a5/e4/6aa5e45cdf7fef50a85a215a1df9b9c5.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8b/de/27/8bde275023f40d27be804509c509981f.jpg
I also wonder wether the towering castle in the middle was supposed to be the park's central landmark or another, smaller-scale castle in Fantasyland, akin to the Beauty and the beast castle present in WDW's MK's fantasyland nowadays...
Is this for Paris, then?
ReplyDeleteMatt, that is my understanding, although I am also thinking it could be for another park.
ReplyDeleteWilliam, you could be correct- I have seen several concepts for the unbuilt Beauty & the Beast attraction for DLP (and have posted some on the blog)- but I have not seen this image used in connection with it.
Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing. I just posted a chat with Tony on my blog last week where we did a deep dive into the original Journey Into Imagination and its future.
ReplyDeletehttp://themacgyverproject.blogspot.com/2015/12/tony-baxter-conversation.html
Thanks Nicholas! It's a great interview!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad to share it with fans of Tony and the original ride.
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