Steampunk is not dead. Not even at Disney. although this may just be an educated guess. (See the end of the post.) Which leads me to the iconic but never realized Discovery Bay. Maybe I'm a bit obsessed with all the never built attractions designed by those incredible Imagineers. Maybe you are as well! There's a reason. Even though these ideas may be extraordinary, and the Imagineers do what they do extremely well, sometimes, it just doesn't work out.
It would be easy to decry the current leadership at only building attractions that come from movie box office hits, and you'd be fairly accurate in making that assumption. For theme park fans, unfortunately, that's been going on for quite awhile.
Back in 1974, the highly ambitious film Island at the Top of the World debuted to a collective thud. How did this impact the Imagineers plan for Discovery Bay at Disneyland? Well, this pet project had a major attraction based on the film.
Disney and dinosaurs have always made a perfect match.
Where are they in the parks?
When the film bombed, it created less of an interest in what would have been a stunningly incredible addition to Disneyland, successfully bridging Frontierland to Fantasyland by adding a late 19th Century Barbary Coast / San Francisco area chock full of attractions.
The Spark Gap Coaster.
Proposed Coaster Poster.
What kind of attractions, you ask? Besides the chance to dine inside the Nautilus submarine and shop in unique stores, there would be an electric "Spark Gap" coaster.
Fireworks Factory and Discovery Bay's Lighthouse.
A new high tech shooting gallery would have been a fine diversion for guests of all ages. Befitting the Chinatown section of the new steampunk looking area, the Fireworks Factory was sure to be a hit!
Does Professor Marvel and his dragon friend look familiar?
Professor Marvel's Gallery of Illusion.
Guests would also enjoy a classic Disney flume ride to an exciting encounter with dinosaurs, an iconic traditional but mega dark ride via the Hyperion airship through the movie's icy environment, and a fun-house / exhibit type attraction with Professor Marvel and his little dragon friend. Sound familiar?
A different version of the area's map.
Colorized map.
Yes, EPCOT Center's beloved Journey into Imagination- not the newer bastardized versions of the original- had its roots in a never built Disneyland attraction. Figment changed his pigment, but other than that, his look is intact.
The classic concept art.
As park fans know all too well, this extremely ambitious and stylized Disneyland expansion never materialized, and Discovery Bay never made it past the drawing boards. Along with Western River Expedition for the Florida Magic Kingdom and the unrealized Atlantis Expedition for the first California park, Tony Baxter's Discovery Bay has been relegated to the history books with pieces found particularly in Paris. For now.
With the revived interest in Steampunk as evidenced by The Edison restaurant / bar/ entertainment palace, Disney may one again consider something as elegant and timeless as Discovery Bay.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
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