Piston Peak is sure to remain the Magic Kingdom's most hotly debated addition. Replacing Rivers of America- an opening day feature of the original castle park and one that held Walt Disney's beloved riverboat- was an announcement that brought a hush and even some boos to D23. Deservedly so.
Bringing the modern day Cars franchise into Frontierland. It wasn't blasphemy, but it was close. This was far worse than replacing Splash Mountain with Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Above is a vintage Rainbow Ridge Postcard from Disneyland's golden days when the man himself was still around to provide real vision for the park he loved. As the gateway to something fantastic, this area not only contained the Mine Train Thru Natures Wonderland, it also held the Conestoga Wagons and the Pack Mule train.
It was truly a land of discovery filled with rustic scenes, animals native to the American West, and the show stopping Rainbow Caverns as grand finale to the mine train ride. This was the Americana version of the Jungle Cruise as designed by Imagineer Marc Davis. The whole thing was even more special as right across the river was Tom Sawyer Island, a special placed designed for open exploration and a chance to use the imagination God gave us.
Proving great ideas never go to waste, modern Imagineering borrowed from the Mine Train finale to add a taste of vintage Disneyland to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I'm grateful for that, and I look forward to the change. But it does makes me long for a simpler day when Disney suits realized the parks were about much more than promotion for the company's Intellectual Property.
No comments:
Post a Comment