Build Your Own Ultimate Disney Castle Park Game

After the latest earnings call and no news of investment into the U.S. parks, I think we could all do better with the theme parks. Wanna try? Based on the classic Disneyland hub and spoke model as Walt Disney and the original Imagineers planned it, you are the lead designer in this new theme park game. Disney theme park fans will especially love the capability of building their own dream castle park. Now, you get a chance to do just that. 

The goal of the game and the rules are pretty simple: 

The Goal of the Game:  

Create the most balanced Disney castle park. You want epic attractions of all types, great shows, and very inviting places to dine and shop. Your park should appeal to fans of all ages.

Choose your perfect entrance land, a whimsical Fantasyland, a bold and futuristic Tomorrowland, a rustic Frontierland, and a very exotic Adventureland of your own. You can focus on any castle park to make your selections- the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland or Shanghai Disneyland. Don't worry about the area that surrounds the park. Just focus on designing it.

The Rules of the Game:

1- When you choose a land from a particular resort, you must retain every aspect of the land and cannot swap out individual elements, nor can you add to them. However, if an attraction, show, shop, or restaurant is found in two different lands that you have selected, you may eliminate one of them.

2- As the lead Imagineer, you may also pick one additional land to add to your park, making a total of six themed lands. What choice would you make? Mickeys' Toontown? Liberty Square? Mystic Manor? New Orleans Square? Toy Story Land? Maybe Tokyo's Critter Country with the only remaining Splash Mountain.  Perhaps you'd pick one of two lands unique to Shanghai Disneyland: Treasure Cove or Adventure Isle. 

3- Bonus Decision #1- Choose whichever castle you want as the icon. You are not limited to choosing the castle which is connected to your choice of Fantasyland. But you are limited to keeping the attractions, shops, and restaurants that are part of your castle of choice.

4- Bonus Decision #2- Choose any attraction from any park you'd like, and place it within an existing land. Fill the that attraction gap. Not enough thrills rides? Need more theater based attractions or rides for children? Now is your chance to round out the roster.

Explain your choices and convince other players your design deserves to win. Ready, Set, Go!

Here are my choices for the Ultimate Disney Castle Park:

Main Street U.S.A.-  Disneyland Paris

The opening scene of any park must set he stage for what lies ahead.

My photo of Main Street Motors decorated for Christmas.

Yes, this too is Disneyland Paris!

This one was much, much harder than I thought it would be! If I didn't choose Disneyland, could I exclude Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, one of Walt Disney's personal favorites? If I chose Tokyo Disneyland and its covered main thoroughfare, I'd have to forego the Railroad- and certainly that is a standard must-have aspect of any castle park. But what about the Crystal Palace? It's one of my favorite pieces of architecture. Could I choose Shanghai Disneyland's Mickey Avenue in lieu of something celebrating America? That answer was "Absolutely not!" 

Ultimately, I decided upon Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris.

Dapper Dan's- photograph copyright Disney.

Beautiful covered arcades protect from inclement weather.

Imagine an elegant look at America at the turn of the 20th Century with a touch of French elegance. Dine at Walt's for a signature meal set in rooms filled with Imagineering art. Take an excursion about the railroad but glance up at the stunning stained glass windows that frame a part of the train station. Each represents a different land. Main Street Motors is just one of the beautifully designed buildings that take the art of Imagineering to the next level. The ceilings of the most visited shops match the appeal of famous Parisian department with domes of leaded glass. Stop to get a haircut at Dapper Dan's. Stroll the gracious arcades on each side of Main Street with each one telling a unique story about America. 

Adventureland- the original Disneyland

What means a land of adventure in your park? Think it through and choose wisely.

In contrast to the previous land, overall, this decision was a much easier one to make. I'm very partial to the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House at the Magic Kingdom, but the inclusion of the very out-of theme Magic Carpets of Aladdin meant I'd pass on picking that one. Tokyo Disneyland's included a mini New Orleans Square and its Pirates of the Caribbean, but that seemed like an easy cheat.  Although a fresh concept, I passed on Adventure Isle in Shanghai as in my mind, a Soarin' attraction doesn't seem to fit a castle park. Hong Kong Disneyland held promise as the biggest Adventureland with much room for expansion even though it's currently under built.

Epic, classic, and a must-have aspect of my Adventureland.

As much as I love Adventure Isle at Disneyland Paris- I mean a full-sized Skull Rock, a Captain Hook Pirate Ship and a junglely take on Tom Sawyer Island!- without a version of the Jungle Cruise, it just could not be a contender.  I decided against the Parisian area as an off the shelf Indiana Jones coaster can't come close to competing with a wild, off road jeep excursion. So, Disneyland won the competition.

Yes, it is the smallest and there's no room for expansion, but inch for inch, it is difficult to beat the original Adventureland in Anaheim, California. Tree House? Check. Jungle Cruise? Yes. Enchanted Tiki Room and The Tropical Hideaway for a taste of the islands? Perfect!

Angry deities abound in two attractions here. 

The Indiana Jones Adventure seals the deal! Its small temple fits the scale of Disneyland and masks the mega-adventure within. A nice surprise. 

Stuffed with attractions that span generations, this Adventureland's filled with almost 70 years of growing trees, shrubs, and flowers, making it a hidden gem in the middle of suburbia.  All proving once again, that size doesn't matter. It's what you do with it.

Frontierland- Disneyland Paris

The Wild West. Is it cartoon and Intellectual Property filled or is it based on American history- or a combination of both? The choice is all yours.

From difficult choices to the easiest one, there's no Disney castle park on earth with a more compelling and better designed Frontierland than the one found at Disneyland Paris.  Here's Thunder Mesa -a nice tribute to Imagineer Marc Davis- in all its glory. All that's missing is Western River Expedition.

With a full grown fort at the entrance, the whole land is worthy of exploration. Going up to the arcades, you're blessed with the view like the one shown above in my photo. The steamboat rounds the bend as the trains of Big Thunder Mountain Railway circle the island. Going under the river is an unexpected, thrilling, and totally unique way to begin the journey! But trust me, you'll want to ride time and again.

Disney's official photo capturing a summer day at the Manor.

My photo from a dreary winter afternoon.

Particularly after dark, the old and dilapidated Wild West version of the statesides' Haunted Mansion scares up some nightmares. The storyline of the entire land is tied together in a way that will give you the chills long before you enter Phantom Manor. Be sure to investigate the graveyard and notice one bit of naughty humor that only the Parisian parc could get away with.

As the railroad cars pass the perimeter of the park, riders get a great view of the geysers that dot this wilderness settlement during the gold rush. Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team lavished detail everywhere you look in this land and all the lands which make up the Disney location in France.

The official Disney photo shows Thunder Mesa in its haunted splendor.

The Lucky Nugget Saloon serves up piping hot fare, but it does miss a great opportunity to bring in the full blown cancan show- which originated in France- that was once a mainstay of California's park. Ooh la la! The shooting gallery gives young gunslingers a chance to practice while a great BBQ barn around the bend gives those traveling the frontier a chance to refresh and regroup. There's lots of open land on the frontier for growth and expansion.  

Fantasyland- Tokyo Disneyland 

Some people would say this is the very heart of any castle park. Just thinking through the list of classic Disney animated films and their matching attractions gives you plenty of options. 

Welcome to Beast's Castle! Official Disney photo.

Back to a difficult choice. The charm of Walt's park would bring a European style village and a great assortment of dark rides to the park including the lovely Storybookland Canal Boats and Casey Jr.'s Circus Train. Choosing Magic Kingdom would add Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and the Be Our Guest and Cinderella's Royal Table Restaurants. Voyage to the Crystal Grotto may be at Shanghai, but it is as overrated an attraction as the land is misdesigned. Fantasyland in Paris has its Alice in Wonderland maze and combines many attractions, also adding the Toad Hall restaurant.

Pooh's Hunny Hunt from Disney Photoblography.

A closer inspection really meant one clear winner: Tokyo Disneyland. Not only is the beloved Pooh's Hunny Hunt to be found here, you've also got the brand new Enchanted Tale with Beauty and the Beast. Just imagine a second full sized castle set in the forest by the film's iconic village. The ride's full of the film's music, charm, and suspense- as well as dozens of Audio-Animatronic characters. 

In Tokyo, you can in Wonderland! The Official Disney photo.

The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is a fan favorite right next to It's A Small World. The original attraction facade is found here in a new array of pastel colors and Mary Blair styling. 

Around the castle courtyard lie the classic dark rides: Snow White's Adventures, Peter Pan's Flight and the original Pinocchio's Daring Journey and even Philharmagic. The land's setting may be old school pre-1983 Disneyland, but it is 100% maintained and upgraded. Certainly, more updates are due here next, but as it stands now, the attraction line up cannot be beat!

Tomorrowland- Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

Science fiction or science fantasy. What does your land dedicated to tomorrow look like? This make be the most difficult land of all in which to choose.

From themeparktourist.com

The Land of the Future. Every park has its weakest cohesion of theme found here as the future keeps becoming the past, leaving each park with a mix of old and new as well as some Intellectual Property thrown in. Which park has the Tomorrowland that I'd add to finish off my park? 

The original has its strengths- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the only real water submarine ride in existence, and wait for it... Oh yeah, let's forget it. Disneyland's land of the future is a wreck. The once great Matterhorn Bobsleds are just painful, and it seems the entrance is in a perpetual state of confusion. In Tokyo, Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek! is a unique entry in the land of the future line up. But it's neither futuristic or educational. Over in China, Hong Kong Disneyland is either cutesy or infused with Marvel. No thank you. Farther east in Shanghai Disneyland, this area looks incredible, but it is very short on attractions. The Jules Verne theming of the land in Paris is too specific a look for my choice, although I absolutely love it as part of the whole.

These two photos of mine represent aspects I love and put up with 

in the world of the future.

What about over in Walt Disney World? As with so many others, it's a curious mix, old, new, and filled with toons. But somehow it works.

Space Mountain is a must for my park, and I'm riveted by the chance to ride a Light Cycle in the world of Tron. The land of the future here also holds one of my very favorite attractions, one I look forward to riding multiple times every visit: The WEDWAY Peoplemover.  Sure, the toon invasion is here as well, but it is balanced out by a bit of retro Disney history with the Carousel of Progress. All said, this is not my favorite land, but it is the one that works for me to flesh out this park.

Castle Icon- Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant,  Disneyland Paris

The classic castle park icon. So many choices! What will push your decision over the top?

Gorgeous by day. Both photos here and below are mine.

Park purists hold to Disney's original and smallest castle as being the best. It's charming and sentimental for obvious reasons- who cannot be moved by the famous photo of Walt walking through it- but it does not represent the magnificent accomplishments of what a Disney park entails. The walk thru is nice, though.

The Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland share a castle architecture, but with different paint color schemes. Tokyo's got its own walk thru and Florida has Cinderella's Royal Table, a terrific place for a special meal. With its darker bottom tones, it's Tokyo for the win between the two. The pink paint job in Florida is just a disaster. 

Hong Kong's new remodel is 100% better than what they had, but there's really nothing inside it. In contrast, they threw everything into Shanghai's castle, but the end result is boxy, clunky, and just too much. Sometimes bigger is not better.

Breathtaking at night.

Bonus photo from arjwdwgirl.

Sleeping Beauty Castle in Paris best captures the magic and charm. The ground floor very expensive restaurant is not in its favor, but the ability to walk the upper regions past beautiful stained glass and tapestries among stone pillars that look like trees is a treat. The lovely balcony overlooks Fantasyland and the castle courtyard. Of course, the dungeon's giant dragon is an attraction on its own. The whole area is beautifully executed and magical in the best sense of the word. A nifty little bonus is the secret passageway into the dungeon found in Merlin's shop. 

Bonus Land- New Orleans Square,  Disneyland

Every Disney park expands throughout the course of its history. In your park, there's a special land from opening day. What will it be?

By any measure, Disneyland's elegant New Orleans Square is an artistic triumph and a fan favorite. Certainly, it is one of my most beloved themed lands in any park. Removing the seediness of the real life city from the Imagineer's recreation, and what is left is the area's history, flavor, and charm. In abundance.

The winding streets and courtyards allow guest to wander and almost forget they are in the middle of a very busy city or even a theme park. Live music is to be found as well as some of the best places to dine. Cafe Orleans holds less expensive fare, and the waterside dining at the iconic Blue Bayou is unmatched in atmosphere. Mint Julep and a beignet anyone?

The mother lode of Imagineering genius is here.

There's nothing new that can be said by me about the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. For a decade, the French version was my favorite, but after several rides recently on the California original, I've come home. The more leisurely pace and timing gives the attraction time to breathe and immerses guests in an adventure unlike no other. 

(In this park challenge, there's a duplicate attraction to deal with, so I  have to remove two of three Haunted Mansions. In order to keep the story flowing, I'm going to keep Phantom Manor in Frontierland, and forgo both the New Orleans Square mansion and the Fantasyland one in Tokyo. Each of these two lands are so strong, they can hold its own without it.)

I probably have more photos of this attraction than any other.

And more blog posts- for good reason!

More recent changes to the pirate attraction are a mixed bag at best, but at its core, Pirates of the Caribbean remains Disney Imagineering's finest achievement. All new hires into Imagineering should be required to take a course and learn what makes this one so uniquely Disney and the company's crowning achievement.

Bonus Attraction- Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Pick an attraction to fill in any gaps in your attraction line-up.  It's harder than you might think to pick just one and leave others behind.

Let's be honest- Splash Mountain would be the most obvious choice here. Perhaps even Star Tours or Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. But each of these would require big changes to the park that night even feel out of theme. Ariel fits in pretty easily, and certainly the fortune changing 1989 animated film deserves its place in Fantasyland. It's not a great attraction, but for the most part, it works. Replacement location would be where Tokyo Disney's Haunted Mansion resides. 

The Final Land Breakdown and the Attraction Line-Up

There's two lands from Walt's original park: Adventureland and New Orleans Square. There's one land from the Magic Kingdom in Florida: Tomorrowland. Fantasyland comes from Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris brings its amazing castle, Main Street U.S.A. and Frontierland. The Chinese parks had no entries. (In my mind, this points to problems with each park. In Shanghai, there's a few very good original attractions but a weak supporting cast. The opposite holds true in Hong Kong: the park is beautiful and filled with great second tier attractions but few true headliners.) 

Here's my very poor mock up of the new park.

In this game, my entry reveals what I think is a pretty impressive line up for beloved attractions from various eras. 

Traditional "E Tickets" include Pirates of the Caribbean, Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, the Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, TRON Lightcycle Run, It's a Small World, Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.  (10 total)

Traditional "D Tickets" include the Disneyland Railroad, Enchanted Tiki Room, Molly Brown Steamboat, Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, PhilharMagic, Carousel of Progress. (7 total)

Supporting attractions: Three traditional dark rides (Snow White, Peter Pan, Pinocchio), La Tanier du Dragon walk thru, La Galerie du Chateau walk thru, the Tea Cups, Dumbo, Carousel, Swiss Family Tree House, Frontierland Playground, Rustler Roundup Shootin' Gallery, Frontier Arcade walk thru, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Speedway, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Astro Orbiter, Horse Drawn Streetcars and other vehicles, Main Street Discovery and Liberty Arcade exhibits. (19 total)

Theater Show locations: Fantasyland Forest Theater, Frontierland Theater, Tomorrowland Stage. (3 total)

Dining Locations of Note: Walt's, Silver Spur Steakhouse, Blue Bayou, Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, Tropical Hideaway.

So, there you have it! Have I won the Build Your Own Ultimate Disney Castle Park game? What does your entry look like? 

Maybe one day, I'll piece together my dream castle park with no restrictions...

(All photographs unless noted by Mark Taft.)