Moana Finds Her Home at Magic Kingdom's Legendary Fire Mountain

Are you a Moana fan? If so, listen up. After making its theme park debut in Epcot of all places, it seems the Polynesian themed Disney hit movie is set to be star of one more new attraction. Where? In a place it fits! Imagine that.  Over the very last expansion pad in the Magic Kingdom's already quite crowded Adventureland, Moana is rumored to take the area once designated for the infamous Fire Mountain. 

This rumor first hit about two months ago per Jack at the DSNY Newscast. 

Here's the Infamous Fire Mountain in three color variations. I'd been looking for a piece of Imagineering concept art for years. I found the concept art on the Neverland Files site and did a few quick fixes to highlight the details.

This was incredible idea would have also sat across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Polynesian Village Resort. Not a bad thing to be looking at while you're on the beach waiting for fireworks!  

If you look closely at the art (and as always, click on it for the largest size), you'll see the project also went by the name Volcania.   

What is that front and center? Well, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is, in fact, the Nautilus submarine. Would that be a nod to 20K Leagues Under the Sea or a full-blown attraction? If you're thinking as I am that the suits at Disney would try to pass this onto the Oriental Land Company for Tokyo DisneySea, my guess is we are right.

Moana may be just the thing to bring some new adventures to the Magic Kingdom- and it could be in theme too. Maybe then the suits will rip out the misplaced Aladdin!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Rumor: Disney World's Thai Resort Overlooks Adventureland's Fire Mountain

Imagine if you will that the beautiful Grand Floridian Resort was not there. Imagine instead a Thai influenced resort, complete with stunning gardens, exotic cuisine, and gorgeous views of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Let's keep dreaming.

Nighttime view of the exterior.

During the planning stages of Walt Disney World, this stunning hotel was to become a reality in one of the first planned expansions to the Florida resort. Of course, it never happened. Were the suits skittish on building something so exotic looking on the grounds? Was it cut due to cash flow along with Western River Expedition? 

Gorgeous place to wine and dine!

As you can see above, the Thai inspired resort even made the cover of the preview souvenir booklet! If you look to the right, you'll notice the model shows the Persian resort in the background, a different Polynesian resort, and a very different take on Space Mountain!

Once planned to be the Magic Kingdom's 3rd mountain.

What would have made this addition of the Asian inspired resort even better? Just imagine if years later the Disney Imagineers had been given the go ahead to build Fire Mountain? Just imagine that view from those resort rooms to Adventureland's very active volcano. Shades of Mount Prometheus at Tokyo Disneysea. It would have been phenomenal! Want more on Fire Mountain? Go here.

Note- Last night (October 18) I read this thread of the WDWMagic forums. Hadn't read it for about a week. An interesting combination of rumors materialized, making this post from yesterday (Friday) a real possibility! Coincidence?

(Art and images copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Walt Disney World's Fire Mountain

Never heard of Disney's unbuilt Fire Mountain attraction? Have you ever seen it? As a lover of Imagineering art, I've been looking to find it for years. "Never give up!" applies to sop many things in life, but here it is:  the infamous never-built Fire Mountain for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. 

Almost approved by the suits, it was to be an extension of the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland, this incredible idea would have also sat across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Polynesian Village Resort. Not a bad thing to be looking at while you're on the beach waiting for fireworks! It would certainly bring a new look and feel to an old and tired part of the park as well as opening up the options for new stories.

If you look closely at the art (and as always, click on it for the largest size), you'll see the project also went by the name Volcania. 
  

What is that front and center? Well, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is, in fact, the Nautilus submarine. Would that be a nod to 20K Leagues Under the Sea or a full-blown attraction? If you're thinking as I am that the suits at Disney would try to pass this onto the Oriental Land Company for Tokyo DisneySea, my guess is we are right.

Rumors of old attraction being reborn come and go (think Western River Expedition), but sometimes it really does happen. It's rare- and in this case, I'd say we chalk up a great idea to the history books. By the way, I found this art on the Neverland Files site and did a few quick fixes to highlight the details.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Taking a Second Look

The last few weeks have been a rather difficult one for the Insights blog. Due to absolutely no fault at all of the Disney News Central site- and certainly all the fault of my own, my blog posts would not show up on the list. My friend Alain Littaye and I worked very hard to fix the problem. Thankfully, he figured it out, so I am back up to date! (Update: Problem is happening again!)

Here's a direct link to each post you may have missed, and there's some gems: concept art for unbuilt Epcot pavilions, the lost mountain of the Magic Kingdom, art for Disneyland's unbuilt Haunted Mansion on Main Street(!) and the most extensive history of Disney's Hollywood Studios I have ever seen- concept art, trip report (over the 25 years) and more.

Enjoy! And thanks for your patience!

Walt Disney World's Unbuilt Fire Mountain

Children in the Grass

The Problem with the Magic Kingdom

Seven Dwarf's Mine Train Game

Kodak Map of Disneyland

Shag-a-delic Fantasyland

Thank You Veterans!

Disneyland's Rocket Rods

Missing Whitney Houston

Somebody That I Used to Know

Disappointment Again

C'est Magnifique

Main Street's Haunted Mansion

Sizing Up The Voice

Odds and Ends: Disney and More

Tim Delaney and Shanghai Disneyland

America Sings Once Again

Brazil Showcase at Epcot

The United Kingdom Showcase That Never Was

The Story of the Teal Shoes

Rivers of Light to Flow at Animal Kingdom

25 Years of Disney's Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney World's Lost Mountain: The Infamous Fire Mountain

Never give up. 

I've been looking for a piece of Imagineering concept art for years. The piece above is for the infamous never-built Fire Mountain for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. I found it on the Neverland Files site and did a few quick fixes to highlight the details.

Set to be an extension of the castle park's Adventureland, this incredible idea would have also sat across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Polynesian Village Resort. Not a bad thing to be looking at while you're on the beach waiting for fireworks! It would certainly bring a new look and feel to an old and tired part of the park as well as opening up the options for new stories.

If you look closely at the art (and as always, click on it for the largest size), you'll see the project also went by the name Volcania.   

What is that front and center? Well, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is, in fact, the Nautilus submarine. Would that be a nod to 20K Leagues Under the Sea or a full-blown attraction? If you're thinking as I am that the suits at Disney would try to pass this onto the Oriental Land Company for Tokyo DisneySea, my guess is we are right.

Rumors of old attraction being reborn come and go (think Western River Expedition), but sometimes it really does happen. It's rare- and in this case, I'd say we chalk up a great idea to the history books.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)