What's Next for Hong Kong Disneyland

A re-Imagined castle. A new Frozen themed area that looks to be long on detail but shorter in substance. These are recently completed or in progress projects for the constantly improving Hong Kong Disneyland.  But what is next?

Maybe nothing. Or perhaps something as brilliant as the very old school excellence of Mystic Manor, the wonderful new story that revisits the classic Haunted Mansion in a whole new way. Then, there was the excellently executed design of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad meets Expedition Everest found in the more recent Grizzly Gulch's Runaway Mine Cars.  Just maybe the Imagineers will go way back and dig into this older inspired concept.

Once upon a time a frozen land of a different sort was planned by the Imagineers and cut due to budget restraints of the budgeteers. Call it "Glacier Bay", an icy wonderland perfectly designed to cut through the sweltering heat of Asia. Be it Tokyo or for Hong Kong, the suits had an idea to provide an area that was cool and refreshing. A nice contrast to humidity and scorching sun.

It was lightyears beyond the ordinary fairground mentality of the bland Toy Story Playland, the beautiful Glacier Bay would be home to a thrilling roller coaster, jet skiing (!), and more. Perhaps a more real life take on Florida's Blizzard Beach. This project will remain as a concept never built now that the wintery theme is replaced by Elsa and Anna ands friends. 

Glacier Bay reminds me of Tokyo DisneySea's futuristic Port Discovery. 

With competitor Ocean Park ramping up the competition for tourist dollars, the suits in Hong Kong are looking for ways to keep the guests coming in. COVID showed things down but they are still on task to make the park profitable and attractive to tourists. It may never be on par with Shanghai Disneyland if China's government gets its way- and it will. They just wouldn't want the former British colony to outshine the mainland's tourist park. Yet, all this work was done for a proposed but abandoned part of the Hong Kong park done by Favilli Studios, shows there are always new concepts being worked on and the pursuit of money will rule the theme park business. Just look at Disney Genie Service!

(Art copyright Favilli Studios.)

The Frozen Port Before Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs

While Tokyo DisneySea's expansion, named Fantasy Springs, has been delayed by a year, unlike many projects for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, it is not cancelled or delayed to the deadly Coronavirus. The area set aside for it has an interesting history, and the piece of concept art above reveals the original intent of the land: a frozen concept named Glacier Bay. 

As anyone who has been to the resort will tell you, everything designed for the second park at the Tokyo Disney Resort is representative of the very best work Imagineering.  The Stateside parks are just now beginning to see the same type of excellence as evidenced by Cars Land at California Adventure, Pandora at Animal Kingdom, and both Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge locations. There's much to be said for competition! If you don't think Universal's explosive growth due to adding the excellent Harry Potter attractions isn't part of the reason for renewed investment, you are mistaken. Thank you, Harry!

A snowy port that looks more than a bit like Port Discovery. 

When Tokyo DisneySea was first imagined, a frozen port of sorts made the short list of lands. The icy terrain even appeared on an early map of the park. (The top image. Click on it for a very large size.) For various reasons, it never made the final cut. The exact concept was also under consideration for Hong Kong Disneyland, which as we know would certainly have benefitted from something unique early on. It could have even changed initial perceptions of the park.

Interesting.

Nothing gets discarded when it comes to unbuilt Imagineering concepts. This Asian icy wonderland was once planned to be home to a variety of winter activities that could be enjoyed year round: jet skiing, an ice rink, and an indoor thrilling roller coaster. Let's be honest, here. In this new Disney world where intellectual properties and more importantly, potential for massive merchandizing, drives the company, a port without a connection would rarely be built. Even in Tokyo, they exist but are a rarity.

These three concepts above were created by Favilli Studios, one of the relatively new players in the theme park business...and the main creator of plans for the infamous Dubai Disneyland. Of course, to date, that park has not been built. I imagine it never will be. The planned mega resort for theme park lovers has had poor attendance and low if any profits since opening. (I broke the news on this proposed Middle East Magic Kingdom back in 2014. My detailed  look at it begins here.) 

Frozen instead of icy.

Removing the Glacier Bay concept but bringing an icy slant to Tokyo's expansion is our lovable snowman Olaf and his creator Elsa. With two strongly marketable characters- one for girls and one for boys- it's a bankable plan for the accounting books. 

For fans of Imagineering's most innovative work, Fantasy Springs will be a win. The new port will have several major E Ticket attractions based on Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan, all using innovative new ride systems, plenty of unique shopping, and a now requisite must-do restaurant experience a la Be Our Guest at Florida's New Fantasyland. 

Classic characters and beloved stories. That is the new direction for all of the Disney Parks- even if in some cases- like Epcot and Animal Kingdom- it's a big mistake. That said, leave it to Oriental Land Company and the Tokyo Disney Resort to get the best Imagineering work. With or without Disney characters.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company and Favilli Studios.)

Taking a Look at Tokyo DisneySea's Frozen Port

In a land, far far away.

What would a Frozen port at Tokyo DisneySea actually look like? There's been plenty of speculation on websites and from bloggers all over the world. It's all speculation, but there's a tremendous amount of interest for two main reasons: 

1- Most everything that is built at the Tokyo Disney Resort is done first class and more embellished than any counterparts built elsewhere. Imagineers are free to run wild with ideas here, and the resulting theme park additions are generally spectacular.

2- Frozen is a phenomena, a property of almost unstoppable popularity all over the world, but especially in Japan. 

Most theme park fans who follow the news in the Disney kingdom know the Walt Disney Company is selling the Stateside guest short by placing a Frozen attraction over Epcot's Norway boat ride. Particularly in this park, overlays are done on the cheap, designed to quickly draw in the visitor who needs to have their character lust satisfied. But like cheap and easy sex, the end result is hardly ever truly satisfying and burns out quickly. You do get out what you put in!

Just like Imagineer Tony Baxter looking for a way to return the submarines to Disneyland, and having to wait past Atlantis to get to Nemo, the timing just wasn't right for a wintery port of call until the hit movie came along. 

A snowy port that looks a bit like Port Discovery. 

When Tokyo DisneySea was first imagined, a frozen port of sorts was on the short list of lands, a snowy terrain of ice to be explored. Called Glacier Bay, the port even appeared on an early map. (See the top image. Click on it to view at a very large size.) For various reasons unknown, it never made the final cut, but the same concept was also considered for Hong Kong Disneyland. 

Nice overhead view.

As we know, nothing it seems ever gets discarded when it comes to how Imagineering works.  This Asian icy wonderland was once planned to be home to a variety of winter activities that could be enjoyed year round: jet skiing, an ice rink, and an indoor thrilling roller coaster.  Let's be honest, here. In this new Disney world where intellectual properties and more importantly, potential for massive merchandizing, drives the company, a port without a connection would rarely be built. Even in Tokyo, they exist but are a rarity.

These three concepts above were created by Favilli Studios, one of the relatively new players in the theme park business...and the main creator of plans for the infamous Dubai Disneyland.  

Saving the Glacier Bay concept and bringing it to fruition is our lovable snowman Olaf and his creator Elsa. Not only will they drive the story focus of the new port, with two strongly marketable characters- one for girls and one for boys- it's a bankable plan for the accounting books. 

For fans of Imagineering's most innovative work, it could also be a win. Rumor has it the new port will have a major E Ticket attraction using an innovative new ride system, plenty of unique shopping, (the suits have learned from the runaway success of both Universal's Harry Potter and their own Cars Land at California Adventure), and a now requisite must-do restaurant experience a la Be Our Guest at Florida's New Fantasyland. 

In other words, once again, Tokyo is building what should first be found in an American park. When will the Disney suits ever really learn that top quality always brings in record profits?

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company and Favilli Studios.)

Hong Kong Disneyland's Glacier Bay: The Concept Art

The brilliant old school excellence of Mystic Manor. The Newfangled blend of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Expedition Everest found in Hong Kong Disneyland's recent Grizzly Gulch's Runaway Mine Cars. The upcoming Iron Man attraction. A new evening show, "Disney Paint the Night", with shades of California Adventure's incredible World of Color. What will be next for Hong Kong Disneyland?

How about something old? Something discarded? Something that was planned once upon a time by the Imagineers and cut due to budget restraints of the budgeteers. Let's call it "Glacier Bay", an icy wonderland perfectly designed to cut through the heat of Asia.

Far beyond the ordinary fairground mentality of the bland Toy Story Playland, the beautiful Glacier Bay would be home to a roller coaster, jet skiing, and more.

Is it my imagination or does Glacier Bay remind you of Tokyo DisneySea's futuristic Port Discovery? Regardless, all this work was done for a proposed but abandoned part of the Hong Kong park done by Favilli Studios, one of the relatively new players in the theme park business. 

With nearby Ocean Park ramping up the competition for tourist dollars and Shanghai Disneyland within a couple of years of opening, the suits in Hong Kong are looking for ways to keep the guests coming in. Be it the inevitable second park or a Downtown Disney buildout, my bet is that they look backwards to what was once planned- and give their guests a wintery excuse to get away from it all.

(Art copyright Favilli Studios.)