Fantasyland
Themed land at Disney theme parks From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Themed land at Disney theme parks From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after Disney's animated fairy tale feature films. Each Fantasyland has a castle, as well as several gentle rides themed after those Disney animated feature films.
| |
| Theme | Disney's animated fairy tale films, Fantasy, the towns and villages of Europe |
|---|---|
| Disneyland | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | July 17, 1955 |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | October 1, 1971 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 15, 1983 |
| Disneyland Paris | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 12, 1992 |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | September 12, 2005 |
| Shanghai Disneyland Park | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | June 16, 2016[1] |
Here is a land of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart, to those who believe that when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true.
Fantasyland is one of the original themed lands at Disneyland. Fantasyland features Sleeping Beauty Castle at its main entrance, which is also the park's icon, and a central courtyard dominated by King Arthur Carrousel, in front of which sits a sword in an anvil; several times each day a costumed Merlin helps a child pull the sword from it. The entrance also contains a separate walk-through attraction that opened in 1957 but was closed from 2001 to 2008 due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks. The attraction re-opened in May 2008.
The famed "Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks" show was introduced in 1956, but Tinker Bell's first flight wasn't until 1961. The first Tinker Bell was Tiny Kline, former circus aerialist. Multiple shows have replaced this most involving some sort of 'flying' character, such as Tinker Bell.
In 1983, Fantasyland received a major facelift (dubbed "New Fantasyland")[2] and the attraction façades changed from a Renaissance motif to a fantasy mock up of a Bavarian village, similar to the European setting of many of the fairy tales Walt adapted. The area was expanded to allow for more space between attractions. Existing rides were given small but helpful upgrades; new rides were added; and only a small handful of less popular attractions were removed. To commemorate the opening of New Fantasyland, the drawbridge was lowered on Sleeping Beauty Castle for only the second time ever (the first being the park's opening in 1955).[3][4][5]
The plaque in front of the castle marks the spot where the Disneyland Time Capsule is buried. Sealed on the 40th anniversary of the park (1995), it contains different items from the history of Disney parks. It is scheduled to be opened in the year 2035, forty years after it was first sealed.
Fantasyland was said by Walt Disney to be his favorite land in the park.[6] He said, "What youngster has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London, or tumbling into Alice's nonsensical Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these classic stories of everyone's youth have become realities for youngsters – of all ages – to participate in."
The area went through a large expansion and renovation between 2010 and 2014.[8]
Conceptual artwork for the expansion shows several new additions and changes.[9] Included is a new dark ride themed to Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid (also located at Disney California Adventure), and an area themed to Disney's 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast featuring the Beast's Castle with a new sit-down restaurant and Belle's cottage. Between the two attractions life-sized figures of Bambi and Thumper can be seen playing in the woodland with the Great Prince of the Forest watching them from a distance. [9] There is also a rest area themed to Disney's 2010 musical film Tangled, and an interactive queue for Peter Pan's Flight.[10][11]
There was originally a possibility that a Harry Potter themed attraction was going to be built under an agreement with Warner Bros. and J. K. Rowling as part of an expansion of Fantasyland but this eventually went to the neighbouring Universal Studios park.[12][13]
Mickey's Toontown Fair was closed on February 11, 2011 in order to build the Storybook Circus area of the Fantasyland extension.[14] Some elements of Mickey's Toontown Fair were demolished and others were re-themed to the new area. Storybook Circus is based on elements of the 1941 animated film Dumbo and other characters from the Mickey Mouse universe. The Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride was removed from Fantasyland and rebuilt in Storybook Circus, the new version doubling the capacity of the old ride and introducing an interactive queue. The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm was renamed The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini.[9] Storybook Circus has been completed and became fully open to the public on October 4, 2012. The first stage was completed on March 12, 2012 ("The Barnstormer", the renovated Storybook Circus train station, and the first half of the new Dumbo ride).[15][16] The second phase of Storybook Circus (the second half of Dumbo, the indoor queue area, and the Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station) opened in July 2012. The third and final phase (Pete's Silly Sideshow and Big Top Souvenirs) saw the completion of Storybook Circus on October 4, 2012.
Snow White's Scary Adventures closed on May 31, 2012. The original ride was removed and Princess Fairytale Hall, a new Disney Princess "meet and greet" area, opened on September 18, 2013, where the attraction previously existed.[9][17] An area themed to Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs features the dwarfs' cottage and a new roller coaster ride called the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The coaster features a first-of-its-kind ride system with a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth, responding to the twists and turns of the track. Although not part of the original plans for the new Fantasyland, this attraction took the place of several proposed interactive Disney Princess meet and greets; these have been removed from the updated plans for the expansion.[18] The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened on May 28, 2014, completing New Fantasyland.[19][20]
On May 2, 2024, following the announcement, Magic Kingdom announced that a new interactive game attraction, Smellephants on Parade are debuted, where guests can find 8 pyramid scheme pachyderms throughout Storybook Circus in a search-and-sniff adventure.
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Note: ▲ = Genie Plus / Lightning Lane available Attractions
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Tokyo Disneyland has two original attractions among the usual dark rides: Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall, which features the story of Cinderella in a walk-through style attraction, and Pooh's Hunny Hunt, which uses a trackless ride system. It is also the only version of Fantasyland to still feature the original version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant with only ten flying elephants, while the other versions of the attraction have sixteen elephants.
On April 29, 2015, The Oriental Land Company revealed a major expansion/re-imagining of the area that included the addition of areas based on Beauty and the Beast and Alice in Wonderland.[25] Alice in Wonderland was supposed to be the theme for a new area that would have replaced the current It's a Small World building, which would have been moved next to Space Mountain. However, the plan was cancelled and been replaced by an indoor theater, The Happy Ride with Baymax, a ride based on the 2014 film Big Hero 6 in Tomorrowland, and a meet and greet attraction with Minnie Mouse in Mickey's Toontown.[26][27] On September 19, 2019, it was announced that the opening date of this area is April 15, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, this date was moved to September 28, 2020.[28]
The fourth Fantasyland to open was in France, at Disneyland Park, previously named Euro Disneyland. Themed as a fairy tale village, this land specifically notes the European origins of the source material for many Disney animated films.
A unique attraction of the park was Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin, a Ferris wheel added to the rear of The Old Mill building in 1993. The Old Mill, which resembles a Dutch windmill and was inspired by the 1937 Academy Award-winning Disney cartoon of the same name, was a feature of the park when it opened in 1992, and serves drinks and snacks. The ride closed in the early 2000s, but the wheel and its eight bucket-like passenger cars were left in place and were seasonally decorated. It was later reformed, with the buckets removed, the mill's building serving as a snack counter and the queue area as a meet and greet area.[30][31]
Hong Kong Disneyland features the most prominent Disney trademark, Castle of Magical Dreams and many of the classic fairy tale characters from everyone's childhood find their "homes" here, all have their own attractions, and the rest of the gang hangs out at the Fantasy Gardens, the meeting point for character greetings.
In August 2014, the second Pixie Hollow decor had moved closer to Adventureland, and the area that up to the Fantasyland Train Station, was surrounded by fences hiding the works that started recently[32] for "Fairy Tale Forest", which opened on December 17, 2015 as part of the park's 10th anniversary celebration presented by Pandora.[33]
On June 29, 2023, the park removed Sword in the Stone due to the construction of a new Walt Disney statue entitled "Dream Makers" which debuted on October 15, 2023, as a part of the 100 Years of Wonder Celebration.[citation needed] The statue immortalizes the moment when Walt Disney, sitting on a bench and watching his daughters on the Merry-Go-Round in Griffith Park, dreamed up the idea for Disneyland.[citation needed]
Opened on June 16, 2016, Shanghai Disneyland also features a version of Fantasyland. The park's castle, called Enchanted Storybook Castle, represents all Disney Princesses and is the largest of all six Magic Kingdom castles.[35] A brand new unique attraction called Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, a guided boat ride tour through the castle, and around Fantasyland, is also included.
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