Replacing some old Disney Magic Kingdom attractions

I understand why many bring these up, but it is usually older theme park fans that like the newer, more modern rides. I will pose a counter. I think MK is for everyone, but it is especially for children. You may forget that for many young kids, that is the first time they get to drive a car, and it is a memory that is with them forever. Small World (while it is eternal punishment for some), is wonderous for the very young. I can recall that and the TTA being two of the only attractions one of my kids wanted to go on. I really, really hated the removal of Alien Encounter, but I get it. That was easily in my top ten of all time, but it scared the snot out of people and did not fit the tone of MK. I say keep the Speedway and Small World. Bring back something akin to Mission to the Moon for the Stitch location. Another that tends to get mentioned for the chopping block is Carousel of Tomorrow, but you need something for old people too.

Thanks for the response JC…

I agree MK is for everyone, but it does cater to younger children which is fine.

But when I look at how large the footprint is for Tomorrowland Speedway, one can imagine that space being used in a better way. Like I said, it is not poplar and when I see 7 Dwarfs mine train and how nice an attraction that is. My brain moves into what is next and where to put it.

There are no big rides at MK, (IE -Hulk), maybe Tron will be nice addition for young adults looking for more of a thrill ride.

I understand MK also has some great nostalgia for older folks who want to visit and relive the glory days. But I see some great opportunities for MK future.

Obviously, the most problematic things with the Tomorrowland Speedway (and Autopia at Disneyland) are the noise and emissions from the gas guzzlers. I think that the attraction has lasting appeal, particularly to the younger ones that dream to drive, so I don't think it can just be dismissed as a loud, stinky, inefficient waste of valuable space. However, I also don't think you can simply rework it with electric vehicles or a smaller (or even virtual) track, because part of the appeal is the vibration and noise the current vehicles generate that allow kids to feel like they are in control of immensely powerful machines (even though we all know they can barely get over 10 MPH).

The magic of MK is the number of attractions that appeal to all different kinds of personalities allowing families to have experiences together. Thrill rides will ultimately divide families with smaller kids or those who are not thrill seekers, so it's important that MK has a majority of its attractions that can be experienced by everyone.

I'm totally on board with Small World, so long as the original in Disneyland is maintained, but figuring out what to put into that space would be tricky - maybe an extension of the Tangled mini-land with some type of motion simulator attraction themed around Rapunzel could work.

I've always thought that the Mickey's Circus portion of Fantasyland was a big waste of space. The splash pad and overall layout of this area just doesn't work very well, and creates choke points getting to the Mickey's Railway Station. I would blow up this entire land (aside from Dumbo and maybe the Barnstormer) and try again. When they built New Fantasyland, WDI didn't put the same consideration into the efficient use of space that is critical in Disneyland and was still important when originally developing MK.

Thanks Russ, Now you got me thinking...

Lets make Tomorrowland Speedway electric..

No more gas and emissions...

C'mon Brian, get rid of the Tomorrowland Speedway and It's a Small World? How will small children torture their parents? Dumbo is only good for so much, but repeated rides on IASW and the Speedway will have parents reconsidering their reproductive options!

Hey Tim, nice to hear from you...

Just trying to drum up some Theme Park Ideas as we wait for a vaccine rollout and some form of normality...

Me too, Brian. Me too.

Hey! Maybe we should start a theme park conspiracy thread! Things like Disney Springs is a theme park, and Universal is dumping all of the blue and purple themed attractions, and Bob Iger will be the 2024 Manchurian candidate for president. You know - fun stuff!

Tomorrowland Speedway has got to go. Nearly every regional park has some variation of that ride (one where kids can drive), and it is an attraction that I have never ridden, nor exposed my kids to, since we can ride something similar much more cheaply at a regional park. At the very least, update it to electric. I know electric isn't necessarily the vehicle of the future, but those loud gas guzzlers that are circling the track now certainly are not.

I am mixed about It's a Small World. My family doesn't really care for all the slow-moving boat rides at Disney, but IaSW is definitely a Disney original and not something you can do at other parks. It's good for one ride when we go to MK. I can't say I would miss it if it were taken out.

THC from 2009: "I've posted it before (and more extensively than this time) shut down the Grand Prix raceway, and build an enormous playground/sprayground. Theme it as the enchanted forest. Throw a re-creation of the seven dwarfs cottage. Install both wet and dry play areas with trees and canopied play areas."

I can't remember last time even going near the Speedway, amazed it's lasted this long as that space easily used for something else.

You can fit the whole Mount Prometheus complex in Tokyo DisneySea into the same footprint as the Speedway at the Magic Kingdom. Fortress Explorations, 20,000 leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Magellan's - what more could you ask for?

Or you could replace Jungle Cruise with the same complex if you don't like having three E-tickets (Tron, Journey, and Space Mountain) in such a close proximity.

Years ago I wrote a blue sky concept for an attraction based on 'The Island at the Top of the World' -- as a boat ride with a killer whale attack. I thought space-wise it would fit on the Speedway land. Probably lousy theming.

"The Island at the Top of the World" - I remember seeing it in the theater decades ago, but I can't recall ever seeing it since. Is there something in it that would be offensive to today's audiences or does it ,just kind of fall into Disney's forgotten film dustbin like "The Apple Dumpling Gang"?