Opportunity cost

In order to increase the space of Fantasyland, the park counterintuitively had to shutter one ride and an entire section. Mickey’s Toontown Fair, which opened almost simultaneously with the release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, was basically an interactive play area, almost a glorified version of a playground. It offered character meeting spots and a couple of mild attractions, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and The Barnstormer, both of which remain to this day. Frankly, the modifications Disney eventually made to this section that you now know as Storybook Circus were better across the board. So, the temporary inconvenience of closing Mickey’s Toontown Fair worked out for the best in the end.

The same isn’t true of Snow White’s Scary Adventure. No other ride from the opening day of Disneyland provoked a stronger reaction than this one, which confused guests with its point of view. It also scared children with its realism. Kids stressed over the frightening encounters with the Evil Queen, something Disney eventually addressed decades after the fact.

Like no other original Disneyland attraction, Snow White’s Scary Adventure evoked emotions. It was one of the first theme park triumphs of Imagineering. When Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Disney understandably chose to duplicate it for the new park. For more than 40 years, it pleased multiple generations of theme park tourists. Little did anyone know when D23 2009 happened that Disney was quietly sounding the death knell for a ride built more than half a century ago. Then again, Disney didn’t realize this, either.

A change in plans

Disney strategists are sensitive to the critiques of their guests. By their metrics, the idea of Storybook adventures with Disney princesses at New Fantasyland automatically reduced public interest by 50 percent. After some internal debate, they chose to improvise.

When they originally plotted New Fantasyland, their blueprints included three new attractions and a restaurant. Disney pulled off all of these plans with aplomb. The E Ticket ride they intended was Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, although E Ticket is a bit of a stretch for something so similar to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Disney correctly banked on the popularity of Ariel as a beloved princess and created an instant classic omnimover ride that was fun for the whole family.

Park planners also Imagineered a sublime new interactive engagement called Enchanted Tales with Belle, which would quickly become an extremely popular way for parents to rest for a bit while entertaining their children. The Belle show is one of the most underrated attractions at Walt Disney World, a wonderful exhibition that changes each time since the guests provide the entertainment as often as the cast members. And the restaurant is one that every Disney guest knows well. Be Our Guest instantly became the hardest reservation onsite, and it’s also one of the best meals. Disney even got lucky with Gaston’s Tavern, a counter service that has become a viral sensation due to the extreme entertainment value of Gaston, the wildly charismatic narcissist

The other planned attraction was the series of character spots at the royal princess housing. You know it as Princess Fairytale Hall. That wasn’t the first idea, though. Once park strategists realized that New Fantasyland would have too many princesses, they recalculated on the fly. They chose to build the equivalent of Princess Central, the place where any old or new Disney blueblood could call home for a time. A centralized location was ideal in comparison to several cottages for a couple of reasons. First, the Princess Fairytale Hall would take up less space than many individual homes. Second, construction costs would go down a great deal.