Do Not Open until 2035

Image: DisneyIn 1995, Disney officials were confident enough in the longevity of the Happiest Place on Earth that they doubled down on the premise. Cast members buried a Time Capsule full of significant Disneyland memories. People left messages of hope and love for the children of the 21st century, a way that Disney was ahead of the curve on Millennials.

We still won’t know the official contents for a long time, though. The Time Capsule isn’t due for opening until 2035, forty years after its burial. But the good news is that we’re more than halfway done with the wait! The date in question has significant importance to park officials, too. They will open the Time Capsule on July 17, 2035, the 80th anniversary of the Happiest Place on Earth.

History repeated itself in 2012

Image: DisneyDisneyland updated their version of Fantasyland only 18 years after the park opened. Magic Kingdom waited a bit longer. Their original Fantasyland stood from 1971 into the 21st century. In 2009, executives confirmed at the D23 Expo that this park would get a New Fantasyland, too.

The timeline for change was much slower here and for good reason. Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland is much larger than the Disneyland version. When Disney chose to build out Magic Kingdom with New Fantasyland, they had to make more extensive alterations. In fact, they more than doubled the original size of this area, increasing from 10 to 21 acres. To put that in perspective, the entirety of Disneyland is only 84 acres.

The five-year plan for (New) New Fantasyland required the demolition of existing parts of the themed land, primarily Mickey's Toontown Fair and Snow White’s Scary Adventures. The Disneyland update of Fantasyland had featured a new dark ride, albeit one that isn’t thought of as one of Disney’s best efforts. That attraction was Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Magic Kingdom couldn’t very well update Fantasyland without adding their own E Ticket attraction.

Image: DisneyAs you know, that ride became Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the most popular ride at Magic Kingdom right now. Wait times are consistently an hour or longer, which speaks to the quality of this twisting roller coaster.

What’s remarkable about the New Fantasyland update is that Disney added several other things beyond the roller coaster. The Barnstormer, a new stop at the Fantasyland train station, and a new child-friendly area called Storybook Circus were early additions.

Image: DisneyImagineers also constructed a new wienie, Beast Castle, the home of Be Our Guest Restaurant. Meanwhile, Princess Fairytale Hall quickly became a beloved character meet-and-greet spot, and two other entertaining attractions siphoned park traffic. Enchanted Tales with Belle is an interactive story that would warm Uncle Walt’s heart, while Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid is one of the most underrated dark rides at Walt Disney World.

Over the course of a few years, New Fantasyland improved in virtually every way from the prior 40 years of existence. For the second time, Imagineers rebuilt a beloved themed land, plus-ing it as only they can. More importantly, they paid tribute to the man who founded the park. Fantasyland was always his favorite, and so it should be the themed land that receives the most loving attention.