Tony Baxter’s “Jolly Holiday”

Image: Disney

If you were to create an inner-circle of Disney Imagineers, Tony Baxter almost certainly would be front and center. The brilliant mind behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and countless other iconic attractions, Baxter is Imagineering royalty if ever there was such a thing.

But, Imagineers aren’t born into the world of attraction design — they study it, practice it, and work to improve their craft every day. Back when he was still a student, Baxter created a concept pitch for a Mary Poppins attraction that is as magical and magnificent a ride concept as you will ever see. It wasn’t enough to get him hired (that came later), but looking through it now, it’s hard to imagine why.

In Baxter’s pitch, guests would board carousel horses that would begin by rotating around a hub like a normal carousel, before breaking free and floating through show scenes much like in the original Jolly Holiday sequence of the classic film.

The idea is brilliant, and the scene is utterly iconic. So, why doens’t this attraction exist today?

There have been rumors that Disney is considering bringing a Poppins attraction into the UK pavilion at Epcot, specifically to align with the debut of Mary Poppins Returns this year. But, the scale of that rumored attraction doesn’t even come close to Baxter’s original vision. Why not?

Few mid-century films have reverberated through time quite like Mary Poppins, and if Disney wanted to demonstrate its unequaled ability to craft attractions with heart and charm, revisiting Baxter’s vision would be a brilliant idea. That it would bring a forthcoming film into the parks as well would just be icing on the cake. 

Mineral King Ski Resort

Image: Disney

In the mid-1960s, Walt Disney was nearing the end of his life, but he still wanted to make a lasting impact on the country he loved so much. One project he was working on became the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow — later, Epcot. The other was the Mineral King Ski Resort — something that was very much on the opposite end of the technological spectrum.

The resort was to be an entire village in the California mountains. Guests would park at a garage down in the valley before a Disney-constructed train would take them up to the resort, where they’d stay in picturesque alpine lodgings while roaming the snow covered streets. There’d be movie theaters and tennis courts and all the things guests would want on vacation — and the whole thing would be centered around a gorgeous and challenging ski mountain.

Environmental concerns eventually led to the project’s cancelation, along with a lack of focus on the idea after Walt Disney’s passing. But now, ironically, it might be the perfect time to resurface this idea.

Yes, environmental issues have never been greater, but a fully-modern and completely green ski resort and mountain vacation village is a genuinely contemporary idea. The lack of cars, as well as modern green energy technologies, could make a Mineral King Ski Resort one of the most environmentally friendly resorts on the planet. And, giving one of the biggest companies in the world a real reason to care about protecting our planet’s climate would be an added bonus.

Furthermore, with Disney’s vacation portfolio expanding to include resorts in Hawaii, Vero Beach, and Hilton Head Island — as well as the Disney Cruise Line — a winter vacation paradise would extend that portfolio.

Ultimately, Disney’s vacation destinations have proven to all be fantastic. Who wouldn’t want one more?