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7. Temple of the Forbidden Eye

Image: Disney

Attraction: Indiana Jones Adventure
Location: Disneyland

Deep in the misty rainforests of Southeast Asia, time and the elements have covered what must have taken centuries to construct: the ancient riverside temple to the lost god Mara. Within, faded frescos and cracked murals echo local legends that Mara was said to grant any who ventured to the heart of the temple with one of three supernatural gifts: timeless youth, glittering gold, or future sight… but with a catch. Anyone who looked into the god’s dark eyes would be cursed forever to the Gates of Doom!

Image: Disney

When Indiana Jones Adventure opened in Disneyland in 1995, its magnetic mythology was enough to draw the rest of the park’s Adventureland into its timeline and continuity. A 1940s lost expedition theme swept through the land, aging the park’s Jungle Cruise to rusted and tattered tramp steamers and turning Adventureland’s shops and restaurants into a tourist trap bazaar catered to nouveau riche European tourists drawn to the river delta by promises of the temple’s wealth.

The ride is so spectacular, it earned its own in-depth Modern Marvels: Indiana Jones Adventure feature diving deep into the story and technology that make it possible. It’s no surprise given that it was a product of Michael Eisner’s “Ride the Movies” era in the early ‘90s – all about big-budget, larger-than-life, cinematic attractions. But it’s not just that the story and setting of Indiana Jones Adventure fit right in with Indy’s cinematic adventures; the myth of Mara, the Three Gifts, the Chamber of Destiny, and the Forbidden Eye actually feel big-screen-ready; like one of the most captivating original worlds in any Disney Park!

8. Mickey’s Toontown
 

Image: Disney

Location: Disneyland

One of the reasons Disneyland exists at all is that, from the 1930s on, children would write into Disney’s studios asking Walt if they could come to Los Angeles to meet Mickey and his friends! And while Mickey was present at Disneyland since its 1955 opening, it was never made quite clear where, exactly, he lived. That changed in 1993 when Mickey’s Toontown opened, ushering guests into the previously hidden cartoon world (and indeed, the land is at least partially based on the seedy ‘Toontown’ seen in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?).

Image: Disney

Aside from the land’s signature dark ride, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Toontown is home to Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House – each a walkthrough attraction (and neither offering a bathroom…). For better or worse, the land has a distinct style that’s a fusion of Roger Rabbit, 1930s Max Fleischer cartoons, and 1990s family entertainment center. The result is a “Toontown” that doesn’t quite jive with today’s Mickey Mouse, much less the streetwise scrappy hero of the Mickey Mouse shorts…

That's one reason many had expected that Toontown's time was drawing short, with its valuable real estate likely set aside for a Fantasyland expansion – a straightforward way for Disney to double-dip on Frozen, Tangled, and Beauty and the Beast rides (and lucrative shops!) developed for Hong Kong, Paris, and Tokyo.

Image: Disney

But in 2019, Disney announced that Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (an upcoming E-Ticket at Disney's Hollywood Studios) would make its way West, opening in Toontown in 2022. Since the ride features the modern Mickey character from Disney Channel's critically acclaimed shorts, maybe the ride's arrival would trigger a creative facelift and redesign for the whole land? It seemed likely... until the concept art released (above) shows the same "inflated" '90s-tinged architecture the land currently sports.

Still, the idea of “expanding” the Mickey Mouse universe to allow guests to step into the world he returns to each night is novel, and Toontown’s downtown district and residential neighborhood are both fun to explore. Magic Kingdom used to offer another extension of the universe with the Lost Legend: Mickey’s Toontown Fair, a (much less permanent) county fair with Mickey and Minnie’s Country Houses. Toontown Fair closed in 2011 to make way for the park’s New Fantasyland.

9. Stark Expo and Avengers Campus

Image: Disney / Marvel

Location: Disney California Adventure

An astounding 23 films make up the "Infinity Saga" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over the course of the assembling the Avengers for their ultimate battle against Thanos, those films (released from 2008 to 2019) introduced Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Hulk, Thor, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Ant-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and more into a massive shared universe of crossover stories... and unimaginable worlds.

From the technological African nation of Wakanda to the superhero streets of New York; the glistening mythological Kingdom of Asgard to the mid-century World's Fair-style retro-futuristic showcase of Stark Expo, Marvel Studios films have produced a dozen locations that could leap from the screen into theme parks without missing a beat...

Image: Disney

And given that those 23 films earned an estimated $22.7 billion (yes, an average of nearly a billion each), there was never any question whether or not the Avengers would make their way to Disney Parks. There was, however, a question of how thanks to a binding, perpetual agreement between Marvel and Disney's biggest competition, Universal, signed prior to Disney's purchase of the company. Essentially, any Avengers heroes are verboten at Walt Disney World, meaning Pandora-sized Wakanda or Asgard lands were never on the table (even if both are more than deserved by the franchise)! But heroes were built into plans for Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris.

At the former, it takes the shape of a "Stark Expo" mini-land annexed from Tomorrowland, featuring the Iron Man Experience E-Ticket simulator and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle! shooting dark ride (shrinking guests to dust particle size).

Image: Disney

At the latter two, Avengers Campus lands will take shape. Utilizing the (increasingly overplayed) "adaptive re-use" style, the lands will be set-up as if Tony Stark and company have overtaken old factories and warehouses and outfitted them with Avengers training experiences meant to empower the next generation of heroes (that's us).

Both California and Paris's versions of the land will feature a Spider-Man interactive dark ride (closely resembling Toy Story Midway Mania) and Ant-Man themed brewery. Exclusive to Paris is an Iron Man-themed overlay of the existing Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, while California alone features the Guardians of the Galaxy overlay of Tower of Terror, plus a full Avengers E-Ticket coming in Phase II.

Image: Disney / Marvel

Neither Hong Kong's Stark Expo nor the Avengers Campus style land will be the scale that Marvel has proven worthy of... an odd swing of the pendulum from Disney's hyper-immersive and massively-scaled lands for Avatar and Star Wars... However, it's interesting that – even if it's mostly for budget-saving purposes – Disney has again opted out of recreating a place seen on screen and instead decided to expand a movie mythology by creating a new place that fits into an existing world.

Perhaps, like in Galaxy's Edge, their hope is that you and I will live our own hero adventure in an Avengers Campus, whereas recreating Asgard or Wakanda would force us to live someone else's. Whether they're right or wrong is probably highly subjective!

However, the Marvel-themed lands across the globe prove without a doubt that although we often say that Disney is chasing the "Wizarding World" formula, that's not entirely true... It's  not been since 2012's Cars Land that Disney recreated a world seen on screen the way Hogsmeade did. In every immersive, cinematic land since, they've created a new place that expands on the existing story rather than recreating it... an M.O. that appears poised to continue...!

 
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