Just as Mystic Manor begins and ends in the Acquisitions & Cataloguing Room, with all eyes on the mystical music box, imagine our trip through La Casita Encantada beginning and ending in the Casita's central Courtyard, where the magical candle glows on a balcony above. Mirabel herself appears from behind a door as an Audio-Animatronic to introduce "The Family Madrigal" in song, as tapping roof tiles, shuffling plants, chattering shutters, and percussive drawers begin to "sing" along.
One-by-one as Mirabel sings, the doors of the Courtyard glow and open to reveal each family member's enchanted room beyond, with each character greeting us from his or her doorway. Dolores, Camilo, Julieta, Bruno... Our vehicles slowly rotate to face each door as they open in turn, the family member beyond demonstrating his or her gift to the tune of Mirabel's song.
By time we've fully turned to view the doorway opposite Mirabel, she sings of her cousin Antonio and his ability to speak with animals. The door glows, unseals, and opens into his magical room – a rainforest paradise hidden in the house...
There's just one problem. Unlike the rest of the doors from the Courtyard, Antonio isn't inside. "Antonio?" Mirabel interrupts her own singing. "Where's Antonio?!" Instead of her cousin, projections bring to life dozens of animals, who escape from inside and race out into the courtyard around us! The vehicles turn back to Mirabel just soon enough to see Antonio's toucan, Pico, flying off with the enchanted candle in his beak!
Mirabel reaches for the bird to no avail! It flies around the balcony, the flickering, weakening candle leaving a trail of magical sparks in its wake. As the candle's warmth begins to flicker in flight, so do the colors and lights of the home!
As the percussion continues, Mirabel sputters. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She looks on as Pico disappears into the room next to us, candle firmly in his peak and trail of sparks left hovering in the air. "Casita! Take our new familia and go after Pico! We have to get that candle back!" Just like that, waves of tapping floor tiles (projected on the ground), push our vehicles sideways, following Pico and the magical glow of the candle left suspended in that air.
The journey through La Casita Encantada sees guests visit each and every room of La Casita Madrigal, passing through vivid, living, colorful rooms brought to life by each family member. It's a musical, magical quest to retrieve the magic candle from Pico, all the while, Mirabel and her family sing frantically to the tune of "The Family Madrigal."
Room by room we chase after the trail of candlelight, following Pico into the jungle of Antonio's room, where the bird plays a musical hide and seek among the plants and animals. A glowing door leads to Julieta's musical kitchen of clattering pots and pans, tinkling teacups, and the smell of fresh-baked arepas. Then it's into Isabela's room, where she tries to catch the bird in a storm of falling petals and flowering trees with riders taking off into the storm of flowers after him. The chase leads into Bruno's tower, with the dancing candlelight trailing behind the the bird illuminating ancient runes and glowing prophesies before the toucan – and guests – slide into the walls!
Room by room, riders follow the trail of sparkling candlelight, all leading to final encounter in Mirabel's room. As sunset pours in from the window, we see an Audio-Animatronic of a helpless Mirabel in the center of the room, leaping in panic and she tries to catch Pico, hovering just over her head with the candle nearly extinguished in his beak.
With the magical energy draining from the home, the house itself quakes! A vortex of wind, petals, animals, candlelight, and pieces of the Casita begin swirling around guests, picking up Mirabel's boxes and bed. The force of the magic grows and grows, with vehicles swirling around Mirabel and the bird until, with a tremendous flash of energy, the house begins to disintegrate!
All hope may seem lost... until we hear the distant voice of Antonio in the next room. "¡Pico! ¿Donde estás, Pico?" As the bird heads off in the direction of the sound, we follow the trail of candlelight one last time, pressing right on through the swirling wind and light.
In an instant, we find ourselves back in the Courtyard, with destructive magical energy swirling, beams rattling, and color drained... Just as we enter the room, we see Pico hovering, lowering, and coming to a rest on the arm of Antonio, who's straddling a leopard on the balcony overhead! He pats the bird's beak, then returns the candle to its rightful place! In a poof of magical energy, warmth spreads throughout the room, color is restored, and the Casita repairs before our very eyes!
Just as the last beam returns to its place and the house is overcome with its warm, magical glow once more, Abuela emerges from the door behind the restored candle. "What's going on out here?" She demands.
"Nothing, Abuela!" Mirabel assures her, emerging from a balcony. "Just... celebrating with our new familia."
Abuela smiles at guests and nods down approvingly as the music crescendos. "Well in that case," she laughs, "welcome to the family Madrigal!" The vehicles spring to life, passing under her and returning to the unload station.
The Prompt
Obviously, our idea of "La Casita Encantada" is just a Blue Sky concept. It goes without saying that pretty much any Walt Disney Imagineering fan (us included!) would prefer if Mystic Manor came to the United States as-is, with its incredible original characters, spectacular score, and already-iconic scenes untouched. Our purpose here isn't to suggest that Disney give the ride a character overlay...
Rather, consider it a conceptual compromise; a realistic way to bring this exciting, magical, and musical dark ride to the United States, where the choice very well may be "a Mystic Manor with Encanto, or nothing at all." After all, Disney's domestic parks don't appear ready to drop their moritorium on original, IP-free ideas anytime soon... and if an Encanto ride brought such a fun family concept to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, it would at least be better than nothing!
But what are your thoughts... Realistically, if Mystic Manor needed a movie overlay to come to the United States, how would you suggest Disney Imagineers rework the ride to make it fit into a U.S. Disney park? Where would you put it? What "movie wrap" would you apply? Even if it's not the Mystic Manor you know and love, would you be excited if a ride like our "Casita Encantada" were announced?
Comments
Epcot Needs South American Representation. Colombia, Encanto's Setting, Is In South America. A Colombia Pavilion Would Fit Nicely At The African Area Between China And Germany. AK Already Has Africa. The Queue Would Be A Rainforest With A Central Area Featuring The River Where 2 Certain Plot Relevant Events Happen. The Vehicles Could Be Palm, Liana, And Flowering Vine Themed, Seeing That Isabella Uses Vines To Swing Around Like Tarzan Or Rapunzel. And In Her Song, A Tree Raises Her And Mirabel Up Into the Sky, Along With A Liana That Raises Mirabel. They NEED An Arepa Con Queso Place If They Do This.