Disney Park Comparison

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Comparing every Main Street U.S.A.

1. DISNEYLAND

MAIN STREET U.S.A. - OPENED: JULY 17, 1955

Main street U.S.A. opened as one of the five original lands of Disneyland. Walt Disney’s idea was to create a peaceful entrance: ‘scene one’ of his lavish cinematographic theme park. This street could basically serve as a movie set, with this difference that the buildings here are not mere façades. Here, you can go inside, feel it, and take in the smell of the place. This is a themed environment serving as background setting in which guests are immersed into a different world. And so, Walt created a ‘theme park’, a new and groundbreaking approach in the amusement park business.

This street was envisioned as an idealized version of Walt’s childhood hometown Marceline, Missouri at the turn of the century (1900-1910). This was a peaceful period and would work well in ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’. Apart from the Zurcker building that inspired the Refreshment Corner Café on Main Street, Marceline was more of a childhood memory, rather than the real basis for Main Street. Harper Goff, who drew most of the artwork, said much of it was based on pictures from his own hometown Fort Collins, Colorado. Many resemblances can be seen in buildings like Hottel House, the Old Main, and the Firehouse. Carnation Café is based upon the former Poudre Valley Bank of Fort Collins. The Plaza Inn restaurant on the hub has a slightly different theming, more flamboyant Victorian, similar to the Valley Knudsen Garden Residence in Los Angeles and actually more in line with Magic Kingdom’s Main Street design. Disneyland’s City Hall is probably based on a picture of Bay County Courthouse in Bay City. This was found in one of the many books on American Victorian architecture that were used as reference too.

To create an intimate look, all the ground floors are built at 7/8 size, with the upper floors even smaller in proportion. This practice is known as forced perspective. It is used throughout the park mainly to create a charming not-quite-real feeling.

As Walt had a passion for miniature trains, a working steam train was included in the creation of his theme park. The entrance building to his park is also the main station of the Disneyland railroad. It has a typical 2nd Empire style like the demolished Union Depot in Kansas City. Once passed the station you arrive at Town Square. Here you find the City Hall and the revolutionary at the time attraction: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. This attraction got a permanent installment in Disneyland after its success at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In the middle of Town Square, a gazebo was built, then demolished, and relocated next to the castle before the opening of the park, since it blocked the view to the castle too much.

Straight ahead runs Main Street for 2 blocks to the central hub, just in front of the castle. Main Street features a variety of shops, restaurants, and entertainment. The rather small-scale attractions all contribute to the atmosphere created here. They include Main Street Vehicles, Horse-Drawn Streetcars, Main Street Cinema, and the not-to-be-missed Barbershop Quartet. Furthermore, the street is used as setting for the famous Disney Parades.

The beauty and charm of this land sets a very high standard for the following parks. Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. is the textbook example of the difference between a theme park and an amusement park.

2. MAGIC KINGDOM

MAIN STREET U.S.A. - OPENED: OCTOBER 1, 1971

Prior to opening Walt Disney World, market research showed that Magic Kingdom was to accommodate a larger number of guests. The park needed to be bigger than Disneyland, so the Imagineers stood before a challenge: how to create a bigger Main Street without losing the charm and intimacy of it? Their answer was to make the buildings taller but maintaining the forced perspective. The 1900s era stayed, but the town became a more elegant Victorian east coast city, with its façades resembling the prosperous Saratoga Springs in New York. It features a more decorative style including French mansard roofs, heavier moldings, and lavish porches, like the Victorian buildings of Saratoga Springs (e.g., the United States Hotel, The Batcheller Mansion, Nolan House and houses on Greenfield Avenue and Regent Street). They also used more vivid colors like the red colored sidewalks. This shade supposedly absorbs the bright Florida sunlight rather than reflect it and this is the perfect background color to make photographs (with the castle in the distance) ‘pop’.

Many of the corner buildings have typical Queen Anne style octagonal towers (compare the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor with South Carolina’s Davis House). The four buildings on the crossing of Main Street and Center Street reflect four slightly different styles: New England, Chicago, New Orleans, and New York City. Palmer House Hotel in Chicago is likely the inspiration for the Disney Clothiers façade, and Uptown Jewelers combines the typical 2nd Empire mansion style with New Orleans Ironwork.

The impressive Main Street Station serves as entrance building to the park and is based on the Saratoga Depot in Saratoga Springs. It is the most majestic of all Disney train stations. On Town Square, Main Street Theater is based on the United States Hotel also in Saratoga Springs. The City Hall is inspired by the one in Philadelphia, and The Firehouse is like Nuppenau House in Detroit in Gothic Revival style. The Emporium’s grand porches are based on those from the Tampa Bay Hotel. Instead of the Plaza Inn Restaurant, the hub here has the Crystal Palace Restaurant, styled like San Francisco’s impressive Victorian Conservatory of Flowers greenhouse.

Inspiration also came from the 1969 movie version of the musical Hello Dolly set in 1890’s New York. The film’s Oscar winning production designer was John DeCuir, who subsequently worked on the design of Magic Kingdom. The similarities are undeniable, from the Victorian façades to even the benches. The overall result is an elaborate street with higher buildings, more depth, and in harmony with the bigger and more detailed castle.

Since Magic Kingdom is a grander park, it is often thought that Main Street is longer too, but this is not the case. The street is almost the same in length and just a little wider than its sibling. The hub is bigger though, designed to master heavier crowds. When you enter the park and look at the castle, it seems far away. This is a perspective trick: by making the buildings near the end of Main Street a little higher and the porches placed a little more towards the center, everything is building up to the castle in the distance. But now, when you are at the hub looking the other way towards Town Square, it works in reverse. The buildings nearest to you are big, making the rest of the street seem smaller and the exit nearby. Off course this is no coincidence, the idea is that people in the morning are fresh, overwhelmed, and willing to walk and discover the park. But at the end of the day, when people are tired, they just want to go to sleep and do as little walking as necessary. This effect is enhanced by the fact that the street runs slightly uphill towards the castle.

This land features less attractions than Disneyland’s, but the key ingredients are all present: Main Street Vehicles, Horse-Drawn Streetcars, the Barbershop Quartet, and the parades. Some earlier attractions, like the cinema and the arcade, have become retail space. Magic Kingdom does have one new attraction: a real Barbershop, originally located on West Center Street (the side street to the left). In 2001 this street was replaced by a shop too. Thematically, this is sad since Center Street offered a beautiful and unique quiet spot on the often-crowded Main Street. Luckily East Center Street stayed, and the Barbershop was relocated to Town Square.

All in all, Magic Kingdom’s Main Street is a lavish street. Less cozy and charming as Disneyland’s, but more detailed and overwhelming.

3. TOKYO DISNEYLAND

WORLD BAZAAR - OPENED: APRIL 15, 1983

For Tokyo Disneyland, the Imagineers wanted to create a brand new ‘land’ and not a mere copy of Main Street. The early concepts by artist Herbert Ryman show a contemporary multileveled concourse protecting guests from the heavy rainfalls during winter, called World Bazaar. This new land would be themed as an international shopping and dining street. Unfortunately, this did not happen because the Oriental Land Company (Disney’s Japanese partners) wanted nothing new. They wanted the best of Disneyland combined with the best of Magic Kingdom as an ‘improved Disneyland’. Main Street was back on the table, but the name World Bazaar, and the fact that the street would be covered stayed.

The façades are mostly based on Magic Kingdom’s version, although with less porches (they became redundant with the large canopy). Some façades are new and unique, influenced by the Art Deco period. The canopy is themed as a Victorian iron-and-glass exhibition hall not unlike the World Exhibition buildings of 1889 in Paris and 1897 in Brussels. At the exit of the canopy towards the hub Magic Kingdom’s Emporium façade, with its octagonal corner porch, is doubled to create an impressive, symmetric gateway. On the right side of this sits a completely new building, the Sweetheart café, in whimsical Queen Anne style, including a turret with an onion dome. On the left side sits the Home Store, also with a new and unique Victorian façade, making the back side of World Bazaar the most interesting and beautiful representation of the theme. Furthermore, the hub features a carbon copy of Magic Kingdom’s wonderful Crystal Palace (although here it is considered a part of Adventureland), and one attraction: the Omnibus.

Center Street is interesting too, it is wider and gives access to Adventureland to the left and Tomorrowland to the right. A clever thematic trick was applied: the façades towards Adventureland feature New Orleans influences. In this park Adventureland includes a New Orleans section right next to World Bazaar (see separate comparison). That is why the architecture of Magic Kingdom’s Uptown Jewelers is used for the Great American Waffle Co. restaurant. On the other side, towards Tomorrowland the exit features angular Art Deco shaped elements, oddly working well as transition towards the clean lines of Tomorrowland. The exterior here is kept quite minimalist and works well too, except for the out of theme Post-Modernist façade of Toy Station. It doesn’t fit the Victorian era but is luckily a quiet spot in the park.

Although the buildings and the canopy reflect the same period, something is off here. It feels more like an ‘American Pavilion’ at a World Fair rather than an actual recreation of an American street. A real street has no roof. And since themed attractions like Main Street Vehicles, Horse-Drawn Streetcars, and even the Railroad are missing here, it is difficult to get immersed into this version of a 1900s American town. Maybe International Street might have worked better under the canopy, for this would fit the theme of a 1900s exhibition hall. On the other hand, it is an extremely practical structure: not just as shelter, but also to get around in the park. This is the only park where Center Street gives access to both adjacent lands. Also, it is the main shopping area of the park, and shopping is a traditional must for the Japanese guests. Doing this protected from the rain is quite valuable here. The Hub is also unique and even bigger than Magic Kingdom’s, with a circular ‘street’ around it for the flux of people and for the parades.

World Bazaar is an interesting variation on an American turn-of-the-century town. Every individual aspect of this land is representative of 1900s Western architecture. For someone who grew up in Europe or America, this version does not create the illusion of an actual street. But for the Japanese guests there is no comparison, and so World Bazaar actually works quite well here.

4. DISNEYLAND PARIS

MAIN STREET U.S.A. - OPENED: APRIL 12, 1992

Like Tokyo’s version, the original plans showed a canopy for the European version, and a completely new Art Deco styled street influenced by the jazz era and Hollywood’s roaring twenties. It would feature big and innovative attractions adapted to this period and an elevated tramway, like the one from the movie Hello Dolly. Eddie Sotto, artistic director for Main Street in Europe, explained that the idea was to reflect an American style period that fascinated Europeans. The Imagineers were in serious doubt whether the guests here would relate to, or even appreciate a Victorian American town. Then again, changing everything and applying something completely new was maybe even more risky. Michael Eisner finally vetoed the 1920s approach, and the 1900s Main Street was back, with some minor 1920s influences though. To appeal to the European guests, this Main Street was designed without the canopy, but with many layers and details, to show the rich history of the town.

The façades of the street are for the most part the same as in Magic Kingdom, but with an expanded color palette, based on Disney’s 1955 animated movie Lady and the Tramp. Another novelty is the meticulous care for detail especially of the interiors. Center Street here is split it 2 separate streets named Flower Street (to the left) and Market Street (to the right). Flower Street features Walt’s Restaurant, based on Disneyland’s Club 33; Liberty Court, a small unique attraction making a connection between France and the USA; and a Barbershop too. Market Street has the unique Main Street Motors on its corner, featuring 1920s styled Times Square billboards. Furthermore, Market Street was inspired by San Francisco’s 'painted ladies' style and serves as a good example of the richness and the use of softer and more elaborate colors than in Magic Kingdom.

Town Square is different than the previous versions, it has more of a 1900s New York vibe. The buildings here are not as big as Magic Kingdom’s, but bigger and more detailed than Disneyland’s. City Hall is inspired by New York’s Western Union Telegraph building and has a unique arboretum to the left. To the right there is the Storybook Store, based on the library from the movie musical The Music Man. The unique octagonal Victorian gazebo in the middle of Town Square is similar to the bandstand depicted in the book 100 Victorian Architectural Designs by A. J. Bicknell. It blocks the view to the castle on purpose because the Imagineers wanted guests to experience Main Street before being drawn to the castle. The block on the right side of Town Square, with the striking Transportation Company building in the middle, has a silhouette based on Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, but in a unique Victorian style.

Instead of a covered street, two arcades stretching from Town Square to the hub protect guest from the inclement weather. Again, they are beautifully designed as 19th century shopping arcades like the Burlington in London, giving access to all the shops and restaurants from the back. They are found in every major city in Europe, so by adding these arcades another local connection was made. Thematically they both have a link to the land next to it: Liberty Arcade, leading to Frontierland and Discovery Arcade leading towards Discoveyland. Apart from these arcades, all the classic Main Street attractions are present.

The Victorian Disneyland Hotel serving as entrance gate instead of the typical train station, is a completely new idea. The pink color reflects the color of the castle. To avoid blocking the panoramic view from the hotel over Main Street, the station (which sits behind the hotel) was made significantly lower. It is designed as a Victorian wood depot, with staircases inspired by those from New York’s elevated Train Stations and floors paved with English encaustic tiles, all typical for the period.

Finally, this street is paved with bricks, laid out in a pattern like in New York City at the turn of the 20th Century. They are also red colored like the sidewalks in Magic Kingdom, but here the tone is softer and shows more variation because of the small differences between the bricks. This makes another connection to Paris and other European cities, often having bricks or cobblestones instead of grey tarmac.

Every detail, every layer, and every single aspect of this land is designed to perfection. Although there are no real rides to be found, still the European guests love to spend time here, exploring all the richness and beauty of this land.

5. HONG KONG DISNEYLAND

MAIN STREET U.S.A. - OPENED: SEPTEMBER 12, 2005

Hong Kong Disneyland’s Main Street is based on Disneyland’s original version. Most of the façades are carbon copies. But the use of vivid colors here is quite different from the California counterpart with its softer, more realistic colors. This street is a little wider too and has red colored bricks, like in Paris. The color of the bricks is much more vivid and prominent here. These bricks are not altered by the tracks of the Horse-Drawn Streetcars since this Main Street classic is the one attraction most notably missing here.

The backstory of Immigrants nestling in a small Midwest American town is exclusive here. It features some unique experiences like Art of Animation, which houses in Disneyland’s building for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and Animation Academy, right next to it. Although it is nice to have some change in attractions, these ones fit better in a different environment, like a Disney Studios theme park.

Overall, this Main Street is beautiful, but the bright colors, and the lack of attractions, cause this street to fail to immerse its guests like the original in Anaheim does. But, just like World Bazaar works very well in Japan, this whimsy version of Main Street works perfect for the local guests in Hong Kong too, not having the real thing to compare with in the first place.

The original plans showed a more unique approach, without a railroad, but with canals surrounding the hub and a large lake right next to Main Street, which would feature the spectacle: Fantasmic! Many budget cuts were made, and the park was scaled down. The new ideas for the park and for Main Street disappeared. The result is still nice but, compared to the other versions, it is hard to ignore something is missing here.

6. SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND

MICKEY AVENUE - OPENED: JUNE 16, 2016

Main Street is called Mickey Avenue here, the hometown of Mickey Mouse and his friends according to the original background story. Visually, it is a combination of Toontown with Victorian, Edwardian, and even French 1900s architecture, keeping the functionality of a classic Main Street. It pays tribute both to famous and lesser-known Disney characters from Walt Disney’s original 1940s and 1950s movies and shorts. Ratatouille, a more recent movie from 2007, is also included. On Tim Delaney’s website there are many early proposals to be found including a Hollywood themed street, a Forest Village, or a Whimsy Street. One proposal, closer to the final version, included buildings from famous movies like Aladdin, Mary Poppins, and Peter Pan. From the beginning it was clear that Shanghai was to be a different kind of ‘Castle Park’, and it is. Most probably, this approach was chosen to avoid the same problem as in Tokyo and Hong Kong, where the Western Main Street is too far away culturally to relate to. Although this street is a bit of an architectural mishmash, it works quite well as a new ‘land’ with subtle references to many Walt Disney movies and shorts. It is divided in 4 small neighborhoods.

The grand entrance building is designed as a typical train station, although there is no railroad here. Right behind it is the first zone: Celebration Square, taking the spot of the typical Town Square. This is the biggest and most important of all neighborhoods. On the right is the post office and the Carefree Corner, reminiscent of the octagonal corner of the Glendale Sanitarium in California in Victorian style. Next to it is the Minnie Mouse themed Sweethearts Confectionery in Queen Anne Style, like the Purple House in Ocean Grove.

On the opposite site sits the rather small City Hall, right behind the entrance. It has a unique Romanesque design like a small church, including a typical bell tower. Avenue M Arcade is the largest shop here, replacing the traditional Emporium. The main entrance resembles an Edwardian Baroque theater façade in the style of Willian G. R. Sprague, the famous architect who is responsible for many London theatres in the 1900s. The other big entrance to the shop is a replica of the 1926 Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles in Spanish Colonial style, famous for hosting the premieres of many Disney movies. This shop has many more other façades, introducing many different architectural styles, mostly inspired by the cartoons they represent, including Mickey shorts like Magician Mickey and Clock Cleaners, the Silly Symphony Music Land, and the film Melody Time.

The Second area is the small Park Place just in front of the Gardens of Imagination. Here is Remy’s Patisserie based on the Ratatouille movie, introducing Pixar to the theming, and adding typical Parisian Haussmann architecture to the design. Park Place creates a smooth transition between Mickey Avenue and the adjacent Gardens of Imagination.

Right next to it lies Market District, the third area with an overall American warehouse style. Most notably here is the large Market Café and the Whistle Stop Shop, themed as a Victorian train station. The architecture of the latter is a close copy of the Point of Rocks train station in Maryland in Gothic Revival style. The backstory explains this is the former train station, now used for retail.

The Theatre District is the fourth neighborhood and lies on the other side, leading towards Tomorrowland. Mickey's Storybook Adventure is found here. This show actually takes place in the Art Deco styled Walt Disney Grand Theatre in Downtown Disney right next to the park. It also features the Venetian styled Il Paperino ice cream restaurant with a Donald Duck theming.

Although there are no actual attractions here (apart from the aforementioned show), the land works quite well. The cartoonish theming makes it perfectly possible to have many different styles eclectically combined. It even creates an immersive feeling, which is somewhat missing in the two other Asian parks.

(click image to enlarge)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Shanghai’s cartoonish approach is definitely unique and appealing, although it lacks the stylish beauty of a ‘classic’ Main Street. The intention of the World Bazaar design in Tokyo is good, but the canopy makes it anyhow quite impossible to create the illusion of an actual street.

Hong Kong’s street is designed as a charming small Midwest town, almost identical to Anaheim’s original version. The difference is that the latter feels more real and has more to offer attraction-wise, making it a tinge better.

The grander streets of Paris and Florida are almost identical too, Town Square is different though: Saratoga Springs inspired in Florida and New York City inspired in Paris. The meticulous care for detail, the two beautifully crafted arcades, and both Flower Street and Market Street, make Paris stand out.

BEST MAIN STREET U.S.A.: Disneyland Paris (but Anaheim comes close)

Thursday, August 8, 2024

Comparing every Fantasyland

1. DISNEYLAND

FANTASYLAND - OPENED: JULY 17, 1955

On opening day, Fantasyland was designed as a medieval castle courtyard, the rather simple attraction façades, decorated with ribbons and flags, looked like tournament tents to represent a festival. The original idea of a quaint storybook village in the style of the early Disney movies like Pinocchio was scrapped to limit the costs. This concept was implemented eventually in 1983 when Fantasyland received a major makeover, replacing the plain tents with elaborate façades. Today, the cozy and colorful land features no less than 18 attractions.

Right behind the castle sits the heart of Fantasyland, styled from 1983 onwards as a romanticized medieval European village. Representing the architecture of villages as found in the Alsace region in France, in the English Countryside, and most notably in the Bavaria region in Germany (The style is often simply referred to as Bavarian). You enter this triangular-shaped area through the small but well themed castle, mainly based on the Neuschwanstein castle of the same German region. It features many influences from other buildings though (see separate castle comparison).

To the left stands a grand clock tower, reminiscent of the Freiburg clock tower in Germany. The adjacent façade of Snow White’s Enchanted Wish is styled as a German fortress like the Reichsburg in Cochem. Right next to it sits Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. The façades of this attraction and of the adjacent Red Rose Tavern are mainly inspired by Rothenburg, a rather famous village in Bavaria, with its typical half-timbered houses, whimsical turrets, and cozy streets. Similar streets are found in Eguisheim, France, where you also find the old Catharinenhof featuring comparable architecture. The entrance of the Pinocchio dark ride is styled like Stromboli’s house as seen in the movie. It was drawn by animator Gustaf Tenggren and, like the whole village in the movie, was also inspired by Rothenburg. Originally the Mickey Mouse Club Theater used to be here, it closed in favor of the Pinocchio ride, the only novelty of the 1983 makeover.

The first building on the opposite side (the right side behind the castle), is a shop themed to Merlin. It features the same typical half-timbered façade and a turret copied from the Feuerleinserker in Rothenburg. Next, you find Peter Pan’s Flight with an intricate façade combing the German and English village styles. The clock tower is supposedly based on London’s Big Ben but resembles Bavarian clock towers like the one in Bern much more. Next to Peter Pan sits Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in English Tudor Style similar to the Toad Hall pictured in the movie, based on the Foxwarren Country House in Surrey. In the middle of the village stands the colorful King Arthur Carrousel fittingly.

Thematically, the back of this triangle still looks like a fairground. Here are the Casey Jr. Circus Train ride and the classic Dumbo, the Flying Elephant ride. The waiting area of the latter has colorful tents, reminiscent of the original 1955 façades, but updated. This actually works quite well with the overall Dumbo/ circus theme. This is also the area of Storybook Land Canal Boats, right behind it. Further to the right follows an Alice in Wonderland zone, featuring abstract colorful leave-shaped forms. This more modern section is somewhat hidden from the previous part by meticulously planted trees. The only visible façade (the one next to the Mr. Toad ride) is reminiscent of the White Rabbit’s House as in the movie and is also in English Tudor style, but with a fantasy twist. The style is more cartoonish, with not quite straight walls, and a whimsical straw roof. It is an ingenious transition between the village and Alice’s ‘Wonderland’. Here is the classic Mad Tea Party, in a unique open-air version, adding a special quality to it. Furthermore, this area features the only version of the Alice in Wonderland dark ride too.

The massive Matterhorn Bobsleds opened in 1959 alongside the Monorail and the Submarine Voyage as part of Tomorrowland. Although the attraction was a first of a kind innovative masterpiece, the theming did not fit the futuristic land. In 1972 the mountain was made part of Fantasyland, while the other attractions remained in Tomorrowland. The entrance building, themed as a small Alpine town hall, including its wooden roof shingles and bell tower, is quite like the rest of the village architecture. The mountain works well as backdrop for the village but is separated from it by the somewhat contrasting area of Alice in Wonderland.

To the back of the land, adjacent the Matterhorn, and separated from the rest of the land, are 2 more attractions: Fantasyland Theatre and It’s a Small World. The huge façade of the latter, based on Mary Blair’s drawings, features abstract graphic forms that were popular in the 1960s representing famous landmarks from around the world. These attractions sit well here for 2 reasons: both are big attractions, and the architecture is too modern to be part of the small European village. It’s a Small World is one of the attractions that premiered at the New York World’s Fair and received a fix place in Walt’s park afterwards.

More recently, the rather small Fantasy Faire area was added in 2013, in whimsical medieval design. Since there was no available space within the triangle of the village, this addition was constructed outside the Fantasyland boundaries, next to the castle, on the left side of the hub. Although this is a nice little add-on, it is a good example of the unfortunate fact that Disneyland has become too small.

The attraction line-up and the overall theming makes this original Fantasyland one of the finest.

2. MAGIC KINGDOM

FANTASYLAND - OPENED: OCTOBER 1, 1971

The second installment of Fantasyland is found in the Magic Kingdom, it opened as a part of the entire Walt Disney World in 1971. Like the overall Magic Kingdom design, there is more open space and wider walking paths to be found here. Between 2012 and 2014, this land got a major expansion, dividing it in 3 sub area’s: the original Castle Courtyard and the additional Fantasyland Forest and Storybook Circus, each featuring a different theme. This is one of the biggest Fantasylands with a total of 18 attractions.

Most of the opening day attractions were duplicates from Disneyland including the Snow White, Peter Pan, and Mr. Toad dark rides. Mickey Mouse Revue, an audio-animatronic show, was the only new ride, today replaced by the 4D movie Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Originally, the Imagineers worked on a completely new set of rides, based on Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, The Sword in the Stone, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. To avoid taking too many risks, Walt’s brother Roy Disney advised to clone popular Disneyland rides instead of creating new ones. Another novelty would have been a boat ride created by Marc Davis named The Enchanted Snow Palace, based on The Snow Queen long before the film Frozen was made. It was simultaneously envisioned for Disneyland, but neither version opened.

Today, the Castle Courtyard blends the medieval festival and fairytale village themes. The attraction façades of Peter Pan’s Flight, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Princess Fairytale Hall and even It’s a Small World, all look similar, like colorful tents on a fairground. The Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant on the other hand has a Bavarian theme, likely inspired by villages like Miltenberg in Germany and Kaysersberg in France. The tower next to the restaurant looks like the clock tower in Ostheim, Germany. Next to the entrance to Peter Pan’s Flight, stands a tower copied from the Kobolzeller gate tower in Rothenburg. The adjacent façades feature many elements of houses found in Rothenburg and Tübingen. Here, the architecture is more realistic than in Disneyland’s counterpart and the buildings are larger too, hence lacking the cozy storybook feeling. The majestic castle, inspired by real French castles from the Loire valley combined with gothic elements, fits well in this overall bigger park.

One of the key attractions of Fantasyland was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which unfortunately closed in 1994. It was basically a copy of a similar Disneyland attraction that opened in 1959 in Tomorrowland. The Florida version focused more on the fantasy elements of the movie and so it did not feel out of place here in this land.

Fantasyland Forest, one of the more recent areas, is extremely well themed and detailed and features a variety of new and unique experiences. Here, you are invited into the fairytale worlds of Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Snow White. Featuring the houses and architecture as seen in the movies, including Belle’s town with Belle’s house and Gaston’s Tavern, the Beast’s castle, Prince Eric’s castle, and the Dwarfs’ cottage. This area alone is probably the most immersive of all Fantasyland experiences, thus in a way contrasting the previous area. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Mad Tea Party are comprised in this new area and feel a bit out of place here. Especially Mad Tea Party is a bit separated in theme and style and sits close to Tomorrowland. It lacks the immersive feeling of this area.

The third area has a circus theme and is separated from the rest of Fantasyland. This is rather a good thing given the thematic differences. (It used to be a separate land before the expansion: Mickey’s Toontown Fair). The major experience here is an upgraded version of Dumbo, doubling its capacity and adding a virtual queue to it inside a huge circus tent. This eliminates its simplistic charm a bit but fits the theme better than before. (Dumbo feels odd in a Medieval European village if you think about it). The rest of the land is consistent in the circus theme but adds nothing special.

Overall, Magic Kingdom’s version of Fantasyland is exquisite. Although Castle Courtyard is less charming than Disneyland’s, this is largely countered by the unique setting of the rich and beautifully detailed Fantasyland Forest.

3. TOKYO DISNEYLAND

FANTASYLAND - OPENED: APRIL 15, 1983

Tokyo Disneyland’s version of Fantasyland was nothing special compared to the others in the early years. In fact, most of the attractions where uninspired copies. Even the castle is an exact copy of Magic Kingdom’s castle, although a little smaller. Over the years they changed their strategy and the latest addition of the Beauty and the Beast area for example show their ability to reinvent and come up with unique and sparkling attractions. Prior to this addition, many propositions to adapt and update the existing attractions of this land were proposed, but none were executed. To date there are 14 attractions in this land which is divided in 2 sub areas. The original and main area is the Castle Courtyard and the second is a Beauty and the Beast themed area, which opened in 2020.

The Castle Courtyard part, with its medieval tournament theming, opened the same year the Bavarian overlay happened at Disneyland. The contrast could not be more striking as the area here looks old and uninspired. Especially the rather flat tent-like façades of Snow White’s Adventures, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic all look similar and lack depth and detail. The façade of Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is Bavarian and more interesting, as are the shops in this area. Although the style is based on the Rothenburg architecture, similar to Magic Kingdom’s version, it is less detailed and less cozy here. Also, the overall open spaces diminish the feeling of an immersive fantasy world. The back of the land is dominated by the huge façade of It’s a Small World. Quite similar in design to Disneyland’s, but much more colorful, featuring a wide range of vivid pastels where Disneyland’s original has a white façade with blue and gold accents.

In 1986 Fantasyland got 2 additional attractions, the classic Alice’s Tea Party and Mystery Tour, a walk-trough attraction focusing on the villains from many Disney films, taking place inside the castle. This was one of the few original attractions of Tokyo and considered one of Disney’s scariest. In 2011 it was replaced by a gentler Cinderella walk-trough called Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall. Later additions include Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, bringing nice additions in color and style. They both have a unique identity - not quite fitting the medieval setting - thus make the whole a bit thematically inconsistent.

The Haunted Mansion is also part of Fantasyland. It was placed here for cultural reasons. And although it is perfectly possible to have ghosts in a Fantasy land, it is a carbon copy of Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square Mansion, making it bit a bit out of place here behind Dumbo.

The good news is that the incredible theming of the newest Beauty and the Beast area is simply delightful. The design of the Beast Castle as entrance to the ride is rich and overwhelming, and much more intricate and detailed than Magic Kingdom’s version. The ride itself is beautiful and brings something unique to Tokyo. The rest of this area is an expanded version of Belle’s town in Magic Kingdom. It features the rich fairytale village style as seen in the movie, reminiscent of the medieval French towns of Conques and Riquewihr. This immersive mini land is quite separated from the rest of Fantasyland and is definitely a welcome new addition to Tokyo Disneyland.

The minor downside of each addition to Fantasyland is that it makes the original Castle Courtyard look outdated. This phenomenon is much more striking here than in Magic Kingdom.

4. DISNEYLAND PARIS

FANTASYLAND - OPENED: APRIL 12, 1992

Since many of the fairy tales come from Europe, the Imagineers designed a land that was very Disney, but also reflecting the European origins of the fairytales. It resulted in a lavish romanticized Medieval village blended with pure fantasy elements. It has 17 attractions including Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant: the fairy tale looking castle, very different from the previous ones that were all based on real European castles. The fantasy element of the castle is enhanced by the presence of a giant dragon animatronic sleeping in the dungeon underneath. The land itself is designed as a landscaping puzzle. Keeping the space needed for the crowds, but visually altering it by different flowerbeds, topiaries, and waterways. Therefore, attractions like Dumbo, the Flying Elephant and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups blend smoothly with their surroundings.

The overall idea was to reflect many European countries in the lay-out. The Castle Courtyard is the French part with Sleeping Beauty castle right behind you, the restaurant L’Auberge de Cendrillon (meaning: The Cinderella Inn) to the right and Le Carrousel de Lancelot in front of you. The restaurant has a tranquil courtyard and is themed after the manor featured in the film blending the lavish French Baroque and Renaissance styles, similar to the famous Château Milandes. It adds a new and exclusive French countryside corner to Fantasyland. The entrance façade in the same style includes the Cinderella Fountain like the one behind the castle in Magic Kingdom. Adjacent the restaurant are some shops themed to different fairy tales. The exuberant façades feature colorful turrets, a giant beanstalk, and half a carousel with meticulous stained-glass windows.

To the left is the German section, with Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains and Les Voyages de Pinocchio in Bavarian style like Disneyland’s versions. Actually, this whole block is a close copy of the same block in Disneyland. Only here, many colors and details are added, like the Burgundian roof added to the clock tower. The 7 Dwarfs shop is also added and is styled like the Dwarfs’ Cottage as seen in the movie.

Further into the land sits the English area, with Peter Pan’s Flight, Toad Hall Restaurant, and an Alice in Wonderland section. The latter featuring Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, an English hedge maze based on the famous Hampton Court Maze combined with fantasy elements in the style of Disneyland’s similar section. Here, the colors are brighter, and the area is bigger, including the labyrinth with the Queen of Hearts’ Castle as its centerpiece. Disneyland’s Mr. Toad's Wild Ride façade is duplicated as the entrance to a restaurant here, the ride itself is not copied. The building that houses Peter Pan’s Flight is an expanded version of Disneyland’s adding an entrance gate and side section. This ride is situated deliberately adjacent Adventureland making a smooth transition towards the Pirates attraction and Captain Hook’s Galleon featured in the same film. Note that in this section all the signs of attractions, restaurants etc. are written in English (where French is used in the previous parts of Fantasyland).

A fourth area, exclusively found in Paris, does not feature any attractions but only one large restaurant: Pizzeria Bella Notte, is found on the right-hand side of the land. It is themed after the films Lady and the Tramp and Luca and reflects the classic Italian architecture of Venice, Siena, Pisa, and Pistoia. Italian is used for the signs here.

To the back of the land, Belgium and The Netherlands are represented as the calm corner in the otherwise lavish land. Here you find The Old Mill Restaurant, similar to the wooden mill depicted in Disney’s 1937 short by the same name, styled like a typical octagonal windmill as found in both countries. Behind the mill sits a canal boat ride called: Le Pays des Contes de Fées (meaning: The Land of Fairy Tales). This is quite similar to Disneyland’s Storybook Land Canal Boats, which was in turn inspired by Madurodam, a miniature world in The Netherlands that opened in 1952, 3 years prior to Disneyland. The imposing It’s a Small World, with a color scheme reminiscent of Tokyo’s, sits on the right side of this section bringing an American classic to Europe. Other American stories are added too: Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Cirque blends well with the canal boats and Dumbo, the Flying Elephant fits well next to the Alice in Wonderland area. Every lavish fantasy element is always altered by a soft flower bed or a small canal, making the whole - with all its different styles - the most cohesive Fantasyland around.

They even kept space available for future expansion within the borders of the land. The French area was to get an expansion with a Beauty and the Beast attraction and the site opposite the Italian section was kept for a Little Mermaid attraction. Originally written by the Danish H.C. Andersen, it would have added a Scandinavian touch to the European theme. Although the design and beauty of this land make it wonderful, it is a bit outdated today for it has been 30 years since an attraction (not counting the meet and greet installments) was added.

5. HONG KONG DISNEYLAND

FANTASYLAND - OPENED: SEPTEMBER 12, 2005

Hong Kong Disneyland’s Fantasyland opened in 2005 as a rather small land, lacking many classic attractions. Over the years, rides were added and today it features 14 attractions. Recently the castle received a complete makeover.

Its theme is mostly Medieval fairground, but it also features a bit of the storybook village style, most notably with the grand Bavarian façade of Mickey’s PhilharMagic. You will not find the Peter Pan, Snow White, or Pinocchio rides here for they wanted only attractions based on tales that were well known and loved in Hong Kong. That is why The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the only dark ride here. Reminiscent of the Parisian versions, Cinderella Carousel, Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, and Dumbo, the Flying Elephant are present too. Hong Kong’s exclusive Clopin's Festival of Foods is a restaurant based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, fitting the Medieval festival theme perfectly.

The back of the land has the Storybook Theater, inspired by musical pavilions found in European pleasure gardens like Tivoli Gardens. A bit similar in design is the meet-and-greet location Fantasy Gardens, designed as a more modern European garden, but with cartoonish gazebos. In 2008 It’s a Small World was added, with its colorful 1960’s Mary Blair façade, and in 2015 Fairy Tale Forest opened, a rather small but beautifully landscaped walk-trough version of Storybook Land Canal Boats.

Upon opening, Hong Kong featured an almost exact copy of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. But in 2020 it got a complete makeover. The brand-new Castle of Magical Dreams is now dedicated to 14 Disney Princesses instead of just one. It is very detailed and imposing as it is the tallest of all Disney castles. Architecturally, it is an eclectic combination of styles, and together with its pastel color palette, it comes across as a bit of a mishmash. It feels out of place in this rather small Medieval village. Off course anything is possible in a made-up fantasy world, but since this castle is not based on a fairy tale, it is more difficult to relate to.

The original plan features a more unique take on Fantasyland, dividing it in many different area’s: Pinocchio’s Village, Belle’s Village, London, Agrabah, and even a Villain area. The castle would be in the back of the land, designed in the colorful cardboard style of the It’s a Small World Façade. As is often the case, these unique ideas were scrapped and replaced by safer choices.

Although it is a nice coherent land, it does not feature as many attractions as the other Fantasylands. But the fantasy theme will get an expansion in the near future: the zone right behind Fantasyland is now under construction as a new Frozen themed land.

6. SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND

FANTASYLAND - OPENED: JUNE 16, 2016

As the rest of Shanghai Disneyland, this version of Fantasyland stands out as different. 2 Iconic Fantasyland rides are located in front of the castle in a new and unique land: Gardens of Imagination. This land too is included in this comparison. Fantasyland has 12 attractions, while Gardens of Imagination holds 5 attractions. The Enchanted Storybook Castle is the biggest castle of any Disney park. It is not based on French or German castles (like Disneyland’s or Magic Kingdom’s) and less fairytale like (like the Paris version). Instead, it is influenced by all previous castles adding many architectural styles (see separate castle comparison). Just like Hong Kong’s castle this one is based on all the Disney princesses, which is still thematically weird, but not visually disturbing because the exterior is more harmonious architecturally, and the building fits well in the overall grander park.

Entering Fantasyland through the castle, in all previous parks, you would find yourself in the typical cozy castle courtyard, with a carousel in the middle. This is not the case in Shanghai. Here you find a broad walkway stretching from left to right overlooking a boat ride taking up a lot of space. If you are used to the previous Fantasylands, you might need some time to adjust to this new approach. Since there are not a lot of attractions and every attraction/ section is somewhat separated from the next, the whole feels a bit empty sometimes.

The style of the land is mostly Bavarian, not small village-like, but a bit bigger and more unique. It features a completely new version of the Alice in Wonderland Maze, this time based on Tim Burton’s live-action movie instead of the animated film. Since many fans will argue that the wonderful world of Burton deserved an attraction since long, this is a good start. It sits on the right-hand side of the castle, which makes sense (having a garden/ maze next to a castle). The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, copied from the Magic Kingdom, is a nice addition here. On the left-hand side is a broad Bavarian street, featuring mostly shops and restaurants and also Peter Pan’s Flight, one of the few traditional Fantasyland rides duplicated here in Shanghai, but with a new Bavarian façade though.

The unique boat ride Voyage to the Crystal Grotto is a modern version of Storybook Land Canal Boats. It does not feature miniatures, but bigger scenes with life-sized characters and a grand finale inside the castle. Another unique attraction is Once Upon a Time Adventure. It also takes place inside the castle and tells the story of Snow White, using up-to-date optical techniques. To the back of the land, Tangled is represented with the Tangled Tree Tavern restaurant, based on the whimsical tavern from the film.

Finally, the typical teacups are replaced here by spinning honey pots in the Winnie the Pooh based Hunny Pot Spin. This attraction sits fittingly next to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. A shop in the same theme, with a storybook English cottage façade makes this nice little Winnie the Pooh area complete.

Shanghai’s Fantasyland is the most unique version, featuring more modern techniques and lacking most of the older ‘traditional’ rides.

GARDENS OF IMAGINATION - OPENED: JUNE 16, 2016

Gardens of Imagination is the second ‘fantasy’ land in Shanghai. It takes the place of the hub in the other parks. The idea to put Dumbo, the Flying Elephant, and the Fantasia Carousel in a calm environment in front of the castle rather than behind it is new and interesting. The carousel is the only one themed to Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia, featuring bright colored horses.

There is a lot of green in here and, together with the water features, it has an overall beautiful design. The Garden of the Twelve Friends and the Wandering Moon Restaurant create an attractive addition of local Chinese experiences. Marvel Universe is out of theme here, but since the show building is on the outside border of the Gardens and the fact that little of it is visible on the outside, it is not that big of a problem.

This is a new and unique land, that blends quite well with Mickey Avenue, just in front of it. It is beautifully designed, with a lot of detail, color, and care. Quite contrarily to all previous parks, this land, themed as a peaceful park, creates a tranquil central area in an otherwise busy theme park. A perfect example of what makes Shanghai so unique and different from the other parks.

(click image to enlarge)

FINAL THOUGHTS

In design, Hong Kong features a beautiful and charming land, but it is the smallest and least original version. Shanghai’s Fantasyland is the most recent version, featuring more modern techniques and lacking most of the older ‘traditional’ rides. Together with the small but beautifully shaped Gardens of Imagination, it is the most unique version.

Paris and Anaheim have a similar design. The difference is that Anaheim has more rides including Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Matterhorn Bobsleds. Paris on the other hand is bigger, has a better overall lay-out, and is more detailed. What tips the balance in favor of Paris is its storybook castle.

The Castles and Castle Courtyards of Tokyo and Florida are similar too. Both parks also received a large expansion quite recently. Tokyo added the stunning Beauty and the Beast section and Florida the entire Fantasyland Forest and Storybook Circus areas. Tokyo’s Beauty and the Beast section (the Beast’s Castle!) is largely preferable to Florida’s, but the latter’s overall Fantasyland Forest is quite astounding and has so much more to offer.

BEST FANTASYLAND: Magic Kingdom