Disney is building a brand-new Villains Land at Magic Kingdom! We’re so excited for the Disney Villains to have their spotlight. So many people are fans of the glamorous and mischievous characters, and now we get an entire land dedicated to their shenanigans. However, there is some concern about Disney, a very optimistic, bright, and happy brand, doing a dark, moody, and possibly scary(ish) land.
Villains Land ©Disney
Dark Universe recently opened at Epic Universe, Universal Orlando’s new theme park, so Villains Land may get compared to this new land, which could make people worry that Disney won’t be able to compete. But we’re not worried about it at all! We have faith and trust in Disney. Plus, we have evidence to back up our lack of concern.
When people think about Disney and Disney parks, they often think of movies like Peter Pan, Frozen, and The Lion King, and rides like “it’s a small world,” Jungle Cruise, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Fans think about happy and cheerful experiences, or shows and movies where good always prevails. But that has not always been the case.
“it’s a small world”
There have been several instances where Disney has created successful dark and scary rides and experiences at its parks. For example, ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was once an attraction at Magic Kingdom that was very intense. The experience was created by Disney and Lucasfilm (then a separate entity from Disney). It was a 4-D experience that was dark and scary, with hot breath, spit, and “blood” in your face. It was wild.
via AllEars.net
Alien Encounter eventually declined in popularity due to how intense and scary it was at a family theme park. It was eventually replaced by Stitch’s Great Escape, which also had its own level of scariness. Stitch’s Great Escape has also permanently closed at Magic Kingdom.
©Disney Stitch’s Great Escape
Another example of an intense and scary experience Disney has created was the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour at Tokyo Disneyland. This dark, horror tour took its idea from the unpopular movie The Black Cauldron. This experience was a walk-through tour of the castle’s underground. There was no warning that it was going to be scary, only subtle hints from the Magic Mirror, the further along you went. Portraits of Disney Princes and Princesses morphed into Disney Villains.
Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland
From flying axes to goblins to being chased by skeletons, this tour got more and more intense the longer you went on. Finally, you would come to the The Black Cauldon section where a hero was named and eventually would save the group. Yes, good did win over evil in this experience, but it was a heck of a time getting there.
©D23
Today, we still have dark and spooky rides at the Disney parks. Haunted Mansion variations are in every park around the world, and the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios will certainly give many people a fright if they’ve never been on it before. Cheery and happy is what Disney does most often, but Disney can absolutely do dark and creepy, too.
Tower of Terror
At the same time, Magic Kingdom is absolutely a family theme park, and generally speaking, Disney is a family-friendly brand. That’s why we feel confident that they’ll be able to combine dark and spooky with light-hearted “evil” fun. Disney has had time to test things in the parks and fail. They have had time to try things and succeed. We feel like they have done the work to figure out what “spooky” elements work in the parks and what are simply too much for guests.
A great example of what works is the new stage show at Hollywood Studios, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.
Cruella in Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After
Unfairly Ever After gets you rooting for the villains in a fun, upbeat way. Families are loving this Disney Villains show, and that’s why we think Villains Land will be a place for everyone. Disney is able to have Tower of Terror right next to Unfairly Ever After, and it works. Hopefully, we will see a mix of dark and scary with lighthearted, fun, and family-friendly experiences at Villains Land. If anyone can gracefully achieve this combination, it’s Disney.
Maleficent in Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After
Disney has had misses (which we feel they have learned from) and massive successes, so we’re confident that they’re going to do just fine creating Villains Land. Disney Villains are iconic, and if the company made them to be as horribly wonderful as they are, we believe they’ll be able to achieve a fun and fantastic land dedicated to them.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for us at Villains Land, so stick around at DFB for every update!
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Finally something that DFB is NOT worried about! I like this positive article. Well done.