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Credit: DisneyOne of the biggest reveals of this year’s D23 Expo was the long-awaited announcement of a Disney villain park coming to the Magic Kingdom. Although this was met by thunderous applause from those in attendance, is the risk worth the reward?
The words “evil ambition” might describe Disney in a less than pleasant light, but chairman Josh D’Amaro is using it to his advantage in the footage above. As he unveiled the concept art for Villains Land, could he actually do more harm than good for the Magic Kingdom?
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If you’ve been keeping up with some of the latest Disney news, you know that the company is trying to maintain a more family-friendly aesthetic by returning to traditional methods and values. While a park area dedicated to the villains might attract a large audience, it feels a little counterproductive to those measures.
While most of the Magic Kingdom will remain untouched (save for Frontierland), darker and surprisingly scarier attractions could damage the cultivated damage of the Walt Disney World Resort and its poster park. Is Disney backtracking on that family theme?
Villains at the Magic Kingdom Change Everything
There’s no doubt that Disney’s villains make up for one of the studio’s biggest and most lucrative franchises. As much as we love our princesses, heroes, and animated friends, the villains are simply much more interesting.
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For every guest who goes to the Magic Kingdom to meet her favorite princess, another longs to meet the evil queen, wicked witch, or hideous monster that keeps her captive. However, that might draw a completely different audience.
The description from the Disney Parks Blog says it best.
The new land will encompass all your dreams- er, nightmares. The space will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping on an incredibly twisted grand scale. “Be prepared, you poor unfortunate souls,” Josh [D’Amaro] teased. “It’s going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.”
You might have just felt a shiver run down your spine. That’s because preparation is already underway at Magic Kingdom for this new land. Maybe think twice before you indulge in that next shiny red apple…
As exciting as that description might sound, it’s also the antithesis of the rest of the Magic Kingdom. Then again, this wouldn’t be the first time Disney has tried to reach a bigger audience by appealing to older guests.
A New Direction
If we’re being entirely honest, the Villain park expansion is made primarily for older Disney park guests (Disney Adults). As much as characters like Maleficent, Ursula, Jafar, Scar, and Captain Hook are absolutely adored, they’re not the main reason people go to the Magic Kingdom.
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On the other hand, it might be that Disney is simply trying to give the people what they want. Fans have clambered for a villain park for practically decades, and isn’t the Magic Kingdom the place where wishes come true?
From the information we’ve gathered so far, the villain park’s rides and attractions are likely to be directed at older audiences. With rumors of a dragon-themed roller coaster circulating, the villainous area could potentially bring more thrill rides to park property.
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Disney isn’t losing the family image but rather offering a different flavor of magic to those not entirely into the whole pink-and-blue fantasy motif. Variety is the spice of life, and the inclusion of our favorite villains will definitely heat things up.
That being said, it wouldn’t be unwise to put a warning label before crossing over into the villains territory. If Disney is serious about twisting that happily ever after motif, it’s bound to frighten some children.
With that all in mind, things are still in the embryonic stages. Although ground has been broken and things are moving forward with this new expansion, we won’t truly know what this will be like until things continue to take actual shape. All we can do now is wait and see what happens.
Are you excited for a villain expansion? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!