Do you have a favorite Disney movie or character? Have you ever been to the Walt Disney World resort only to find out that your favorite movie or character does not have a ride or a meet and greet or, well, anything at all? Well you’re not alone. In fact, there are plenty in the Disney catalog that we would love to see more of on our vacation.
Welcome to Believe Vacation’s Top Ten where today, we’ll look at the Top 10 Movies or Characters We Would Love to See More Of at Walt Disney World. For this list, we are looking at specific movies or characters in the Disney catalog that are either completely missing or grossly underrepresented at Walt Disney World.
10) Mary Poppins
The songs, the outfits, the imagination she brings to life. It’s perfect for Disney World! So why is this classic just limited to a meet and greet with Mary herself? While we’re certain there will never be a Mary Poppins thrill ride during the next expansion plans, a stage show or even sipping tea with her at 1900 Park Fare or the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot would be enough to have a Holly Jolly Holiday with Mary. And you know you would be running up Main Street or the Streets of America to grab a picture of Bert making chalk drawings. Or how much would you crave Spoonfuls of Sugar sold at the Confectionery? As far as merchandise, the World of Disney could sell Authentic Mary Poppins kites. Or, you can make your own kites for that matter! That would be supercal….just pretend you know how to spell it!
9) 101 Dalmatians
One of Disney’s most popular animated features of all time is represented by large dalmatians at Disney’s All-Star Movies resort and meeting Cruella De Vil at the Villains Dance Party and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Other than that, there really are not many places to see our favorite dogs and that’s pretty impressive…considering there are 101 of them running around! But instead of focusing on the dogs, Disney is missing a huge opportunity with Cruella. Much like Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, she’s a villain we grow to love as we get older. Disney also recognizes this as there will be a live-animated feature with Emma Stone in the near future. So the time is right to bring 101 Dalmatians into the parks! How about revamping Tomorrowland Speedway into an adventure behind the wheel of Cruella’s car? Or placing 101 dalmatian figures around the All-Star Movie resort and making it a treasure hunt to find them all? Either way, the more spots, the better!
8) The Jungle Book
A popular animated feature that still stands the test of time, The Jungle Book brought together many characters from the animal kingdom and united them all behind the story of Mowgli. Along the way we meet bears, snakes, monkeys, tigers and a quartet of vultures that personified some band from the 60’s your parents may have heard of. And yes, we know that you can meet Baloo and King Louie but that does not do much for our bare necessities. While it would be difficult to have a march of live elephants around the park, the obvious answer is to incorporate these characters into the much beloved Jungle Cruise. Think about it – Col. Hathi and his groups are in the elephant pool, Shere Khan makes an appearance in the temple ruins, Kaa already resides in the trees, and some monkeys have ruined the camp site. Throw in Baloo the Bear at some point, and instantly, you’ve updated a classic ride by paying homage to a classic movie.
7) Princess and the Frog
Still less than a decade old, The Princess and the Frog broke ground by featuring Tiana as Disney’s first African-American Princess. And we’ve celebrated that milestone by having a minor character meet and greet in the smallest section of the all the theme parks – Liberty Square. While Disney recently introduced Tiana’s Riverboat Cruise and the Shadow Man makes his appearance at the Villain’s Dance Party, Disney could use the New Orleans setting to reintroduce the characters that make up this incredible tale. With a little effort, Port Orleans Resort could house Tiana’s Restaurant (much like the one located on the Disney Wonder), Mama Odie’s Voodoo Shop and other hints of early 20th-Century New Orleans.
6) Inside Out
When Disney’s Inside Out hit theaters in 2015, it showed that Disney could tell an emotional story without a princess as the feature character. Rather, we received 5 distinct characters that every man, woman and child could relate to. After pulling in a huge amount at the box office and through merchandising, you would think Disney would capitalize almost as immediately as they did with Frozen. And while we were thankful we got a Joy and Sadness Character Meet and Greet, Inside Out has much more potential in the parks. Using the educational backdrop of EPCOT, Inside Out could find a wonderful home in a unique audio/visual sensory attraction, much like how Journey into Imagination with Figment is currently set up.
5) Zootopia
One of the latest Disney animated hit features characters from all over the animal kingdom spread across a number of different ecosystems. Sounds like a perfect way to expand Animal Kingdom with a new world of imagination, a nighttime show….oh, never mind. If Disney had only waited a few years, Zootopia would have been a more natural fit for the Animal Kingdom expansion than the forced relationship with Avatar. But while we can only dream “what if” at this point, we still get our occasional character meet and greet with Nick and Judy Hops.
4) The Incredibles
It’s been 13 years now and the Incredible costumes at Halloween are still some of the more popular for kids and adults. The idea that a regular family could all have individual super powers is endearing to all ages. But Disney has only provided these characters for seasonal dance parties and meet and greets. While Hollywood Studios is currently undergoing a massive overhaul, we hope they can find room to sneak in a new Incredibles stunt show or stage show. In fact, keep the Pixar family together and stick it over next to the new Toy Story Land and Disney could make this one of the hottest monetary corners in all of its theme parks.
3) The Descendants
I know what you’re saying – Never seen it. And to be honest, I haven’t either. But the kids enjoy it and this group of villain kids is actually reaching the pre-teen market that Disney is trying to win back. As one of the hottest shows on the Disney Channel in the last 2 years, mentions of The Descendants within the parks are not even publicized. So how does Disney incorporate this group effectively? Again, stage shows are never a bad idea and it would limit this niche group to a single act. Heck, put it in front of the castle during the afternoon if you must, but give this franchise a chance.
2) Muppets
I can hear you now – Muppets are outdated; They’re lucky to have anything at Disney; ABC cancelled their show and on and on. But the Muppets will always be pop culture legends and Disney did not purchase them just to let them die a slow death. In fact, one of the first attractions at MGM Studios was Muppet Vision 3D. And amazingly, the show is still going….in its original form. While we are excited about the opening of Pizzerizzo, there is much more potential for our puppet friends. How about the actual Muppet Theatre on site, right next to the Happiness Hotel? Any takers for a restaurant run by the Swedish Chef? Or how about a nightly rock concert by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem? Can you picture that?
Honorable Mention –
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – Since the playground is no longer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this franchise is completely left out of WDW and needs a comeback soon.
Fantasia – No doubt catered towards a generation (or two) ago, no harm in having hippos in tutus running around the parks is there?
Ratatouille – Besides the obvious connection to Disneyland Paris, could we not get a kitchen themed restaurant in the France Pavilion at Epcot?
1) Monsters, Inc.
So you’ve got a billion dollar franchise with lovable characters played by A-list celebrities, incredible stories and settings within Monstropolis and all we have is a groan-inducing (albeit funny) comedy show? Want to really give Monsters, Inc. its just due? How about a complete make-over of the heavily outdated Tomorrowland into Monstropolis of the 21st century? Does it fit with the other lands such as Adventureland or Fantasyland? Not really. But the Laugh Floor is already there, Buzz Lightyear can move out to Toy Story Land and a new moving door attraction can move in. Our beloved PeopleMover is ready to be transformed into the Monstropolis Transit Authority and those friendly monsters can roam around their hometown all day for plenty of photo opportunities. Either way, Disney needs to make moves to reward one of its highest grossing franchises and the sooner, the better.
Did we miss anything? Is your favorite movie, character or franchise nowhere to be seen at Walt Disney World? Leave your comments below and as always, there’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!
