Big Thunder Mountain: The TV Series That Never Was & Lone Ranger Tie-Ins

The Genesis of Big Thunder Mountain

• ⛰️ The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction first opened at Disneyland Park in September 1979, followed by its Walt Disney World counterpart in November 1979.
• 🌊 While the Walt Disney World version's inciting event is a flash flood, the Disneyland Paris version features an earthquake, and the Tokyo Disneyland version uses a tsunami.
• ⚕️ Intriguingly, a 2016 study published in the Journal of American Osteopathic Association suggested that riding the Walt Disney World Big Thunder Mountain multiple times could help pass kidney stones, with the back row showing the biggest effect.

Big Thunder Mountain: A Potential TV Series

• 📺 In the fall of 2012, ABC explored developing a TV series based on the Big Thunder Mountain attraction, inspired by the success of "Lost."
• 📝 Jason Fuchs was hired to write the pilot, which described a supernatural mystery set in an 1890s Wyoming mining town, focusing on Dr. Grant Carson and his ailing son, Jack.
• 🎬 Melissa Rosenberg was brought on as showrunner, and the pilot was filmed in March 2013, featuring actors like Ed Mclane and Pierce Gagnon.
• ❌ Despite the promising concept and experienced team, ABC passed on the series in May 2013, citing potential conflicts with other Disney projects.

The Lone Ranger Connection

• 🤠 A reported reason for ABC's decision was Disney's interest in tying the Big Thunder Mountain attraction to the upcoming "Lone Ranger" movie.
• 💡 Proposals included an overlay for Big Thunder Mountain with "Lone Ranger" characters, onboard audio featuring the William Tell Overture, and enhanced theming in Frontier Land.
• 🎬 The "Lone Ranger" movie, released in July 2013, underperformed at the box office, grossing only $260 million worldwide against a production budget of $225-$250 million.
• 📉 The film's financial failure led to the abandonment of any potential "Lone Ranger" tie-ins with Disney parks, including the Big Thunder Mountain overlay.

Park Operations and Technology Woes

• 🏨 Disney announced reopening dates for club level lounges at Yacht Club (Jan 20, 2022), Beach Club (Jan 27, 2022), and Polynesian Village Resort (Feb 3, 2022).
• ⚠️ Unscheduled maintenance occurred at Tower of Terror due to plaster board issues caused by air pressure from the drop towers.
• 🧹 A survey highlighted concerns about park cleanliness, with specific mentions of trash on the ground, overflowing trash cans, and dirty tabletops.
• 📱 A survey from Disneyland revealed significant technical issues with the Disneyland app, including crashes, connectivity problems, and slow page loads, mirroring similar issues in Walt Disney World.

Listener Mail and Future Concepts

• ❓ A listener inquired about "Project Gamma," which is related to the proposed festival center at Epcot, though the project is currently defunded.
• 🚀 The discussion touched upon the physics of space travel, including satellite radio in orbit and the constancy of the speed of light, referencing Einstein's theory of special relativity.
• 💡 There's ongoing development for a "Magic Kingdom universe" show on Disney Plus, and a potential for unearthed pilots like the "Big Thunder Mountain" series to be released on the streaming service.