Unbuilt Disney: A Look at Lost Attractions and Concepts with Jim Hill

Unveiling Unbuilt Disney Concepts

• 💡 The show explores a collection of unbuilt Disney attractions and concepts pulled from the archives, presented to Jim Hill for the first time.
• 🎯 The premise is to examine historical Disney plans, with Jim providing context on why they were built, or more often, why they never came to fruition.

Early Park Operations and Evolution

• 🚀 The Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party began in 1985 to combat a slow season, initially targeting locals with low prices and minimal crowds.
• 🗓️ In contrast, New Year's Eve 1971 was a low-key event with limited entertainment and early park closing hours, vastly different from today's elaborate celebrations.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Early Disney management prioritized cast member holidays, leading to reduced park hours on Christmas Eve and Day, a stark contrast to current peak season operations.
• 🍔 A memo from 1985 detailed the massive food consumption during the Christmas event, highlighting the significant growth in attendance and park offerings.

Unrealized Epcot and Magic Kingdom Projects

• 🤖 A plan for an industrial robot plate-balancing exhibit in Epcot and Disneyland's Tomorrowland never materialized, despite technology acquisition.
• 💳 Disney explored a credit card in the 1980s to increase casual spending, predating the Key to the World card and MagicBands.
• 🌳 A Brazilian pavilion for Epcot was conceptualized multiple times but never built, with early plans focusing on landscaping and a greenhouse.
• 🏨 The Port St. Jacques section of Disney's Dixie Landings (now Port Orleans Riverside) was planned but canceled due to economic factors like the Gulf War and a subsequent recession.

Concept Art and Ride Development

• 👶 Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy Ride, intended for Sunset Boulevard, was canceled due to shifts in animation priorities and the performance of related films.
• 🖼️ Early concepts for the Magic of Disney Animation tour involved projected images of animators rather than monitors, but budget constraints led to a simpler execution.
• 🌴 The Polynesian Resort's original concept featured a modern Honolulu-style tower alongside traditional longhouses, but cost and construction challenges led to the current design.
• 🏛️ The Persian Hotel, planned for Bay Lake, was likely impacted by the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo and Middle East conflicts.
• 🎭 The Venetian Hotel concept, with a grand interior plaza and gondolas, was abandoned due to construction difficulties, as the site wouldn't stay above water.
• ⚔️ The Western River Expedition in Florida was scrapped due to concerns over caricatured Native American depictions, especially during the Wounded Knee era, and the existing popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean in Tampa.
• 🏝️ Treasure Island, planned for Discovery Island, was envisioned as a pirate-themed experience but failed to gain traction with guests, leading to its conversion into a bird sanctuary.
• 🏰 Early concept art for Liberty Square and the Magic Kingdom Castle revealed larger-scale designs and different architectural elements than what was ultimately built.
• 🇨🇳 A proposed Chinatown area for Disneyland, featuring a Confucius animatronic show, was abandoned due to early animatronic material limitations.
• 🚢 The Africa pavilion for Epcot was designed with a significant music and dance component, including a drum-based show, but funding issues related to apartheid-era South Africa halted its development.

Historical Park Design and Evolution

• 📜 Early renderings of Main Street, U.S.A., dating back to 1950, show concepts for a park in Burbank that was ultimately rejected.
• 👨‍🎨 Herb Ryman's concept art for Epcot, including Spaceship Earth and Horizons, is highlighted, along with his personal touches and subtle critiques of a writer's work.
• 🎭 The American Adventure pavilion's development involved multiple host figures like Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, and Will Rogers, with script changes and historical sensitivities influencing the final selections.
• 🇯🇵 The Japan pavilion concept evolved from a large entrance gate and formal gardens to its current form, with early ideas including a simulated bullet train ride.
• 🎄 A massive Christmas tree with 12 Days of Christmas show scenes was proposed to boost holiday attendance but never built.
• 🚢 The Richard F. Irvine steamboat was named in honor of his dedication to making Walt Disney World a reality, despite personal health sacrifices.
• 🎢 Concepts for Oriental Disneyland explored covered Main Streets and Epcot-like international sections, but ultimately, the traditional Main Street, U.S.A. was chosen.