Disney's America This history-based Disney theme park was to be built in Haymarket, Virginia. With 8 themed area that included Native American Village, President’s Square (complete with Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents), and Ellis Island, Disney’s America was going to showcase the complete American experience from the founding of our country to the mid 20th century. The project was well in to the planning stages when it was blocked by historical preservation groups who opposed a large-scale development in and around historical sites where famous Civil War battles took place.
WestCOT Planned as an Epcot style park for the west coast, WestCOT was to be built on the area that was the Disneyland parking lot and is now Disney’s California Adventure. With guests visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando for several days – or even a week, Michael Eisner wanted to keep guests at Disneyland for more than one day. The answer was to build a second park and he challenged the Imagineers to “wow” him. The result was a three billion dollar park, WestCOT. However, following the dismal financial performance of the opening of EuroDisney (now Disneyland Paris), Michael Eisner was weary of investing such a large sum of money. Instead he had plans drawn up for a less-expensive option for a second park, and Disney’s California Adventure was born.
Port Disney Planned for Long Beach, California, Port Disney was first proposed in 1990, but soon was cancelled after the financial drain on the company because of EuroDisney’s financial woes. Port Disney would have included a theme park based on Tokyo Disneyland’s DisneySea Park, hotels, a shopping and entertainment district as well as a cruise port to serve as the west coast home for Disney Cruise Lines.
Dark Kingdom Proposed as a new theme park for the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the theme was to be based on the Disney Villains. It was to pre a reverse of the Magic Kingdom as it would be the Disney Villains who would be in charge. The park’s centerpiece was to be Malificent's castle and the park would have included rides based on Captain Hook, Ursula, and other villains.
Mineral King Ski Resort To be located in the Sequoia National Park, this was one of the last projects that Walt Disney worked on before his death. The resort was going to be an Alpine themed resort complete with hotels, ski runs, and the Country Bear Jamboree (which was revived and moved to Disneyland and Walt Disney World). This project faded away after the death of Walt Disney and was never built.
Lava Lagoon In order to help build EruoDisney (now Disneyland Paris), plans were drawn up for a water park to be built. The park was to feature a Polynesian theme with lush foliage and spectacular scenery. To compensate for the often cold, overcast days common to Paris, the entire park was to be built under a glass dome. This park met its fate because of the bad first year EuroDisney had and was never built.
Disney's MGM Studios Backlot 40 acres of land in Burbank was the proposed site for this entertainment/shopping complex. It featured several rides that eventually made their way to the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Orlando. Rumor has it that this proposed development was just a threat against Universal Studios in hopes that they would not build a studio attraction in Florida.
Beastly Kingdom Planned as one of the original “lands” for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this area was scrapped at the last minute due to budget cuts and was replaced with Camp Mickey and Minnie instead. This land would have featured animals that never were such as dragons and unicorns and would have had a rollercoaster featuring a dragon theme. This land was so far along in development before it was scrapped, you can still see reminders of it around Disney’s Animal Kingdom including a “Unicorn” section in the parking lot and a dragon including the logo for the park.
Discovery Bay A new themed land for Disneyland in the 1970’s, Discovery Bay was to be a small 19th century village populated by invertors and those who imagined the future. There was to be a Journal to the Center of the Earth ride and a port into which giant airships could fly. Although never built, many of the ideas ended up in other Disney parks around the globe.
Liberty Street Imagined as a side street of Disneyland’s Mainstreet USA, Liberty Street was to be a New England village from the time of the American Revolution. It would have featured shops and restaurants featuring colonial American items and food. The main attraction of Liberty Street was to have been The Hall of Presidents. Many of the ideas, including the Hall of Presidents, were eventually built in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Port Disney Planned for Long Beach, California, Port Disney was first proposed in 1990, but soon was cancelled after the financial drain on the company because of EuroDisney’s financial woes. Port Disney would have included a theme park based on Tokyo Disneyland’s DisneySea Park, hotels, a shopping and entertainment district as well as a cruise port to serve as the west coast home for Disney Cruise Lines.
Dark Kingdom Proposed as a new theme park for the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the theme was to be based on the Disney Villains. It was to pre a reverse of the Magic Kingdom as it would be the Disney Villains who would be in charge. The park’s centerpiece was to be Malificent's castle and the park would have included rides based on Captain Hook, Ursula, and other villains.
Mineral King Ski Resort To be located in the Sequoia National Park, this was one of the last projects that Walt Disney worked on before his death. The resort was going to be an Alpine themed resort complete with hotels, ski runs, and the Country Bear Jamboree (which was revived and moved to Disneyland and Walt Disney World). This project faded away after the death of Walt Disney and was never built.
Lava Lagoon In order to help build EruoDisney (now Disneyland Paris), plans were drawn up for a water park to be built. The park was to feature a Polynesian theme with lush foliage and spectacular scenery. To compensate for the often cold, overcast days common to Paris, the entire park was to be built under a glass dome. This park met its fate because of the bad first year EuroDisney had and was never built.
Disney's MGM Studios Backlot 40 acres of land in Burbank was the proposed site for this entertainment/shopping complex. It featured several rides that eventually made their way to the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Orlando. Rumor has it that this proposed development was just a threat against Universal Studios in hopes that they would not build a studio attraction in Florida.
Beastly Kingdom Planned as one of the original “lands” for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this area was scrapped at the last minute due to budget cuts and was replaced with Camp Mickey and Minnie instead. This land would have featured animals that never were such as dragons and unicorns and would have had a rollercoaster featuring a dragon theme. This land was so far along in development before it was scrapped, you can still see reminders of it around Disney’s Animal Kingdom including a “Unicorn” section in the parking lot and a dragon including the logo for the park.
Discovery Bay A new themed land for Disneyland in the 1970’s, Discovery Bay was to be a small 19th century village populated by invertors and those who imagined the future. There was to be a Journal to the Center of the Earth ride and a port into which giant airships could fly. Although never built, many of the ideas ended up in other Disney parks around the globe.
Liberty Street Imagined as a side street of Disneyland’s Mainstreet USA, Liberty Street was to be a New England village from the time of the American Revolution. It would have featured shops and restaurants featuring colonial American items and food. The main attraction of Liberty Street was to have been The Hall of Presidents. Many of the ideas, including the Hall of Presidents, were eventually built in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
