Fantasyland Update

Work has begun in earnest on the Fantasyland Forest expansion project at the Magic Kingdom Park. While much of the activity is behind walls and won't bear (visible) fruit for months or years to come, a few things have already happened in plain sight.

Take Mrs. Potts' Cupboard, for example. This Fantasyland ice cream spot had been scheduled for a refurbishment of its roof. Instead of simply replacing the shingles, though, the Park Maintenance team partnered with Walt Disney Imagineering to install a new thatched roof that will help this structure feel right at home in the more rural setting of the Fantasyland Forest. While the Forest itself may not be here yet, you can see a little part of the project right now in the form of this cottage.

Over by Pinocchio's Village Haus, Ariel's Grotto has been removed in anticipation of all new adventures to come with the Little Mermaid. Much of the area is now behind walls, but the space under the blue tent (originally a seating area for the old Fantasy Faire stage) has been reopened to provide a place for Guests to rest during their visit to the Kingdom.

Big changes are in store at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The facade to the attraction, originally designed as part of the festival being held within the castle walls, is undergoing a transformation. Soon, Guests approaching the attraction will find themselves in a corner of the Hundred Acre Wood.

The large tree with Pooh's home, formerly a feature of Pooh's Playful Spot, has been moved across the way to the front of the attraction. In time, it will become part of an all new entrance to this now-classic Fantasyland dark ride.

This is just the beginning. Look for much more to come as we inch ever closer to the 2012/13 opening of Fantasyland Forest.

The Many Hidden Tributes of Winnie the Pooh

A really fun example of Hidden Disney in the parks comes when one attraction pays tribute to another. This is often the case when a new attraction has replaced an older one. The Imagineers like to work in subtle references as a nod to the past.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opened in Fantasyland in 1999 in the former home of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Before Toady headed off for nowhere in particular, he passed the deed to the property to his friend Owl. A picture of the transaction hangs in Owl's treehouse and can be seen to the left as you pass through on your adventure. Take a look down to your right in the same scene, and you'll catch a picture of Mole from The Wind in the Willows, tipping his hat to one silly ol' bear.

Winnie the Pooh is found at the far edge of the castle walls, where the village borders a wooded area. Here is Pooh's Playful Spot, a playground built on a portion of the site once occupied by the submarine adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The land here is about to be reclaimed once again by the Fantasyland expansion, but for the time being a tribute to the original attraction can be seen.

Enter Pooh's house through the door at the side of the tree. Once inside, turn around and look in the wood grain just above the doorway. There, you will find a stamped impression in the distinctive shape of Captain Nemo's Nautilus.

Some tributes, like those mentioned above, are placed intentionally. Others exist in the form of objects which remain from the past, like these lava rocks in the area close to Ariel's Grotto which were once part of the edge of the 20,000 Leagues lagoon:

Also in this stretch of Fantasyland, tucked back in the bushes behind Dumbo's Circus, are two themed utility covers. The casual observer might just think they're painted dark green to blend into the foliage, but the color and the rivets in the design call them out for what they really are: another remnant from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a glimpse into Fantasyland's past.