The Disney Villains Attraction That Never Was But Might Still Be

At this year’s D23 Expo, Josh D’Amaro revealed some “blue sky” plans for the Magic Kingdom, “beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad”: potential mini lands for Encanto and Coco and/or a Disney Villains-themed area. While Encanto and Coco are new ideas, the idea of a Villains Land, attraction, and even a whole theme park have been long on the drawing boards for Walt Disney World. They just spend a lot more time on the shelf than in active development. 

Disney Villains Attraction

Way back in the 1990s, there were competing ideas for a Villains attraction. Some say that the idea started with the success of the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour at Tokyo Disneyland. What started as a cheerful tour through the Castle went dark as secret passageways opened to the lairs of different Disney Villains, culminating in the dungeon of the Horned King from the Disney movie The Black Cauldron. This attraction was so popular, that Disney decided to do something with the Disney Villains stateside. 

The ride was always dreamed of as a mountain, whether it be called Bald Mountain or Villains Mountain. There was also a “Fire Mountain” in development at the same time, but that was a coaster themed similarly to Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. It would have been a hybrid of a standard coaster which transformed to a flying one with the track overhead sometime during the adventure, with lava and other perils menacing riders as they sped by. 

Villain Mountain would have been a flume-based attraction like Splash Mountain. Remember in Hercules, the longboats with skeleton driver Hades traveled around in? Guests would board similar boats (I don’t know if they would have had skeletons on the end, but it would have been nice.) 

These boats would take guests through different Villains’ lairs, with audio-animatronic Villains singing or talking their way through the scenes. In one plan, the Villains plotted to take over the Magic Kingdom, electing who was the evilest Villain to lead the charge. In others, it was just a journey via flume through various Villain scenes: the Evil Queen in her laboratory, Ursula over her cauldron, Maleficent gloating over perceived victory, etc. 

The longboats would finally reach the biggest baddie: Chernabog from Fantasia. He would unfold his wings and menace the riders, with little demons of fire dancing all around him. The only way to escape would be a long way down, as the longboats would slide down a long flume to safety. Or victory, depending upon which version you are experiencing.

 

The attraction was pitched alone, as part of a land called Villains Land or Villains Lair among other things, and as part of a whole Villains-themed Theme Park called things like Shadowlands or Dark Kingdom. An Imagineer told me back in the 90s that he sat across from a model for the attraction, but only concept art has emerged into the public eye. 

Another name for the mountain was Forbidden Mountain, and that one came to fruition under a different theme: Everest, in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Someone sent me a picture of that rough model. 

Months later I heard that Tony Baxter was holding the phone away from his head because Michael Eisner was screaming so loudly “HOW DID SHE GET THAT?!” Well, to be fair, I didn’t get it from him or anyone associated with him, but that was the end of my spilling secrets days. I didn’t want to get anybody else in trouble, and Tony was completely innocent! But who knows… maybe there may be some secrets to spill out after all this time away. 

Careful What You Wish For

So, how does a villain land sound to you? Amazing, right?! But, as is so often the case with Disney… something might have to be lost to make it happen.  Josh D’Amaro shared the project idea as “Beyond Big Thunder”… but that’s a metaphor not just for the land behind the popular attraction, but perhaps also for moving beyond the theme of Big Thunder. 

Villains Land might come at a cost. 

Disney has been building a lot of mini-lands these days; generally, a small land built around a single attraction (sometimes with a shop or restaurant as well). Hong Kong Disneyland has several of these little lands, it appears that the thinking of the space beyond Big Thunder might be used for the same small lands wrapped around an attraction. You see three clearly different areas in the image above. But it’s that shadowy area in the back I’m most interested in. 

I’m a traditional Disney girl, I much prefer a well-themed land with several attractions. But I’d give almost anything to finally see an honest-to-goodness Villains E-Ticket. Hopefully the tepid applause for Coco and Encanto at the presentation… and the thunderous applause for Villains gives the Imagineers the collateral they need to expand the scope.

Let’s Hear From You

Now, before you get too excited… the mention of the ideas beyond Big Thunder were presented as blue sky… just ideas… not approved projects. Because Disney didn’t have enough big approved projects to present at the Expo, they revealed some of the far-off ideas that could one day happen… or more likely not happen. 

Would you like to see Villains Mountain or at the very least some form of a Villains mini land? Or would you rather that Disney save the idea for a whole Villains theme park? Do you have any “blue-sky” ideas about what could go into a Villains-themed area? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Disney Parks Announcements

For more about what could be coming to all of the Disney Parks in the near future, be sure to check out our comprehensive coverage from this year’s D23 Expo below:

Disneyland Resort Project & Rumor Tracker: What’s New and What’s Next for Disneyland!

Is It Enough? New Disneyland Attraction Announcements & Revelations!

Walt Disney World – New Villains Land, Zootopia, Figment, and More!

New Lands and Frozen, Frozen, Frozen for Disney’s International Parks

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