Disney World Canceled 4 Projects…and the Maps for Them Will Shock You

Over the years, there have been countless unbuilt projects across all of Walt Disney World. Some of these blue sky projects have even made it onto projected maps, showing where these lands, attractions, and hotels would have fit into the greater tapestry of Walt Disney World.

Over the course of my 30+ years visiting Walt Disney World, I’ve become almost more fascinated with what *hasn’t* been built over the years than what has. These are some of the most interesting “What could have beens” in the resort’s history.

Unbuilt Hotels Around the Seven Seas Lagoon

When Walt Disney World first opened in 1971, the resort’s two opening-day hotels — the Polynesian Village Resort and the Contemporary Resort — were on the shores of the lagoon. However, they weren’t meant to be alone. During the early years of the resort’s existence, plans were in motion for several further resorts, including the Persian Resort and the Asian Resort, all of which can be seen on various maps and pieces of promotional material.

However, the economically crippling gas crisis of the 1970s put a stop to those plans. There wouldn’t be another hotel built in the area until the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa opened in 1988.

World Showcase Expansions

Over the years, a slew of countries have been planned and/or announced as being added to World Showcase. These include Iran, Costa Rica, Equatorial Africa, Israel, Puerto Rico, Soviet Union, Spain, Switzerland (which would have featured an east coast Matterhorn), United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. However, for various reasons —  including political and financial — none have seen the light of day. The most recent country to have been added to World Showcase was Norway in 1988, but expansion pads for other potential countries are still visible.

Western River Expedition

Perhaps the most legendary unbuilt Disney attraction, the Western River Expedition was featured on numerous maps, postcards, and other pieces of Disney material available during the Magic Kingdom’s early years.

On the scale of Pirates of the Caribbean, the attraction was scheduled to be an animatronic-filled boat ride through the Wild West, full of Marc Davis’s trademark humor and visual gags. At one point Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition were planned to be opening day attractions at the park, before being pushed to Phase 2 of Disney World construction.

However, when the Magic Kingdom first opened, one of the biggest complaints to guest relations regarded the lack of Pirates of the Caribbean. See, when Disney was building the park, the company believed that Florida residents would find pirates “boring” since their lore was already ubiquitous in the area, so the attraction was left out of the park (essentially to be replaced by the Western River Expedition). However, Disney didn’t count on how many guests who grew up watching “Uncle Walt” hype the Pirates of the Caribbean on television would want to see the ride. In response to these complaints, and much to the chagrin of Marc Davis, Disney quickly greenlit a cut-down Pirates for Disney World, allegedly using the budget set aside for Thunder Mesa.

Despite the building of Pirates of the Caribbean, Marc Davis and his then-protege Tony Baxter continued pushing for Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition to be added to the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. However, thanks to economic instability, the oil crisis, and Disney’s desire to add more thrill rides, it never came to be. Instead, Tony Baxter took his plans for a mine train coaster that was originally planned as an ancillary attraction to the Western River and fleshed them out into Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Beastly Kingdom

Finally, there’s arguably the most legendary unbuilt land of the last 30 years: Beastly Kingdom. Originally designed to be one of the headline lands of Animal Kingdom, this land would have been themed to mythical beasts like dragons and unicorns, and split between “good” and “evil” sides. The darker half would be headlined by a dragon roller coaster in a ruined castle, while the latter would feature a highly themed maze that ended with an encounter with an animatronic unicorn.

The land was planned so deeply into Animal Kingdom’s development that a dragon was part of Animal Kingdom’s logo and entrance plaza, and ester eggs hyping the land (including a dragon’s cave and charred suit of armor) were present in the park. However, budget issues forced Beastly Kingdom to be pushed to phase 2 of the park’s development in favor of Dinoland U.S.A. Like many projects that have earned that distinction over the years, Beastly Kingdom was never built.

As these potential maps show, each of these unbuilt projects would have changed the face of Walt Disney World forever. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney World history.

The 5 Abandoned Disney Decade Projects I WISH Had Been Built

Which of these projects do you wish had been built? Let us know in the comments below.

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