Magic Kingdom plans expansion, 2 virtual queues ending
This Theme Park Thursday, Matthew Miller, senior director at the Orlando Informer, joins the FOX 35 News team to discuss the expansion plans coming to Magic Kingdom, as well as what the future looks like for virtual queues.
ORLANDO, Fla. – A new Cars-themed attraction is coming to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, where guests will embark on an off-road rally adventure with Lightning McQueen, Mater, and other characters from Pixar’s Cars franchise.
‘A car that conveys a feeling’
What we know:
First announced last year at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the attraction will take guests beyond Radiator Springs and into the frontier, where the Cars characters will test their wheels on rugged terrain.
To develop the vehicle’s movement, the Imagineering team tested real off-road vehicles in the Arizona desert, driving over rocky terrain and mountain peaks to replicate the experience for guests.
They also collaborated with a motocross company to build a dirt track, collecting data on vehicle responses to different landscapes.
Pixar’s creative team is also developing new race car personalities for the attraction, with each ride vehicle having its own name and number, similar to real-life race cars. Early concept sketches were revealed at SXSW, teasing the unique designs that will bring the Cars world to life.
What we don’t know:
Disney has not yet announced an opening date for the attraction.
What they’re saying:
During The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen shared new details about the attraction, including plans for an innovative ride vehicle.
“For this Cars attraction, we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle,” Hundgen said. “No one builds these in a factory because it has to do so much more than just carrying you from one place to another. We have to create a car that conveys a feeling when you ride in it.”
Hundgen elaborated on what he called the customized production vehicle.
“It has sensors all over it, and we’re taking it for test drives on our dirt track to gather data on how the vehicle responds to different terrain,” Hundgen explained. “This is where we turn that feeling we want into real-world engineering.”
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The Source: The information in this article comes from the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event and the Disney Park Blog.
