History WhatCouldHaveBeen / DisneyThemeParks

* Disney was actually the first company to acquire the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' theme park rights. The rights were unfortunately picked up during a turbulent time at Disney, and were partly motivated by then-CEO Michael Eisner's desire to show Hollywood that he still knew what he was doing in the wake of the Disney-Creator/{{Pixar}} breakup. But then Eisner was ousted and replaced by Bob Iger, who felt that mending Disney's relationship with Pixar (along with fixing Disney's own studio) was at that moment more important to the company's long-term growth than any other deals that Eisner had made with outside companies, which included the Harry Potter theme park rights. Creator/JKRowling eventually got tired of waiting for Disney to sort itself out, and went to Universal.
** It probably didn't help that Disney's plans consisted of just one ride that would involve guests shooting at 3D interactive screens with wands. Rowling wanted something more immersive, but Disney refused. Shortly after losing the Harry Potter rights to Universal, Disney retooled the plans into ''Franchise/ToyStory Midway Mania''.

* Also in the early '90s, Disney tried to get Creator/{{Nintendo}} to license their characters for their theme parks. This was actually part of a huge plan then-Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg had formulated for Nintendo had the ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'' LiveActionAdaptation been successful. They would have begun efforts to integrate Nintendo into their business in every possible medium they had. The film, however, ended up becoming a TroubledProduction, and it was ultimately released to disastrous reviews and box office returns, though it has since become a CultClassic. Disney soon abandoned these plans once Nintendo started becoming more restrictive toward their property after the film's failure, along with Katzenberg's departure from Disney a year after the film's release to start Creator/DreamWorksSKG. Two decades later, in 2015, Disney's worst fears [[LaserGuidedKarma were realized]] in the form of Universal's ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld''.

** Before Michael Eisner was ousted, Disney planned for an entire theme park themed after Harry Potter in Singapore. The plans were shelved when Bob Iger replaced Eisner as Disney CEO and shot down for good when Disney tossed the Harry Potter license to the can for Universal to recycle.

* Disney [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08W5Os-Wnj0 announced]] in 2009 that they would try to compete with/catch up to Ride/UniversalStudios' ''Wizarding World of Franchise/HarryPotter'' by expanding Walt Disney World's Fantasyland with immersive meet-and-greets for Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Tinker Bell. However, they later realized this expansion might not have an audience beyond little girls. They later [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weDcPQ8ontY decided]] to keep the most gender-neutral parts of the expansion, move the meet-and-greets into one of the pre-existing Fantasyland buildings, and use the newly opened space (formerly the site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) to construct the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (providing an adequate replacement for Snow White's Scary Adventures).

* A fourth update of Spaceship Earth (retooled to focus on storytelling through the ages) and a ''Franchise/MaryPoppins''-themed extension to the United Kingdom pavilion were announced as part of the massive overhaul of Epcot in the runup to the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World and from there the 40th anniversary of Epcot itself, but the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic and the gigantic delays to the project led to both being indefinitely delayed.

Disney's Imagineers work to dream big and bring magic into reality. However; whether it be budget considerations, unrealistic expectations, unforeseen issues, better options, [[DevelopmentHell development hell]], or just general cases of [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome reality slowing down progress]]; many ideas developed for the Disney parks have never been made or are adjusted heavily. While some ideas have been [[RefittedForSequel refitted for other attractions]] in one way or another, some of them only exist in concept art and the dreams of Disney fans and Imagineers.

** A Spain pavilion was given a second chance when Disney announced ''Gigantic'' in 2015, an adaptation of ''Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk'' set in Spain during the Age of Exploration. Originally scheduled for a 2018 release, it was the perfect excuse to build a new pavilion to hype the movie. However, by 2017 the film had been [[DevelopmentHell shelved indefinitely]], killing any chance of a new Spain pavilion.

* With ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' having been released in theatres in November 2021, rumors started flying that if the film was a smash at the box office, it could be used to justify a future Colombia pavilion, just as it was hoped that ''Gigantic'' would for Spain (see above). However, Encanto will instead be part of a "tropical Americas" land at Animal Kingdom to replace Dinoland U.S.A., thus, having low chances for a future Colombia pavilion in Epcot.

* With ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' having been released in theatres in November 2021, rumors started flying that if the film was a smash at the box office, it could be used to justify a future Colombia pavilion, just as it was hoped that ''Gigantic'' would for Spain (see above). However, Encanto will have their land in Magic Kingdom alongside Coco and the Disney villains, thus, having low chances for a future Colombia pavilion in Epcot.

* The initial plans for a flagship Avengers ride at Ride/AvengersCAMPUS announced at D23 2019 involved a first of its kind quinjet ride that would have involved quests boarding a quinjet and later ejecting from said jet to join the Avengers for an all out battle on Wakanda and beyond. However since this was announced before the Notes/COVID19Pandemic, which resulted in cuts across the parks division, its entirely likely this Avengers attraction was among the casualties. Others factors speculated online for why this ride was axed included the first of its kind ride system was causing Imagineers logistical issues in regards to capacity, Chadwick Boseman's unexpected death in 2020, and the timeline issue in the MCU. Avengers Campus was designed to evolve alongside the MCU, and rooting a ride in the Infinity Saga would heavily date this attraction as time when on in the MCU. A Multiverse attraction would later be announced at D23 2022, featuring a plot where you the guest with the Avengers and "fight villains from everywhere and every when, lead by a variant of Thanos that won, King Thanos.

* Disney looked at 1,200 locations across Western Europe for a theme park, with particular focus in Britain, France, Italy, and Spain. Spain made it to the final four, as the climate was similar to California and Florida, but Paris was chosen as the finalist because it was centrally located as a relatively short travel distance by car, train, or plane for about 300 million people.

* Dick Nunis, the VP of park operations, wanted the Polynesian Resort to have surfing as a recreational activity. A wave machine was installed on Beachcomber Island in the Seven Seas Lagoon and tested in 1972. Unfortunately, the machine worked ''too well'', severely eroding the manmade beach and also interfering with water transportation.

* The original concept for ''Franchise/JungleCruise'' was for it to feature live animals. This was quickly scrapped as being impractical and the animals were replaced with animatronics, though it would later be realized with Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom.

* When Walt Disney began considering where to build a second theme park, his top choice was to construct a park in St. Louis, Missouri. This concept was known as "Walt Disney's Riverfront Square", and would've been an indoor park set across a five-storey building on the city's waterfront. The park would've been themed to a celebration of Middle American culture and history, featuring Main Street-style areas inspired by both St. Louis and New Orleans. Rumours swirl over what caused this idea to be abandoned, including an enduring one involving brewing magnate August Busch Jr. lobbying against the park on the basis that it wouldn't serve alcohol, but the most credible idea is more mundane: The city of St. Louis wanted Disney to foot the entire bill for the park, while Disney wanted St. Louis to fund the building's exterior and its associated infrastructure. That disagreement, alongside Walt Disney beginning to eye a much larger plot of land just outside Orlando, Florida, saw Riverfront Square be left behind in favor of what would become Walt Disney World. Several now-classic Disney rides, including ''Ride/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', ''Ride/HauntedMansion'', and the ''Ride/BigThunderMountainRailroad'', all have their roots in some of the ideas first pitched for Riverfront Square.

* Originally, Ride/WaltDisneyWorld was going to be in St. Louis, Missouri. Then the mayor of St. Louis mocked Walt's plans to run a resort without selling liquor. [[LaserGuidedKarma His moment of jerkassery cost the city billions in tourism revenue.]]
** Another possible location for Disney World was on the site of the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, where the Disney exhibits from the fair would be retained. However, Creator/WaltDisney instead decided to move the rides to Ride/{{Disneyland}}, and thus the project was scrapped.

* On opening day, the park would've had a Frontierland and a Mickey's Toontown, the latter of which would have included an animatronic show. Frontierland would've been a combination of the Disneyland Paris's Frontierland and California Adventure's Grizzly Peak, with a ''Ride/BigThunderMountainRailroad'', a version of ''Grizzly River Run'', ''Franchise/TheHauntedMansion'', and oddly enough, ''Ride/ItsToughToBeABug''.

* A fourth update of Spaceship Earth (retooled to focus on storytelling through the ages) and a ''Film/MaryPoppins''-themed extension to the United Kingdom pavilion were announced as part of the massive overhaul of Epcot in the runup to the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World and from there the 40th anniversary of Epcot itself, but the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic and the gigantic delays to the project led to both being indefinitely delayed.

* At one point, there was talk of the Muppets taking over all of Disneyland in 1991 and renaming it Muppetland, with the explanation that Mickey and friends had taken a vacation following the 35th anniversary year. Changes would've included the Matterhorn being painted Kermit-green, the addition of Muppets to attractions such as ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' and ''It's a Small World'', and a Muppet-themed parade. Like the original Muppets Courtyard, it was scrapped after Henson's death.

* A clone of ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'' was originally planned for the park as part of a massive expansion for the park. For unknown reasons, the plans for the land would get QuietlyCancelled in 2022.

* [[https://d23.com/mickey-mouse-park-art-burbank-theme-park-disneyland/ The first iteration]] of what would become Disneyland was extremely different compared to the park that opened. It originally started out as a much smaller theme park called "Mickey Mouse Park" (later called Disneyland) that would have been located right across the street from the Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank California. However, this plan was scrapped in favor of moving to Anaheim after Burbank's city council rejected the plans out of a desire to not have a carnival in the city, despite Walt's attempts to persuade them otherwise. While many of the ideas planned for the park would eventually be repurposed and realized for Disneyland. Others, such as a petting zoo, a duck boat ride and an Indian village, would be scrapped.

* At one point, there was talk of the Muppets taking over all of Disneyland in 1991 and renaming it Muppetland, with the explanation that Mickey and friends had taken a vacation following the 35th anniversary year. Changes would've included the Matterhorn being painted Kermit-green, the addition of Muppets to Superstar Limo who would snark about how terrible the attraction was, and a Muppet-themed parade. Like the original Muppets Courtyard, it was scrapped after Henson's death.

* For years it was known in theme park circles that ''[[Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids Honey, I Shrunk the Audience]]'' did not originally cast Creator/EricIdle as Dr. Nigel Channing, and that in fact he volunteered for the attraction at close to the last minute when he learned from Marcia Strassman that the original actor was no longer available. Idle's 2018 memoir ''Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'' revealed who that actor was: Creator/RaulJulia, who had to drop out due to the health issues that took his life by the end of 1994 (the attraction premiered a few weeks after he died in fact).

* ''Submarine Voyage'' (which closed in 1998)/''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (closed in 1994) rides at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, respectively, were to be re-themed into a ride based off of ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire''. When the film bombed at the box office, the Florida submarine lagoon was demolished in 2005 and the land eventually reclaimed for New Fantasyland, while California was subject to additional ideas for re-theming the ride to ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' (which also bombed) and ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'' (which had multiple attraction ideas over the years before an [=OmniMover=] dark ride opened at Disney California Adventure in 2011, and Magic Kindgom in 2012), and eventually got a ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' retheming that opened in 2007 and is still running (though inside reports state that management has been trying hard since the first dry rehab in 2014 to find an excuse to close and bulldoze it along with Autopia).

* Also in the early '90s, Disney tried to get Creator/{{Nintendo}} to license their characters for their theme parks. This was actually part of a huge plan then-Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg had formulated for Nintendo had the ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'' LiveActionAdaptation been successful. They would have begun efforts to integrate Nintendo into their business in every possible medium they had. The film, however, ended up becoming a TroubledProduction, and it was ultimately released to disastrous reviews and box office returns, though it has since become a CultClassic. Disney soon abandoned these plans once Nintendo started becoming more restrictive toward their property after the film's failure, along with Katzenberg's departure from Disney a year after the film's release to start Creator/DreamWorks. Two decades later, in 2015, Disney's [[NeverLiveItDown worst fears]] [[LaserGuidedKarma were realized]] in the form of Universal's ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld''.

* A suspended dark ride for ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'' was planned for Fantasyland.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' ride was going to be called ''Doc Hudson's Desert School of Driving'', and would've been a land-based version of ''Aquatopia''.

* ''Cars'' Land began development before ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' was even released as ''Carland'', a land set in an imaginary Route 66 town. The main attraction was an ''Autopia''-esque ride called ''Road Trip U.S.A.'', where guests were to ride small cars through the desert mountains that enveloped the town, with scenes including a car wash and the glistening "Carland Caverns". Another attraction was a dark ride called ''Junkyard Jamboree'', an original attraction featuring cars and car parts in a junkyard coming to life and playing music at night. ''Road Trip U.S.A.'' was later revised into ''Goofy About Roadtrips'', featuring guests going on a road trip with WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}. When the Imagineers found out about ''Cars'', they reworked ''Goofy About Roadtrips'' as a ''Cars''-themed ride, then they eventually decided to make the entire land ''Cars''-themed.

Disney's Imagineers work to dream big and bring magic into reality. However; whether it be budget considerations, unrealistic expectations, unforeseen issues, better options, [[DevelopmentHell development hell]], or just general cases of [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome reality slowing down progress]]; many ideas developed for the Disney parks have never been made or are adjusted heavily. While some ideas have been [[RefittedForSequel refitted for other attractions]] in one way or another, some of them only exist in concept art and the dreams of Disney fans and imagineers.

Disney's Imagineers work to dream big and bring magic into reality. However; whether it be budget considerations, unrealistic expectations, unforeseen issues, better options, [[DevelopmentHell development hell]], or just general cases of [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome reality slowing down progress]]; many ideas developed for the Disney parks have never been made or are adjusted heavily. While some ideas have been [[RefittedForSequel refitted for other attractions]] in one way or another, some of them only exist in concept art and the dreams of Disney fans.