This is a list of publicly known Disney attractions that were never built, that is, rides and shows of Disney parks that never reached the final building stage. Some of them were fully designed and not built. Others were concepts, sometimes with preliminary artwork. Many were developed as far as it could but funding was either reallocated, consolidated and optimized in the "best possible" return of investment. In other major projects, signs of reuse documentation was evident in some of the parks.
A 500-room hotel to be located at the National Harbor, an attempt at a national convention and visitor area in Maryland. In May 2009, Disney had purchased 11 acres for the hotel for $11 million. In November 2011, they canceled the project.
A luxurious, 800-room complex that was to be constructed in the style of Coronado, California's Hotel del Coronado. It was inspired by Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Walt Disney World.
The other half of the resort, partially constructed, was abandoned following a drop in tourism due to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Legendary Years section would have been themed to the 1900s through the 1940s. The completed structures and the land that Legendary Years would have occupied were instead turned into Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
An update and makeover of Tomorrowland with a more Extraterrestrial theme, (2055 is the centennial of Disneyland). However, after Disneyland Paris failed the project was abandoned due to budget cuts.
A New York-themed area where Mickey's Toontown now sits; it was to have featured a big Broadway-style theater that presented live stage shows every day. This idea became the inspiration for the American Waterfront at Tokyo DisneySea.
A land that was supposed to be themed to electricity and Thomas Edison. Would have looked like a city in the 1900s that just got electricity. Was supposed to be where the Plaza Inn and Space Mountain currently are.
A land that was to have a 1930s-1940s theme with rides adapted from the Dick Tracy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit films. A similar land was later built at Disney's California Adventure.
A land that was dedicated to American Folklore and Tall Tales featuring attractions based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Ballad of Windwagon Smith, a Paul Bunyan restaurant and Western River Expedition.
A land that would resemble 1776 Philadelphia and have a small harbor. Was to have its entrance off Main Street to the left of the Disneyland Opera House. A similar land named Liberty Square was later built at the Magic Kingdom in Florida.
An area of the park themed after the Western Expansion of the United States. It was to be located in Frontierland, where Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain currently sit.
An area in the park featuring the countries of Equatorial Africa. It would have featured a large 60-foot treehouse, and a live show with a going title "Heartbeat of Africa" that would have featured elements of the continent's culture.
An area in the park featuring Iran. This pavilion was proposed before Epcot was constructed. It would have featured a dark ride exploring different parts of Persian history and a shopping area based on a bazaar. After the Iranian Revolution saw the upheaval of the Shah of Iran, the concept was scrapped.
Advertised on billboards when Epcot opened, this would have recreated ancient Jerusalem with a courtyard stage and open-air restaurant. It remained unbuilt because of budget problems and security issues regarding the state of Israel.
During the projected "Phase II" expansion of Epcot, the Puerto Rico Pavilion was planned. Disney later said this speculation was false, but it was proven to be under works at one point.
During the projected "Phase II" expansion of Epcot, a Russian-themed Pavilion was planned. It would have been based on the Moscow Kremlin, and dominated by a replica of St. Basil's Cathedral. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the concept was scrapped.
Also advertised on billboards circa 1986, this pavilion would have featured a boat ride similar to Mexico, with a design blending elements of Barcelona and Madrid. Also planned were a film on Spain's history and a restaurant.
This pavilion would have paid tribute to the Middle East with a magic carpet ride attraction and a show focusing on how the Middle East paved the way for various ways of life and science.
An area dedicated to the old fashioned Mickey Mouse shorts and classic movie production. A replica of Disney's original Hyperion Avenue Studio. An area dedicated to the classic Mickey Mouse shorts. Guests would encounter hands-on exhibits demonstrating classic movie production, such as creating Foley sound effects or spinning projectors to see classic Mickey drawings animated.
A miniland in the Streets of America area dedicated to the Muppets. Only Muppet*Vision 3D was completed before plans were put on-hold/cancelled after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson in 1990. Was to feature another attraction, The Great Muppet Movie Ride, and two restaurants: The Swedish Chef's Video Cooking School and The Great Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor. A similar land, titled "Muppets Courtyard" is currently at Hollywood Studios, using areas of the former Streets of America. Currently, the only show is Muppet*Vision 3D, there are no rides and the only two restaurants are Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano[34] and PizzeRizzo.[35]
An extension of Sunset Boulevard based on the 1988 film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Would feature a Red Car Trolley line running up the street, dropping guest off at a recreation of Maroon Studios, which would've been featured where Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is located today. The land is known to have included three attractions: Toontown Trolley, Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy, and Benny the Cab (which eventually became Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and a recreation of the Terminal Bar). Disney and co-creator Steven Spielberg's company, Amblin, were in a legal dispute over the usage of the film/character, and future attractions not already in development were put on-hold. But a Red Car Trolley can be seen running up the street and ridden by passengers inside Disney's California Adventure.
A "myths and legends"-themed land planned for Disney's Animal Kingdom. It was replaced by Camp Minnie-Mickey due to budget cuts after the failure of Disneyland Paris. Much of the land designated for use by Beastly Kingdom is now used for Pandora–The World of Avatar.
A much more advanced version than its sisters in the other Disney parks. This area would have featured a roller coaster, an animatronic show, character houses, and character meet-and-greets. It may have become the idea for Toon Studios at Walt Disney Studios Park.
An ice/winter themed land that was planned to go behind Adventureland and next to Mystic Point. It would have been a clone of the land planned for Tokyo DisneySea but it replaced by Toy Story Land. The section might feature the planned but scrapped ride The Enchanted Snow Palace and other attractions. The idea would most likely be planned for a future expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland in the future along with some planned attractions for future expansions...
A huge complex designed to house the Indiana Jones Adventure as well as a mine cart roller coaster and part of the Jungle Cruise, with the Disneyland Railroad travelling through the middle.
A planned attraction within an attraction to be included at the beginning of The Haunted Mansion attraction. It was suggested and named by Walt Disney after a sleepless night spent thinking of a way to use all the strange and unusual concepts created for the attraction by Imagineer Rolly Crump. It included a chair that stood up and talked and many other weird things that had been collected from around the world. It was eventually cancelled when The Haunted Mansion attraction was changed from a walk-through attraction to a ride-through attraction. Several of the Museum of the Weirds designs were incorporated into The Haunted Mansion attraction including the wallpaper on the walls of the corridor of doors scene.
A dark ride that was planned for Fantasyland at Disneyland. Marc Davis was instrumental in its design. It was designed as a boat ride on a river of melting ice, past naturalistic scenes of Arctic wildlife, beneath a display of the Northern Lights, and into the realm of the Snow Queen, a fantastical land populated by frost fairies and snow giants. Although eventually scrapped, extensive concept art still exists for this attraction. The concept was inspiration for the Frozen Ever After ride in the Norway Pavilion in World Showcase at Epcot.
A Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror-style ride to be built in Frontierland. Guests riding in a huge drilling machine would be caught in a massive geyser and thrown into the air.
An interactive shooter ride designed for Discovery Bay, housed inside a fireworks factory, where guests would shoot at skyrockets, pinwheels and other fireworks. A much smaller version was placed in Mickey's Toontown.
A nighttime pageant that was planned for "Tomorrowland 2055". The show would have been about an entire race of god-like alien creatures that created light. They were alleged to come from a far-off mythical galaxy, where light was the source of everything. Created as a possible Main Street Electrical Parade replacement, the idea eventually inspired the short-lived Light Magic nighttime parade.
A retooling of Tom Sawyer Island based around pirate Jean Lafitte. Guests would enter Lafitte's crypt in a graveyard across from the Haunted Mansion and travel through a catacomb themed tunnel under the river to the island, which would also feature shipwrecks and Lafitte's treasure vault. Would partially inspire the Pirate's Lair retool
The original idea that eventually became the ill-fated Superstar Limo ride in California Adventure; originally planned as a near-clone of the Rock’n’Roller Coaster placing guests in the seats of actors trying to make the premiere of their newest hit film at the Chinese Theatre while dodging paparazzi and freeway traffic, the ride was re-imagined at the insistence of Michael Eisner following the death of Princess Diana under eerily similar circumstances into a much slower dark ride with more of a focus on “meeting” caricatures of the era’s most popular celebrities and many inside jokes of the entertainment industry. The final version of the ride, renamed was hated by both park guests and Imagineers, ultimately leading to its closure less than a year after it opened.
Walt Disney World[]
Disney's Animal Kingdom[]
Name
Description
Reference
Dragon Tower
A dragon-themed roller coaster planned for Beastly Kingdom. Laid-off Imagineers took the idea to Universal, where it became Dueling Dragons.
A boat ride designed for Beastly Kingdom featuring the mythical animals in Fantasia. The current Fantasia Gardens is a miniature golf course located near the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts.
A wooden runaway mine car roller coaster through an abandoned dinosaur dig, planned for Dinoland USA, but due to Budget cuts, it was replaced by Primeval Whirl.
A Fantasyland-style dark ride based on Baby Herman, a character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Riders would have been riding in giant baby carriages, going through scenes of the Roger Rabbit cartoon Tummy Trouble, but as Baby Herman's stunt double, which would have involved, bouncing over hospital beds, and whizzing around the wards of St. Nowhere Hospital.
A "misguided" tour through movie history, given Muppet-style. The ride could be part of a planned Disney's The Muppets themed area called Muppet Studios, along with Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3D.
A madcap adventure that would have flight simulators surrounded by animated screens to take guests on a "hare-raising" trolley ride through a zany cartoon world with Roger Rabbit at the helm.
A comedic animatronics show taking the form of an Awards Show for classic movie monsters, hosted by Eddie Murphy (as "Eddie Frankenmurphy") and featuring Elvira, Mistress of the Dark as one of the presenters. The main subplot of the show would follow Godzilla, the guest of honor and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award, on his journey from Japan to Walt Disney World, which would regularly be shown on the main screen before literally bringing down the house in the finale.
A 3D adventure where guests would have been menaced by three-dimensional recreations of Disney's most famous fiends before the forces of good finally came to their rescue. A possible replacement for The Great Movie Ride.
A unique variation on Disney's CircleVision 360 show. Guests would have found themselves standing aboard a vibrating recreation of the passenger compartment of a Japanese bullet train. Looking out through the oversized faux windows in this passenger car, they would have been treated to a high-speed travelogue as some of Japan's most beautiful scenery whizzed by the windows. The attraction was planned for the Japan Pavilion at Epcot.
Similar to both the Mount Fuji and Bullet Train ideas, in this case having the bullet train run afoul of Godzilla in Tokyo Bay, followed by a race to safety. This ride would be planned for the Japan Pavilion at Epcot. This ride inspired Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom
A roller coaster, similar to Disneyland's Matterhorn, planned to be built inside a mountain behind the failed Switzerland pavilion. It went through two different iterations before being scrapped.
A cruise down Germany's most famous rivers, including the Rhine, the Tauber, the Ruhr and the Isar. Detailed miniatures of famous landmarks would also be seen, including one of the Cologne Cathedral. The ride entrance and the building that would have housed it are still visible at the Germany pavilion.
Designed as part of the UK pavilion, this full-scale water ride would visit key London landmarks. Concept art from 1986 shows the Tower of London, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament.
A ride themed after the 2001 animated movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Set in 1916, two years after the film, the story of the attraction would focus on Preston Whitmore seeking to make Atlantis's existence public and offer expeditions to visitors in newly developed vehicles. However, due to mishaps, the vehicles would be forced to make a detour through the lava-filled caverns of the volcano. This ride would be cancelled as a result of the underperformance of the film, the downturn in tourism after the 9/11 terror attacks, and Michael Eisner visiting the then-recently opened Universal Islands of Adventure (which he intended for Fire Mountain to compete with) and seeing it was such a mess that it posed no threat to Walt Disney World.
^Strodder, Chris. The Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop, and Major Event in the Original Magic Kingdom. Santa Monica Press. ISBN1-59580-068-9.
^“The Disney MGM Studios Expansion.” Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career, by Kevin P. Rafferty, Disney Editions, 2019, pp. 129–134.
