History WhatCouldHaveBeen / DisneyThemeParks

[-[[caption-width-right:350:''"It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed."''[[note]]Concept art of the "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow", Creator/WaltDisney's original vision of [[FunWithAcronyms Epcot]].[[/note]]]]-]

* There were [[https://blogmickey.com/2020/04/monsters-inc-roller-coaster-scrapped-for-disneys-hollywood-studios/ originally plans]] for an indoor roller coaster based on the door chase scene in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc''. Unfortunately, it was scrapped due to Disney executives having no interest in additional thrill rides for Hollywood Studios at the time (wanting to have more family-friendly dark rides instead).

* 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/SuperMarioBros'' 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''.

* An ''Film/Armageddon1998'' special effects show was planned but shelved; it would later come to life at Walt Disney Studios Paris.

* Retheming the ''Journey into Imagination'' ride at Epcot to ''Film/{{Flubber}}'' was planned at one point, but the movie underperformed.

* 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. Like the original Muppets Courtyard, it was scrapped after Henson's death.

* An ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' special effects show was planned but shelved; it would later come to life at Walt Disney Studios Paris.

** 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 ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory Midway Mania''.

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

** Prior to [=WestCOT=]'s announcement, the original plan for a second California park was going to be [=DisneySea=] ([[IncrediblyLamePun get it?]]), and was selected to be built in Long Beach. Like it's eventual successor at the Tokyo Disney Resort, all of it's lands and attractions would've been based on the various myths & legends of countries with a history of seafaring. It was also going to be part of a much larger resort called Port Disney, which would've dominated much of the city's waterfront. A citizen's revolt prompted Eisner to relocate next door to Anaheim.

* In the early 1990's, Disney planned to open a theme park devoted to American history called Disney's America near Manassas, Virginia. The plan fell through in 1994, due to vehement opposition from people worried about the impact on traffic and the potential for damage to key historic sites (the Manassas National Battlefield, site of two major [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar American Civil War]] battles, is located very close to the site that had been proposed for the park), not to mention concerns about the company that named the trope {{Disneyfication}} presenting a whole park built around RealLife history -- one announced attraction would have cast riders as runway slaves on the Underground Railroad! The idea was revived a few years later when Disney considered purchasing Knott's Berry Farm, but once again came to nothing (ironically, Disney would have changed less in the park than Cedar Fair has). Some elements of the proposal were finally incorporated into Disney California Adventure when that park opened in 2001.

* Early concepts for Disneyland called for Adventureland to be where Space Mountain is now (directly east of Main Street - it was built directly west instead). Some prototype maps even show parts of it existing on ''both'' sides of Main Street. (It was moved on the recommendation of head Disneyland landscape artist, Bill Evens, to take advantage of the existing Eucalyptus trees on the other side of the park.)
* The original design for Disneyland incorporated numerous orange trees already present on the property. Walt's staff marked trees to be kept and trees to be removed with different colors of ribbon. Unfortunately, all of the trees were destroyed - the bulldozer operator was colorblind.

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

* A Disney Villains ride was once slated to replace ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', that would've been set in Bald Mountain. A ride based on Disney villains may finally became true, due to the expansion proposal of Magic Kingdom being announced at the D23 2022 with the Disney villains being one of the confirmed themes for the expansion.

* Original designs for ''Toy Story Midway Mania!'' included having the entrance and exit be through the giant mouths of Woody and Buzz (such an entrace design would be used in Tokyo), and one proposal for the egg tossing game would've been "Make Al Dance", in which guests shot eggs at the chicken-costumed toy collector.
* An ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' special effects show was planned but shelved, but would later come to life at Walt Disney Studios Paris.

* A Disney Villains ride was once slated to replace ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', that would've been set in Bald Mountain. A ride based on Disney villains may finally became true, due the expansion proposal of Magic Kingdom being announced at the D23 2022 with the Disney villains being one of the confirmed themes for the expansion.

* A Disney Villains ride was once slated to replace ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', that would've been set in Bald Mountain. A ride based on Disney vllains may finally become true, due the expansion proposal of Magic Kingdom being announced at the D23 2022 with the Disney villains being one of the confirmed themes for the expansion.

* 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).

* A Disney Villains ride was once slated to replace ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', that would've been set in Bald Mountain.

* Back in the late 1970s, Tony Baxter, while developing ''Big Thunder Mountain'', created a concept for a new victorian, Creator/JulesVerne inspired-themed land that would've been behind the attraction called "[[https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Discovery_Bay Discovery Bay]]". According to the land's backstory, it was a city founded by the now wealthy Jason Chandler (who survived the mine collapse of Big Thunder Mountain) and would've acted as a haven for victorian-era odd scientists. The land would've contain numerous experiences such as attractions based off of ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' and ''Film/TheIslandAtTheTopOfTheWorld'', a show called ''Professor Marvel's Gallery of Illusion'', a roller coaster using magnetic technology titled ''Spark Gap Loop'', a hot-balloon ride that would've connected the land to Fantasyland and much more. Unforunately, numerous factors, such as the box office failure of ''The Island at the Top of The World'', Disney already having their hands full on Epcot Center and Tokyo Disneyland, and the declining popularity of the fantasy adventure genre, would lead to the project getting scrapped. That said, many of Tony Baxter's ideas for the land would see use elsewhere and would go on to influence several future Disney attractions by him, such as ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' at Epcot, Discoveryland and Frontierland at Disneyland Paris, and Mysterious Island at Tokyo [=DisneySea=]. Numerous nods to the idea would also be placed all over the parks as {{Development Gag}}s.

** Disney would briefly revisit the idea in the 1990s, with Disney having plans of a smaller version of Discovery Bay being located on part of Tom Sawyer Island that would've realized a few of the ideas intended for the land and would've also seen the Mark Twain Riverboat and Sailing Ship Columbia be permanently docked and converted into resturants. However, the negative reception to the New Tommorowland expansion, budget issues and Disney being focused on California Adventure would shut the plans down for good.

** Disney would briefly revisit the idea in the 1990s, with a smaller version of the land being located on part of Tom Sawyer Island that would've realized a few of the ideas planned and would've also seen the Mark Twain Riverboat and Sailing Ship Columbia be permanently docked and converted into resturants. However, the negative reception to the New Tommorowland expansion, budget issues and Disney being focused on California Adventure would shut the plans down for good.

* Back in the late seventies, Tony Baxter, while developing Big Thunder Mountain, created an ambitious concept for a new victorian, Creator/JulesVerne inspired-themed land located that would've been connected to the attraction called "[[https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Discovery_Bay Discovery Bay]]". According to the land's backstory, it was a city founded by the now wealthy Jason Chandler (who survived the mine collapse of Big Thunder Mountain) and would've acted as a haven for victorian-era oddball scientists. The land would've contain numerous experiences such as an attractions based off of ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' and ''Film/TheIslandAtTheTopOfTheWorld'', a show called ''Professor Marvel's Gallery of Illusion'', a roller coaster using magnetic technology titled Spark Gap Loop, a hot-balloon ride that would've connected the land to Fantasyland and much more. Unforunately, numerous factors, such as the box office failure of ''The Island at the Top of The World'', Disney already having their hands full on Epcot Center and Tokyo Disneyland, and the fantasy adventure genre dying out in favor of science fiction at the time would lead to the project getting scrapped. That said, many of Tony Baxter's ideas for the land would be used elsewhere, such as ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' at Epcot (which reuses numerous ideas from the ''Professor Marvel'' show, including the titular character and his pet dragon, who became the basis for Dreamfinder and Figment), as well as Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris and Mysterious Island at Tokyo [=DisneySea=] (both of which realize several ideas intended for the land, including the Jules Verne theming). Numerous nods to the idea would also be placed all over the parks as {{Development Gag}}s and Jason Chandler would become canonized as a member of of S.E.A.. Disney did briefly consider reviving the idea for Disneyland in the ninties, but the failure of the New Tommorowland expansion and the company's focus on California Adventure would cause the idea to get scrapped again (and this time for good, with the land planned for the bay eventually being occupied by ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'').

* Back in the late seventies, Tony Baxter, while developing Big Thunder Mountain, created an ambitious concept for a new victorian, Creator/JulesVerne inspired-themed land located that would've been connected to the attraction called "[[https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Discovery_Bay Discovery Bay]]". According to the land's backstory, it was a city founded by the now wealthy Jason Chandler (who survived the mine collapse of Big Thunder Mountain) and would've acted as a haven for victorian-era oddball scientists. The land would've contain numerous experiences such as an attractions based off of ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' and ''TheIslandAtTheTopOfTheWorld'', a show called ''Professor Marvel's Gallery of Illusion'', a roller coaster using magnetic technology titled Spark Gap Loop, a hot-balloon ride that would've connected the land to Fantasyland and much more. Unforunately, numerous factors, such as the box office failure of ''The Island at the Top of The World'', Disney already having their hands full on Epcot Center and Tokyo Disneyland and fantasy adventure dying out in favor of Science fiction at the time would lead to the project getting scrapped. That said, many of Tony Baxter's ideas for the land would be used elsewhere, such as ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' at Epcot (which reuses numerous ideas from the ''Professor Marvel'' show, including the titular character and his pet dragon, who became the basis for Dreamfinder and Figment), as well as Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris and Mysterious Island at Tokyo [=DisneySea=] (both of which realize several ideas intended for the land, including the Jules Verne theming), and numerous nods to the idea would placed all over the parks as {{Development Gag}}s. Disney did briefly consider reviving the idea in the ninties, but the failure of the New Tommorowland expansion and the company's focus on California Adventure would cause the idea to get scrapped again (and this time for good).

* 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).