The Disneyland Attractions That Never Were

Disneyland celebrates its diamond celebration this year, but throughout its sixty-years, some attractions, themed lands, and even new parks haven't seen the light of day. So here are fifteen such ideas that never saw fruition from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and other resorts.

1. Mickey Mouse Park

The Walt Disney Company / Via The Disney Drawing Board

Walt Disney's original idea for a theme park was a small 8-acre park across the road from the film studio. Featured in the park were a train railway, horseless carriages, and features of a small American town. Of course, Walt got bigger ideas and that led to the creation of Disneyland.

2.

The Walt Disney Company / Via Disney and More Blogspot

WestCOT was considered as a secondary park for Disneyland in 1990. Essentially a copy of the original Epcot, WestCOT was based around a utopian version of the future and featured a larger version of Spaceship Earth. Unfortunately, financial problems and other issues led to WestCOT being cancelled and replaced with California Adventure.

3. Disney's America

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Disney's America was meant to be built in Haymarket, Virginia in the 1990s, as a tribute to the history of the USA. Amongst the planned lands were a Civil War village, an accurate recreation of a Native American settlement, a river rafts ride based around Lewis and Clark, a new version of the Hall of Presidents, and an inverted rollercoaster that had guests "fly" around in bi-planes.

4. Tomorrowland 2055

The Walt Disney Company / Via Jim Hill Media

Disneyland's Tomorrowland was to have a major thematic rehaul in 1994, reimagined by Imagineers Bruce Gordon and Tony Baxter into a futuristic alien spaceport, featuring the infamous "Alien Encounter" and a new musical show called "Plectu's Fantastic Intergalactic Revue" set inside an enormous spaceship. However, economic issues with Disneyland Paris led to Michael Eisner scrapping the idea, so only a small part of Tomorrowland gained its redesign.

5. Edison Square

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Edison Square along with Liberty Street were considered for new wings for Main Street at Disneyland. Edison Square was to honour Thomas Edison and the age of electricity, featuring an early version of the Carousel of Progress. Liberty Street was eventually created in Walt Disney World, but Edison Square never saw the light of day.

6. Discovery Bay

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Considered Tony Baxter's unrealised magnum opus, Discovery Bay was to be built in Disneyland back in the 1970s. Themed around San Francisco in the 1880s, Discovery Bay would be home to inventors, explorers, and adventure seekers. Known attractions included the Nautilus walkthrough, a time travel ride, an undersea-themed Captain Nemo restaurant, and a dark ride based around the film The Island at the Top of the World. Unfortunately, when that filmed bombed at the box office, the idea was scrapped. However, many elements survived and appeared in Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland, Tokyo DisneySea, and Journey into Imagination.

7. Epcot African Pavilion

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Epcot's World Showcase was to feature an African pavilion, featuring shows dedicated to African music, another hosted by author Alex Haley, and an attraction featuring unseen animals brought to life via sound. The pavilion was designed by several veteran Imagineers but was never made.

8. Beastly Kingdom

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Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom was meant to be a tribute to all wildlife, even mythical beasts - that was Beastly Kingdom's purpose. Attractions were to include a suspended coaster through a dragon's tower, a mystical maze called Quest of the Unicorn, and the Fantasia Gardens boat ride. But Beastly Kingdom became a victim of pesky economics and was scrapped in favour of the cheap, Camp Mickey-Minnie. However, the camp was recently closed so a new land based on the Avatar movie can be built...so Beastly Kingdom kind of gets new life.

9. Candy Mountain / Rainbow Road to Oz

The Walt Disney Company / Via WDW Magic

Walt Disney wanted to make his own Oz film for years, but it never came to be. Neither did this Fantasyland-based attraction based around the unmade movie "The Rainbow Road to Oz", built under the impressive-looking Candy Mountain designed by Claude Coats.

10. The Enchanted Snow Palace

The Walt Disney Company / Via Jim Hill Media

One of Marc Davis' attractions that never made past the design stage. But since Frozen is now Disney's most popular movie, perhaps it could see a return with Elsa at the helm.

11. Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers

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Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers was to be built at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. An exciting car chase and shootout through 1920s Chicago, the ride unfortunately was scrapped when the Dick Tracy film failed at the box office.

12. The Muppet Studios

The Walt Disney Company / Via WDW Magic

While the Muppets do have their own minor area at California Adventure and Hollywood Studios, there were much bigger plans for Kermit and friends including a Muppet parody of The Great Movie Ride, as well as a restaurant based around Gonzo.

13. Discovery Mountain

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Okay, technically, this one was built in Disneyland Paris but not in the form originally imagined. Discovery Mountain was going to be a two-story indoor mountain featuring Space Mountain, the Nautilus walkthrough and restaurant, Epcot's Horizons, and a Journey To the Centre of the Earth freefall ride. Budget cuts struck again and only Space Mountain and an outdoor version of the Nautilus made it to the park.

14. Western River Expedition

The Walt Disney Company / Via Disney Wiki

The most infamous attraction never made, the Western River Expedition was another creation of Marc Davis, a western-themed boat ride set in Frontierland at Walt Disney World. It would've been filled with countless sight gags and would've shared the large show building with Big Thunder Mountain. However, visitors to the park wanted Pirates of the Caribbean instead, so Western River Expedition was shelved. However, just about every Frontierland-based ride that came afterward has taken elements from the attraction.

15. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow

The Walt Disney Company / Via Google Images

The original version of Epcot, the true purpose of the Florida Project, and Walt's greatest dream. Epcot was to be an experimental community of the future and a place to test/develop new technology and improve urban living. However with Walt's death in 1966, Progress City was never constructed, and the Epcot theme park was built as more of a tribute. A portion of the original Epcot model can be seen in Walt Disney World's PeopleMover.