5 More Attractions That Never Were

This week we continue our tour of Walt Disney Attractions That Never Were, beginning with a boat ride in EPCOT’s World Showcase!

6. German Boat Ride

The Germany Pavilion was also going to be home to an attraction, The Rhine River boat ride (opposite below). Similar to El Rio del Tiempo in Mexico, the attraction would have been a slow-moving water ride that would have taken you on a cruise down the Rhine River, passing by highlights of the country’s cultural contributions throughout history, with the voyage culminating in scenes of present-day Germany. Also intended for the Pavilion was a tourism area to be housed in a replica of a medieval town hall. The décor would feature suits of armor and banners representing the sixteen Bundesländer, or federated states of Germany.

7. Italy Boat Ride

When World Showcase was being developed, there were plans for a “Phase II” expansion. Though these plans never came to pass, they did include provisions for a gondola dark ride in the Italy Pavilion. This attraction would have also featured a walk-through segment, taking you on a tour through the ruins of Rome.

8. Princess Castles In New Fantasyland

When it was first announced, the New Fantasyland expansion was going to feature several elaborate Disney Princess meet-and-greet experiences housed in individual princess cottages, including ones for Snow White and Aurora (below). Also included was a large Disney Fairies area dubbed Pixie Hollow, to be completed as the expansion’s last phase. Fans quickly voiced their concerns with parts of this princess-centric expansion, and in the months that followed, Disney heavily modified their design and artwork. The finalized concept for New Fantasyland, ready just in time for the 2011 D23 Expo, replaced the princess cottages with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and the meet and greet opportunities were consolidated into one location called Princess Fairytale Hall.

9. Spaceship Earth Refurbishment

As part of Epcot’s expansion project, a significant refurbishment for Spaceship Earth was announced at the 2019 D23 Expo. The attraction would still focus on communication, but instead of highlighting inventions and technology, storytelling would be emphasized. The scenes wouldn’t have changed but would have been enhanced through fiber-optic lighting effects. A few new scenes were also going to be added, along with a new guide. A magical light called the Story Light would have given each scene a new narrative while providing energy and stunning beauty. Spaceship Earth would have been closed for a lengthy amount of time for the renovations, but the pandemic put those plans on hold. Disney instead opted to keep Spaceship Earth open in its current state while construction on the reimagined worlds of Epcot commenced. Up until recently, no updates had been provided regarding a possible refurbishment, and it seemed as if the Story Light reimaginging looked to be on hold.

However, Disney fans were pleasantly surprised by the announcement at D23 that Spaceship Earth would be getting a refurbishment! No details were shared, so time will tell if the this will involve the Story Light concepts presented a few years ago. But we can’t wait to see!

10. Wreck-It Ralph

When Stitch’s Great Escape closed in 2018, rumors of a new attraction based on Wreck-It Ralph began to circulate. The attraction would have reused the same theater-in-the-round setup used in Stitch along with its predecessors (ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, Mission to Mars, and Flight to the Moon) with the addition of video game-style controllers in every seat. Construction was rumored to have begun in March 2020, but the pandemic put a hold on the project. No announcements have been made since about the fate of the attraction building. However, the Merchant of Venus shop has since closed, and the dining area adjacent to Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies was recently refurbished. A sign of things to come? We shall have to wait and see!