Dark Kingdom
Ah, the villains park.
Anyone remotely familiar with Disney Rumors knows it. Constantly perceived as the next logical step in any Disney Resort, it's continuously thrown out by the Mouse. On the surface this make some sense: there are many logical problems that arise with an "evil" themed park. But if we can accurately recognize these flaws and find a meaning... we may have an answer. Welcome to Disney's Dark Kingdom!
Location
Disney’s Dark Kingdom is the second gate to Hong Kong Disneyland, frequently referred to as the “black sheep of Disney Resorts”.
To end this stereotype Disney has created Project: Tao. This four phase project will transform the resort, centered around the taoist theory of Yin and Yang. The entire resort will become a symbolic representation... between Optimism and Pessimism.
Phase 1 is already ongoing, having begun with the London and Buccaneer Bay park expansions to Disneyland Park. The central park fountain will be replaced with a gigantic ao symbol (as seen on the map). Phase 2 will see an expansion to infrastructure: the road shall be expanded out, and additional parking established for the resort. Phase 2 also sees the addition of a new hotel: The Hungry Ghost Hotel.
Phase 3 sees the grand opening of Disney's Dark Kingdom, the dark inversion of Disneyland Park. The happy, optimistic Disneyland represents the Yang, or light. Disney's essential message, throughout all parks and resorts, has always been of dreamers. So it makes sense the inversion of Disneyland should be built around... pessimists .
Now it's really easy to put down pessimism, but stick with me, because I think like the Tao both forces have something meaningful to say. Let's use Adventureland as an example. At Disneyland Park, Adventureland is about our dreams of adventure; how fun it would be, all the cool things we would discover. The message is to never stop adventuring... but that's not entirely correct. If we continue to explore and adventure everywhere, we will destroy our natural ecosystem leading to destruction... and no more adventures.
Hence, a balance between Optimism and Pessimism is essential for our success.
Now this is all theoretical thinking. Obviously Disney will never market their park as dreams don't always come true; grow up! but that will be the hidden message. It will tie the entire resort together on a thematic level greater than even Tokyo (by contrasting their two parks with land and sea).
Lore
The greatest parks are the ones with a story, and Disney's Dark Kingdom is no exception. Each land is the temporary "home" of some villains, as await their master.
The icon of Dark Kingdom is Bald Mountain, the home of the evil Chernabog. Fantasia's was vaguely defined, so a new, more iconic shape has been made for the peak. The park weenie closely resembles Mount Thor, a Canadian Mountain known for having the steepest vertical drop in the world.
The steep side is facing the entrance of the park. If you look all the way down, you can see the freshly redesigned Castle at Disneyland Park. These two parallel peaks rule the resort.
The mighty Chernabog lives underneath Bald Mountain, and it is prophesied that on this very night the dark lord will burst out of the mountain and bring great havoc.
The various Disney Villains, from the Evil Queen to Ernesto de la Cruz, have all tried and failed to defeat those annoying... heroes. Every single time they lose. So they have collectively figured to journey to Chernabog, who will surely stop their enemies once and for all. All that matters now is the wait till nightfall... and might as well have a few games while we're waiting, right?
Dark Kingdom is a bit more intense than its "good" counterpart. There are a total of four roller coasters... in contrast to Disneyland's two. One of these coasters is for children only (Gadget), one is family-friendly (Space/Thunder), and one is intense (Incredicoaster). This is joined by both a Test Track tech attraction AND emv attraction . To summarize: a very e-ticket heavy park. To make it family-friendly without going overkill on the budget/spacing, there are many flat rides in the park.
Each land is supposed to stand on its own, so it almost always has a "big ride" and a "fancy restaurant", among other things. Each land has a distinct villainous theme that will hopefully capture each of your hearts... or should I say soul? Regardless, let's get into the fine details!
