We’re back for another week of Muting and The Mouse and we are about to enter into some of the immersive areas that Disney has to offer. Disney World does a great job of theming the different areas you visit while in each park. Take Magic Kingdom for example, you can be in Tomorrowland and then stroll into Frontierland and the look and feel is a 360 degree turnaround. One land is futuristic and the other is the wild west. Each land is specific to the name of the land and the best part is, you cannot see each land from the next. The flow and designs make it one of a kind. Now for this post, we will just leave out the countries that are found in The World Showcase at Epcot. These countries are some of the best themed areas in all of Disney because they are so authentic to the country. Each country brings in great detail with the architecture, food, and experiences. We could do our own post just about them. But in this post, we will be talking about the other areas around Walt Disney World that put you most in the story. Disney has gone above and beyond in these next five themed areas to really make you feel as if you are in the movie, the storyline, the atmosphere, and the experience of the land you are in. I mean, in some of the areas, you would swear you left the current year, location, and time to enter into that specific storyline. So without further ado, let us enter into the top five themed lands or areas Disney has to offer. Please share your favorite themed lands below in the comments!
5. Be Our Guest Restaurant
Coming in at number five is none other than Be Our Guest Restaurant. It is a tale as old as time and a classic. Found in Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom you can go inside of the Beast’s castle. Once you walk up to the gates, you see the extensive detail leading up to the doors. The gargoyles are straight from the movie. On the inside, you have three different rooms to dine in, each one is unique. The first room you walk into is the classic ballroom. This is the room that everyone recognizes; right out of the scene where the Beast and Belle dance. You find yourself right in the middle of Mrs. Potts singing “Tale as Old as Time, Beauty and The Beast”. The stunning ceiling is photogenic and will have you taking pictures with that as the backdrop. One of the next rooms you can enter is the West Wing. Yes, you can go to the West Wing. Once you enter this room, you enter into the darker room filled with everything you see in the movie. The best part of the theme here is the picture with the Beast’s claw marks through it and his enchanted rose. As you leave the castle, make sure you take a picture with the classic and beautiful mosaic found on the wall. You just dined in the Beast’s castle and you will not regret the decision. It enters you into the story and puts you right in the middle of the classic scenes found in Beauty and The Beast.
4. Pandora: The World Of Avatar
Our next stop brings us to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We make our way into Pandora: The World of Avatar for our next themed land. This was a tough one to put at four on the list as visually, it could be number one. I just think the next three immerse you a bit more. As soon as you enter into this land, you can tell it is special. The colors are eye catching and the background music adds to the atmosphere. This land is specifically mesmerizing at night. The nighttime aesthetics put this land at its best. The neon colors really show you what it is like to be in Pandora. As you continue into the land, whether during the day or at night, you see exotic plants and some have interactive effects. Some of them shoot out water or have buttons to press and bang on to make sounds and bring the plants to life. The uncertainty of the living plants is what makes this unique. Continuing on into the land, you come to the most beautiful view in the land. You look up to the skies and see the floating mountains. High above the ground with waterfalls flowing down, you are right there in the middle of the floating mountains. As you wait in line for the rides, you see the stunning backdrop in the mountains of Pandora. The greenery, exotic plants, and colors all make this some of the best theming Disney has to offer.
3. Toy Story Land
Quick everyone, Andy is home! Our next land known for some great theming is Toy Story Land. Found at Disney’s Hollywood Studios you can enter Andy’s backyard with Woody and the gang. When you enter this land, you notice that some things are much bigger than you. You see giant footprints in the ground and you notice that you are toy sized. The giant footprints you see are Andy’s and you are now out for play time with the rest of the toys. In the skies you see Slinky Dog flying across the track and just past him the giant fence keeping you in the backyard. The rest of the toys are scattered throughout the land. You come up to the Alien Saucer Swirl and enter into the galactic area of the land. Found by Buzz and the claw, you swear you have seen the scene before. From the Midway Mania, to the ride on Slinky Dog, to the alien saucers, you are in the story with the rest of the toys. Everything is much larger than you and it adds to the fun playtime in the land. Up above you even higher you find other toys building a structure to hold up christmas lights that light up the land at night. The best part of the land is the use of all your favorite childhood games and toys you find while waiting in the various lines. It brings you back to being a kid playing with all your favorite games and toys, which is what makes this land stand out.
2. Tower of Terror
Enter if you dare, into the Twilight Zone. Found once again at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you see the Hollywood Tower Hotel off in the distance. As you walk closer, the theme puts you into the story, and in my opinion, does a really good job of putting you in the year 1939. You walk through the garden of the hotel and into the main lobby. The theming starts with the walk up to the hotel with the music. The eerie, instrumental music adds to the experience as it puts you in the time frame. As you walk into the main lobby, you see it as it was left many years ago. The hotel room keys left in the cubby holes behind the desk, the old furniture, the paintings and the old statues are all pretty unique to the 30s style you would have seen. Taking the theme further, you see them draped and covered in cobwebs to show the abandoned hotel’s age. As you come up to the library, you see more and more artifacts and books covered in cobwebs that add to the 1930s feel. As the lights go out, you see the pre-ride show and notice that the lobby in the video is identical to the one that you just saw. I mean this is to be expected, but the continuity goes a long way. The old artifacts from that time frame, the cobwebs, the music and the storyline put you right in the middle and you escape the current time for just a moment.
Star Wars: Galaxy Edge
Star Wars fans, we are home. Finally we have come to our top ranked themed area in Disney. This one comes in at number one for the all-around experience of the land. The theme, the music, the rides, the story, and the immersiveness puts this at the top of our list. Once you enter into the land of Batuu, you see all of the iconic vehicles you have come to know in the land of Star Wars. You see speeders, X-Wings, Y-Wings, Tie Fighters, and much, much more. You see the village shops, and stores. You come up to exotic restaurants with different foods and drinks and all you can think is you have seen it all before. As you continue into the land, you see Storm Troopers monitoring the area for the First Order. You might even see Chewy and Rey walking about. As you turn each corner, each different shop has sliding doors that open to have you enter the next immersive ride, restaurant, and shop. At the center of it all, you come to a docking bay and you see the Millennium Falcon. In the flesh, life sized, and towering over you, you finally get to see it in person. The sight is quite stunning and you cannot believe your eyes. As you make your way into the land further, you come to Oga’s Cantina. This is a spot to get a drink and maybe a quick appetizer to take a break from the action. You swear with the unique drinks and atmosphere you are in one of the bars you see in the movies. Finally, I must speak to the rides. They put you in the middle of the action having you complete missions to help the Resistance. Watch out, you never know when you “might not have a good feeling about this”! All of this combined has you enter into the world of Star Wars fully and you can’t help but think, “I have been here before,” because it is so like the movies.
That does it for our top five themed areas. The themes do not end here. Disney has so many resort hotels and other areas that are well themed. We can discuss them in later posts but we do not want to ramble on here. All we need to remember is that Walt wanted you to enter the stories. With the above lands, you definitely enter into the story and feel like you are there. We might have missed some and would love to hear what your favorite themed areas are. Let us know below and remember, enter the magic of Disney, no matter how far!
Muting & The Mouse 