Like many of the mythical creatures it was intended to showcase, Disney's Animal Kingdom's Beastly Kingdom has become legend itself in the annals of Lost Imagineering. Budget constraints ultimately resulted in this concept being replaced with the shows and character greets of Camp Minnie Mickey.
One of the proposed attractions for Beastly Kingdom was the interactive walk-through Quest for the Unicorn. Imagineer Maggie Parr, who was the lead designer on the project, provided this description of the attraction:
"The three-part hedge maze was long and complex, with surprises at every turn. Along the way, a sphinx, phoenix, griffin, and several mischievous gargoyles delivered clues or guarded dead ends. The maze culminated in a gothic topiary castle where guests could either look out over the land, or descend into a leafy chamber where they finally met the mysterious unicorn (an audio-animatronic figure). It was an ambitious and unusual attraction."
For a very detailed look at what might have been, check out Maggie's article Quest for the Unicorn at MousePlanet.
It is interesting to read about things that might have been! Thank you for posting about this!
ReplyDeleteRustin Allison
This would have been so unique as there is nothing really like this on WDW property. A walk-through hedge maze is still a great concept.
ReplyDeleteI love that idea. I really wish that they had found a way to include beastly kingdom. It would have made Animal Kingdom an absolutely incredible park.
ReplyDeleteThe area of beastly kingdom is now becoming Avatarland based on the Movie Avatar.
ReplyDelete