12/4 As New Fantasyland Grand Opens, A Timeline of Key Moments Since Early 2010

Hi everyone!

New Fantasyland celebrates it's Grand Opening on Thursday, December 6th. While we won't be covering that event, I did want to share some highlights of our coverage since we began following the construction and soft openings of this new area of the Magic Kingdom.

In the last 2 1/2 years, we've posted at least 100 articles and currently 123 videos of New Fantasyland – with views nearing 1 million between Mousesteps and our YouTube channel. That doesn't include Jeff's website, or the photos we've shared with readers on two other websites. I'm really proud of all our coverage, and we'll cover Princess Fairytale Hall and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as they open (and anything else new that might pop up). This was a tremendous project to take on, and I don't expect to follow any other project so closely again.

I chose 15 articles that create a timeline through the construction period and soft opening. It really is amazing to look back and realize that Beast's Castle first appeared on the horizon over a year and a half ago. It doesn't feel nearly that long ago to me! Flipping through articles from the last several years is like a timeline of our lives as well. Mousesteps enters into our 7th year in early 2013!

Here are the articles I've chosen – 15 out of approximately 100 articles I've posted since 2010. The links take you to the full article.

Last days of Ariel’s Grotto: 4/13/10

This is the former Ariel's Grotto, which was a children's play area (the new one is a meet-and-greet). Scuttle was a prominent figure here, in the area that used to be part of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.

—

Last Days of Pooh's Playful Spot:  4/16/10

This Pooh themed playground was very popular with kids (including my 2 year old nephew when he visited).

—

Pooh’s Tree Moves: 4/29/10

The moving of Pooh's tree was a big deal at the time, it signaled the beginning of construction in Fantasyland. The tree now sits in front of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

—

 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh New Interactive Queue, Fantasyland Construction 11/23/10

In the last couple of years, Walt Disney World has been adding interactive queues to attractions. This was one of the first ones, including fun "honey walls" that guests can move their hands over to reveal characters.

—

Final Day of Mickey's Toontown Fair:  2/11/11

We were there with a group of friends as Mickey's Toontown Fair closed for the last time. I took over 1000 images in the days leading up to that, I'll eventually pull some of them together to share! I wish that the homes of Mickey and Minnie could have been saved.

—

First Look at Beast’s Castle: 4/12/11

In April of 2011, Beast's Castle appeared on the horizon – adding a second castle to the Magic Kingdom. Forced perspective makes it look much larger than it is, except when workers were seen next to it.

—

Fantasyland from Contemporary Resort Roof:  8/8/11

With my 35x zoom, it was easy to get close-up photos of the construction from a different viewpoint (my next camera will be a Canon w/50x zoom, though I don't plan to need it as much!)

—

Dumbo Ride Testing: 1/31/12

Everyone was waiting to see Dumbo fly, and finally he did – with workers inside. It would be another 6 weeks until Storybook Circus would soft open to guests.

—

3/12/12: Storybook Circus Soft Opens

Storybook Circus was partially open! Guests could enjoy Dumbo, the Barnstormer, and the Fantasyland Train Station.

—

4/14/12: First View of “E” for Eric on Prince Eric's Castle

It wasn't easy to see without my camera, but the "E" showed up on Prince Eric's Castle! Also there was construction views of Bonjour! Village Gifts, Gaston's Tavern and more. I always got Bonjour! Village Gifts and Gaston's Tavern mixed up back then!

—-

6/15/12: Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Opens

The next part of Storybook Circus to open was the Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak – geared toward kids who want to get drenched. There is a tribute to the Firehouse Five Plus 2 with Ward Kimball here, as well as inside the Dumbo queue.

—

8/1/12: First Look at Gaston’s Fountain/Statue Over Wall

This was the first look at the Gaston Fountain Statue, and we even saw LeFou under him! Sometime before this, we found that the queue of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was a great, elevated spot to get photos and video.

—

8/22/12: First Look at Be Our Guest Restaurant Sign

The Be Our Guest Restaurant sign could be seen from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh queue, along with some of the outside props.

 

—

10/5/12: Pete's Silly Sideshow Opens in Storybook Circus

Storybook Circus was pretty much complete now as Pete's Silly Sideshow opened, along with the nearby Big Top Souvenirs. We were impressed with this new meet-and-greet experience, though we'd like to have seen some unique characters added.

—

11/4/12 – Be Our Guest Dinner and Lunch Review

We tried both lunch and dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant when it first opened – we found dinner a much better experience and a better value than lunch. Be Our Guest is a beautiful restaurant, and we even had the chance to talk to Imagineers – including Chris Beatty – about the creation of it.

—

Remember to take a look through our 123 videos (so far!) that include the beginning of construction through now – the videos include Imagineer interviews, Be Our Guest video tours, and so much more. Our video channel has 13 million views now, and we've talked about New Fantasyland often on our Mousesteps Weekly YouTube show. I have at least 2000 photos of New Fantasyland still to sift through, to share a detailed look at this new area.

I wrote an article in October about how New Fantasyland changes the landscape of the Magic Kingdom. I've been visiting the Magic Kingdom regularly since 1976, and it's been pretty a pretty exciting time. There are a lot of wonderful details to find within the expansion. It isn't quite as transformative to me as Cars Land and the Carthay Circle area at Disney's California Adventure, but New Fantasyland is charming in it's own right – and we look forward to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!