 | |
| Theme | 19th Century American Frontier,American History,North America andLatin America |
|---|---|
| Disneyland | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | July 17, 1955 (1955-07-17) |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | October 1, 1971 (1971-10-01) |
| Tokyo Disneyland (As Westernland) | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 15, 1983 (1983-04-15) |
| Disneyland Paris | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 12, 1992 (1992-04-12) |
| Hong Kong Disneyland (As Grizzly Gulch) | |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | July 14, 2012 (2012-07-14) |
Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run byDisney around the world. Themed to theAmerican frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home tocowboys andpioneers,saloons, red rockbuttes andgold rushes along with some influence from American history, North America in general and Latin America. It is namedWesternland atTokyo Disneyland andGrizzly Gulch atHong Kong Disneyland.
To build an accurate depiction of an old-West town, Walt Disney sent a camera crew to Frontier Town, in North Hudson, New York, to film a movie that was used as the inspiration for Frontierland, as revealed in the bookFrontier Town Then And Now.[citation needed]
Frontierland. It is here that we experience the story of our country's past. The color, romance and drama of frontier America as it developed from wilderness trails to roads, riverboats, railroads and civilization. A tribute to the faith, courage and ingenuity of our hearty pioneers who blaze the trails and made this progress possible.
Frontierland first appeared inDisneyland as one of five original themed lands.[1] Initiated byWalt Disney, in the beginning, the land contained few attractions, but centered on open expanses of wilderness which guests traveled through by stagecoach, pack mules,Conestoga wagon, and walking trails.[citation needed] The Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland opened in 1960, consisting of a sedate train ride around various western landscape dioramas. The Mine Train closed in 1977 to make way for a new attraction; theBig Thunder Mountain Railroad, which opened in 1979.[citation needed]
Disneyland's Frontierland gateway is constructed ofponderosa pine logs. The land's long shoreline along theRivers of America is considered a prime viewing location for the nighttimeFantasmic! show. The docks to both theMark Twain Riverboat and theSailing Ship Columbia, (a replica of American explorerRobert Gray's18th century ship thatcircumnavigated the globe) are located here, and Tom Sawyer Island in the river's center is also considered a property of Frontierland
On the roof of the Westward Ho Trading Co., there areelk ordeer antlers. Elk antlers were commonly placed on general stores in the old west so cowboys coming into town immediately knew where to get supplies. Also in Frontierland is a building that has a large sign that says "Laod Bhang Co. Fireworks Factory". Plus, at the storefront marked "Crockett and Russel Hat Co.", there is a window honoringFess Parker, who playedDavy Crockett inWalt Disney's Davy Crockett. Frontierland bordersFantasyland (via the Big Thunder Trail),New Orleans Square andAdventureland, and connects to the Central Plaza through an iconic set of fort-style gates.
Frontierland atMagic Kingdom debuted with three attractions: the Walt Disney World Railroad station,Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes (which operated until 1994) and the world debut of theCountry Bear Jamboree (which was permanently closed in 2024 to make way for Country Bear Musical Jamboree). Tom Sawyer Island opened in 1973. The northwestern end of the park was supposed to receivea pavilion-style "E ticket" attraction, which was never built. The area sat empty untilBig Thunder Mountain Railroad premiered in 1980.
Few changes would be made until 1991, whenSplash Mountain, based on the animated sequences from Disney's 1946 filmSong of the South, was built on the vacant land between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Walt Disney World Railroad station and parade access road, necessitating the relocation of the railroad's station. Splash Mountain and a new two-story railroad station opened on October 2, 1992. Frontierland bordersAdventureland on the south,Liberty Square on the east, and formerly the Rivers of America on the north.
In June 2020, Disney announced that they would be reworking Splash Mountain into a new ride, based on the 2009 animated film,The Princess and the Frog. Disney stated that the project had been in development since 2019 and was overseen byWalt Disney Imagineer Senior Creative Producer Charita Carter while Splash Mountain's creatorTony Baxter returned as a creative adviser.[9][10] Splash Mountain closed on January 23, 2023.[11]Tiana's Bayou Adventure officially opened on June 28, 2024.[12]
On June 13, 2024, Disney announced that Magic Kingdom version of Frontierland Shootin' Arcade would permanently close on June 23, 2024 to make way for a new Disney Vacation Club Member lounge, McKim's Mile House, which would be open on March 18, 2025.[13][14]
In August 2024, it was announced that an area themed to the American wilderness fromPixar'sCars franchise would be added to Frontierland, which will replaceTom Sawyer Island and theRivers of America.[15][16] In June 2025, it was announced that Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America would close on July 7, 2025, to make way for Piston Peak National Park.[17] During that time, the Walt Disney World Railroad will be temporarily run in Shuttle Mode with some reserved seats and Frontierland Station will be closed due to the construction.[18]
Tokyo Disneyland's area is known asWesternland, as "frontier" does not adequately translate into the Japanese language. TheMark Twain sails this park's Rivers of America. Other than differences in placement, and minor variations in color, theming and name, the land is similar to the Frontierland and Liberty Square areas of theMagic Kingdom.
Located in the area that is traditionally occupied byAdventureland, Frontierland atDisneyland Park opened withEuro Disneyland in 1992. Unlike all of the other instances, this instance has an elaborate backstory concerning the town of Thunder Mesa, founded by Henry Ravenswood to support the mining ofBig Thunder Mountain. This backstory also serves as the foundation for several of the attractions, such asPhantom Manor, a version of the popularHaunted Mansion attraction that can be found at some of the other parks featuring a Western theme and a darker tone to fit in with the rest of Frontierland. The land is the largest of all of the Frontierlands thus far, containing the entire Rivers of the Far West within its borders.
Two riverboats circle the river here, the Molly Brown and the Mark Twain and can be boarded at the Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing. Critter Corral was an old area of the land converted into Woody Roundup, a meet and greet area withWoody fromToy Story along withJessie andBullseye fromToy Story 2. On the shores of the Rivers of the Far West is Frontierland Playground (formerly namedPocahontas Indian Village), a children’s playground themed to resemble a traditionalNative American village.[25] The land is converted into 'Halloweenland' in October, with many pumpkins and other scary characters lurking around every corner. Frontierland borders Adventureland and the Central Plaza ofMain Street, U.S.A. via Fort Comstock.
In October 2008,Jack Skellington and Sally from the 1993 filmThe Nightmare Before Christmas made appearances as meet and greet characters in Halloween and Christmas overlay. They are situated outside Phantom Manor.
In 2012,Grizzly Gulch (Cantonese: 灰熊山谷) opened as the park's equivalent to Frontierland. Grizzly Gulch is much smaller compared to the "Frontierlands" of other Disney Parks, featuring only one ride,Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars. This roller coaster attraction provides a cross between the Big Thunder Mountain Railroads of the classic Frontierlands with elements fromExpedition Everest, featuring special ride elements unique to this attraction, including backwards portions, and a high speed launch section.
Grizzly Gulch is themed as a Northern California mining town established on August 8, 1888, a founding date chosen as "the luckiest day of the luckiest month of the luckiest year". Though geyser fields disrupted the initial settlements, the town eventually found success when a family of bears lead one of the prospectors to a bountiful gold find, resulting in the establishment of the Big Grizzly Mountain Mining Company. The bears were declared as being a lucky charm for the town and were given protected status, despite their activity occasionally disrupting work in the mines.
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