Fantasyland Update

Work has begun in earnest on the Fantasyland Forest expansion project at the Magic Kingdom Park. While much of the activity is behind walls and won't bear (visible) fruit for months or years to come, a few things have already happened in plain sight.

Take Mrs. Potts' Cupboard, for example. This Fantasyland ice cream spot had been scheduled for a refurbishment of its roof. Instead of simply replacing the shingles, though, the Park Maintenance team partnered with Walt Disney Imagineering to install a new thatched roof that will help this structure feel right at home in the more rural setting of the Fantasyland Forest. While the Forest itself may not be here yet, you can see a little part of the project right now in the form of this cottage.

Over by Pinocchio's Village Haus, Ariel's Grotto has been removed in anticipation of all new adventures to come with the Little Mermaid. Much of the area is now behind walls, but the space under the blue tent (originally a seating area for the old Fantasy Faire stage) has been reopened to provide a place for Guests to rest during their visit to the Kingdom.

Big changes are in store at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The facade to the attraction, originally designed as part of the festival being held within the castle walls, is undergoing a transformation. Soon, Guests approaching the attraction will find themselves in a corner of the Hundred Acre Wood.

The large tree with Pooh's home, formerly a feature of Pooh's Playful Spot, has been moved across the way to the front of the attraction. In time, it will become part of an all new entrance to this now-classic Fantasyland dark ride.

This is just the beginning. Look for much more to come as we inch ever closer to the 2012/13 opening of Fantasyland Forest.