Marvel and the Walt Disney Company teamed up to create a line of comics titled Disney Kingdoms. Based on various rides and attractions from across the Disney Parks, these comics sought to tell the unknown stories of some of these famous experiences. From Big Thunder Mountain to the popular dragon Figment, these comics were great for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
While Disney continues to expand their Parks with branded IP such as the Avengers Campus or Arendelle: The World Of Frozen, it's important to still celebrate some of the more original attractions that guests still enjoy today. There's a real range of potential options of rides and lands to explore in comic book form if Marvel wanted to continue to produce their Disney Kingdoms line.
Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain has been at the center of controversy for some time. With the ride inspired by the problematic Disney feature Song Of The South, it's in dire need of an update. However, the Walt Disney Imagineers are on hand to overhaul the current experience.
Looking to create an attraction instead based upon The Princess And The Frog, the Disney Kingdoms title could be the ideal opportunity to flesh out the latest take on the ride before guests get to experience it. A contained story set in this iteration of Splash Mountain would show off the improvements and drum up interest as to what will be in store for audiences in the future, while also celebrating Tiana and her narrative.
Blizzard Beach
Blizzard Beach is one of the aquatic attractions which the Walt Disney Parks boast. The Water Park contains a really unique level of theming, with the beach combined with a ski resort, allowing guests to slide down snow-covered mountains and play amongst icicles and snowmen.
It's really a great premise and one that could play into the Disney Kingdoms line well. As an underrated feature of the Parks, it could shine a spotlight on the attraction once more. It could also be an opportunity to bring Mickey and friends into the title, as they would work well in the narrative set up by Blizzard Beach.
Space Mountain
Space Mountain may have gotten some updates of its own with the Star Wars franchise invading and producing Hyperspace Mountain. However, the original attraction still holds up and is part of Disney's long legacy of original attractions.
A comic story based upon the original version of the ride before it was taken to a Galaxy Far Far Away could be a really fun way to honor its legacy. While the Disney Kingdoms line has tapped into a variety of genres, from horror to western, a sci-fi epic could be an interesting step for Marvel.
Tomorrowland
Interestingly, Tomorrowland is one of the few Disney Parks which has a movie actually based on it. While the feature film Tomorrowland didn't perform quite as Disney may have hoped, the area of the Parks itself continues to be one of the company's most popular.
Looking to the future and preserving Walt Disney's love of innovation and technological advancement, Tomorrowland is really a showcase of what the next era of invention could hold for humanity. It's a high-level concept that could be brought into the comics with the right writer behind it.
Jungle Cruise
The Jungle Cruise is another ride that will be receiving its own film later this year, starring heavy hitters like Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson. The boat experience itself, though, will perhaps stay the same forevermore in Disney Parks.
Inspired by an exhibition into the wilderness, the ride combines both comedy and adventure in a way that few other attractions can manage. It's an icon of the Parks and one that would benefit from its own unique comic book tale akin to the likes of Indiana Jones or Jumanji before its big-screen debut.
Pirates Of The Caribbean
Pirates Of The Caribbean might be a worldwide film phenomenon, but it all started with the popular swashbuckling ride. The attraction has had its own update linked to the movie franchise with Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow heavily featured, but the original story is just as compelling.
With well-known characters like Redd already established as part of the experience, it would be fun to step back in time and for Marvel to tell a fable about the events within the ride before the movie series changed what guests knew about the world of Pirates Of The Caribbean.
It's A Small World
It's A Small World has become an iconic ride unlike any other. With a catchy tune and masterful animatronics work, guests have always loved to go back to this international boat ride which is both charming and ideal for the family to enjoy together.
There's certainly a story to be told here about a world-spanning adventure which portrays a variety of different cultures and a whole range of countries and their history. Perhaps aimed at younger audiences, this Disney Kingdoms title would benefit from being both educational and cheerful.
Liberty Square Riverboat
The Liberty Square Riverboat was such a beloved attraction that Walt Disney even celebrated his wedding anniversary on the old steam-powered ship. It's a mainstay of the Parks and takes guests back to a forgotten era of exploration and innovation.
This throwback narrative might be something that could tie into the Disney Kingdoms comic book run. After all, there's not much of a pre-existing story attached to the Liberty Square Riverboat, but the era it represents could inspire a writer to weave a brand new tale.
Expedition Everest
Exhibition Everest might be one of the most overlooked attractions in the Parks. Exciting and fast-paced, the combination of a major mountaineering mission and the experience of encountering a yeti, gives Marvel plenty of options on where to take a comic book based on the ride.
A Disney Kingdom comic could certainly shine a new light on an attraction that continues to use state-of-the-art Imagineering techniques and has perhaps one of the most thrilling narratives out of all the attractions. It's a surprise a movie hasn't been in development for Exhibition Everest!
Spaceship Earth
There are a few rides and characters that have stood the test of time at Disney. Epcot's Spaceship Earth is one of those experiences which will continue to be synonymous with the company and once again represent everything that Walt Disney himself believed in.
The concept behind the golf ball style building is to celebrate human history and society's continued evolution. Once again, there's an educational comic book to be made from this, that might even benefit from actually being set within the attraction itself.