Disney4me Posted February 19 Report Posted February 19 Change is a fact of life at Disney theme parks, and has been the case for over 7 decades since the first opening day Disneyland attractions closed less than a year into the park’s existence. Swiss Family Treehouse This kind of evolution is, once again, for better or worse, is currently heavy in the air at the Magic Kingdom. Disney recently closed the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island in 2025 to replace them with the currently under-construction Cars-themed Piston Peak. Villains Land is also being built behind Big Thunder Mountain. With that news in mind, we decided to poll our readers on the potential fate of another Magic Kingdom attraction: the Swiss Family Treehouse. Located in Adventureland, this opening day Magic Kingdom attraction is described by Disney as “the island abode the Swiss Family Robinson built after they were shipwrecked on a deserted island,” where guests can “cross a bridge at the foot of a large leafy tree and climb handcrafted wooden stairs. Explore the living quarters of the famous adventurers and discover open-air rooms brimming with a bevy of 19th-century articles salvaged from the wreck.” While the Swiss Family Treehouse has been part of the Magic Kingdom since the park opened, the large footprint it occupies in the middle of Adventureland has long made its potential replacement a topic of discussion amongst fans. We decided to poll our readers across several platforms to see what they thought of the treehouse potentially being replaced, and the majority was a NO. Over 60% of our readers were against the walkthrough attraction going anywhere. Swiss Family Treehouse Many of those opposed to the change brought up their feelings of nostalgia for the attraction, as well as its connection to a time when Walt Disney was still alive and in control of the parks (While Walt did not live long enough to see any of Walt Disney World including the treehouse, he was heavily involved in the Disneyland version, which was just refurbished back into a Swiss Family Robinson attraction after spending about a quarter century themed to Tarzan). Reader Judy seemed to sum up these opinions writing, “All this change, merely for the sake of change, reminds me of what my teacher wrote in my autograph book many years ago — ‘Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold.’” Swiss Family Treehouse Others, like reader Nicole, pointed out that Disney should have enough room to expand in Florida without closing older attractions. They wrote, “No stop replacing things with new stuff. Disney has so much land. Just build new stuff and keep the old stuff. More attractions spread people out.” However, there was a vocal minority (a shade under 40%) who felt that it was time to do away with the treehouse. Some of these readers pointed to Walt Disney’s own philosophies for their justification, with reader Shawn summing up that thought process with “Walt Disney said, ‘Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.’ This quote inspired the idea for a collection about the constant change and evolution of Disney Parks. Disney Parks are always changing and evolving. Disney also said, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things.” ©D23 Others sidestepped Walt entirely, instead focusing on the fact that they felt the Swiss Family Robinson theme held no relevance for younger visitors, and instead called for it to be replaced by something more modern, such as Encanto. As reader Bryan put it, “YES. Young people have no interest in it at all. And people old enough to have nostalgia for it won’t use all those stairs.” There was also a third group of readers, a bit under 5%, who didn’t answer either way decisively, instead saying that their opinion would depend on what the potential retheme or replacement for the ride was. As one reader put it, “Care would need to be taken to choose the right thing to replace and not doing it just for the sake of change or the latest hype sensation.” Swiss Family Treehouse The majority of readers did NOT want to see the Swiss Family Treehouse disappear from the Magic Kingdom like so many other Disney attractions of the past. Stay tuned to DFB as we further examine how Disney’s theme parks will march into the future. 5 Magic Kingdom Secrets Disney Doesn’t Want You to Know Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Would would you like to see the treehouse stay or go? Let us know in the comments below. View the full article Quote
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