==History==
When Fantasyland was originally being designed for Walt Disney World, Imagineers decided that they did not want to simply make a recreation of Disneyland’s dark rides. Instead Imagineers wanted to replace the Disneyland dark rides (Snow White’s Adventure, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride) with new attractions, based on different movies. They came up with three new dark rides, one based on Sleeping Beauty, one based on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and one based on Marry Poppins. Although proposed later (in 1977), another planned attraction for the Magic Kingdom was Enchanted Snow Palace. The attraction would have been a dark boat ride through a magic snow world. Due to the extra cost, and perhaps Roy Disney’s disapproval, it was eventually decided to recreate the Disneyland dark rides in the Magic Kingdom.
Fantasyland opened along with the rest of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. The land took its inspiration from the Disney movies themselves. The opening day attractions for Fantasyland were: [[Dumbo the Flying Elephant]], the [[Mad Tea Party]], Snow White’s Adventure, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, [[Cinderella’s Golden Carousel]], the Mickey Mouse Revue, [[“it’s a small world” ]] and the Skyway to Tommorowland. Within the next month, [[Peter Pan’s Flight ]] and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage would also open, giving Fantasyland an astounding ten attractions by late 1971. Unlike Disneyland’s Fantasyland, which had more of a whimsical theme, the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland took a lot of inspiration from European villages, where many of the Disney stories were originally written.
Fantasyland remained largely unchanged until 1980 when the Mickey Mouse Revue was closed and eventually moved to the new Tokyo Disneyland. The Fantasyland Theater which had housed the revue remained unused until 1987 when the attraction, Magic Journeys moved in. Magic Journeys was a 3D show which allowed guests to see “the world through the eyes of a child”. The film had previously been shown in Epcot, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland before finally making its way to The Magic Kingdom.
In the early 1990s, Fantasyland underwent a series of changes. In 1993, Magic Journeys was closed and replaced with The Legend of the Lion King. The new attraction was based on Disney's The Lion King and it used puppets, animation and special effects to tell the movies story. Further change came Fantasyland in 1994, when the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage was closed. Although the exact reasons for the attractions closure remain unclear, 20,000 Leagues was not closed due to lack of popularity. Instead it may have been closed because the ride was not handicap accessible, broke down frequently, had a small max capacity and cost a lot to maintain. After the ride had closed the lagoon which housed it remained empty until 2001. Also in 1994, Snow White's Adventure was redesigned to be more like the Disneyland version of the attraction. When Snow White's Adventures reopened it was renamed Snow White's Scary Adventures. The reason for the name change was that the attraction had often scared younger children and the Imagineers felt that some warning was necessary.
Another opening day attraction closed in 1998 when Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was removed. Disney thought that a more known character would be better suited for the large building that housed the attraction. The ride was still popular however, and when news of the attractions closure spread, a “Save Toad” campaign was started. Despite the campaign Mr. Toad's Wild Ride closed on September 7, 1998. The attraction was replaced by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which opened in 1999. Also in 1999, the Skyway to Tommorowland was closed. The decision to close the attraction came after a Disney World employee was killed while cleaning a platform on the attraction. Although Disney said that the accidental death had nothing to do with the ride closing, the Skyway would never open again.
The former location of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage finally began to change in 2001. A new attraction, riel's Grotto (a little Mermaid meet and greet) opened in the 20,000 Leagues queue area. Then, in 2002 the Fantasyland Theater was once again changed. The Legend of the Lion King was closed and removed from the theater, thus paving the way for a new attraction to open. The new attraction designed for the Fantasyland Theater, was a 3D show named Mickey’s PhilharMagic. The show features Donald Duck traveling through many famous Disney movies looking for Mickey’s “Sorcerers Hat” (Which he of course used without permission). Songs and characters from classic Disney movies also appeared in the show. Movies included were Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan, and Aladdin. Also getting a new attraction was the former 20,000 League Lagoon, which was transformed in 2005 into Pooh's Playful Spot. The new attraction was an outdoor play area for children which eventually closed In 2010. Another minor change came in 2010 when Cinderella’s Golden Carousel was renamed the Prince Charming Regal Carousel, although the ride remained the same.
Another opening day attraction closed in 1998 when Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was removed. Disney thought that a more known character would be better suited for the large building that housed the attraction. The ride was still popular however, and when news of the attractions closure spread, a “Save Toad” campaign was started. Despite the campaign Mr. Toad's Wild Ride closed on September 7, 1998. The attraction was replaced by the [[Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]], which opened in 1999. Also in 1999, the Skyway to Tommorowland was closed. The decision to close the attraction came after a Disney World employee was killed while cleaning a platform on the attraction. Although Disney said that the accidental death had nothing to do with the ride closing, the Skyway would never open again.
The former location of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage finally began to change in 2001. A new attraction, riel's Grotto (a little Mermaid meet and greet) opened in the 20,000 Leagues queue area. Then, in 2002 the Fantasyland Theater was once again changed. The Legend of the Lion King was closed and removed from the theater, thus paving the way for a new attraction to open. The new attraction designed for the Fantasyland Theater, was a 3D show named [[Mickey’s PhilharMagic]]. The show features Donald Duck traveling through many famous Disney movies looking for Mickey’s “Sorcerers Hat” (Which he of course used without permission). Songs and characters from classic Disney movies also appeared in the show. Movies included were Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan, and Aladdin. Also getting a new attraction was the former 20,000 League Lagoon, which was transformed in 2005 into Pooh's Playful Spot. The new attraction was an outdoor play area for children which eventually closed In 2010. Another minor change came in 2010 when Cinderella’s Golden Carousel was renamed the Prince Charming Regal Carousel, although the ride remained the same.
==Fantasyland Expansion==