Instead of Tom Sawyer Island on the Rivers of America, what if the island was renamed and rethemed to something more immersive and fun. The story of Tom Sawyer isn’t bad by any means, however the Tom Sawyer theme is sadly way past it’s prime within the parks. The Magic Kingdom just axed their TSI and river in favor of something new. I’m not a huge fan of Cars or Piston Peak, but Magic Kingdom’s river always felt dead compared to Disneyland’s better themed and better utilized river in Frontierland. The change for MK is welcome and I’m just glad Disneyland is keeping it’s river.
All that being said, I wonder whether elements of SEAs (Society of Adventurers and Explorers) could somehow be further incorporated into the lore of Disneyland by expanding into Frontierland, specifically Tom Sayer Island. SEAs was incorporated into Adventureland with the Jungle Cruise and the Adventureland Treehouse, so why not something related to SEAs but with the American frontier/old west as a backdrop. Right now TSI is a weird hybrid of Tom Sawyer and Pirates of the Caribbean. Why not skew away from both themes and create a completely new identity for the island. Give the area a new name, remodel it, and enhance it with modern effects. The story could be about a lost Native American treasure SEAs is searching for, the island could be the home to a legendary cyrtid, or something. Tie the story into interactive elements and new places to explore for guests. Maybe visitors could go on a scavenger hunt, interact with cast members dressed as SEAs characters, etc. Restore Fort Wilderness (a toilet and employee break room right now) and tie the fort into the narrative. Even the Mark Twain, Columbia, and canoes could be incorporated into the new story.
IDK. This was always an idea I always had for the west side of Disneyland. Others tend to think about possible IP to utilize such as incorporating Pocahontas into TSI or Moana or Zootopia for whatever reason. Those ideas are nice (and odd), but I original ideas always felt more engaging to me. I know nothing original will ever come to pass in the parks anymore, or at least not for a long time. Deep down I’d love for attractions and lands par with the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and Space Mountain, etc etc.
