Should Disneyland Toronto prove to be a success, it is wise to have expansion plans in place. There are two major expansion pads available, in the park’s upper let and right corners. These pads are earmarked for two more classic Castle Park lands – Frontierland and Discoveryland – with each serving as a transition between nearby lands. Thus we have:
FRONTIERLAND from the Ground: Transitioning from “Adventureland under the Earth” to “Fantasyland in the Sky”
DISCOVERYLAND into the Atmosphere: Transitioning from “Fantasyland in the Sky” to “Tomorrowland among the Stars”
FRONTIERLAND tells the traditional tale of westward expansion across North America in the 19th century, now filtered through Canadian history. The main setting is no longer the American Southwest, but the Klondike Gold Rush in Canada’s wintry, frozen Yukon. Desert buttes are replaced by snow-capped mountains. Icicles line log cabins. Icebergs flow down the freezing Rivers of Canada. With careful climate control, this wholly-enclosed land keeps guests comfortable while recreating the inhospitable northern tundra.
Visuals everywhere emphasize “from the ground” movement. Mining equipment rises up from the cavernous earth up into sky-bound mining towers. The snowy mountains and rock formations similarly rise from the earth, pointing upwards. The land is organized by vertical layers, carrying guests upwards from the mines to the boomtown and up into the higher mountain passes.
Attractions consist of Frontierland favorites reimagined. Avalanche Canyon Mountain Railroad relocates Big Thunder to a treacherous alpine pass complete with unexpected “avalanche” drop tracks. Tundra Mountain is a log flume ride in the style of Splash Mountain, now populated by singing arctic critters. There are additional attractions, including a riverboat, an explorable gold claim, or a live show dedicated to the First Nations natives of the Pacific Northwest
DISCOVERYLAND is a retro-futuristic wonderland where the values of fantasy and sci-fi meet. This is “the future of the past” as envisioned by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. The futuristic fantasy of Discoveryland takes guests “into the atmosphere” with an astral man-made setting inspired by early rocketry. Guests explore the riveted steel girders of a space elevator and rocket launch platform largely inspired by the Eiffel Tower.
Enclosed glass pavilions look out across the Earth’s atmosphere – below are the clouds and the continents, while above are the stars and planets and, of course, the moon. We stand upon the boundary between these worlds. Fantastic spaceships pass between atmospheric layers. The tiered levels of Discoveryland are resplendent with European design touches, as fine carpets and stained glass mix with Tesla coil lighting and strange airship mooring posts. A sense of adventure permeates every over-sized steam engine and electric conduit!
Discoveryland’s attractions borrow from Disney’s Verne-inspired rides like 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, with similar tones and ride systems. However, while past rides looked inwards to our planet, here we look outwards. From the Earth to the Moon is a dark ride in enclosed capsules simulating blastoff and journey to the Moon’s phantasmagorical populated surface. War of the Worlds uses a slot car ride system like DisneySea’s Journey to the Center of the Earth to tell a thrilling tale of alien invasion. Additional attractions introduce guests to “out there” sci-fi concepts like time travel, robotics and more, always with a romanticized European “gas lamp” ambiance.​