For every attraction Disney builds, there are a dozen left on the drawing board. That’s especially true when it comes to its international resorts. Financial turmoil, strategic pivots, and shifting creative leadership have led to some truly jaw-dropping cancellations at Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disney Resort — two destinations that might look very different today had a few key projects moved forward.
Related: These 14 Disney World Attractions Will Be Closed on Your Next Trip
We’re taking a deep dive into seven major Disney theme park projects planned for Paris and Tokyo that never saw the light of day — but would’ve dramatically reshaped both resorts.
1. Discovery Mountain – Disneyland Paris
Few canceled Disney projects are as legendary as Discovery Mountain, the steampunk mega-complex originally planned for Disneyland Paris. Meant to anchor the park’s second phase, this mammoth structure would have included:
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A Jules Verne-inspired version of Space Mountain
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An indoor lagoon with a walk-through Nautilus submarine
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An underwater-themed restaurant
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A Disneyland Railroad stop
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A free-fall ride based on Journey to the Center of the Earth
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A clone of EPCOT’s Horizons
Only Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune survived the cuts — a remarkable attraction in its own right, but only a fragment of what Discovery Mountain could’ve been. Budget constraints caused by Disneyland Paris’s disastrous 1992 opening forced Imagineers to scale the concept way back.
2. Lava Lagoon – Disneyland Paris
Another scrapped expansion concept for Disneyland Paris was Lava Lagoon, a highly themed indoor/outdoor water park that would have been built behind the Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bay Club.
Plans called for:
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A large indoor dome featuring slides, raft rides, and a wave pool
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The “Big Kahuna” volcano at its center
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A lazy river looping through the facility
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A summer-only outdoor section with additional rides and beach areas
Lava Lagoon was shelved early, alongside other second-phase resort expansions, due to the park’s ongoing financial troubles in the 1990s.
3. Splash Mountain – Disneyland Paris
Originally, Splash Mountain was in the plans for Paris’s Frontierland — land was even set aside for it before opening. Given the ride’s success in the U.S. and Japan, it seemed like a natural fit.
However, the park’s rocky debut derailed the attraction’s installation. Only decades later are we seeing a log flume-style ride come to the resort — in the form of a Lion King attraction using similar ride technology, currently under development at Walt Disney Studios Park.
4. Sci-Fi City – Tokyo Disneyland
In the late 1990s, Imagineering had ambitions to give Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland a complete overhaul with a concept called Sci-Fi City.
Drawing visual inspiration from anime, The Jetsons, and pulp sci-fi, the proposed land would have included:
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A major renovation of Space Mountain with a new queue, soundtrack, and effects
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“Rocket Bikes” – a high-speed thrill ride
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“Lunar Racers” – another kinetic attraction
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A walk-through “Sci-Fi Zoo” filled with animatronic alien life
Ultimately, the plan was abandoned as the Oriental Land Company (which owns Tokyo Disney Resort) diverted resources to building Tokyo DisneySea instead.
5. Mickeyville – Tokyo Disneyland
Before Mickey’s Toontown became a reality, Tokyo Imagineers explored a concept called Mickeyville — a whimsical land themed to Mickey’s earlier cartoon appearances, especially shorts like The Brave Little Tailor and Mickey and the Beanstalk.
Themed attractions and features were to include:
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A dark ride launching from Donald Duck’s boat
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A large show theater
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Retail and dining themed to Mickey and Minnie’s personalities
Though conceptually distinct from Toontown, Mickeyville was shelved and replaced with the standardized Toontown concept first introduced in California.
6. Glacier Bay – Tokyo DisneySea & Hong Kong Disneyland
One of the more ambitious concepts on this list, Glacier Bay was proposed twice — first as a new port at Tokyo DisneySea, then later as a land at Hong Kong Disneyland.
The Hong Kong iteration would have included:
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A glacial lake with jet-ski-style attractions
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A massive indoor roller coaster through icy caverns
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Sledding hills and interactive snow-themed areas
Despite intriguing visuals and a unique cold-climate setting, Glacier Bay was ultimately passed over in both resorts, possibly due to technical challenges and cost.
7. Scandinavian Port / Arendelle – Tokyo DisneySea
In 2015, the Oriental Land Company announced a new Scandinavian Port at DisneySea, anchored by a large-scale Frozen attraction and an immersive recreation of Arendelle.
Plans were revised, and the land was ultimately folded into the Fantasy Springs expansion, which opened in 2024. Many original concepts survived, but the full “Scandinavian Port” vision as a standalone entity was never realized.
Unbuilt Icons of Innovation
Whether due to budget issues, creative redirection, or shifting corporate priorities, these unbuilt international projects represent some of the most fascinating “what-ifs” in Disney theme park history.
Each one tells a story — not just of lost ideas, but of how economic, cultural, and operational factors influence what Disney chooses to build. These ideas may never have materialized, but they continue to inspire fans and Imagineers alike.
Sometimes the stories behind the attractions that weren’t built are just as captivating as the ones that were.
