When it comes to social media, many brands try to stand out from the crowd by being funny as well as informative. In the theme park world, Universal Studios, both in Florida and California, have taken this concept to heart in a big way. You'll frequently see Universal accounts throwing a bit of shade not just at competitors like Disney, but even sometimes at each other, like when the Universal Orlando Resort account starts treating the Halloween Horror Nights account like it's an annoying sibling that won't go away. But now it looks like Disneyland is looking to give Universal a taste of its own medicine, by joking about a new construction project, that certainly nobody will notice.
The worst kept secret in theme parks in the last couple years was the Jurassic World Velocicoaster, a new roller coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure that the park didn't confirm was being built for months despite the fact that a massive roller coaster was being constructed where everybody could see. Now that Disneyland is about to reopen, people are very close to seeing its own massive new attraction, the west coast version of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. But Disneyland is apparently going to pretend its not really there, going so far as to add a massive sign telling you it's not really there.
@disneyparks
To be fair, Disneyland was going to have to do something with that structure, as the building, found in the back of Mickey's Toontown, is truly massive. It's not like people wouldn't notice and they'd certainly have questions. But then, that was the joke when Universal would occasionally pretend that the giant roller coaster just wasn't a thing.
The version of the ride found at Disney's Hollywood Studios was built inside the former Great Movie Ride so the building was already there, but this one is an entirely new construction so it's kinda hard to miss. At some point the building will certainly get some sort of cosmetic work, or something will be done around it so that it blends in with Toontown better, but clearly the work just isn't there yet.
The building simply wasn't there the last time the general public was inside Disneyland. While plans to build Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disneyland had been announced prior to closure, construction hadn't really started then. All of this has been built in the year since the park shutdown. Having said that, construction is still going a bit slower than planned, as is the case with basically all theme park projects. Originally expected to arrive sometime next year. The new Disneyland attraction is now set to open in 2023.
This hilarious sign greeted Disneyland cast members who entered the park for preview days on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will be there on Friday when the park opens up to guests for the first time in over a year.
