New Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Details from Today's Media Event

Today, Walt Disney World begins its Monstrous Summer media event. A part of that is a peek behind the walls of construction at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed, but there were three Imagineers on hand to give presentations on both the Mine Train (opening in 2014) and Princess Fairy Tale Hall (opening in 2013). Below is most of the text of those presentations as well as items learned during the Question and Answer sessions.

Princess Fairy Tale Hall

Pam Rawlins (Assistant Producer)
Princess Fairy Tale Hall is our elegant and immersive character greeting where you'll be able to see all your favorite Disney princesses. You'll enter through our tournament tent structure and through very elaborate cut stone and through some stained glass windows. It'll have scenes from your favorite Disney princess movies like Gus Gus and Jaq. Then you go into our Royal Gallery where you'll wait for your Disney princess. Very large portraits of our princesses align the walls. There are high ceilings in a very open and airy room with a large chandelier. You'll then be asked to see one of our princesses in a receiving room.  The receiving rooms are in dark panel wood with elegant finishes, just what you would expect from a Disney princess. You are a royal subject going to meet her.

Notes from the Q&A:

• Guest chooses the main princess and there'll be a friend (another princess) with that princess
• Unknown how many total princesses at this point
• It will have FastPass
• It will not have Ariel or Belle as they can be found at their current New Fantasyland location
• It's unknown what will happen to the current Town Square location where you can currently meet the princesses

Seven Dwarf's Mine Train

Dave Minichiello (Creative Director)
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a really fun, new, exciting family attraction where guests will experience the Seven Dwarfs world and go through the mine. You'll be riding a mine train vehicle. It's a whole new type of vehicle for this attraction. It's the first time we've had this type of vehicle in any of our parks in the world. It's a pivoting vehicle and as you see in the illustration, it's shaped like one of the drawf's mine cars. As always, we get inspiration from our classic films, especially one as classic as Snow White, and that's always our inspiration on a show like this. Guests will go into the mine scene and have a number of show scenes as well as a track that goes in and out and all around the mine. We're excited because kinetically, from almost any point around this entire show, you'll get these great views of the attractions as well. So we think it's going to be a really exciting and interesting piece inside the land. This is a continuation of the fantasy forest area. Once you go through the castle gateway you go out of the kingdom and into the fantasy forest. You'll meander on dirt paths up until you get into the covered queue, and then into the mine scene where you board the vehicle.

Chad Stahnick (Project Manager)
Each of the trains has about 5 carts on the train so you get a different experience as the cart acts like a cart and swings as you go through a traditional rollercoaster.

Dave Minichiello
It'll create a beautiful backdrop for the land as well as a centerpiece for New Fantasyland. It's a family attraction for everyone in the family to enjoy.

Notes from the Q&A session:

• Ride is 3 1/2 minutes long
• There will be a height requirement, but it's not determined yet. But it's intended to be as low as possible. But it's a new type of attraction, so though there are assumptions, they won't know for sure until it's running with actual G forces, etc.
• The speed and drops are at a level intended for the entire family
• It will have FastPass and an interactive queue
• Show elements from Snow White's Scary Adventures are being used (with new surprises) as well as completely new elements
• Snow White and the Witch are a part of the ride. It'll have "the whole cast of characters"
• The cottage seen in the concept art is a set piece for the ride and surrounding area, but it's not functional and cannot be entered.
• The entire area has trees and walkways. Most of that is a part of the queue but some will be a general part of New Fantasyland including stroller parking
• It's yet to be determined what the Prince Eric's Village area on backside will be (retail, food, etc.). But it will be a walk-in space with some purpose.
• No Snow White retail component as of now
• Capacity is unknown at this time
• There is a roller coaster partner involved with the instruction but they didn't name which one.

Look at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train construction today (from outside the walls):