Critter Country is an interesting case at the Disneyland Resort. This “new” land wasn’t really new; it was a moderate re-theming of an existing space. So when searching for concept art, you’ll find a mix of Bear Country and Critter Country. And that makes sense, because many of the structural elements present in Critter Country are leftovers from its previous theme. Let’s take a look at some of this concept art and see how Critter Country took shape.
First, the land’s icon: Splash Mountain. You’ll see the concept art displays a sprawling, hilly town lined with cottages.
Source: Pinterest
While this was obviously scaled down quite a bit to fit the space, you’ll see many of these cottage elements embedded throughout the ride queue. But the shape of the mountain, flowing waterfall, and angular cliffs are right on the money.
Unlike Adventureland, which completely hides its Disneyland Railroad track, Critter Country makes the train part of its theming. The track runs straight through Splash Mountain and crosses over the main walkway.
Source: Daveland Web
The concept art doesn’t show the safety railing along the track, which has been designed in a rustic wood to fit the land and flow into the facades nearby. And an element visible in the concept art that I wish made it to the final design: that beautiful waterfall!
From the side, Splash Mountain sits in the background and a massive red barn sits in the foreground. This concept art is decently close to the final product.
Source: All Ears
Key differences I noticed: the scale (the barn is smaller and Splash Mountain is a lot closer than in the concept art), the addition of stone and wood buildings vs. solid red, and the addition of chimneys.
When Winnie the Pooh joined Critter Country in 2003, the concept art released was more artistic than accurate.
Source: Theme Park Tourist
Since the infrastructure for Winnie the Pooh already existed (it was a retheming of the Country Bear Jamboree area), Imagineers really didn’t have to portray what the space would look like. In the concept art above, you’ll see the winding queue, portrayal of show scenes, and the red barn entrance area.
And finally, this concept art for the finale of Splash Mountain is remarkably close to the final product. The Disneyland version has a lot more animatronic birds (recycled from America Sings), and you can’t see the window to the Disneyland Railroad track here. But this finale scene features the showboat, trees, and bright lights and colors.
Source: D23
Out of all the concept art I found for Critter Country, I found the Splash Mountain pieces the most interesting. The mountain seems to have gone from an overwhelming, more intimidating building to a cuter hillside that is truly a part of its surrounding land, rather than standing above it.