The epic Disney theme park with nine American themed lands and innovative rides that was never built
A HUGE theme park called Disney America that would feature nine themed lands along with mock battles and retro rollercoasters was never built - after concerns that it would trivialise slavery history.
Plans for the 3,000-acre park were put forward in 1993, with each land showcasing different periods of the US.
The main hub of the park would be a land called Crossroads, which would look at the pre-Civil War era between 1800 and 1850, with guests entering and travelling around the park by antique steam trains.
The land of Native America, between 1600 and 1810, would feature a whitewater raft ride as well as Native American interactive experiences, while Civil War Fort land would see re-enactments of the Civil War between 1850 and 1870.
A 19th century rollercoaster was to be the main attraction of Enterprise, celebrating the Industrial Revolution, while We The People would have live show and restaurants.
Authentic farms, ferris wheels and military VR experiences would be found at the other lands, with the first duel inverted roller coaster dubbed Dogfighter was revealed, with guests flying through the air in German and American biplane-themed trains.
Many of the lands would not only have experiences and attractions, but would also feature education exhibits and workshops.
There were also plans for hotels and a huge golf course, and even the presidents in history also wouldn't be forgotten, with Presidents' Square featuring the country's leaders as robotic figures.
However, the Virginia theme park quickly faced a backlash from historians and journalists, who feared the theme park would trivialise the history of slavery.
At the time Disney’s Bob Weis explained : "This park will deal with the highs and lows. We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave, and what it was like to escape through the Underground Railroad."
A backlash then followed - according to , Courtney Gallop-Johnson, who organised the Black History Action Coalition, told media at the time: "We don’t think that it is a historically dignified or accurate portrayal, or suitable fare for an amusement park."
She added that they were also concerned about the commercialisation of it, citing potential "little souvenir slave ships".
Following more protests - with a 3,000 person strong march in Washington chanting "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Disney’s got to go" - and less than 25 per cent of public opinion agreeing it was a good idea, Disney eventually pulled out of building the park by 1994.
Disney achieved success through the other theme parks - Disneyland California in 1955, Disney World in 1971 and Disneyland Paris in 1992.
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A number of planned theme parks over the years have never been able to make it off the ground, including one in Battersea Power Station in London.
The park would feature glass elevators up the six themed floors, as well as Oceanarium, the largest aquarium in the world.
A Six Flags park in the UAE and Space City in Alabama were just other designs which never took off.