Agrabah Bazaar in Adventureland at Walt Disney World
The Agrabah Bazaar, straight out of the movie Aladdin, shines at night in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
After the great success of Aladdin, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin spinner ride was plopped down right in the middle of Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. Because they had to capitalize on that success somehow, right? And instead of a nice, long storytelling ride along the lines of Pirates of the Caribbean, they opted to go for a simple, already-designed, easy-to-install spinner ride that looks very similar to Dumbo in Fantasyland, except that the flying elephants were changed out for flying carpets. And yes, there are a few other thematic changes, too (such as spitting camels, which were left over from the old Aladdin parade at Disney-MGM Studios), but otherwise, it is the same thing.
And the shops and facades surrounding the flying carpets were given a similar Aladdin theme because otherwise, it would look strange to have the flying carpets right out there in the middle of the jungle, which is how Adventureland was previously themed. So personally, I have never really liked the change. While the area used to flow nicely from the jungles to the Polynesian Tiki Room to the Caribbean and its pirates, now you have a Middle Eastern village right in the middle of all of that. Not to mention that it clogged up what was previously a big open area, slowing down pedestrian traffic in the area.
But what do I know? Because the ride is relatively popular, especially with the younger ones. And I have actually been on it more times than I have been on Dumbo, but that is mainly because the Dumbo line was usually longer than the ride for the carpets.
And as much as I don’t really care for the location of the village and the Agrabah Bazaar, it is quite well themed. In this photo, look at the detail in the poles holding up the awnings. And you might be able to see here the gleam of some of the jewels that are embedded in the pavement. And it is a colorful area, with even more colors visible at night, as you can see here.
So while it isn’t my favorite addition to the Magic Kingdom, it still does have its positive points.
Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. - Psalm 90:10
About the Photo
As with the other recently posted night photos from the Magic Kingdom, this one was a handheld shot without a tripod. As you may know, that required a higher ISO setting, as you may have read about in a recent Steve’s Photography Tips post. And it still took a steady hand, too. I also adjusted the color a bit with the Selective Color adjustment tool in Photoshop; I have grown quite fond of that tool in the last few weeks, wondering why I didn’t start using it sooner. Specifically here, I used it to make the lighting under the awnings a little less yellow, and I also toned down that green t-shirt quite a bit. If you think it is green now, you should have seen it before!
I find that I often photograph this area at night, as Laura likes to look in the shops, and we often end up in Adventureland during the first nighttime parade. I have no idea who the people are in this photo, just in case you were wondering. Just some random shoppers that also happened to be in the area.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus M.Zukio 25mm f1.8
Date: June 11, 2015
Location: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida
