Fresh FLE News for March 2010

[CaptainMichael]

To a degree...:ROFLOL:


Gotta agree with your post, though. It's a good thing, it'll look great, it'll have a few nice things....but some of the substance needs help.

Yes, some of your opinions on this worry me (to a degree)

Yes, the "substance" needs substance.

I also question how well forced perspective will work for certain things like Beasts castle. Seems like a tall order to make it look "realistic." It's hard enough when you're making a whole building like Cinderella Castle, even harder when you do half cliff/half castle like Hogwarts. I trust the experts though...

Likely that it's happening or likely y'all would be happy?:lookaroun.

Likely that more people would be happy.

 

[CaptainMichael]

I just do not understand all the Fantasy Land hatin'. :shrug: If a new interactive land would not drive ticket sales then what is WWoHP?

I enjoy the Pixie Hollow movies and so do my 2 nieces, 2 and 4. It give back story to old characters and introduces new ones. Next year when they get to meet the characters for the first time, I can not wait to see their faces. My daughter is only 9 months but I am loving the fact that when she is old enough to enjoy the park the expansion will be complete(for now). So that means that another trip will be in our future. Bam! They got me for a second trip and we haven't taken our first trip yet.

More rides would be nice but is being built in phases. What was PoTC at first? Look how that turned out. :sohappy:

When Harry Potter goes the way of Back to the Future ( I loved that ride and movies, How does a Simpons ride make since?) What is planned for that land? Is a Family Guy land in the works? Welcome to Quahog.

Interesting post to say the least. It makes alot of since.

:zipit:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

When Harry Potter goes the way of Back to the Future ( I loved that ride and movies, How does a Simpons ride make since?) What is planned for that land? Is a Family Guy land in the works? Welcome to Quahog.

I think HP is at least as timeless as TLM. I think it's a good long term investment for Universal.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Interesting post to say the least. It makes alot of since.

:zipit:

You caught my mistake, blame the 9 month old, hard to ignore her and concentrate on important stuff.

 

[wdwmagic]

I don't know but im starting to get the feeling this whole Fantasyland expansion was hastily thrown together in order to have news to counter Harry Potter. They have taken alot of heat for the princess meet & greets and are now playing damage control and they really have no idea what the expansion is going to end up like outside of the m&gs/mermaid/beast restuarant area.

They haven't taken any heat on the M&G. Disney will know from their own internal research and numbers how important and well received the next gen meets and greets will be, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. A few people on the internet complaining about them will not change that plan.

Disney do not fear Universal (they fear Vegas and Cruise Ships). If HP is good and brings people to Orlando, it will just increase the number of potential guest for WDW. Just as when IOA opened, it did not impact WDW attendance. In fact, WDW posted it's strongest ever visitor numbers post IOA opening.

If HP is good, it may hit some egos at Disney, and could lead to some interesting things. I hope thats the case.

 

[CaptainMichael]

You caught my mistake, blame the 9 month old, hard to ignore her and concentrate on important stuff.

Just having a little fun. :wave:

 

[PhantomX]

They haven't taken any heat on the M&G. Disney will know from their own internal research and numbers how important and well received the next gen meets and greets will be, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. A few people on the internet complaining about them will not change that plan.

Disney do not fear Universal (they fear Vegas and Cruise Ships). If HP is good and brings people to Orlando, it will just increase the number of potential guest for WDW. Just as when IOA opened, it did not impact WDW attendance. In fact, WDW posted it's strongest ever visitor numbers post IOA opening.

If HP is good, it may hit some egos at Disney, and could lead to some interesting things. I hope thats the case.

This the same internal research team that decided people want Stitch's Great Escape and charecter overlays of existing attractions? The same people that overexposed Hannah Montana, Stitch, and Jack Sparrow in the parks? The same people that thought building up DVC was a great idea? These guys don't exactly have brains

WDW attendance posted its strongest ever visitor numbers when the economy was the strongest. A far cry from today. Universal Studios is Disney's competitor. Even loosing 1 day of attendance to Universal hurts the Disney Corporation since that money could have been spent on Disney property. Also it should be noted that IOA is a noname brand and had a poor marketing campaign. Everyone knows who Harry Potter is.

 

[_Scar]

It could go in DHS easily, but the aesthetics really would be great in FF/FLE.

I don;t know about the Burton version. Walts, yes, but not the 'new' version. Seems more of a teen movie perfect for DHS.

And IoA really has very little to attract family. IoA NEEDS to fix this if they ever plan on beating at least one Disney park.

 

[CaptainMichael]

And IoA really has very little to attract family. IoA NEEDS to fix this if they ever plan on beating at least one Disney park.

And here I was thinking that they are building an Island based on the world of Harry Potter, and to get to said island, you have to walk through an island dedicated to the works of Dr. Seuss....

 

[tirian]

They haven't taken any heat on the M&G. Disney will know from their own internal research and numbers how important and well received the next gen meets and greets will be, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. A few people on the internet complaining about them will not change that plan.

Actually, there's quite a bit of internal concern that the next-gen M&G's won't be able to cycle through enough Guests per hour to keep satisfaction levels high. The failed Toontown Pixie concept—in which Tink and her friends played with Guests, couldn't cycle through enough, and now do simple M&Gs—is used as the cause for cynicism.

I'm personally thrilled to see the upcoming high-concept character areas; I don't understand why some Internet bloggers are complaining about replacing the circus tents with well themed fairytale homes. Although I agree that M&Gs do not replace good C, D, or E-ticket attractions, character interaction is a very important part of the Disney experience for many families, and it might as well be as good as possible.

Will the birthday cards and dancing/knight training get old for the Cast Members involved? Sure, but what do the princesses do now? They smile, sign, and ask if you're having a good day. If you're lucky, you'll get a princess who chats about something mildly entertaining. Regardless of whether or not we adults think the new M&Gs will be exciting, they'll be a heck of a lot better than what's there now.

I know that when I have kids, I'd rather visit Cinderella in an elaborate house than in a dryrotting tent in the back of a temporary land.

As long as Disney doesn't try to pass off the M&Gs as additional capacity for the MK (and so far, nobody is doing that), those areas are clearly improvements over the old Toontown Fair.

If HP is good, it may hit some egos at Disney, and could lead to some interesting things. I hope thats the case.

I hope so, too.

 

[tirian]

This the same internal research team that decided people want Stitch's Great Escape and charecter overlays of existing attractions? The same people that overexposed Hannah Montana, Stitch, and Jack Sparrow in the parks? The same people that thought building up DVC was a great idea? These guys don't exactly have brains

Most of these examples are marketing/synergy decisions, and WDW's marketing is definitely not as good as it used to be.

----

You forgot to add "Give the DDP away for free throughout the years and cheapen the food quality and selection to compensate." But to be fair, I've noticed that at the same time the sit-down restaurant menus are suffering, the quick-service places are getting better. :shrug:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Yes, some of your opinions on this worry me (to a degree)

Yes, the "substance" needs substance.

I also question how well forced perspective will work for certain things like Beasts castle. Seems like a tall order to make it look "realistic." It's hard enough when you're making a whole building like Cinderella Castle, even harder when you do half cliff/half castle like Hogwarts. I trust the experts though...



Likely that more people would be happy.

Worries you?:ROFLOL:

I have no doubt on the forced perspective....Disneyland does it wonderfully with the Storyboat Canals, and this look like it will be on a bigger scale.

And yeah, we've see Hogwarts, too. Looks fine.

I think HP is at least as timeless as TLM. I think it's a good long term investment for Universal.

Agreed. HP has been around for more than 10 years now, and still is going on. That's staying power.

They haven't taken any heat on the M&G. Disney will know from their own internal research and numbers how important and well received the next gen meets and greets will be, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. A few people on the internet complaining about them will not change that plan.

Disney do not fear Universal (they fear Vegas and Cruise Ships). If HP is good and brings people to Orlando, it will just increase the number of potential guest for WDW. Just as when IOA opened, it did not impact WDW attendance. In fact, WDW posted it's strongest ever visitor numbers post IOA opening.

If HP is good, it may hit some egos at Disney, and could lead to some interesting things. I hope thats the case.

Is that so? Hmm.... Wasn't there a big push a few years ago for Family entertainment in Vegas? :lol:


I hope that really, really works. One would think that Vegas would attract DL visitors.

I don;t know about the Burton version. Walts, yes, but not the 'new' version. Seems more of a teen movie perfect for DHS.

And IoA really has very little to attract family. IoA NEEDS to fix this if they ever plan on beating at least one Disney park.

How is Alice "teen"? The aesthetics of the White Queen would work perfectly...and so would Walt's. Both could be done, to an extent.

 

[Figment632]

Time will tell.



I think you are wrong. I think word of mouth will create a tsunami of sorts. Meeting the characters these kids grew up watching in a magical personal setting is going to become a must see experience for kids. You can save this and throw it back at me if I'm wrong. But I won't be. Not worried at all.



Time will tell. I won't gloat too much.



The reliable sources here haven't exactly been tripping over themselves to renounce what I am saying about the FLE now have they? Lee hated the concept from the beginning so he's not exactly objective. Same with Goofy.

The FLE will amaze people. Similar to how people were confounded by Alice's box office. I remember the long explanations I made here explaining how it would take several years to turn around all of Disney's divisions. But it is happening and we are really about to see the full effect. FLE is just one aspect of it.

Time will tell this is ridiculos!!!! Time will tell that young boys, teens and even older males are going to be excited about a bunch of glorified Princess Meet & Greats this is pure nonsense. Explain who is going to book a trip just to meet a Princess????

 

[wdwmagic]

Time will tell this is ridiculos!!!! Time will tell that young boys, teens and even older males are going to be excited about a bunch of glorified Princess Meet & Greats this is pure nonsense. Explain who is going to book a trip just to meet a Princess????

For most guests, WDW is beyond the point of one "thing" making people book a trip. Every new addition has a cumulative effect, and you can bet that a lot of guests are going to be very excited to see those new next-gen Meet and Greets and the rest of the new FL.

 

[Figment632]

For most guests, WDW is beyond the point of one "thing" making people book a trip. Every new addition has a cumulative effect, and you can bet that a lot of guests are going to be very excited to see those new next-gen Meet and Greets and the rest of the new FL.

Yes but JT is claiming that this is going to bring guests through the doo which imo it just wont. However people will go to Universal just for HP.

 

[jt04]

Exactly. Or bring back TOAD!:brick:


Toad Hall in the FLE/FF Section works perfectly.


...Also...ALICE! :zipit: A great new franchise that they have to use, especially for aesthetics, and nothing. I don't understand.

The one change I would like to see them make is putting the Dumbo mini-land off MSUSA (traveling circus theme) or to DHS (toontown). Then add Alice to the FLE. Barnstormer could easily be themed to Alice and Alice/Tea Cups fit the backstory of the FF incredibly well.

The first time I heard of the fantasy forest concept was in September of 2007. At that time, it was still very much blue sky. Some drawings, etc. had been produced, but the imagineer I spoke to was very skeptical that it would ever get passed blue sky because management didn't see the need.

I do not doubt that Mermaid had been in development for a while, and may have even been fully conceptualized left to collect to dust on a shelf on Flower St. We know at some point a Mermaid ride was thought about because the virtual ride-through was included with the dvd release. I do however doubt that there was ever a plan to actually greenlight it for the MK until they suddenly saw the need (likely when Space Mountain finally had to go down for refurb and they were crunching capacity numbers when deciding how long they could afford to leave it down.) I'm sure it doesn't hurt that there is a Mermaid being built right now and costs can be shared.

I'm a fan of the ride being built, and I'm a fan of the restaurant, and I'm certainly a fan of the landscaping, but I see the meet and greets for what they are and what they aren't. I'm with Marni, Lee, Tirian, Explorer (to a degree) and Nibbs (ie: not alone) on this.

You can certainly tell which parts were well thought out and planned for years (the restaurant {conceptualized for DLP} and Mermaid attraction {probably gone through many different incarnations over the years) and which were just thrown together recently (Aurora's Sweet 16.) It looks like they are second-guessing the Pixie Hollow area which is encouraging. No need to rush that decision.

Perhaps an Alice dark ride instead :shrug:

Likely that it's happening or likely y'all would be happy?:lookaroun


It could go in DHS easily, but the aesthetics really would be great in FF/FLE.

Agreed EE! Dumbo's circus could fit nicely between T-Land and MSUSA.

Actually, there's quite a bit of internal concern that the next-gen M&G's won't be able to cycle through enough Guests per hour to keep satisfaction levels high. The failed Toontown Pixie concept—in which Tink and her friends played with Guests, couldn't cycle through enough, and now do simple M&Gs—is used as the cause for cynicism.

I'm personally thrilled to see the upcoming high-concept character areas; I don't understand why some Internet bloggers are complaining about replacing the circus tents with well themed fairytale homes. Although I agree that M&Gs do not replace good C, D, or E-ticket attractions, character interaction is a very important part of the Disney experience for many families, and it might as well be as good as possible.

Will the birthday cards and dancing/knight training get old for the Cast Members involved? Sure, but what do the princesses do now? They smile, sign, and ask if you're having a good day. If you're lucky, you'll get a princess who chats about something mildly entertaining. Regardless of whether or not we adults think the new M&Gs will be exciting, they'll be a heck of a lot better than what's there now.

I know that when I have kids, I'd rather visit Cinderella in an elaborate house than in a dryrotting tent in the back of a temporary land.

As long as Disney doesn't try to pass off the M&Gs as additional capacity for the MK (and so far, nobody is doing that), those areas are clearly improvements over the old Toontown Fair.


I hope so, too.

I didn't think you were anti-FF as some claimed. So, the debate is that the m&g's might be too popular! Yep that makes since. Simple solution is more m&g's. Incorporate next gen m&g's with M&M on msusa, Airiel m&g in little mermaid-land, rapunzel m&g in the FL skyway station etc etc. Just keep adding them as necessary to satisfy the masses.

I was thinking that the m&m m&g could be the area where guests start their journey to find all the characters in a kind of kim possible adventure game. The introduction of the game and controllers etc. could be handed out by Mickey and Minnie.

OK, sorry I can't respond to responses but I've got to go. Have a good day! :wave:

Yes but JT is claiming that this is going to bring guests through the doo which imo it just wont. However people will go to Universal just for HP.

Oh.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

The one change I would like to see them make is putting the Dumbo mini-land off MSUSA (traveling circus theme) or to DHS (toontown). Then add Alice to the FLE. Barnstormer could easily be themed to Alice and Alice/Tea Cups fit the backstory of the FF incredibly well.



Perhaps an Alice dark ride instead :shrug:



Agreed EE! Dumbo's circus could fit nicely between T-Land and MSUSA.



I didn't think you were anti-FF as some claimed. So, the debate is that the m&g's might be too popular! Yep that makes since. Simple solution is more m&g's. Incorporate next gen m&g's with M&M on msusa, Airiel m&g in little mermaid-land, rapunzel m&g in the FL skyway station etc etc. Just keep adding them as necessary to satisfy the masses.

I was thinking that the m&m m&g could be the area where guests start their journey to find all the characters in a kind of kim possible adventure game. The introduction of the game and controllers etc. could be handed out by Mickey and Minnie.

OK, sorry I can't respond to responses but I've got to go. Have a good day! :wave:



Oh.

It makes much more sense in that area than PH. Especially since this franchise is proving popular, while the Tink one is dwindling. :shrug:


They could even use some tech they already have for a M/G.:lookaroun

 

[Figment632]

It makes much more sense in that area than PH. Especially since this franchise is proving popular, while the Tink one is dwindling. :shrug:


They could even use some tech they already have for a M/G.:lookaroun

It never took off.

 

[CaptainMichael]

Perhaps an Alice dark ride instead :shrug:

I didn't think you were anti-FF as some claimed. So, the debate is that the m&g's might be too popular! Yep that makes since. h.

An Alice mini-land would be cool. There is so much you can do with Wonderland.

Well, M&G's are already popular. Surely putting them in nicer buildings wouldn't change that. I don't think anyone is saying the m&g's wouldn't still be popular. In fact, that just strengthens the position people have that there will be no change in the number of guests because of this expansion, just a redistribution/spreading out of guests in a larger, more elaborate area.

 

[nibblesandbits]

Actually, there's quite a bit of internal concern that the next-gen M&G's won't be able to cycle through enough Guests per hour to keep satisfaction levels high. The failed Toontown Pixie concept—in which Tink and her friends played with Guests, couldn't cycle through enough, and now do simple M&Gs—is used as the cause for cynicism.
I'm personally thrilled to see the upcoming high-concept character areas; I don't understand why some Internet bloggers are complaining about replacing the circus tents with well themed fairytale homes. Although I agree that M&Gs do not replace good C, D, or E-ticket attractions, character interaction is a very important part of the Disney experience for many families, and it might as well be as good as possible.

Will the birthday cards and dancing/knight training get old for the Cast Members involved? Sure, but what do the princesses do now? They smile, sign, and ask if you're having a good day. If you're lucky, you'll get a princess who chats about something mildly entertaining. Regardless of whether or not we adults think the new M&Gs will be exciting, they'll be a heck of a lot better than what's there now.

I know that when I have kids, I'd rather visit Cinderella in an elaborate house than in a dryrotting tent in the back of a temporary land.

As long as Disney doesn't try to pass off the M&Gs as additional capacity for the MK (and so far, nobody is doing that), those areas are clearly improvements over the old Toontown Fair.


I hope so, too.

This was what I was wondering about. If they couldn't quite pull it off for the original Pixie Hollow meet, I'm wondering how it's going to work for a meet with Cinderella and Aurora?

And I do agree...this type of meet and greet is better than one that could be had in a tent. For sure.