DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Moth]

I don't know... I mean, it's newer and seems to sell merch, but it's not like it was one of their biggest hit films. Mulan, Tarzan, Hunchback, and Pocahontas were all more successful films from that same post-Renaissance era (depending on where you draw the line... I always drew it at Lion King but I guess it could keep going to encompass some later films). Even essentially forgotten films like Dinosaur, Bolt, and Chicken Little were more successful at release (I'm not arguing they're more known/successful now, though).

Other than the recency factor (which is admittedly a big factor, although Stitch isn't really recent now), there are several other movies without significant representation at WDW that are more surprising IMO.

On the other hand, they are about to release a live action version, so that probably moves the needle.

Stitch still draws money like it's nobody's business in terms of merch like Cars. That's the main motivation on why WDW is getting Cars-tierland and will probably be a driving factor on why they'd want Stitch in there after the IP has been marinating in collective conscious since 2001 and getting a live action remake that'll probably do well in the Summer release window it's placed at.

Always kneel down to the merch-factor, where they can have a 'Stitch Store' and sell Stitch plush like it's nobody's business.

 

[UNCgolf]

Stitch still draws money like it's nobody's business in terms of merch like Cars. That's the main motivation on why WDW is getting Cars-tierland and will probably be a driving factor on why they'd want Stitch in there after the IP has been marinating in collective conscious since 2001 and getting a live action remake that'll probably do well in the Summer release window it's placed at.

Always kneel down to the merch-factor, where they can have a 'Stitch Store' and sell Stitch plush like it's nobody's business.

Thing is, though, with Stitch... a lot of people just like the way he looks and that's why they buy plushes etc. rather than caring about the IP itself.

I'm not sure Disney is going to be motivated to build an attraction or something related to it (especially after they already failed once) when they have so many other options that might move the needle more. It's not like that's stopping them from selling a bunch of Stitch merch at World of Disney etc. -- they could have just kept Stitch's Great Escape operating if they really wanted the character represented.

Maybe they'd replace Laugh Floor with the Stitch show from DLP, though.

 

[Fox&Hound]

Thing is, though, with Stitch... a lot of people just like the way he looks and that's why they buy plushes etc. rather than caring about the IP itself.

I'm not sure Disney is going to be motivated to build an attraction or something related to it (especially after they already failed once) when they have so many other options that might move the needle more. It's not like that's stopping them from selling a bunch of Stitch merch at World of Disney etc. -- they could have just kept Stitch's Great Escape operating if they really wanted the character represented.

Maybe they'd replace Laugh Floor with the Stitch show from DLP, though.

Stitch failed as an attraction because they tried to force him into a space that was already constructed for another purpose, and as we all know sometimes that works (Pooh) and sometimes it does not (Tiana). A ride from the ground up featuring Stitch is an absolute no brainer and would absolutely fit TL.

 

[Nobody nobody]

Stitch still draws money like it's nobody's business in terms of merch like Cars. That's the main motivation on why WDW is getting Cars-tierland and will probably be a driving factor on why they'd want Stitch in there after the IP has been marinating in collective conscious since 2001 and getting a live action remake that'll probably do well in the Summer release window it's placed at.

Always kneel down to the merch-factor, where they can have a 'Stitch Store' and sell Stitch plush like it's nobody's business.

Merchandising potential really does matter nowadays. Sure stitch may not be the biggest needle mover for a big headlining ground up attraction, but for a retheme of an existing ride, stitch honestly is one of the best choices imo. Bang for your buck with merchandising potential with existing ride. Good ROA. While yes, stitch may not be the hot property it was and they have newer things, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t belong! I do feel like with Dino to Indy, and Muppets to RNRC, the choice of IP for both is no accident. I honestly think that Disney is putting “Legacy” Ip’s that Disney may want to keep/put in the parks for merch are getting ride rethemes. Puts them in the parks and allows them to sell merch, without as much cost as a ground up ride, and adds value to a ride that has less value in their eyes. I expect to see more of this NGL.

Sidenote, wanna know my opinion on how we see merchandising matter in decision making at parks nowadays? Notice the park-original characters/rides that have stuck around. What do Bears, Figment (as a character), Haunted mansion, ect have in common? You can merch the heck out of them (less so for bears, but still). I think that’s why we see the attractions that close and the ones that remain that we do.

 

[seabreezept813]

I think you are still discounting the fact that it’s the lowest capacity ride in a park with very few rides. The other rides with less wait times have higher capacity. It’s also 1 of 2 rides in the entire park with no height restriction at all which impacts not only families with little kids but a lot of people with issues around motion, size (FoP and EE) and the general roughness of rides like EE, Dino and FoP. Even the safari and/or rapids could be a no go for someone with a bad back for example. Navi is really not restricted for almost anyone and it’s a park without any other of those rides (maybe safari). There is plenty to do at AK without riding the rides; between shows, animal exhibits and restaurants/shops but most guests want to ride too. So my explanation for long lines is more around the other offerings at the park then the popularity of the ride itself.

Here’s the list of AK rides with their height restrictions and also with Operational Hourly Capacity I found online so who knows how accurate. I also got the average wait times from Touring Plans for August 23, 2024 which was a 5 crowd day for the park and a day I happened to be there so I can confirm it was a pretty normal day . Trying to show an average crowd day when Kali was still in play:

FoP - 44 inch - 1,440 OHC - 71 mins
Navi - none - 1,080 OHC - 61 mins
Safari - none - 1,260 OHC - 41 mins
Kali River - 38 inch - 1,620 OHC - 59 mins
Everest - 44 inch - 1,620 OHC - 42 mins
Dinosaur - 40 inch - 2,160 OHC - 32 mins

So Navi did have the second longest wait time on average that day, significantly higher than EE and Dino and probably Kali for first half of the day before the sun began melting us . Those attractions have 50% more capacity or in the case of Dino double the capacity and they have mobility and height limitations. It seems to me that FoP wait times are lower now that it’s on LLSP. I don’t have the math to back it up and maybe it’s just that the “newness” wore off but something is driving down waits from a few years back. It’s a little harder to explain the Safari. It has more capacity than Navi but a much lower wait time not proportional to the higher capacity. It’s also the headliner of the park (co-headliner now maybe with FoP). It also has no height restrictions and is generally pretty mild (at least compared to Dino or EE). Maybe the heat impacted that day a little since the ride is all outdoors but I think Navi consistentlyhas longer waits even when temps are more mild.

Ya that and Safari are the only two rides at AK that my whole family will ride. We "might" be able to add Dinosaur to that this year if the 3 and 6 year old don't chicken out last minute.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Me thinks they're waiting to see what makes more between Elio and life action Lilo and Stitch to see what direction to take Tomorrowland into once it's number is called after they're done ripping apart Frontierland.

They've done rounds of investment for Fantasyland, now Frontierland, and Tomorrowland is obviously in a spot where it needs the investment.

Sure they can do Adventureland first, or maybe do it alongside Tomorrowland like how they're doing Frontierland with Villains. But something tells me that once the L&S remake sets the box office on fire and prints Stitch money we're gonna see some movement on Tomorrowland or Adventureland, both lands where they can shove that blue critter at!

Have any of the live action remakes existed in anyone's minds beyond their theatrical runs?

 

[Disstevefan1]

Merchandising potential really does matter nowadays. Sure stitch may not be the biggest needle mover for a big headlining ground up attraction, but for a retheme of an existing ride, stitch honestly is one of the best choices imo. Bang for your buck with merchandising potential with existing ride. Good ROA. While yes, stitch may not be the hot property it was and they have newer things, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t belong! I do feel like with Dino to Indy, and Muppets to RNRC, the choice of IP for both is no accident. I honestly think that Disney is putting “Legacy” Ip’s that Disney may want to keep/put in the parks for merch are getting ride rethemes. Puts them in the parks and allows them to sell merch, without as much cost as a ground up ride, and adds value to a ride that has less value in their eyes. I expect to see more of this NGL.

Sidenote, wanna know my opinion on how we see merchandising matter in decision making at parks nowadays? Notice the park-original characters/rides that have stuck around. What do Bears, Figment (as a character), Haunted mansion, ect have in common? You can merch the heck out of them (less so for bears, but still). I think that’s why we see the attractions that close and the ones that remain that we do.

I had a thought about Disney’s merch team. As we know, even though Dr. Facilier is not in the Tiana attraction, Disney merch just came out with Dr. Facilier merch, so it seems to me, the merch team wants to sell stuff they think will sell.

Another thing, it seems to me, LL is taking money from food and merch teams so these teams are going to do whatever they can to help their teams.

We think of TWDC as one company, but there are teams within the company battling for the tourist dollar.

The LL team is WINNING BIGLY selling vapor with a 100 percent profit margin they they can control the supply and demand with a few keystrokes.

 

[Gusey]

Have any of the live action remakes existed in anyone's minds beyond their theatrical runs?

DLP's Illuminations firework show from 2017 until the new one (apart from the year when Disney Dream appeared) featured the live action Beauty and the Beast and it felt so out of place, whilst Red Rose Tavern at Disneyland is themed to the live action Beauty and the Beast. Since then, Disney haven't really done any Live Action remake representation in the parks, and even replaced live action Lion King, which Chapek wanted, with animated for DLP

 

[UNCgolf]

Stitch failed as an attraction because they tried to force him into a space that was already constructed for another purpose, and as we all know sometimes that works (Pooh) and sometimes it does not (Tiana). A ride from the ground up featuring Stitch is an absolute no brainer and would absolutely fit TL.

Why is it an absolute no brainer? They have much bigger IP they haven't used for rides.

Stitch is one of those things that has a subset of very passionate fans, but it's not that huge overall -- it's definitely not comparable to Cars, for example. As an aside, while merchandise sales obviously matter, they don't give a full picture of popularity for a variety of reasons (e.g., just because someone buys a plush doesn't mean an attraction would be a draw, and vice versa). I'm sure Disney has all the metrics they need to accurately measure that, though.

Frozen is much bigger than Stitch, and they shoehorned a bad attraction into a space constructed for another purpose there too... and it's still popular.

I'm not saying I'd be surprised if they built another Stitch attraction, but I don't think it's even remotely close to being a sure thing. If I was betting, I'd probably bet against it (well, maybe other than something like copying the DLP Stitch show as I mentioned above).

All that said, if the live action remake pulls in like a billion at the box office, then I'd probably backtrack on this.

 

[Ryandisney]

Why is it an absolute no brainer? They have bigger IP they haven't used for rides.

Stitch is one of those things that has a subset of very passionate fans, but it's not that huge overall. I'm sure they'd like the live action remake to change that, though.

I'm not saying I'd be surprised if they built a Stitch attraction -- but I don't think it's even remotely close to being a sure thing.

They had an attraction no said thing is now abandoned

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Why is it an absolute no brainer? They have much bigger IP they haven't used for rides.

Stitch is one of those things that has a subset of very passionate fans, but it's not that huge overall -- it's definitely not comparable to Cars, for example. As an aside, while merchandise sales obviously matter, they don't give a full picture of popularity for a variety of reasons (e.g., just because someone buys a plush doesn't mean an attraction would be a draw, and vice versa). I'm sure Disney has all the metrics they need to accurately measure that, though.

Frozen is much bigger than Stitch, and they shoehorned a bad attraction into a space constructed for another purpose there too... and it's still popular.

I'm not saying I'd be surprised if they built another Stitch attraction, but I don't think it's even remotely close to being a sure thing. If I was betting, I'd probably bet against it (well, maybe other than something like copying the DLP Stitch show as I mentioned above).

All that said, if the live action remake pulls in like a billion at the box office, then I'd probably backtrack on this.

Stitch is one of the few Disney characters I can go buy merch for at Walmart. He’s definitely a valuable IP that they’ll want to focus on in the future, especially since the current Imagineers seem to be focusing on the 2000s movies (Cars, Monsters, PaTF, etc).

 

[HauntedPirate]

Have any of the live action remakes existed in anyone's minds beyond their theatrical runs?

This one is an easy layup:

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Have any of the live action remakes existed in anyone's minds beyond their theatrical runs?

That’s not their purpose. They exist to make tons of cash and get people to buy merch with the old characters on it. They put out new merch for the animated movie every time one of these releases. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

 

[Moth]

Have any of the live action remakes existed in anyone's minds beyond their theatrical runs?

Well that's the interesting part. The live action films mainly exist to prop up the IP versus be films of their own. See how after B&B LA came out, Tokyo got their ride? After TLM LA came out they're redoing the show at DHS? TLK getting it's 30 year long streak of no rides broken after the live action movie made a billion and on the heels of Mufasa coming out?

Disney sees the remakes as vehicles to make the IPs relevant, but they're aware the real star are the animated films. I'm not saying "They're gonna use the LA Stitch design for something in WDW" but more "the remake is gonna make so much cash and show Disney they can figure out NEW ways to milk an alien!".

 

[Fox&Hound]

Why is it an absolute no brainer? They have much bigger IP they haven't used for rides.

Stitch is one of those things that has a subset of very passionate fans, but it's not that huge overall -- it's definitely not comparable to Cars, for example. As an aside, while merchandise sales obviously matter, they don't give a full picture of popularity for a variety of reasons (e.g., just because someone buys a plush doesn't mean an attraction would be a draw, and vice versa). I'm sure Disney has all the metrics they need to accurately measure that, though.

Frozen is much bigger than Stitch, and they shoehorned a bad attraction into a space constructed for another purpose there too... and it's still popular.

I'm not saying I'd be surprised if they built another Stitch attraction, but I don't think it's even remotely close to being a sure thing. If I was betting, I'd probably bet against it (well, maybe other than something like copying the DLP Stitch show as I mentioned above).

All that said, if the live action remake pulls in like a billion at the box office, then I'd probably backtrack on this.

Stitch is wildly popular. To think that would not translate to a popular attraction (if done well) is ludicrous. Few properties fit well in TL, but Stitch does.

 

[Jedi14]

Have any of the live action remakes existed in anyone's minds beyond their theatrical runs?

The only one that seems to be staying is live action Ariel. They sold enough merch to keep her around.

 

[UNCgolf]

Stitch is wildly popular. To think that would not translate to a popular attraction (if done well) is ludicrous. Few properties fit well in TL, but Stitch does.

Calling Stitch wildly popular is probably overstating it -- I think he's popular to a subset of people of a certain age. Plus, you're conflating "people like buying plushies etc. of this character" with "people want to experience an attraction about him". There's not an automatic correlation between those two things; sometimes people just think something is cute but don't actually care about the IP. I actually know someone who has a Stitch plushie specifically because of that -- she didn't even know he was a character from a Disney movie; she just saw him and thought he looked cute (and no, I'm not arguing this is most people; I'm sure the vast majority of people who buy Stitch merchandise do know/like the movie).

Regardless, being popular doesn't automatically translate to a popular attraction. How do I know that? Well, they already made a Stitch attraction that failed. The "if done well" modifier is kind of pointless, because almost any attraction that's done well is popular. The biggest positive of using IP for attractions is that it can be a draw even if it's not done very well (see Frozen Ever After), and Stitch already failed in that regard.

I'd still bet against them building a new Stitch attraction that isn't a copy of something that exists elsewhere, unless the live action movie is a massive hit. But obviously we'll see!

 

[Moth]

The age-range he's popular towards is the age range Disney is now trying to steer away from Universal and there attempts to cash in on their nostalgia.

But anyways, we're talking about the wrong furry blue Disney character from a early 2000s movie. Let's talk about James P. Sullivan.

 

[GoofGoof]

Stitch is wildly popular. To think that would not translate to a popular attraction (if done well) is ludicrous. Few properties fit well in TL, but Stitch does.

Ironically, the Monsters ride in Tokyo is in Tomorrowland so they could have built Door Coaster there (maybe in place of Speedway) but there’s still time to move Star Tours there.

 

[GoofGoof]

Has Disney ever referred to this as a Land anywhere?

Monsters, Inc. Land Announced for Hollywood Studios - Disney Parks Blog

Get details on the new "Monsters, Inc." area at Disney's Hollywood Studios where you can stroll alongside some of your favorite monsters.

disneyparksblog.com