MK Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[JoeCamel]

To be fair, if I’m wearing my EXCLUSIVE Flower and Garden Passholder hat, they damn well know how important I am. I should get flagged through the LL, no questions asked. It doesn’t matter that this is my third ride on Mine Train this week. I deserve that!

FTFY

 

[MickMinn22]

Anyone have any guesses when we may hear of closures for this project? I thought there were rumors of a March/April start but with the permit approval just happening, not sure if there’s any updated timeline for this out there?

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Anyone have any guesses when we may hear of closures for this project? I thought there were rumors of a March/April start but with the permit approval just happening, not sure if there’s any updated timeline for this out there?

If I had to guess, after Spring Break. I would imagine definitely before Halloween too, so summer time is my guess. I’d imagine now that the permit’s been approved, there’s a good bit of prep work to go through before anything can actually get moving.

 

[Jedi14]

If I had to guess, after Spring Break. I would imagine definitely before Halloween too, so summer time is my guess. I’d imagine now that the permit’s been approved, there’s a good bit of prep work to go through before anything can actually get moving.

I’m thinking right before Starlight starts.

 

[FettFan]

Once it opens you might say the same thing about Cars and Villains.

Judging by the multiple misfires by this crop of bottom-barrel “Imagineers”, I wouldn’t put money on that.

They all deserve pink slips.

Then give Joe Rohde half the gold in Fort Knox to get him back and be the new CCO and head of talent acquisition.

 

[FettFan]

If I had to guess, after Spring Break. I would imagine definitely before Halloween too, so summer time is my guess. I’d imagine now that the permit’s been approved, there’s a good bit of prep work to go through before anything can actually get moving.

My guess would be August,
a. End of the summer busy season when kids are going back to school
b. mickeys not so scary would help offset the double-whammy of TSI and the continued construction on BTMRR.

But that would actually make logical sense, so Bob Iger and his maroons will probably do the exact opposite.

 

[EagleScout610]

Anyone have any guesses when we may hear of closures for this project? I thought there were rumors of a March/April start but with the permit approval just happening, not sure if there’s any updated timeline for this out there?

Either right before the summer season or right after. I will be surprised if it sees the Christmas party

 

[Stripes]

Judging by the multiple misfires by this crop of bottom-barrel “Imagineers”, I wouldn’t put money on that.

They all deserve pink slips.

You do realize that Imagineering today looks very, very different than it did just 2-3 years ago? Looking back, 2010 to 2017 had some of the greatest work in Imagineering history. Under Bruce Vaughn’s leadership, Imagineering was putting out hit after hit with high quality expansions in the U.S. and overseas. Bruce has hired back a lot of the people that left. I have complete faith in him and the new direction at WDI. Things have dramatically changed for the better. And I would put money on these new projects being fantastic and becoming instant classics.

Then give Joe Rohde half the gold in Fort Knox to get him back and be the new CCO and head of talent acquisition.

A great Portfolio Executive doesn’t necessarily make them a good fit for CCO or President. They have different responsibilities. Wayne Gretzky was a great player, but a terrible coach.

In terms of talent acquisition, their recent hires have been

 

[UNCgolf]

You do realize that Imagineering today looks very, very different than it did just 2-3 years ago? Looking back, 2010 to 2017 had some of the greatest work in Imagineering history. Under Bruce Vaughn’s leadership, Imagineering was putting out hit after hit with high quality expansions in the U.S. and overseas. Bruce has hired back a lot of the people that left. I have complete faith in him and the new direction at WDI. Things have dramatically changed for the better. And I would put money on these new projects being fantastic and becoming instant classics.

What were the major successes from 2010-2017?

I assume there were some overseas, but the only thing that was great in Orlando was Pandora. Toy Story Land is horrible (didn't open until 2018 but obviously design work etc. was done in the 2010-2017 period), Frozen Ever After is bad, and New Fantasyland was kind of a swing and a miss -- it's not bad (well, Little Mermaid is pretty terrible), but it's certainly not great and should have been better.

That said, I think Bruce Vaughn was likely at least part of the reason we are getting Tropical Americas at DAK instead of the awful Moana/Zootopia random attraction drop-in. I do think things are looking up with him in charge.

 

[Stripes]

What were the major successes from 2010-2017?

I assume there were some overseas, but the only thing that was great in Orlando was Pandora. Toy Story Land is horrible (didn't open until 2018 but obviously design work etc. was done in the 2010-2017 period), Frozen Ever After is bad, and New Fantasyland was kind of a swing and a miss -- it's not bad (well, Little Mermaid is pretty terrible), but it's certainly not great and should have been better.

That said, I think Bruce Vaughn was likely at least part of the reason we are getting Tropical Americas at DAK instead of the awful Moana/Zootopia random attraction drop-in. I do think things are looking up with him in charge.

DCA overhaul, Cars land, Big Grizzly Mountain, Mystic Manor, Seven Dwarfs Mine train, Pandora, Ratatouille, Shanghai (Pirates, Peter Pan, Roaring Rapids, etc.)

Collectively, this is a very impressive lineup of attractions that resonate strongly with guests.

 

[mickEblu]

DCA overhaul, Cars land, Big Grizzly Mountain, Mystic Manor, Seven Dwarfs Mine train, Pandora, Ratatouille, Shanghai (Pirates, Peter Pan, Roaring Rapids, etc.)

Collectively, this is a very impressive lineup of attractions that resonate strongly with guests.

I think most of us would kill for this level of Disney imagineering again. You know what they say - you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Us fans had our issues with some of what they did in the 2010’s. Things like creative choices in Galaxies Edge, 7DMT not having enough show scenes etc but these additions were all clearly Disney caliber. Post Pandemic Disney / WDI has been a $hit show with much of what they have put out being far below par. Unfathomable how lackluster, unreliable and creatively bankrupt some of the recent stuff has been.

 

[Stripes]

I think most of us would kill for this level of Disney imagineering again. You know what they say - you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Us fans had our issues with some of what they did in the 2010’s. Things like creative choices in Galaxies Edge, 7DMT not having enough show scenes etc but these additions were all clearly Disney caliber. Post Pandemic Disney / WDI has been a $hit show with much of what they have put out being far below par. Unfathomable how lackluster, unreliable and creatively bankrupt some of the recent stuff has been.

Again, there’s been lots and lots of changes. There’s many, many reasons to be optimistic.

 

[aladdin2007]

What were the major successes from 2010-2017?

I assume there were some overseas, but the only thing that was great in Orlando was Pandora. Toy Story Land is horrible (didn't open until 2018 but obviously design work etc. was done in the 2010-2017 period), Frozen Ever After is bad, and New Fantasyland was kind of a swing and a miss -- it's not bad (well, Little Mermaid is pretty terrible), but it's certainly not great and should have been better.

That said, I think Bruce Vaughn was likely at least part of the reason we are getting Tropical Americas at DAK instead of the awful Moana/Zootopia random attraction drop-in. I do think things are looking up with him in charge.

I agree, yet out of all those prior projects mentioned I think Tiana is the worst of them, and he was a part of that I believe. I feel like he did maybe save AK with Tropical Americas. While the parks need more capacity of course I just wish they would fix what they have and fill in the empty blanks first before continuing to rip up entire quadrants of a park. Maybe the other coming changes will be for the better, but I can't get behind the truck racing dirt pit not where they are putting it.

 

[Stripes]

I agree, yet out of all those prior projects mentioned I think Tiana is the worst of them, and he was a part of that I believe. I feel like he did maybe save AK with Tropical Americas. While the parks need more capacity of course I just wish they would fix what they have and fill in the empty blanks first before continuing to rip up entire quadrants of a park. Maybe the other coming changes will be for the better, but I can't get behind the truck racing dirt pit not where they are putting it.

Bruce Vaughn came back to Imagineering in March 2023. The plans for Tiana were already drawn and Splash closed two months prior in January.

 

[mickEblu]

Bruce Vaughn came back to Imagineering in March 2023. The plans for Tiana were already drawn and Splash closed two months prior in January.

True but he doesn’t need to sign off on the end result or he wasn’t checking in from time to time? There are some very obvious simple changes that could have made the attraction at least 50% better.

 

[Stripes]

True but he doesn’t need to sign off on the end result or he wasn’t checking in from time to time? There are some very obvious simple changes that could have made the attraction at least 50% better.

That’s not really how the process works. Final design and engineering approval was already granted by people even higher than Bruce when he got there.

What are the simple changes that you propose?

 

[mickEblu]

That’s not really how the process works. Final design and engineering approval was already granted by people even higher than Bruce when he got there.

What are the simple changes that you propose?

I’ve mentioned them dozens of times in the appropriate threads. Don’t want turn this into another Tiana thread.

 

[EagleScout610]

True but he doesn’t need to sign off on the end result or he wasn’t checking in from time to time? There are some very obvious simple changes that could have made the attraction at least 50% better.

Carter and Smith were the ones in charge of Tiana's and I doubt they'd shift to Vaughn in control when MK Splash was already down and DL's was announced to close.

 

[mickEblu]

Carter and Smith were the ones in charge of Tiana's and I doubt they'd shift to Vaughn in control when MK Splash was already down and DL's was announced to close.

I won’t pretend I know how the process works. Just thought it was reasonable assumption that the head of imagineering would checking in on the project from time to time and offer suggestions. Then again not sure the optics of the old white guy coming to save the day was good for this project.

 

[EagleScout610]

Then again not sure the optics of the old white guy coming to save the day was good for this project.

Not to veer this off topic, but that was "supposedly" part of why Tony walked or was let go. Again, just a rumor so take it with a mound of salt.