MK Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[phillip9698]

It’s interesting to consider the properties which, simply from the basest business perspective, deserved an attraction before cars. Coco, Stitch, Moana, Lion King, Inside Out, and Incredibles all spring to mind. I genuinely think Disney is badly misreading the reasons behind RSR’s popularity.

This is hogwash.

Every Target and Walmart in this country has a toy section that includes Cars merchandise, and has since the original movie released. They also have a bedding section that includes Cars sheets, blankets, pillows, and plushies among things in other departments.

They aren’t stocking that stuff as a favor to Disney.

Cars is a property, that from a business perspective has proven to stand the test of time.

 

[Casper Gutman]

This is hogwash.

Every Target and Walmart in this country has a toy section that includes Cars merchandise, and has since the original movie released. They also have a bedding section that includes Cars sheets, blankets, pillows, and plushies.

They aren’t stocking that stuff as a favor to Disney.

Cars is a property, that from a business perspective has proven to stand the test of time.

So Disneys really eager to release Cars 4, right?

 

[coffeefan]

I expect the exterior to be attractive, because the exterior is more or less all there is to the attraction and Disney can do rockwork. Unfortunately, the well-done exterior will be full of very basic cars-base visual puns that don’t mesh with any other elements in the area. And why is a Hudson River Valley mansion now overlooking a Pacific Northwest national park?

People have been mentioning Grizzly Peak as a point of comparison, and that seems very apt but foreboding. That land, while featuring beautiful scenery, feels narrow and often unpleasantly hemmed in, with a very uninteresting centerpiece ride based on a vehicle traveling through an unvaried external landscape with few AAs. I really like DCA but Grizzly Peaks struck me as the least interesting land each time I visited, an area to walk through to get to other places. Whatever one can say about the Pixar overlay, the openness of the Pier area came as a palpable relief after passing through Peaks.

I am hopeful for the subtlety that the Cadillac range achieves.



I think that is true, but likely the fault of the Grand Californian more than anything. Mixed with the clear redwood forest it’s trying to achieve. For better or worse this is still hemmed with broader Frontierland. Maybe the retail frontage feels squared in by the water features (if they end up deserving to be called water features).

I've always felt the same about Grizzly Peak at DCA, but a lot of that has to do with DCA being an hour away from mountains and forests. That's why I favored DCA going with a cinematic retheme, but I digress... Florida has a different geography though, so if done right, it could offer a unique visual element to Magic Kingdom.

 

[MisterPenguin]

How Does Disney Transport the Liberty Belle Riverboat?

Have you ever wondered how Walt Disney World moves the Liberty Belle riverboat when it isn't circling the Rivers of America?

blogmickey.com

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Old EPCOT is dead and gone. Test Track is and always has been a big nothing. We’re not talking about bringing back World of Motion here.

Yeah maybe for you. For me Test track has been my fav ride at Epcot since it opened and i find it better with each update. SSE, LWTL, and Test track are all still classic EPCOT esq. Seabase, Awesome planet, Space 220 and to a lesser extent Mission space all fit too.

 

[Jedi14]

So Disneys really eager to release Cars 4, right?

Cars recently had a show on Disney Plus. Cars 4 was on an exit survey for D23 Brazil leading people to believe it’s in development.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

But it can’t be based entirely on nostalgia. This board doesn’t seem to understand that.

there’s definitely a balance. If Disney isn’t selling nostalgia - they are just another Universal park at this point.

The answer to me is - focus on new expansion AND capitalize on nostalgia with classic attractions.

 

[MisterPenguin]

there’s definitely a balance. If Disney isn’t selling nostalgia - they are just another Universal park at this point.

Hey, remember ""minions""? They were hysterical. I loved them growing up. Would love to see them in a park or something!

 

[easyrowrdw]

It’s really flawed logic that got them to the Cars decision. Boys had plenty in Magic Kingdom. They had Peter Pan, the Mountains, Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, etc. There was a place for Cars and that was the Studios. That park needs more for the whole family to enjoy.

Disney thinks so little of their audience that they think they can only find enjoyment in film franchises they’re already aware of…but then they fail to recreate the worlds of those films, completely defeating the purpose of the initial reasoning that led them to decide on Cars. I wonder if it really is just about simplifying the merchandise distribution for themselves.

Tom Sawyer is a boy. And boys loved his island (so did girls).

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Iger's legacy was never going to be as a creative. He is not a creative. He has never tried to present himself as one either. He has very openly preferred to present himself as the man captaining the ship that ultimately leaves a lot of those finer creative details to the folks he pays to do that. And that really has mostly been exactly what he's done.

That is not to say he doesn't say anything about what attractions get built, or what movies get made. He does. That's his job. But once he has made a decision about "okay we're going to build an attraction based on this IP" or "we're going to make this sequel", he doesn't then insert himself into Imagineering and sit there and design show scenes and all that.

He is not Walt or Michael Eisner. He does not sit there with the Imagineers and hold their hand as they move through a project. He doesn't seem to be very interested in that.

Now, that is in and of itself an issue and I think perhaps the biggest issue with Bob Iger. But it is also a very well known aspect of him as a leader. Too well known for him to ever be known as a creative. Honestly, if you called him a creative to his face I think even he would say that's not really what he does.

Oh I know he isn’t one, hence the quotations, but as the leader of a creativity-based company, he really should be. But he isn’t and that’s why we’re at where we’re at. His decisions are purely money motivated. I just don’t get why enough is never enough for people like him.

 

[ChrisFL]

Oh I know he isn’t one, hence the quotations, but as the leader of a creativity-based company, he really should be. But he isn’t and that’s why we’re at where we’re at. His decisions are purely money motivated. I just don’t get why enough is never enough for people like him.

He's also beholden to shareholders. Modern America is all about quarterly profits

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

He's also beholden to shareholders. Modern America is all about quarterly profits

Truest comment on here.

RoA was simply not a positive revenue generator and I can venture to guess its existence negatively impacted multiple KPIs for the WDW resort/TDO specifically (Lightning Lane sales, merchandise sales, contemporary brand IP synergies/marketability, operations, advancing DVC/room sales, etc.).

 

[Mickey's Pal]

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Because I don’t want to see or hear any incarnation of Larry the Cable Guy yelling about “getter done” while I’m queuing at the Mansion.

You wouldn't. But you know that.

 

[mlayton144]

It’s notnwll

Really, then why did ROE last for 20 years while it's god-awful replacement lasted barely two? The Fountain did not need to be removed and the music from ToN still played every night for 20 years, long after the parade itself had been cancelled. If you create something truly timeless people will remember it forever. Today's EPCOT is a sad shadow of what it used to be and even the things about it that are impressive don't work right.

it’s not all or nothing , I personally believe losing illuminations was the biggest loss of any replacement at Disney World including GMR , etc. When it comes to future world though , WOM, living Seas, and WOL I don’t think would fly today.

Original Epcot when all is said and done was a basically a permanent worlds fair, which I LOVED. But all you need to do is see how less relevant worlds fairs are today vs decades ago - there is your answer.

 

[donaldtoo]

Oh Disney was dead to me after what they did to Splash Mountain and how they handled it.

I’m just here to yell into the void because even though they went so far as to ban a wonderful song like ‘Zip A Dee Doo Dah’ from the parks, I still never thought they would look at a view like the one below and say “yeah, this no good, this need vroom-vroom.”

“…this need vroom-vroom.”…!!!!!
Yea, destroying Splash Mountain for no good reason brought me about a coupla’ feet from the edge. I decided to cut them some “Well, let’s wait and see the finished product before judging.” slack.
My bad.
It’s a maintenance joke, and the attraction is “meh” at best.
Destroying ROA and TSI sent me over the edge.
And for what…?!?!?!
They could just fill the “villains” thing with likenesses of Disney execs., suits, bean-counters and pseudo-Imagineers and call it a day.
As far as the Cars National Park off-road racing in Frontierland thing goes, I’m cutting Disney no slack… they lost me.
There’s not a SINGLE U.S. National Park that allows ANY kind of sanctioned off-road racing within its boundaries. Why, I have no clue, because, you know, tearing up and polluting a National Park is so “green” and all…
The only kinda’ “green” Disney is interested in these days is…


We’ll probably reevaluate at some point (5-8 years), but, for now, we have other adventures planned.
We just got back from yet another fabulous, family week-long cruise (non-Disney) on Saturday, and have plans for Europe and another cruise soon, so far…!!!

 

[phillip9698]

So Disneys really eager to release Cars 4, right?

So the only Disney franchises that warrant new attractions are ones with active sequels in the works? Not the ones that have remained popular for the last 20 years and continue to be popular with new generations.

Is that really the point you are trying to make here? When the only Pixar properties to have more than 2 movies are Toy Story and Cars.

Good grief, to dismiss the popularity of Cars, of all franchises, one would have to completely avoid kids in every aspect of life. That stuff is EVERYWHERE. Behind Marvel and Star Wars, Cars has the largest merchandising footprint of any Disney IP in just about any store you set foot in. If it doesn’t it’s not far behind Frozen.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

You wouldn't. But you know that.

Well…. We hope not. We don’t know.

But Disney themselves have said they are trying to keep the noise away from the mansion…. The noise of the riverboat added to the atmosphere of the mansion, Frontierland, and Tiana.

That’s a good example of why this is not the best fit.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I’m not. If there’s no inherent PR value (“Tony Baxter is going to consult on Tiana!”), TBIC doesn’t want any of the old guard around at all.

They both regularly visit DL - naturally it’s a bit closer to them but I thought for the riverboat and RoA maybe that’s all

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Well…. We hope not. We don’t know.

But Disney themselves have said they are trying to keep the noise away from the mansion…. The noise of the riverboat added to the atmosphere of the mansion, Frontierland, and Tiana.

That’s a good example of why this is not the best fit.

Maybe the engine noises from the cars will be on-ride speakers in the headrests, so when you're riding the ride you hear all the car noises but outside of it, it's practically silent?