DAK “Zootopia” is being created for the Tree of Life theater

[Ayla]

I think people need to be very, very concerned for Indy, Encanto and the RoA replacement.

 

[mickEblu]

I think people need to be very, very concerned for Indy, Encanto and the RoA replacement.

I think a lot is riding on the new WDW and DLR additions. If they can knock the attractions above + Avengers, Coco, and Avatar out of the park (or a mix of surpassing / meeting expectations) it would go a long way in changing my perception of current WDI/ Disney and let me know that weird, post COVID era of WDI is over.

 

[celluloid]

I think a lot is riding on the new WDW and DLR additions. If they can knock the attractions above + Avengers, Coco, and Avatar out of the park (or a mix of surpassing / meeting expectations) it would go a long way in changing my perception of current WDI/ Disney and let me know that weird, post COVID era of WDI is over.

That is a big ask as I remember similar sentiments for Avengers Campus.

 

[mickEblu]

That is a big ask as I remember similar sentiments for Avengers Campus.

It shouldn’t be a big ask for Disney though. To meet expectations and maybe knock it out of the park for a couple of the new Mega E tickets. Personally I didn’t have high expectations for Avengers Campus or Webslingers and was still massively disappointed. That’s a tough feat.

 

[celluloid]

It shouldn’t be a big ask for Disney though. To meet expectations and maybe knock it out of the park for a couple of the new Mega E tickets. Personally I didn’t have high expectations for Avengers Campus or Webslingers and was still massively disappointed. That’s a tough feat.

Oh I agree, it just seems to not be getting any better. Until Iger and execs over that school of thought leave, it is not going to get better.

 

[EagleScout610]

Also, people kept pouring into an attraction with TERROR literally in the title and then pretending it was someone else's fault when they were scared. They're not going to read a show schedule and come back later.

I fear for the future of a certain tower, in that case

 

[EagleScout610]

Maybe, just maybe, after it's all said and done and they don't need an advertisement for Zootopia 2, they'll come back and redo the show to fit better into Animal Kingdom.

Tough to be a Bug 2: Harder to Squish

 

[James Alucobond]

Oh I agree, it just seems to not be getting any better. Until Iger and execs over that school of thought leave, it is not going to get better.

I’m not sure how this directly relates to Iger or how him leaving would potentially change this for the better. The IP mandate is only a fractional part of the issue. His exit could signal the end of the IP fixation (though I very much doubt it), but it won’t magically unlock more impressive attractions or better storytelling capabilities within Imagineering.

 

[DrStarlander]

Tough to be a Bug 2: Harder to Squish

Not "Tough to be a Bug 2: Electric Bug-a-loo"?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

The IP mandate is only a fractional part of the issue.

What are the other parts of the issue?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I fear for the future of a certain tower, in that case

That is...If CBS/Viacom just gives them the middle finger of fate...Then you should worry.

 

[DrStarlander]

I’m not sure how this directly relates to Iger or how him leaving would potentially change this for the better. The IP mandate is only a fractional part of the issue. His exit could signal the end of the IP fixation (though I very much doubt it), but it won’t magically unlock more impressive attractions or better storytelling capabilities within Imagineering.

This I very much agree with. I believe the issues with Imagineering are multi-faceted.

But, I don't think most of the factors are specific to WDI. I think they mostly are dynamics happening in companies all over. Even the "IP mandate" is really the same business logic as why we see so many sequels, prequels, and other-media IPs/licenses (Barbie, Minecraft...) in movie theaters, or in the toy aisle, on Broadway, and really everywhere. It's about having a built-in, receptive audience, and reducing marketing burdens/costs because explaining and enticing around something new is exhorbitant, and the noise to fight through intense.

Other cotributors:

The reductions in workforce targeting expensive (i.e., experienced) workers has been happening intensely across corporate America in recent years. That's a brain drain. And it means fewer mentors around.

[An aside: when I was in my 20s and newly employed, designing things, I once presented my plans for a menu board at a themed restaurant that was going to have cool stainless steel panels and magnets with items and prices...My boss (an MBA) said "Sounds great!" and I went off to order the thousands of dollars in stainless steel. Luckily, this senior "old guy" in the shop pulled me aside and said, "Kid, magnets don't stick to stainless steel." (In my defense this was decades ago and before stainless steel appliances became popular, haha). He saved my, you know. Having experienced people around who have been through a lot and overcome a lot of challenges is so important and so powerful when coupled with energetic, young, skies-the-limit creatives.]

Also, work culture has changed a lot in the past decade or so. Many behaviors once typical (demanding bosses criticizing work, people interrupting each other in meetings, respect for authority/seniority) have been explicitly targeted for elimination in efforts to make workplaces less toxic, less traumatic, more sensitive to individual needs, etc. Younger generations just also bring with them different social cultures and rules of engagement. But there are tradeoffs, and I do think more bad work gets through now as people are more reluctant to be honest and critical, fearing being seen as unsupportive, toxic, etc. The "no idea is a bad idea" mantra once was intended to spur brainstorming and now applies beyond the whiteboard -- actual projects are just bad ideas that weren't bravely stopped.

I think social media and the web-elevated voices of ordinary people means criticism reach the companies daily, hourly, whereas years ago they would have to do focus groups and surveys and be seeking feedback. This barrage of unsolicited feedback -- the constant criticism -- is traumatic in its own way on people at these companies and they of course try to filter it out, but it's hard, and it can feel personal. So "negativity avoidance" happens, where the companies sand off every sharp point, ease every angle, to avoid negative reactions from this group, or that group, these kind of people or those kind of people. What's left is safe, bland entertainment.

I also think everything is so public there's fewer places to experiment out of the spotlight, reducing innovation. Before the web, a company could release a product in a test market to see how it goes, without the entire world hearing about it. If it failed, no big. Try something else. Now if a company does anything, as small and off in the shadows as possible, it will be big news. And if it's a failure: HAHA!!! LOOK HOW DUMB THEY ARE! rings out loudly, everywhere, demoralizing employees, turning off customers and investors, and digging a deeper brand-hole to recover from. Innovating is incredibly risky now, so we get more rehash, repeats, clones, derivatives, and safer bets.

I could go on and list a few more but the point is this stuff isn't Disney-specific. I think this is the corporate world now, and what matters is how leaders deal with it. How they change an institution's approaches to get better results given these dynamics.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Not great.

Has anyone mentioned that the sound mix is just awful? I couldn’t understand most of the dialogue.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I really want all the posters who defended the “replacement” of Muppets to take a good, long, steamy look at Zoogether. Just really look at it. That’s modern Imagineering.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

I really want all the posters who defended the “replacement” of Muppets to take a good, long, steamy look at Zoogether. Just really look at it. That’s modern Imagineering.

Could you imagine current Disney trying to pull off The Great Movie Ride.

 

[Casper Gutman]

A theme park attraction that my entire family hated was Universal's Minion Mayhem.

Zootopia Better Zoogether seems painfully familiar: Relentlessly frenetic 3D film based on a modern IP, a completely predictable "crisis," a celebration/party ending, and even drones.

These are the Idiocracy version of theme park attractions. When these are in the works, someone -- I plead, someone -- stand up in the meeting and say "this is dumb."

I’ll defend Minion Mayhem. It has some funny jokes, doesn’t simply repeat the elements of the films, and features a cute and satisfying little character arc with a bit of genuine emotion . It’s miles better then Zoogether.

Now, Minion Blast - that’s awful.

 

[wdwmagic]

Not great.

Has anyone mentioned that the sound mix is just awful? I couldn’t understand most of the dialogue.

Yes. It's in our review. Very unusual problem for Disney.

Review: Zootopia Better Zoogether! at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Review: Zootopia Better Zoogether! at Disney's Animal Kingdom

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[Jambo Dad]

Oof. This 3D attraction is a disaster. The storyline makes no sense, there are countless continuity errors, recycled gags and the pacing and direction are all over the place. Some of that might be forgivable if the experience was even remotely enjoyable, but it's just flat-out boring. Another underwhelming, lifeless offering from the "creatives" at Disney.

Dang it Disney! This isn't even worthy of being preserved on Disney+ much less being an anchor attraction inside the Tree of Life. In a word: Incoherent.

3/10.

and we are stuck with it for the next 20 years!

 

[Brer Panther]

I think people need to be very, very concerned for Indy, Encanto and the RoA replacement.

I already am. Well, I'm cautiously optimistic for the Cars stuff, but I have no faith in them making an Indiana Jones ride as good as Dinosaur or the one in Disneyland. And I'm not even a huge Encanto fan, and even if I were I still don't think it belongs in Animal Kingdom.

Iger and execs over that school of thought leave, it is not going to get better.

As they say in The Lorax... unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

Problem is, people are idiots and continue to give Disney their money and flock to whatever crappy new attractions they open. And Iger continues to get away with things that Eisner was, and would be, taken to task for.

I really want all the posters who defended the “replacement” of Muppets to take a good, long, steamy look at Zoogether. Just really look at it. That’s modern Imagineering.

I have a little faith in them making a fun Monsters Inc. show, but that's probably just my love of the film talking and it probably still won't justify removing the Muppets.

 

[WorldExplorer]

It depends on what your definition of story is. The majority of the WED era attractions were more of a series of experiences building to a climax Not really a story with a main character and a beginning middle and end. The idea of the rides telling explicit stories really was an invention of the Eisner era. The problem with the more recent efforts under WDI is that a lot of the "story" beats of the rides feel contrived and the attractions themselves feel more like elaborate advertisements rather than a loosely-connected series of vignettes like the WED days or the more story driven style of the Eisner era. Iger tells them what to build and what IP it should be, They randomly cram it into a park it often doesn't fit in. They come up with an elaborate backstory or more accurately "excuse" for it to be there. Iger's philosophy is basically that WDI is essentially the most expensive marketing firm in the world and they have outsourced most of the actual production to companies like Garner Holt for AAs. So really WDI now is a handful of creative executives who supervise the projects but have very little creativity because the Iger mantra refuses to let them actually be creative.

Yeah, I meant to add a bit about how being a storyteller gives vital skills you might not think about. All scenes have to be staged, for example, even if they're not actually telling a story. It can also help you with keeping basic continuity, which this struggled a ton with. I can probably think of other examples. I forgot because I got carried away in my disgust that they actually used the stock "I don't sing" joke.