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DAK AVATAR breaks ground

danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member
englanddg said:
I was being serious though. I mean, slapping some navi on a tshirt is a no brainer, but is a far cry from making your own light saber or having your wand "choose you".

I can't envision navi plush dolls. The robot suits and helecopters would be neat toys, but they didn't sell massively at Toys R Us, why would they do better at Animal Kingdom?

The ride is a no brainer. They'll throw pretty much every cheap effect at it they can, I suspect. But, I am truly curious about what they plan for merch!
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I was being serious also, in a sarcastic way. :) I have no worries about Disney's ability to merchandise anything they can get their hands on.
 
wm49rs

wm49rs

A naughty bit o' crumpet
Premium Member
englanddg said:
Snarking aside, I am curious how they will swing the merchandising part of this. I mean, does anyone remember the massive influx and lasting popularity of Avatar toys and merch?

Oh...there wasn't one. :banghead:
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danlb_2000 said:
Yeah, I know what you mean about merchandising, this is something that Disney is horrible at. Look at their signature character, Mickey, it's almost impossible to anything at WDW with his image on it. ;)
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Just what merchandising right does Disney have with Avatar?
 
F

Figaro928

Well-Known Member
englanddg said:
I am so glad they are building this family experience.

Snarking aside, I am curious how they will swing the merchandising part of this. I mean, does anyone remember the massive influx and lasting popularity of Avatar toys and merch?

Oh...there wasn't one. :banghead:
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Safely assume lots of glow in the dark stuff? It's not going to be as easy as dressing up mickey as a Jedi that's for sure... Na'vi weapons geared toward boy. necklaces towards the girls.. It doesn't need to be avatar-brand either - as long as it fits within the world. Not everything sold in POTC has Johnny Depp's face thrown on it.
 
W

WDW95

Active Member
danlb_2000 said:
I was looking for a place were Carsland was discussed right after the announcement to see what the reaction was, but I haven't found a place yet. There are a few threads about it here, but they are only a couple posts in each.
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Here's a thread from a more Disneyland-centric website discussing how bad of an idea it was 4 years before it opened:
http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/94703-carsland.html

and here's a thread discussing it right after it opened:
http://micechat.com/forums/disneyla...d-review-one-first-lucky-66-guests-enter.html
 
wm49rs

wm49rs

A naughty bit o' crumpet
Premium Member
danlb_2000 said:
I can't imagine them signing a deal with Cameron that wouldn't allow any kind of merchandising they wanted in the parks.
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I would expect the same. I just didn't really see anything in the original press release discussing merchandise....
 
SirLink

SirLink

Well-Known Member
danlb_2000 said:
I was looking for a place were Carsland was discussed right after the announcement to see what the reaction was, but I haven't found a place yet. There are a few threads about it here, but they are only a couple posts in each.
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It was like the subs being taken over by Nemo: "Urgh not more Pixar in the parks", which at the time and still is a to a degree is a valid criticism to that notion.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
wm49rs said:
No, that's investment. And what looks to be truly wondrous rides and attractions coming very shortly to their current parks. And there's another one being built in Beijing. That's not panic, that's seeing the theme parks as a growth business.

This is closer to panic (from your own article):

"Outside the CEO suite and the PR offices, many Disney cast members are eager to fight back against Universal's efforts."
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Truth is if Uni had not committed to a build out the likely when have been bought out. They are doing what they had to do. And it is a good thing. Disney just sticks to their long range plan. See attendance numbers for proof.

And blog spin does not work on me. Quoting anonymous "cast members" is spin since all you would need is two to make such a claim.

~Pandora Bound~
 
wm49rs

wm49rs

A naughty bit o' crumpet
Premium Member
jt04 said:
Truth is if Uni had not committed to a build out the likely when have been bought out. They are doing what they had to do. And it is a good thing. Disney just sticks to their long range plan. See attendance numbers for proof.

And blog spin does not work on me. Quoting anonymous "cast members" is spin since all you would need is two to make such a claim.

~Pandora Bound~
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And who did the article quote showing "panic" in the halls at Universal?

But you'll put your own spin on a blog post?
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
Nope, no panic there.

Just continuing the massive investment that began 6 years ago and that the current owners are seeing massive returns on. They're on a roll and they love it.

Which of course is good for anyone who visits Orlando.
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I hope the "roll" continues. Is was born of survival. Nothing wrong with that though. Everyone wins when rampant capitalism reigns. :greedy:
 
AndyMagic

AndyMagic

Well-Known Member
I'm surprised that the majority of negative reactions to the new land are rooted in the choice of IP and not the rumored contents of the land itself. In theory, there is nothing wrong with building a land around Avatar. Whether you liked the film or not, there is a lot about the franchise that lends itself to a themed land. The visual potential alone is staggering. The real issue with this expansion, aside from the long delay between announcement and construction, is the lack of a truly groundbreaking attraction. I don't care how many bells and whistles WDI throws at the Soarin' ride tech, the fact remains that a big IMAX screen with moving seats is not going to cut it. I know Disney isn't really interested in creating groundbreaking (and potentially problematic) ride systems anymore but the fact that Cameron relented and signed off on the current plan is disappointing. I'm sure Pandora will be beautiful and bring Animal Kingdom closer to a full-day park experience but it isn't going to have the same impact Carsland had on DCA or the Sunset Blvd. expansion had on DHS. And the fact that Pandora will be opening a full 3 years after Universal's Diagon Alley certainly won't help expectations either. A whopping 7 years after the first phase of the Wizarding World opened and shocked the industry, Disney World finally responds with... a simulator and a boat ride.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
Truth is if Uni had not committed to a build out the likely when have been bought out. They are doing what they had to do. And it is a good thing. Disney just sticks to their long range plan. See attendance numbers for proof.

And blog spin does not work on me. Quoting anonymous "cast members" is spin since all you would need is two to make such a claim.

~Pandora Bound~
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Universal Orlando Resort was bought out, by Comcast.
 

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