News Disney and Miral Announce New Seventh Theme Park Planned for Abu Dhabi

[JMcMahonEsq]

It is related, it shows (regardless of who's investing) that they are willing to take on more imagineering projects and take focus off of already built spaces that are falling behind in more ways than one, than focusing on them beforehand. Remember how many Imagineers were lost and let go through Chapek, COVID and the fake-out move to Lake Nona and never rehired? They're stretched thin already with the ever-present projects in Tokyo and all of Disneyland forward, it 100% takes people away from focusing on WDW projects, which always seem to be bottom of the barrel to begin with. WDW's most recent "big debut attractions" were a reimagined ride that shared creative costs with Disneyland, a copy of a ride from Shanghai and a big metal box in Epcot that reused a building (that somehow is rumored to be the most expensive coaster ever built which seems like a waste to me). WDW still does not see the unique creative investment that any of the other parks around the world do. Of course, tropical americas and Cars and monsters inc and Villains are in the works but I'm not going to sit here and act like we've been receiving groundbreaking stuff here in WDW up to this point.

So what is your point?

That Disney shouldn't do anything new? That Disney shouldn't expand? That given a potential 10B spend, that Disney can't hire new imagineers if the work warrants it? If only there might be some people that have ride/land design experience that might be coming off a big project that has just finished up and might be looking for new work?

 

[lazyboy97o]

It is related, it shows (regardless of who's investing) that they are willing to take on more imagineering projects and take focus off of already built spaces that are falling behind in more ways than one, than focusing on them beforehand. Remember how many Imagineers were lost and let go through Chapek, COVID and the fake-out move to Lake Nona and never rehired? They're stretched thin already with the ever-present projects in Tokyo and all of Disneyland forward, it 100% takes people away from focusing on WDW projects, which always seem to be bottom of the barrel to begin with. WDW's most recent "big debut attractions" were a reimagined ride that shared creative costs with Disneyland, a copy of a ride from Shanghai and a big metal box in Epcot that reused a building (that somehow is rumored to be the most expensive coaster ever built which seems like a waste to me). WDW still does not see the unique creative investment that any of the other parks around the world do. Of course, tropical americas and Cars and monsters inc and Villains are in the works but I'm not going to sit here and act like we've been receiving groundbreaking stuff here in WDW up to this point.

This isn’t really how it works. Walt Disney Imagineering is largely project based. The size of Walt Disney Imagineering fluctuates based on how many active projects are in place.

 

[Ayla]

This isn’t really how it works. Walt Disney Imagineering is largely project based. The size of Walt Disney Imagineering fluctuates based on how many active projects are in place.

Are imagineers considered third-party contractors?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Are imagineers considered third-party contractors?

Imagineer by and large specifically refers to employees. They make use of third-party contractors (both individuals* and companies) but they’re not considered Imagineers.

*There are times where it gets murkier because they will hire a contractor to fill a typically internal role and give them things like a name tag.

 

[Tha Realest]

Not really. Imagineering isn’t a static finite resource.

But talented Imagineers and project managers are.

 

[Robbiem]

This isn’t really how it works. Walt Disney Imagineering is largely project based. The size of Walt Disney Imagineering fluctuates based on how many active projects are in place.

Who gets assigned to what has an impact though. Contractors usually save their best for the best paying

If AD and Tokyo are paying will they get the cream of the imagineering crop and leave the B team for internal projects?

 

[asianway]

Let’s take this ride at Warner Bros World Dubai for example:

The ride imo is kinda lame and doesn’t have a lot going for it in terms of pacing and execution. Is Warner Bros just licensing the IP and Miral has complete control over the design and budget of the ride? If this is the case, Disney dark rides for this new park will not be very interesting and only fun for the very young.

That Scooby Doo ride is better than MRR

 

[Tha Realest]

Who gets assigned to what has an impact though. Contractors usually save their best for the best paying

If AD and Tokyo are paying will they get the cream of the imagineering crop and leave the B team for internal projects?

Don’t you know? You can just “scale up” another Trowbridge or Rafferty or Rhode.

 

[Robbiem]

Don’t you know? You can just “scale up” another Trowbridge or Rafferty or Rhode.

If I was Miral I would recruit an ex-imagineer like Eddie Sotto or Bob Weiss to lead my side of things and be my liaison with WDI

 

[Comped]

If I was Miral I would recruit an ex-imagineer like Eddie Sotto or Bob Weiss to lead my side of things and be my liaison with WDI

I doubt either of them would do this project though... Could see Joe doing it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Some of those animatronics were from the recently closed Scary Adventures (I think -right?) - could be why!

yes, they basically all are (Snow White, the Dwarfs, Evil Queen/Hag) ... so definitely why the WDW version has that specific ending and Shanghai doesn't .. doesn't mean they couldn't have done something different but better, but they likely wouldn't do the exact same thing

 

[Agent H]

To be honest, I would kind of like that to become part of official Disney lore.

"In 1938, Walt Disney sold his soul to the devil and 'Disney's folly' became 'Disney's triumph' when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released to great critical and commercial acclaim. Thus began a rich Disney tradition of dabbling in black magic that continues to this day."

Also not to be super annoying but it was actually released in 1937.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Also not to be super annoying but it was actually released in 1937.

It premiered in December 1937. The movie didn’t get a true wide release until February 1938.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

yes, they basically all are (Snow White, the Dwarfs, Evil Queen/Hag) ... so definitely why the WDW version has that specific ending and Shanghai doesn't .. doesn't mean they couldn't have done something different but better, but they likely wouldn't do the exact same thing

The Evil Queen/Hag is a new animatronic. It definitely wasn't in Snow White's Scary Adventures.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Not true and there are plenty of imagineers' stories to back this up that are widely available on the internet... people getting pulled from WDW and Disneyland to work on Paris, Tokyo etc. Unless you really actually think they'd invest in more imagineers just to keep the numbers the same, you'd be sorely mistaken.

People getting moved around doesn’t mean the size of the organization doesn’t fluctuate.

 

[peter11435]

Nice try at the black and white logical fallacy but no, of course they will continue to do projects all over the place regardless, but they should at minimum be making a decent effort to plus up and expand WDW, and the most visited park on earth, before embarking on an entire new park imo. Also, let's not forget they are boasting that this new park will have the best technology out of all of their parks, which definitely means they do not see any path forward to making the most visited park and theme park resort destination on earth anywhere close to competing with this park...

There are currently a dozen announced new attractions in development for WDW and another half dozen at Disneyland. And more that haven’t been announced yet.

 

[peter11435]

Not true and there are plenty of imagineers' stories to back this up that are widely available on the internet... people getting pulled from WDW and Disneyland to work on Paris, Tokyo etc. Unless you really actually think they'd invest in more imagineers just to keep the numbers the same, you'd be sorely mistaken.

lol. Everything @lazyboy97o said in the post you quoted was 100% true.

People obviously get shifted around to work on different projects. But WDI absolutely increases and decreases its workforce based on project load. Sometimes resulting in the number of imagineers shifting by 4 digits.

 

[UNCgolf]

There are currently a dozen announced new attractions in development for WDW and another half dozen at Disneyland. And more that haven’t been announced yet.

Encanto, Indiana Jones, Villains 1, Villains 2, Cars 1, Cars 2, Door Coaster, Tropical Americas Carousel, Muppets Coaster... what are the other 3 for WDW?

 

[James Alucobond]

Encanto, Indiana Jones, Villains 1, Villains 2, Cars 1, Cars 2, Door Coaster, Tropical Americas Carousel, Muppets Coaster... what are the other 3 for WDW?

Depends on what you include, but Test Track 3.0, Zootopia, the Monsters show, and the Villains show could potentially get bundled in there.

 

[Go_Bears_80]

It is related, it shows (regardless of who's investing) that they are willing to take on more imagineering projects and take focus off of already built spaces that are falling behind in more ways than one, than focusing on them beforehand.

That is complete speculation and projection with zero basis in reality.