DHS Monster Inc Land Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios

[jah4955]

Putting aside the very real entertainment and dining complaints, those were not unusual attraction counts for lands even in the old days (using your own more modern definition of what "counts" rather than absolutely everything that was ticketed). Most of MK's lands launched in the 2-3 attraction range during the first year, including Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, and Liberty Square. Only Fantasyland was more robust, and some of that bulk was provided by B/A tickets (Dumbo, Golden Carrousel, Tea Party). The difference was that they concentrated solely on MK with very meaningful expansion of Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Frontierland over the subsequent decade prior to EPCOT's opening.

Also, Piston Peak is not a distinct land.

MK was relatively "attraction (will address this word in a separate post) light" because the bigger goal of creating a much-bigger (in size at least) Disneyland (with 3 unprecedented attractions), 2 large resorts, and all the infrastructure out of a swamp by October 1st 1971.

Unlike Disneyland (where they ran out of money), for MK they ran out of time.

The plan was always for it to have attractions comparable to Disneyland.

• By the end of 1971 both FL & TL had 2 more attractions each.
• 1972 TL had 1 more.
• 1973 Frontierland had 2 more attractions, Main Street had 2 more attractions, Adventureland had 2 more attractions, and Tomorrowland had 1 more attraction.
• by 1975 Tomorrowland 1.0 was finally complete with 3 more attractions (plus updating "Moon" with "Mars")

That's 15 more attractions within less than 4 years of opening

Adds up pretty quickly.

And turns out they were still planning Western River Expedition mega-complex (I originally thought Pirates killed it....it may have still be a factor...but not the factor).

 

[jah4955]

Every land that was added after a park was built has had 1, 2 or 3 rides
Always. In every management. This is not a new thing

New Orleans Sq: opened with 0 rides, now 2
ToonTown: opened with 2 rides, now 3
Bear/Critter/Bayou Country: opened with 0 rides (1 attraction), now 3
ToonTown Fair: 1 ride
Sunset Blvd: opened with 1 ride, now 2

Eisner also opened MGM with 2 rides and DAK with 3

You reminded me of Disney's former emphasis of "attractions" over "rides."

A couple examples...

MK was also "ride" light upon opening b/c they thought their market was going to be more on seniors...hence more "stage shows" at first....

Even as a 9 year old I saw thru Disney making "multiple attractions" out of what was really 1-2 attractions (studio tour).

WS was going to have more than 1 "ride" but in that case they ran out of both time and money.

 

[jah4955]

Sorry, where’s the better guest experience? No package delivery, no room service, no Magical Express, no free Magic bands, dramatically reduced extra Magic hours, less services across the board, dramatically expanded ride reservations that now cost large amounts of cash rather then being free, etc. No one can argue with a straight face that Disney has improved the guest experience over the last decade.

at least resort guests don't have to pay for parking anymore

 

[DrStarlander]

Instead of putting a Monsters Inc. show in that theater (which will likely get compared to Muppets unfavorably), I'd prefer them to put an old school Fantasyland style dark ride in there. The one at DCA has a lot of great content but it needs zippier action like Mr. Toad's or Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. They could take the content from DCA and tighten it all up and present it in a more fun way ride-system-wise.

Seems like DHS could use a handful of these types of old school dark rides.

 

[mattpeto]

Instead of putting a Monsters Inc. show in that theater (which will likely get compared to Muppets unfavorably), I'd prefer them to put an old school Fantasyland style dark ride in there. The one at DCA has a lot of great content but it needs zippier action like Mr. Toad's or Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. They could take the content from DCA and tighten it all up and present it in a more fun way ride-system-wise.

Seems like DHS could use a handful of these types of old school dark rides.

I wouldn't have been mad at moving Mike and Sulley to the Rescue (with some upgrades) to that space.

 

[jah4955]

I wouldn't have been mad at moving Mike and Sulley to the Rescue (with some upgrades) to that space.

Could it still happen in MV3D theater?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Putting aside the very real entertainment and dining complaints, those were not unusual attraction counts for lands even in the old days (using your own more modern definition of what "counts" rather than absolutely everything that was ticketed). Most of MK's lands launched in the 2-3 attraction range during the first year, including Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, and Liberty Square. Only Fantasyland was more robust, and some of that bulk was provided by B/A tickets (Dumbo, Golden Carrousel, Tea Party). The difference was that they concentrated solely on MK with very meaningful expansion of Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Frontierland over the subsequent decade prior to EPCOT's opening.

Also, Piston Peak is not a distinct land.

Actual attraction count is less important than attractions per guest per hour. How much of a guests time is spent waiting versus experiencing. Disney made the decision to increase the waiting to such a point that they are now in a deep hole that they can’t justify fixing in a spreadsheet.

 

[jah4955]

Actual attraction count is less important than attractions per guest per hour. How much of a guests time is spent waiting versus experiencing. Disney made the decision to increase the waiting to such a point that they are now in a deep hole that they can’t justify fixing in a spreadsheet.

It's been a struggle since the A-E ticket days, as Defunctland outstandingly details.

But one thing I've always loved about Disney is how a day can ultimately have a nice rhythm between As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Es....

 

[Casper Gutman]

Instead of putting a Monsters Inc. show in that theater (which will likely get compared to Muppets unfavorably), I'd prefer them to put an old school Fantasyland style dark ride in there. The one at DCA has a lot of great content but it needs zippier action like Mr. Toad's or Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. They could take the content from DCA and tighten it all up and present it in a more fun way ride-system-wise.

Seems like DHS could use a handful of these types of old school dark rides.

If this project included a dark ride I would still bemoan the loss of Muppets as unnecessary and the land would still have a bunch of problems but I would be MUCH more excited about what is being built. I am absolutely uninterested in any more coasters-in-a-box.

 

[DrStarlander]

It's been a struggle since the A-E ticket days, as Defunctland outstandingly details.

But one thing I've always loved about Disney is how a day can ultimately have a nice rhythm between As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Es....

Totally agree. And when people talk about that mix, they often refer to the role of (themed) flat rides, which is something I support. What I don't hear as much is the call for smaller, simpler, Fantasyland-style dark rides. I think this style and scope of ride is noticeably missing nowadays, and I think Disney/Universal are not appreciating how much guests like these. Yes, people love the multi-hundred-million-dollar attractions. But sometimes you don't want a multi-hour wait and a steak dinner. Sometimes you want tapas.

When these small dark rides are coupled with fun, themed queues (which act somewhat like a walk-through attraction), it's a winning offering at a relatively lower investment.

When people do think of themed flat rides, they tend to think of them as out in the open, or under a roof shelter but visible. That's fine, especially if the ride adds kinetic fun and feels thematically appropriate as a giant set-piece/prop. But one thing I really enjoyed at Europa Park was discovering flat rides tucked inside storefront-style facades/structures. For example, you're walking through an English or Greek village and tucked into a building is an indoor flat ride. It preserves the land's thematic/place-making integrity while offering more rides and variability per visit.

The point is that, even if they don't put a small dark ride in that theater. I think a well-selected and themed flat ride could go in there and be well-received.

 

[JD80]

Actual attraction count is less important than attractions per guest per hour. How much of a guests time is spent waiting versus experiencing. Disney made the decision to increase the waiting to such a point that they are now in a deep hole that they can’t justify fixing in a spreadsheet.

Actually people are generally waiting less time than they were a year ago (assuming similar crowd levels).

 

[James Alucobond]

Unlike Disneyland (where they ran out of money), for MK they ran out of time.

The plan was always for it to have attractions comparable to Disneyland.

• By the end of 1971 both FL & TL had 2 more attractions each.
• 1972 TL had 1 more.
• 1973 Frontierland had 2 more attractions, Main Street had 2 more attractions, Adventureland had 2 more attractions, and Tomorrowland had 1 more attraction.
• by 1975 Tomorrowland 1.0 was finally complete with 3 more attractions (plus updating "Moon" with "Mars")

That's 15 more attractions within less than 4 years of opening

Adds up pretty quickly.

Most of the modern lands are built with expansion pads as well; it's an issue of follow-through on later phases, which we saw right away with EPCOT too. How many pavilions and attractions were promised in World Showcase even right after opening that were never delivered? The point is that listing the number of launch attractions for each land or expansion is not a compelling indictment of current management. The details of those attractions (i.e. capacity, supporting infrastructure, entertainment, replacement vs. addition, etc.) are.

Actual attraction count is less important than attractions per guest per hour. How much of a guests time is spent waiting versus experiencing. Disney made the decision to increase the waiting to such a point that they are now in a deep hole that they can’t justify fixing in a spreadsheet.

Agreed. I'm just saying that, for instance, Villains launching with 2-3 attractions would not be unusual in any management environment and is not in and of itself worthy of derision.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Actually people are generally waiting less time than they were a year ago (assuming similar crowd levels).

I’m not talking about a year ago. I’m talking about the programmatic goal.

 

[James Alucobond]

Since people were asking about it earlier ...

PizzeRizzo Has Fallen

Walt Disney World has removed the PizzeRizzo sign at Disney's Hollywood Studios as part of a Monsters Inc. Land reimagining

blogmickey.com

 

[Gremlin Gus]

Since people were asking about it earlier ...

PizzeRizzo Has Fallen

Walt Disney World has removed the PizzeRizzo sign at Disney's Hollywood Studios as part of a Monsters Inc. Land reimagining

blogmickey.com

Rest in PizzeRizzo...

 

[MisterPenguin]

THE
CITY'S TOP
RATED
PIZZA

 

[DisneyNittany]

Instead of putting a Monsters Inc. show in that theater (which will likely get compared to Muppets unfavorably), I'd prefer them to put an old school Fantasyland style dark ride in there. The one at DCA has a lot of great content but it needs zippier action like Mr. Toad's or Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. They could take the content from DCA and tighten it all up and present it in a more fun way ride-system-wise.

Seems like DHS could use a handful of these types of old school dark rides.

Agree, however, I'd prefer a dark ride similar to Tokyo if I had my choice between the two.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Do you also consider that the fandom of losing MV3D for this new land might be blinding some of the takes here?

What takes do you think are inaccurate?

 

[HMF]

MK was relatively "attraction (will address this word in a separate post) light" because the bigger goal of creating a much-bigger (in size at least) Disneyland (with 3 unprecedented attractions), 2 large resorts, and all the infrastructure out of a swamp by October 1st 1971.

Unlike Disneyland (where they ran out of money), for MK they ran out of time.

The plan was always for it to have attractions comparable to Disneyland.

• By the end of 1971 both FL & TL had 2 more attractions each.
• 1972 TL had 1 more.
• 1973 Frontierland had 2 more attractions, Main Street had 2 more attractions, Adventureland had 2 more attractions, and Tomorrowland had 1 more attraction.
• by 1975 Tomorrowland 1.0 was finally complete with 3 more attractions (plus updating "Moon" with "Mars")

That's 15 more attractions within less than 4 years of opening

Adds up pretty quickly.

And turns out they were still planning Western River Expedition mega-complex (I originally thought Pirates killed it....it may have still be a factor...but not the factor).

I would also point out in the famous EPCOT film it is obvious that Walt's interest in building Magic Kingdom was so secondary to his intentioned that they just slapped a painting of Disneyland Circa 1966 in the MK's spot. Most of the actual creative work that happened for Magic Kingdom was overseen by Roy.

 

[HMF]

And turns out they were still planning Western River Expedition mega-complex (I originally thought Pirates killed it....it may have still be a factor...but not the factor).

It would have been killed or at least radically changed by the time it opened if they didn't want another Splash situation.