Is Disney unlikely to invest in buidling a "land" again?

[Mac Tonight]

I wonder how much of this confusion is a problem. How many times have I seen Galaxy's Edge referred to as a 'land' or 'attraction' or 'ride' or 'park' online? I imagine it's incredibly confusing for someone who doesn't follow this stuff to know exactly what Galaxy's Edge is.

I mean, It's the Black Spire Outpost that takes place on the Planet Batuu, which is the new land Galaxy's Edge located in both Disneyland Park and Disney Hollywood Studios, that's also referred to as Star Wars Land

I survived Millenium Faclon: Smuggler's Run at Star Wars Land: Galaxy's Edge: Batuu: Black Spire Outpost.

That's a lot to fit on a t-shirt.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I think they should have quit with "lands" while they were ahead.
New Fantasyland was a hit. (No one movie was too showcased) Pandora was a hit mostly due to FOP. TSL mixed feelings on that one. SWGE is seeming like its gonna be a bust.
I think its better to just add a new attraction here and there instead of devoting a whole section in the parks to just one movie franchise.
What they have done is enticed a specific group of people vs everyone as a whole.
But it takes Disney a while to take a hint about what people want and when.
It takes them much too long from the idea to the reality. It took them years to finally jump on the instagram photo and cute ears/shirts train and by the time they have reached peak amounts of merch and insta walls people will be interested in something else.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Again, people are not ignorant. It's not generic Star Wars Land. If it were, they would start with a desert landscape and it could be a stand-in for Tatooine & Jakku.

You go around the park with a microphone and pick up how many times people are saying "wow, Batuu was awesome!" or "hey, hurry up, we have to get to Batuu!"

I'll wait.

 

[Rich T]

Perhaps, though I'm sure management will be sure to never build stuff like DCA 1.0 again.

Slightly off topic, I find it interesting that at ThemeParkStop, Alicia says Universal is putting out surveys, trying to suss out if people want full lands devoted to recreating a particular IP, or more general theme lands that can contain IP specific attractions.

There seems to be some worry at Universal that HP was an anomaly, a perfect storm of storytelling that meshed ideally well with rides & shopping, and that winding back to a Magic Kingdom-style "X-land" may be just fine (ie. less expensive / more flexible for the future) as long as people still feel that the experiences are immersive enough.

Carsland seems like it wouldn't 'work' if it wasn't the precise recreation of Radiator Springs that it is. However, Disneyland doesn't need an Indiana Jones Land in order for the Indy ride to essentially feel like it's in one.

But don't tell those "I want the REAL Mos Eisley Cantina from Tatooine" people that.

HP was, indeed, an anomaly, because it's a case--specific to that IP--where the location is 3/4 of the charm of the books and films. HP IS Hogwarts, which is precisely why the Fantastic Beasts films are already starting to fizzle out. No one cares about wizards in New York or Paris. Hogwarts was the heart and soul of the Potter stories, with strong backup from Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Disney could build 2 fantasy worlds that would really work as single-IP lands, but they're too focused on shallow pop culture icons as quick cash machines to care.

1) Wonderland (which DL already has a mini-version of and Paris has an outdoor attraction nearly large enough to be a land).
2) Oz

The key is in using IPs where the locale really is the heart of the story, and already much-loved by fans. SW has no central "home" like that.

 

[Mac Tonight]

But the survey needs to be from NON-guests, asking them why they are not visiting Disneyland as a destination this summer.

Yes, pricing and scared of extra large crowds will be two main responses. Also a large percentage who just don't like Theme/Amusement parks in general.

But if a question was, would having Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Lela, C3P0 and R2D2 doing character visits, entertainment, featured on attractions, etc. help influence you to visiting the park, I think you would have many positive responses.

No arguments there. I'm fully against the idea that SWL doesn't include anything from the OT apart from the ships.

 

[TP2000]

If I could get my picture taken with a smirky Princess Leia and a cocky Han Solo, and C3PO and R2D2!, and sit at the bar nursing an expensive cocktail while the alien band played that famous music in a recreation of the real Cantina, I would have camped out for three days to be there on opening day.

And I don't even collect any of the stuff or know any trivia, I just remember seeing the movie in '77 and loving it ever since.

The decision to create Batuu out of thin air and then populate it with the far less charming and less lovable and less relateable characters from the recent movies was not a good creative strategy. That Bob Chapek then cut the budget on all the entertainment and interactive tricks and droids, then gushed to the media that ride operators and snack bar hostesses will gladly take on those interactive roles for you with their cutesy phrases (which the ride operators and snack bar hostesses failed to do) sealed the fate on that weak Batuu concept.

To add insult to budget cut injury, the big ride is still months away from opening. The land is a static display that feels dead and lifeless.

I'd like to think they'd learn lessons from this mess and open future new lands with a full creative slate of entertainment and concepts fully functioning, but so long as Mr. Chapek sticks around I don't think they have a shot at learning that lesson.

Mr. Chapek doesn't appear to even understand the theme park industry at its most basic foundation, let alone be able to lead it to entertainment greatness and evolve it with exciting new concepts and ideas. He should probably return to selling pajama sets and plastic toys made in Communist China.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Pandora was 2017 wasn't it?

 

[britain]

But the survey needs to be from NON-guests, asking them why they are not visiting Disneyland as a destination this summer.

Yes, pricing and scared of extra large crowds will be two main responses. Also a large percentage who just don't like Theme/Amusement parks in general.

But if a question was, would having Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Lela, C3P0 and R2D2 doing character visits, entertainment, featured on attractions, etc. help influence you to visiting the park, I think you would have many positive responses.

But how has Disney in anyway telegraphed that meeting Solo, Skywalker, Leia, Threepio & R2 isn't what's going on in Galaxy's Edge? Your theory would be correct if the marketing was, let's say, of guests gambling with Finn & Rose at the casino. But it's not. It's showing families in the iconic Falcon cockpit (hey maybe we'll get to meet Han if we do that ride) and hugging Chewie.

 

[DanielBB8]

You go around the park with a microphone and pick up how many times people are saying "wow, Batuu was awesome!" or "hey, hurry up, we have to get to Batuu!"

I'll wait.

I'll waiting too.

The word of mouth is deafening. Maybe they're waiting for Rise of the Resistance. People have no reason to go in the first place.

 

[Rich T]

I think they should have quite with "lands" while they were ahead.
New Fantasyland was a hit. (No one movie was too showcased) Pandora was a hit mostly due to FOP. TSL mixed feelings on that one. SWGE is seeming like its gonna be a bust.
I think its better to just add a new attraction here and there instead of devoting a whole section in the parks to just one movie franchise.
What they have done is enticed a specific group of people vs everyone as a whole.
But it takes Disney a while to take a hint about what people want and when.
It takes them much too long from the idea to the reality. It took them years to finally jump on the instagram photo and cute ears/shirts train and by the time they have reached peak amounts of merch and insta walls people will be interested in something else.

Meanwhile, non-Disney parks like Dollywood, Phantasialand and Paultons Park somehow manage to quickly build charming new lands based on imaginative themes that can be added to and enjoyed for decades to come.

 

[Mac Tonight]

I'll waiting too.

The word of mouth is deafening. Maybe they're waiting for Rise of the Resistance. People have no reason to go in the first place.

Let's not kid ourselves.

Half the attractions are open
People are fearful of crowds and staying away
A decent amount of AP's are blocked out until August.

Those three factors all have a greater impact on lower crowds than it being called Batuu.
If SWL was a total free-for-all for everyone right now and still there were lower crowds, then something is wrong with your land as a whole.

 

[smile]

depends...
got a hot ip?

 

[britain]

I will say this...


Choosing to call it "Carsland" suddenly seems brilliant.

 

[DanielBB8]

Let's not kid ourselves.

Half the attractions are open
People are fearful of crowds and staying away
A decent amount of AP's are blocked out until August.

Those three factors all have a greater impact on lower crowds than it being called Batuu.
If SWL was a total free-for-all for everyone right now and still there were lower crowds, then something is wrong with your land as a whole.

Maybe they heard Smuggler's Run isn't so good. It's not enough to carry Sequel Trilogy Star Wars Land featuring Batuu that no one wants. Blaming everything else except for the product being sold is just odd.

 

[mandelbrot]

Let's not kid ourselves.

Half the attractions are open
People are fearful of crowds and staying away
A decent amount of AP's are blocked out until August.

Those three factors all have a greater impact on lower crowds than it being called Batuu.

I agree with this. An estimated 700,000 AP's will become unblocked in September, most of whom have not experienced GE yet. And GE opening WITHOUT its signature mega-attraction is a huge factor as well. How big would Carsland's opening have been without RSR being ready at the time? Once ROTR opens (assuming it's not a dud) I think we will all be fondly remembering these days when DLR wasn't wall-to-wall people.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Maybe they heard Smuggler's Run isn't so good. It's not enough to carry Sequel Trilogy Star Wars Land featuring Batuu that no one wants. Blaming everything else except for the product being sold is just odd.

But those other things play a big factor. To only blame the product being sold is odd.

If you have a thousand items for sale in the store but only let in 50 people to shop, yeah, you're not gonna sell that much.

 

[mickEblu]

Perhaps, though I'm sure management will be sure to never build stuff like DCA 1.0 again.

Slightly off topic, I find it interesting that at ThemeParkStop, Alicia says Universal is putting out surveys, trying to suss out if people want full lands devoted to recreating a particular IP, or more general theme lands that can contain IP specific attractions.

There seems to be some worry at Universal that HP was an anomaly, a perfect storm of storytelling that meshed ideally well with rides & shopping, and that winding back to a Magic Kingdom-style "X-land" may be just fine (ie. less expensive / more flexible for the future) as long as people still feel that the experiences are immersive enough.

Carsland seems like it wouldn't 'work' if it wasn't the precise recreation of Radiator Springs that it is. However, Disneyland doesn't need an Indiana Jones Land in order for the Indy ride to essentially feel like it's in one.

But don't tell those "I want the REAL Mos Eisley Cantina from Tatooine" people that.

I don’t think Potter land was an anomaly as much as I want it to be. Cars Land and Pandora are also huge successes. So even if Galaxies Edge doesn’t live up to the hype that’s still 3/4 single IP Lands that were hits. They just flat out went the wrong direction with the design. It’s ugly and boring. The other 3 locations have whimsy, music and are environments people want to walk around in at at a theme park. The other secondary issue is that the other 3 are also places we ve seen in movies.

 

[DanielBB8]

But those other things play a big factor. To only blame the product being sold is odd.

If you have a thousand items for sale in the store but only let in 50 people to shop, yeah, you're not gonna sell that much.

Interesting. So pulling out Electrical Parade and another new daytime parade makes up for a Star Wars Land that no one wants. People don't want to visit Star Wars Land as it is currently constituted. Disney can lower the price and give away Star Wars for free or free with Main Street Electrical Parade. Or get in with AP for $99. The new sequel trilogy Star Wars isn't resonating.

 

[TP2000]

They might have been able to pull off Batuu as an interesting and fun place if they hadn't cut the budget on so many things they'd been touting for the past three years; stunt shows, interactive droids, roaming aliens and bounty hunters, wild characters who mysteriously know whether your a good guy or a bad guy, etc.

Whatever happened to the hive of villainy? All I saw were bored CM's chatting with each other in empty shops and snack bars.

Heck, just having a few live musicians and some Citizens of Buena Vista Street types would have helped and not caused any problem creatively or operationally since Disneyland has been staffing that entertainment for decades. This is not new for them.



Going the Batuu route creatively was a risky thing to do. When they slashed the budget on everything but the facades and employee uniforms, the already weak Batuu concept was cut off at the knees.

They will really need to relaunch this land when the Resistance ride opens, and add back all the cool stuff and parlor tricks they said they were going to do three years ago. Otherwise, Batuu is just a static beige display that gets too hot from July through October.

 

[britain]

These arguments are so odd...

Making it Tatooine would make it beiger, uglier. Short of recreating that one place we see for 5 seconds in Episode III, you know the one with the giant brightly colored plants? Short of recreating THAT planet that nobody knows, Star Wars takes place in somewhat ugly environments.

Yavin? I guess they could do Yavin, that's picturesque, but it's not really a location every fan is jumping up and down wanting to visit. I guess we're back to Endor with nothing to do but eat with the Ewoks.

Idyllic places in Star Wars are really hard to come by, and the more you lean into them, the less Star Warsy it feels.