I have to say, I find Blue Sky Disney to be a class act.
I enjoy reading it, although Honor's writing style grates on me after a while.
That said, his info is often very good.
In this case, though, I think JT is just quoting him because Honor is notorious for being an Eisner basher who keeps dreaming that the future for Disney is bright ... depending on ... (and then he qualifies things to render them mostly meaningless).
As to HKDL, the facts are Disney took the Chinese government for a ride when the resort was planned and the officials were basking in their regaining control of HK from the UK. Then, when Disney cut 60% of the park everyone was busy focused on other things ... be they Beijing getting the 2008 Olympics or 9/11 or SARS.
The point I'm driving at is Disney planned a vastly different park than what was built (I have the press kit from 1999 to prove it). Much like with DCA and DSP, they built a park on the cheap and thought they could put one over on the locals. We all know how that worked out.
Now ... Disney ponied up what may be a billion dollars when all is said and done in order to make HKDL what is should have been in 2006 (yeah I know it opened in 2005 ... the only park to open eight months ahead of schedule because so much got cut from the project it was ready well ahead of time). Yet for all its money, Disney still won't control the park. The HK SAR will.
So, I don't care whether it's Joanne Thunderbuns or Honor Hunter spouting the line ... Disney played a game of chicken with China and Mickey was the one who blinked and ran from the table.
That said, I don't care. I really was amazed at the potential of HKDL and the thought of it getting what it should have had is very tantalizing to me.
I hope the voodoo-Mansion is one of the attractions ... and I'd love to see the new movie-version Pirates attraction. But it doesn't matter.
I spoke to a friend with some ties to Disney and Pixar and we were talking about the idea that seems to be popular of a Frontierland going to HKDL. She commented that this may well be Tony Baxter's Gold Rush era version that has been blue skied and that one of the original attractions could be the Geyser Mountain that was created for DL a decade ago, but died officially when ToT went to DCA. All the development work is done and it could tie into a Big Thunder RR and even a raft ride (although part of me never wants to see a raft ride in any MK park, even though one was originally planned for HKDL).
Anyway, I do hope Disney announces plans tomorrow and doesn't just announce they have an official agreement on expansion and then we all wait six-nine months before anything gets announced to the public.
Rasulo loves him cause he is creative... with the books... with money...
