A Terror-rific Spirited 13th (ToT fans have lots to fear)...

[BrianLo]

I'm saying that Bob Iger is one of those dopes that told Walt Snow White would flop because he doesn't think anybody would watch a 90 minute handdrawn animated film anymore and insists on remaking every single film in their back catalog in live-action/realistic CG.

Plus you know, Walt was never much of a fan of sequels and remakes.

Alan Horn has largely driven the studio side. People give Iger a little too much credit for any and everything 'Disney' does.

 

[The_Jobu]

Better at what?

It.

Spoiler

"I know only about 2 people are going to understand this around here, but I stand by my obscure references."

 

[Bairstow]

Alan Horn has largely driven the studio side. People give Iger a little too much credit for any and everything 'Disney' does.

Well somebody over there is doing something right these days.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Alan Horn has largely driven the studio side. People give Iger a little too much credit for any and everything 'Disney' does.

Disney has been making live action remakes since the Joe Roth era with the Glenn Close "101 Dalmatians". Roth produced the first Iger era live action remake, Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", which was greenlit by Dick Cook.

Ruthlessly and crassly exploiting the Disney legacy is a corporate tradition.

 

[GoofGoof]

I would not call spending 300-500 million annually spending like a drunken sailor not when WDW throws off billions in profit annually. - I would agree they are not spending on the correct things however.

Speaking of budgets and spending, does anyone have running totals for actual and proposed budgets for the parks? I'll just throw some numbers out to get a conversation started but those in the know can feel free to correct them:

• Avatar Land - is it really close to $1B now?
• DHS reboot including TSL, SWL and some other stuff - $2-3B still or have budgets been cut
• EPCOT - Energy and other stuff ??? Haven't heard anything official but nothing gets done for less than a billion
• MK - Ralph - any idea on the ballpark budget for that?

I would guess if you take a 5-7 year period from last year when heavy Avatar spend picked up until the completion of some of the proposed projects we know of the budgeted annual spend is probably more In the ballpark of $700M. That assumes things aren't cut of course.

 

[BrianLo]

Disney has been making live action remakes since Joe Roth era with the Glenn Close "101 Dalmatians".

I didn't mean to imply Alan Horn created the live action remakes, just that he is the one most responsible for the current slate of films we keep hearing about.

I happen to think he deserves 'credit' rather than disdain, but that's sometimes an unpopular opinion given the reaction folks have to the remakes. Critically and financially he is working out well for DIS.

 

[ZodIsGr8]

It.

Spoiler

"I know only about 2 people are going to understand this around here, but I stand by my obscure references."

You just made the list

 

[SorcererMC]

Speaking of budgets and spending, does anyone have running totals for actual and proposed budgets for the parks? I'll just throw some numbers out to get a conversation started but those in the know can feel free to correct them:

• Avatar Land - is it really close to $1B now?
• DHS reboot including TSL, SWL and some other stuff - $2-3B still or have budgets been cut
• EPCOT - Energy and other stuff ??? Haven't heard anything official but nothing gets done for less than a billion
• MK - Ralph - any idea on the ballpark budget for that?

I would guess if you take a 5-7 year period from last year when heavy Avatar spend picked up until the completion of some of the proposed projects we know of the budgeted annual spend is probably more In the ballpark of $700M. That assumes things aren't cut of course.

I've been thinking about their budgets, too, b/c I'm wondering if there is any kind of 'happy medium' for WDI projects, something between a M&G or other 'cheap' overlay (eg FEA) and massive investments in new mini-lands.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

I've been thinking about their budgets, too, b/c I'm wondering if there is any kind of 'happy medium' for WDI projects, something between a M&G or other 'cheap' overlay (eg FEA) and massive investments in new mini-lands.

Wreck it Ralph would be the middle ground probably. Sure it would use the Stitch space, but it's not just a retheme (based on what we've heard).

 

[Hakunamatata]

It.

Spoiler

"I know only about 2 people are going to understand this around here, but I stand by my obscure references."

 

[Bairstow]

You just made the list

 

[GoofGoof]

I've been thinking about their budgets, too, b/c I'm wondering if there is any kind of 'happy medium' for WDI projects, something between a M&G or other 'cheap' overlay (eg FEA) and massive investments in new mini-lands.

Doesn't seem to be much middle ground. Even projects that seem less involved have huge budgets these days.

 

[SorcererMC]

Doesn't seem to be much middle ground. Even projects that seem less involved have huge budgets these days.

I'm trying to do some digging for comparison and so far I've only found that FEA entire project was budgeted for $75 mln. I haven't seen anything about project cost overruns though.

 

[GoofGoof]

I'm trying to do some digging for comparison and so far I've only found that FEA entire project was budgeted for $75 mln. I haven't seen anything about project cost overruns though.

That actually seems reasonable for these days. Did that include the expanded pavilion area with the new meet and greets or just the ride?

I wonder how much Guardians Tower budget is. Has to be a lot cheaper than a brand new ride.

 

[SorcererMC]

Did that include the expanded pavilion area with the new meet and greets or just the ride?

As far as I can tell, yes. And the source for that figure (attributed on another site) is from Lee in 2014.

ETA: NFL was originally budgeted for $800 mln and cut by more than half (according to WDW1974 in ~2012-13. Pandora budgeted for $500-700 mln? I can't find an exact and given that this info is from 2012 I wouldn't be surprised if it's gone way over and $1 Bln sounds possible. DCA/CarsLand makeover is generally said to be $1 Bln. And I'm seeing some interesting posts about how Disney is creating these large immersive land/experiences b/c in theory that will draw the huge crowds ($$$); consider HP, etc.

So if DHS is going the Marvel mini-land route, making over two rides, I'm sure there's a restaurant in there somewhere, easily $200 Mln would be a rough guess.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I just rode it for the first time in 15 years this past Saturday. I completely agree with your assessment. Out of curiosity, what is the "pre-pre-show area"? I'm assuming the pre-show area is the room with the television playing the Serling intro to the ride.

Yes, the holding area after you are instructed which side to wait in.

 

[lazyboy97o]

And yet WestCOT was what DL looked at for their second gate throughout the nineties. Then 1994 happened, when Eisner was abducted and replaced by an acid-drooling baby-eating alien, who subsequently deemed WestCOT to expensive, building DCA instead. Look how that turned out....

Even Disney's California Adventure, with its focus on places and industries, was very much in the vein of EPCOT Center. For all of its supposed failure, the themes of EPCOT Center were rather consistently repeated in the subsequent domestic theme parks. Disney's California Adventure though shows the double standard that exists. It's failure is pinned on not being "Disney," that the problem with Disney's California Adventure or EPCOT Center is that it lacks "Disney," that there is no interest in the subject. Subject however is not blamed when a franchise fails to deliver. Disney has spent tens of millions of dollars, about 50% of the initial budget, trying to fix The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure but never is it even suggested that the problem might be making an attraction around The Little Mermaid.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Is nothing sacred?!!!!

I thought that was a given already.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Even Disney's California Adventure, with its focus on places and industries, was very much in the vein of EPCOT Center. For all of its supposed failure, the themes of EPCOT Center were rather consistently repeated in the subsequent domestic theme parks. Disney's California Adventure though shows the double standard that exists. It's failure is pinned on not being "Disney," that the problem with Disney's California Adventure or EPCOT Center is that it lacks "Disney," that there is no interest in the subject. Subject however is not blamed when a franchise fails to deliver. Disney has spent tens of millions of dollars, about 50% of the initial budget, trying to fix The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure but never is it even suggested that the problem might be making an attraction around The Little Mermaid.

It is plain to see that the problem with the LM attraction is stunning incompetence in attraction design. Not the IP. No matter how great the IP is, a group of incompetents aren't going to make it work no matter how much money you throw at it.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It is plan to see that the problem with the LM attraction is stunning incompetence in attraction design. Not the IP. No matter how great the IP is, a group of incompetents aren't going to make it work no matter how much money you throw at it.

That's my point. Disney and even Disney fans often blame non-IP subjects for poor execution. It's a double standard rooted in familiarity.