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

[Disney Analyst]

That's obviously temporary. But Disneyland will be running Paint The Night daily beginning November 18th; two performances of Christmas Fantasy Parade in the afternoons, then two performances of Paint The Night in the evenings. They would need that temporary structure to house MSEP for the next two months while Paint The Night performs daily and they get MSEP ready for its January, 2017 debut at Disneyland.

I'm not saying this tent doesn't prove MSEP will be temporary for 2017, I'm just saying that for at least the next two months they need a space to store and refurbish the MSEP while Paint The Night continues to perform daily.

I guess the question is, will Paint the Night move into there for refurb afterwards? I think as long as the tent remains we know the rumours of PTN being moved elsewhere is false.

 

[Brer Oswald]

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.

Except of course for Song of the South, yet we all know where that went.

 

[Brer Oswald]

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.

The problem with LM is that they didn't have enough money in the budget to make a climax.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The problem with LM is that they didn't have enough money in the budget to make a climax.

$100 million is more than enough money for a dark ride.

 

[Cesar R M]

Or they could leave ToT alone and build a completely separate GoTG e-ticket with an original ride concept that doesn't have to be crammed into an existing show building.

 

[ford91exploder]

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.

Even 700 million is pocket change considering what WDW throws off in after tax profit, The DHS budget while it totals 3.5 billion that's spread over a decade so 350 million per year.

As we've been told by multiple insiders capital budgets have indeed been cut, We don't know by how much.

WDW historically has been at it's best when approximately 20% of it's operating revenue has been allocated for capital spending, Even now the spend is approximately 1/2 that figure. Up the road they ARE spending that much on capital projects and their operating margins are what Disney's USED to be during the 'Disney Decade'

I'm not an insider and I can only look at Disney's public filings and reports from insiders but bottom line Disney is STILL not spending what NEEDS to be spent.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

This thread is the very reason I haven't been on these boards as much as I usually am. Everywhere I turn, its offensively depressing news. The fact that they're eyeing the ToT again sickens me. Not only would they be completely killing off one of their iconic attraction, but nixing a truly original GotG ride would prevent that movie from ever getting the proper representation it deserves in a theme park environment. Let's hope there's more pushback from people like George K. because this lets down both Disney and Marvel fans alike. As for the Snow White remake, I think @Tahu said it best. The fact that they're remaking a film that challenged expectations is beyond insulting to Walt and his legacy. June 30, 2018 will be a joyous day indeed.

 

[Cesar R M]

Cars was a pretty average movie but that translated really well to theme parks. Some Disney movies work better in theme parks than they do as movies, I.e. Song off the South. And on that Captain Nemo topic, yes, we do need to bring back 20k Leagues!

I just hope they dont make a flop like Sean Connery's take on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

 

[AEfx]

I don't think Marvel's pseudo-science is a good fit.

You are thinking too literally.

The comics or movies may use "pseudo-science" as plot drivers, but the characters could easily be part of/tied into introducing "real" science concepts.

 

[AEfx]

$100 million is more than enough money for a dark ride.

...refurb in an existing building.

No stand alone structure housing a ride today is gonna be under $200M, at least in Disney Dollars. Particularly if it's unique/non-clone.

 

[WDW1974]

Going to attempt to catch up on this thread in the next few days as time permits. Hope everyone had safe and enjoyable Halloweens and remember that Christmas at WDW starts in 48 hours, but really tomorrow. But Halloween still goes through next weekend at UNI parks in FL and CA to prepare you for the true horrors of election day.

I don't have much to add on what I have said already.

I will say flat out that to my knowledge and that of my sources no funding has been given to ANY Marvel project for WDW. I'll also say I have it on very good authority that the fact y'all know about both these projects is because Disney was willing to let the information leak after what went down with yours truly dropping the original GotG news (will someone tell crazy Tom Amity Boi that he didn't break any news there ... as usual).

No, it isn't because they care what you think about either. But people at high levels are likely enjoying watching to see which project gets the most positive buzz in the community. Again, not that it matters.

So to people who have asked : can they both be true? Can there be Marvel projects competing at two of Disney's parks in the swamps. The answer to that is an absolute definitely.

I want to be wrong about this. I also want @marni1971 to be wrong. The only place Marvel belongs in O-Town is where it already exists -- at IOA.

But if it has to come to WDW, then I want it at whatever Bob Iger's IP MAGIC Park gets rebranded as. And ONLY as a new build (because remember, despite all the hype about Toy Sory and Star Wars expansions, when they are done the park will have a smaller footprint than it did in 2006.)

Anyway, that is all I can add right now without reading some of what you guys/gals think.

 

[Cesar R M]

Isn't there a major sequence in the movie where the characters escape by making a small room float around and plummet?

Yes, the prison scene.
Where they are int he prison's control room and make it float and use it as escape vehicle to get to the milano.

 

[WDW1974]

Oh, and for my friends on the left coast, I absolutely feel your pain about losing Tower.

And the analogy about it being the 'worst' version in most folks minds is only acceptable if WDW fans say it is OK to remove or overlay Pirates because it also is widely viewed as the weakest version in existence.

 

[Cesar R M]

Ralph is locked in. Work should start in January.

hang on.. Stitch to be removed and Wreck it Ralph the replacement?

 

[Cesar R M]

Please. Stitch was the result of focus-grouping gone terribly wrong which resulted in an attraction that was left to fester and die a slow death.

I still remember the animatronics skins literally ripping apart back in january

It was horrible seeing the machinery behind.

 

[NearTheEars]

Oh, and for my friends on the left coast, I absolutely feel your pain about losing Tower.

And the analogy about it being the 'worst' version in most folks minds is only acceptable if WDW fans say it is OK to remove or overlay Pirates because it also is widely viewed as the weakest version in existence.

That is a very good point.

 

[Cesar R M]

You know these are dark times when I try to catch up on the news in this thread and I'm honestly losing the ability to tell if people's suggestions for changes are genuine, sarcastic or hoping to minimize damage.

Probably the last 2... Think of it as a coping mechanism.

 

[Cesar R M]

But after 15 years of drought, they are spending money at WDW like drunken frat boys.

And just as judiciously I might add.

Well, if your flagship theme park is falling apart after getting almost null addons and tons of cost cuts for more than a decade.. Id say it was CRITICALLY NECESSARY.

Welcome to Epcot!

Cue idiocracy "Welcome to costco, I love you"

Better at being Africa of course.

I dont think there is a "real magical diagon alley full of wizards" to compare.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

https://mobile.twitter.com/CarouselOf/status/792141919723876353

This guy is saying that Guardians is coming to Rock n Rollercoaster. I'm pretty new here, so I don't know how reliable he is, but I've seen him cited in a couple threads lately aand he seemed to be treated like another reliable source. Could this guy just be misinformed or guessing? Could Disney be in panic mode over the INCREDIBLY negative reaction to the WDW tower retheme rumors and this is their new cheap option for Guardians. I could see them reworking the entrance to Rock n Rollercoaster and turning what's left Animation Courtyard in Marvel Land. I mean, the launch bay will probably close when Star wars land opens. The little mermaid show is dated and kind of redundant now that there's a ride. And pplayouse disney can be easily moved somewhere else if need be. This would even allow space for marvel to expand to One man's dream and the old Narnia building iif need be.

 

[Magenta Panther]

This thread is the very reason I haven't been on these boards as much as I usually am. Everywhere I turn, its offensively depressing news. The fact that they're eyeing the ToT again sickens me. Not only would they be completely killing off one of their iconic attraction, but nixing a truly original GotG ride would prevent that movie from ever getting the proper representation it deserves in a theme park environment. Let's hope there's more pushback from people like George K. because this lets down both Disney and Marvel fans alike. As for the Snow White remake, I think @Tahu said it best. The fact that they're remaking a film that challenged expectations is beyond insulting to Walt and his legacy. June 30, 2018 will be a joyous day indeed.

The remakes just don't stop, do they? Iger's looting of the Disney vault is like a corporate raid or something. It reminds me of when Eisner wanted to remake all of the Disney animated classics in CGI. Thank goodness that didn't happen. I will say that so far the live-action remakes haven't been too bad. Jungle Book, in fact, was very good. But the fact that remakes are happening so quickly smacks of the Disney brass reacting to a fad, like when everything had to be filmed in 3D, whether it enhanced the film experience or not. The announcements have a feverish quality to them, like "here's a way to make money and mine the IPs because they have a built-in audience and it'll mean quick easy cash." To which I say: Ew.

I empathize with your feelings regarding this place. It's really great, there are wonderful people here to talk to and we have the blessing of insider information. If only the news wasn't so awful of late. It's hard not to lose heart.