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

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Let's get right to the heart of things here: the GotG attraction that was planned for ToT and then pushed aside by Georgie K over capacity issues at a theme park that, frankly, should have been shuttered while undergoing a rebuild that is truly unprecedented in scale and scope (but will still leave the park with a smaller footprint than it had a decade ago) and turned into another chance to rip more flesh from the corpse of EPCOT has changed direction yet again.

And chances are you aren't going to like this anymore than I like telling you. BUT ... that direction has led right back to ...

WDI has been actively going over show elements from the DCA GotG: Mission Make Chappie Look Good To The Weatherman that can be used in ... you have to know where this is going, right? ... WDW's ToT.

That's right. What I first reported that stirred up a hornet's nest/bitchfest everywhere from TDA to Disney Twitter, from TDO to Michael Colglazier's head is, indeed, the current choice for bringing Marvel's lovable rapscallions (do you know how much I have wanted to use this word in a post?!?) to WDW is the original one.

It is happening. Not today, not tomorrow and not in 2017 either. But soon, say sometime in 2018 after the truly pathetic Toy Story Land adds a few nicely themed carnie rides to Disney's Third Gate MAGICal Theme Park (my new name for the park until the unveiling), the Tower will close (probably in similar fashion to DCA) and Marvel will, indeed, be in WDW (whether DIS will be able to use its own Marvel name is something that lawyers will hammer out as they currently can't, but may toss something UNI's way to get the allowance).

As for the EPCOT plans, something will go into the Energy pavilion that should debut right in time for WDW's 50th if they can stay on time and on budget and who are we kidding? It will open at some point! A few ideas are being tossed around (yes, even the ridiculous Tron concept has some basis in fact), none that I am aware of that employ the concept of energy and/or AA dinos.

The Guardians were definitely headed there. They really were. But when the price tag of the project went over, by a considerable margin,the cost of Radiator Springs Racers (the most expensive theme park attraction ever built) the whole thing went back to the drawing board and during that period, WDI just kept working on a WDW Tower redo. BTW, as near as I can tell, much of the meat of this attraction was going to be similar to the mega-E-Ticket Captain America coaster hybrid planned for DCA.

As for the bad PR, I've been told "If we don't change directions again, they are confident they can mute most of the negative attention by showcasing all of the new stuff, particularly Pandora to show the New Disney can knock socks off. They also think all the positive talk that is bound to come out after DCA's version opens might help as well. Builds up anticipation. Much like having Star Wars debut years before Florida and then opening the exact same things in, as you would say, the swamps."

Is this subject to change? I have no idea. You can never trust Disney. They always lie. Please recall their responses when people called, emailed and wrote Disney about any plans for a Guardians Tower to start with.

But what does this mean for Disney's Third Gate MAGICal Theme Park and its future? And that Mickey Mouse project? And DCA? And even SDL?

Stay tuned. More to follow.
 

CDavid

Well-Known Member
I was just about to call the Guardians staying out of Epcot as a sliver of good news (for a change). But No. The Universe of Energy as we have known it will still ultimately be lost, and now they'll destroy the Tower of Terror as well.

The Guardians clearly didn't belong in Epcot, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a worse outcome than this.

You know, you really wouldn't have to worry about "muting" negative publicity if you - oh, I don't know - maybe listened to your customers.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Before we move onto what this might mean to Disney's Third Gate MAGICal Theme Park, some tidbits on both US Towers.

Sometimes, well most of the time, plans are made without thought for logistics at Disney. You see this in everything from making pyro spectaculars that use castles as showpieces to designing major attractions that have far smaller capacity that rides created in the 60s-80s.

Let's bring that to the present Tower conversion.

The plan to enclose the openings at the top of the elevator shafts for a projected finale' show scene in Anaheim has been scrapped. I'll let someone with more intimate knowledge pick up the tale. "It's been discovered that DCA's existing structure can't handle the load required to extend the building out far enough for an enclosed room and also meet California's strict earthquake building codes in time for a May '17 opening. The upper doors will flash open to a view of the resort much like they do now, and the show has now been rewritten with dialogue that mentions Disneyland being on the horizon before the doors close and the elevator drops again. The concept of an enclosed show scene at the top of the shafts may make it to Florida's version, only because the building codes are easier to work with in Florida. The DCA crew is already taking notes on what will and will not translate to Florida's version of the ride."

The opening date at DCA is now pegged as Saturday, May 27th, with a big celebrity party the day before and CM previews the third week of May. Plans to host a star-studded movie premiere at DCA a few weeks before the ride's opening are still being gone over and may or may not happen. As expected, Bob Iger and Chappie think this is a swell idea. Others, less so. But the Guardians actors will be at DCA next spring for press events and the marketing will tie the movie and the ride together very closely. The execs at the Studios love doing movie premieres down at DL after so many successful Pirates events that get them great media buzz, and they hope to recreate that movie MAGIC with Guardians.

TDA management is less into it, even if they get to dance with Groot and rub elbows with Star Lord just due to all the inherent operations hassles that setting up, hosting a premiere and then striking the area take. Will be interesting to see where this goes.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Strange, Doctor Strange.

No matter where Marvel IP goes at WDW, and even a blind spirit can now see it is on the way.....(took long enough) it does not change the fact that Epcot needs a well themed roller coaster. Could be Tron. Could be Incredibles. Could be GotG. Doesn't matter to me. Just as long as it isn't an "infotainment coaster".

Lee would agree on that last point.

What happened to Lee?
 

yeti

Well-Known Member
The plan to enclose the openings at the top of the elevator shafts for a projected finale' show scene in Anaheim has been scrapped. I'll let someone with more intimate knowledge pick up the tale. "It's been discovered that DCA's existing structure can't handle the load required to extend the building out far enough for an enclosed room and also meet California's strict earthquake building codes in time for a May '17 opening. The upper doors will flash open to a view of the resort much like they do now, and the show has now been rewritten with dialogue that mentions Disneyland being on the horizon before the doors close and the elevator drops again. The concept of an enclosed show scene at the top of the shafts may make it to Florida's version, only because the building codes are easier to work with in Florida. The DCA crew is already taking notes on what will and will not translate to Florida's version of the ride."

It's almost a relief that they're committed to making the ride as stupid as possible.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
f04.gif
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Why are they so intent on doing things that cause such disruption? Surely it's a bit concerning, and they realize the tastelessness of it.

Feigned outrage on a few message boards from of very small band of purists would hardly be a cause of major concern.

PS- I can't believe I got woken up for this.
 

alissafalco

Well-Known Member
Is this subject to change? I have no idea. You can never trust Disney. They always lie. Please recall their responses when people called, emailed and wrote Disney about any plans for a Guardians Tower to start with.
.

Oh I recall, it was at the end of March and "Steven" from the executive offices told me that "Its absolutely not happening and that it's an early April fools joke".... what a joke it is!
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
The plan to enclose the openings at the top of the elevator shafts for a projected finale' show scene in Anaheim has been scrapped. I'll let someone with more intimate knowledge pick up the tale. "It's been discovered that DCA's existing structure can't handle the load required to extend the building out far enough for an enclosed room and also meet California's strict earthquake building codes in time for a May '17 opening. The upper doors will flash open to a view of the resort much like they do now, and the show has now been rewritten with dialogue that mentions Disneyland being on the horizon before the doors close and the elevator drops again. The concept of an enclosed show scene at the top of the shafts may make it to Florida's version, only because the building codes are easier to work with in Florida. The DCA crew is already taking notes on what will and will not translate to Florida's version of the ride."
That jives with the less ornated model that was shown off last month, which had the exposed doors.
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, what does this mean for Disney's Third Gate MAGICal Theme Park and its future? And that Mickey Mouse project? And DCA? And even SDL?

Starting at the top, the idea of reBRANDing the park as simply Disney's Hollywood or Hollywood Adventure has been tossed. The word from above is for something 'sexier' ... this from a company that now won't show male nipples in resort swimming pools in its new ad campaign.

The park, when the massive rebuild is done (and right now the only thing moving quickly on the project involves the new cloverleaf and entrance and exit infrastructure), will mostly resemble Bob Iger's IP Kingdom. The focus of the park will be very largely on Lucasfilm, Pixar, Marvel (yes, I said that and I know the contract far better than the vast majority of people who talk about it online) and Disney (last, but certainly least) IP. Think Kylo Ren and Chewie, Indy and ... and ... his walker, any Marvel property that Disney can actually use (and while UNI isn't giving anything up, they may be gaining something in order to loosen the reigns so that Disney might be able to use a smidge of its highly-pricey IP in the park ... could UNI be getting a new huge Avengers attraction about 3-4 years before Disney builds an attraction based on a few of those characters itself?) and Elsa and Olaf and Moana and whoever else is in that film etc. This park will be all IP and will be all very current IP.

Where does that leave the Project with a nickname of Walt's hometown (not Chicago!)? In limbo to some degree. Recall, Tom Morris was working on this trackless ride and he took a buyout instead of being fired. That doesn't end the project, but isn't a great sign. Bob Weis is also a big fan of the GMR, but there's no way that attraction goes on beyond the immediate future.

DCA is another matter.

Guardians Tower is the first step toward Marvel Land or maybe they'll call the land Pomona to keep the CA theme and all. Disney and Chappie not only want, but have to spend loads of $$$ to keep their no-tax on tickets as per an agreement with the city of Anaheim. That deal does NOT include the SWE or the Tower redo, as far as I know, so lots of projects are going to be added at a pace not seen since the Disney Dec...OK, not really ever seen. That means you should be teased with future Marvel projects by next summer's D23 Expo.

And how does Shanghai fit in?

Well, Disney was successful (thus far) in not adding a giant helipad in the middle of Wishing Star Lake so important Communist officials could fly into the resort whenever they wanted where they would be greeted by high speed boats (no, not kidding) and a team of plaids who whisk them to the park or resorts. But the CCP isn't the best business partner and they want expansion and quickly. BTW, if Disney were running this park, then they wouldn't even complete TSL simply based on the first four months of operation. Park is doing well, generally, but not that Grand Slam homer that Lying Iger promised. And DisneyTown has tenants who are almost ready to pull out.

Since whatever is put in DCA will be cloned for SDL, as far as Marvel, there is added pressure on all the Bobs to get this done quickly.
 
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