Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
Did they ever come out and say that the Main Street USA Theater for Magic Kingdom was cancelled?
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Any chance this Splash Mountain retheme is cancelled?
- Thread starter mickEblu
- Start date
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Nah, I seriously doubt it. With such a hot topic right now, them taking it back and saying "never mind" would be... disastrous for them. When they decided to announce this project, for both coasts, they fully committed to it. This isn't going to be the MK Main Street Theatre scenario.
BuzzedPotatoHead89
Well-Known Member
I agree WDW’s really makes the least sense. If it’s any solace I do wonder if WDW may wait a bit later. I notice on the app when you click Disneyland’s SM ride descriptor there is already a reference to the upcoming “refresh”.
While both WDW and Disneyland to advertise it in their home screens. When you go to the attraction WDW still references “Song of the South“ under the ride description with no “refurb” reference. The fact that Disneyland already has an informational “notice” in the app under the ride description with all references to SOTS stricken already makes me think this could mean refurb work would happen as soon as this spring in California.
If Spiderman/Marvel opens across the esplanade either this fall or even next year, I’m wondering/speculating based on the BW interview if this could be their Spring/Summer 2022 “new experience“ assuming they delay MMRR until 2023 and Avengers indefinitely.
Unlike Disneyland Park, I could see Magic Kingdom needing to benefit from the boosted ride count during the 50th particularly until they’re able to at least finish/open Tron.
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George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Seeing as how previous overlays have resembled Universal and Six Flags attractions more than Disney, I would look at that stuff for an idea of how Slashed Mountain will turn out.
There was some hope at least as recently as 2015 when Disney were actively trying to improve things in DLR, specifically in DCA where you saw the redos of the entrance, Car Land and Grizzly Airfield. Good jobs. Even the redo of the Pier was tasteful. Still room for a ton of improvement, but I think the sudden swift enhancement of Grizzly gave us some hope that all that stuff could be addressed at some point and we'd see gradual improvements.
Then the quality of the redos fell off a cliff. California Screamin' had a vague Incredibles "theme" slapped into it and resembled a Six Flags movie roller coaster rather than a Disney one. Rather than actually improving the decor and removing more of the old DCA junk, they just slapped on additional cheap junk that was worse than how it was before.
Guardians clearly had more of a budget than Screamin', but this one ended up more like a Universal Studios ride. I have defended this one in the past to a certain extent, because it is a fun ride. However, the cheap decor and screens slapped into it to convert a decidedly classier structure and overall experience into a trashy sci-fi space thing with crude panels and fixtures covering up the original components...well, it's slapped together with a higher budget, but nothing too fancy. The fact that there are robots in it shocked me, but they are tiny ones.
It also stands out like a sore thumb in DCA, an overall classier looking park. Yeah, it's true. Even a gaudy thing like the big Mickey wheel looks better than the giant space tower, or the happy meal box and assorted tacky Pixar junk dumped into DCA.
It's not just an issue of simply budget but the creative decisions behind this stuff. It's all bad ideas, stuff that should not even be entertained coming to fruition. Galaxy Edge, an entirely new addition to DL, was masterminded apparently by people who think Star Wars should be a boring town with SS officers walking around, no music, static junk and an Xbox game ride. I mean, I guess that stuff was in SW, but was it fun? Is that how you'd want to experience SW?
This is why I fear for any future addition or change to DLR. I simply don't trust anyone calling these shots anymore.
There was some hope at least as recently as 2015 when Disney were actively trying to improve things in DLR, specifically in DCA where you saw the redos of the entrance, Car Land and Grizzly Airfield. Good jobs. Even the redo of the Pier was tasteful. Still room for a ton of improvement, but I think the sudden swift enhancement of Grizzly gave us some hope that all that stuff could be addressed at some point and we'd see gradual improvements.
Then the quality of the redos fell off a cliff. California Screamin' had a vague Incredibles "theme" slapped into it and resembled a Six Flags movie roller coaster rather than a Disney one. Rather than actually improving the decor and removing more of the old DCA junk, they just slapped on additional cheap junk that was worse than how it was before.
Guardians clearly had more of a budget than Screamin', but this one ended up more like a Universal Studios ride. I have defended this one in the past to a certain extent, because it is a fun ride. However, the cheap decor and screens slapped into it to convert a decidedly classier structure and overall experience into a trashy sci-fi space thing with crude panels and fixtures covering up the original components...well, it's slapped together with a higher budget, but nothing too fancy. The fact that there are robots in it shocked me, but they are tiny ones.
It also stands out like a sore thumb in DCA, an overall classier looking park. Yeah, it's true. Even a gaudy thing like the big Mickey wheel looks better than the giant space tower, or the happy meal box and assorted tacky Pixar junk dumped into DCA.
It's not just an issue of simply budget but the creative decisions behind this stuff. It's all bad ideas, stuff that should not even be entertained coming to fruition. Galaxy Edge, an entirely new addition to DL, was masterminded apparently by people who think Star Wars should be a boring town with SS officers walking around, no music, static junk and an Xbox game ride. I mean, I guess that stuff was in SW, but was it fun? Is that how you'd want to experience SW?
This is why I fear for any future addition or change to DLR. I simply don't trust anyone calling these shots anymore.
DLR92
Well-Known Member
It certainly did! Now I feel like modern Disney will not take any criticism of their intent of change. Last time I made a negative comment about mission break out. It was removed! Slapped in the face from Disney. Honestly I am glad I never spend a dime at Disney the past years. I don’t plan to spend more vacation at Disneyland like I used to. Only go when I absolutely feel like going.
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Well said especially your comments on GOTG:MB. I remember posting a few times saying that that overlay in particular would be addition by subtraction. Its really criminal. Now they re doing the same thing with Snow White... painting the skulls on the facade a nice cheery yellow cream color.
Travel Junkie
Well-Known Member
I change my mind all the time after discussions on here. I don't know why people are here if not to be open to other points of view.
In a situation like this I don't assume to think people in an emotional state are going to change their mind a couple days after an announcement. Over time though some people will evolve their viewpoint as we learn more about it and discussing it with others that have the same hobby. Right now all we have is a piece of concept art and know that a popular attraction is going away. Those of us with a wait and see approach will eventually have to come down one one side or another. It's likely that decision will be influenced by what we read and see from a number of sources including this one.
Some won't ever change their view on this and that's fine. However we are in a sad state of affairs if we are never willing to change our mind in light of new information or reading something that connects.
Minds can be changed but most of the time people stick with their original opinion. My response was addressing some comments I saw insinuating that "changing minds" is the goal of these discussions or at the very least a barometer of time well spent.
As far as the rest of your comment yes I agree people are emotional about this right now and that might fade with time. Some or most people might go back to loving and visiting DL like they always have. For myself however, retheming Splash signifies an official fundamental shift that I can't accept. They did this stuff at DCA but this is the first time at Disneyland. I just can't get pumped about buying the next $100 book or buying an annual pass. Not when everything in that book is horse $hit as all they have done with is keep withdrawing from the stored good faith they have with me from things they ve done in the past. I hate almost every single thing they ve done in the last 5 years.
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George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I guess I'm not anti-inclusivity at DL, I just expect everything they do to be bad at this point. Again, not an issue of removing offensive elements, but how horribly it will be done. Pandora was the one time in recent history I enjoyed something they had done and I chalk it up to James Cameron's influence.
DLR92
Well-Known Member
I agree, I have my opinions too. I should be obligated to share my opinions like everyone else This change has put a complete pedestal on Disney. Because I don’t think Splash Mountain is advocating racism. It might use characters and some songs featured in Song of the South. But it loosely based on the film. Not a literally based entirely on the film.
This seems to get lost in the conversation. If this is the qualifier, then half of Disneyland needs to go.
90 % people would be thrilled with an original PatF ride coming to DL.
BuzzedPotatoHead89
Well-Known Member
This is what concerns me most. I really think the best way to appease most sides of the audience (both pro and con) at this juncture will be to execute on a flawless attraction even if at the expense of delaying other projects. They can not cheap out on this, and treat it with the reverence it deserves.
Disney is not going to win over everyone but if this looks like a cheap reskin it will show, and backlash will be immense from folks calling this a bastardization of a classic on one side or a cheap tokenization to score points on the other, but no one will leave happy.
Of all option cutting corners and going cheap may literally be the worst thing they can do.
Travel Junkie
Well-Known Member
I think GE was a fundamental shift. No matter what you think of it, GE is a galaxy far far away (pun intended) from the rest of Disneyland on a number of levels. I don't find a Splash retheme to be be that drastic a decision even for Disneyland. I honestly thought something along these lines was coming for one of the E-tickets even without factoring in the social issues surrounding it. I'm not surprised by the Splash news at all.
If you still want a Disney fix, I would suggest the other parks around the world or something like Aulani. Even other theme parks outside So Cal. Disneyland Paris would probably fit your style the most but obviously Tokyo has it's own Splash Mountain.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Galaxy Edge made SW boring and turned a significant amount of Disneyland real estate into a huge waste of space. And they spent, what, like a billion dollars on it? It boggles the mind.
It sure was except it was a new addition taking up mostly backstage and you can pretend it’s not there if you want to.
We all were worried about Disney doing something like this. It doesn’t make it better.
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Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
The thing that puts me off the most with the current IP obsession is the tendency toward huge swathes of the park being dedicated to single IPs to which I don't feel any great connection. I am not hostile to but generally disinterested in Marvel, and so it's very hard to get much enthusiasm up about Avengers Campus or any of the other Marvel concepts they're working on. I feel a bit the same about Carsland: it's very well done, but the premise of stepping into the world of a movie I found pretty meh is hard to get too excited about. I think I'd like it a lot more if it was a Route 66 land featuring RSR.
I think it was the way that the Disney came up with evocative themed lands that played on our ideas about particular concepts that most grabbed me about the parks when I became a fan. There are few IPs that can match this; maybe Star Wars is one as I feel some warmth to it despite not being a super fan, but I can understand others feeling the same about GE as I do about Carsland. Surely you'll appeal to more people by appealing to broader ideas in the culture rather than specific franchises when constructing themed lands? I must be in the minority on this, though, because plenty of people seem thrilled to buy merchandise branded to an Avatarland.
As for the topic of this thread, I could see this getting pushed further and further off into the future and quietly being ditched if they can't get a decent proposal together for a reasonable budget as the parks struggle back toward profitability. They never said when they're going to do it, so they can feasibly keep claiming they're working on it for quite a while until the heat goes out of the issue and then quietly drop their plans. It does seem there has been an internal push against Splash, unfortunately, which points to it happening come hell or high water.
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