News Avatar Experience coming to Disneyland Resort

[wityblack]

DCA went from three play areas to one. I think it's only fair each park has one, something for the little kids to expend energy. It creates a balanced portfolio for a park.

 

[mickEblu]

DCA went from three play areas to one. I think it's only fair each park has one, something for the little kids to expend energy. It creates a balanced portfolio for a park.

Same reason I want to see one of the indoor theaters survive.

 

[BrianLo]

Are you not a fan of Disney Sea? They made an entire park themed around the idea of Exploration and Adventure that the seas inspire rather than a Sea World type park. It's a fantasized version of locales and most people haven't found it to be limiting.

DisneySea is really just Magic Kingdom 2.0 with a water thread under-neath. There’s essentially a Main Street, a Tomorrowland, an Adventureland, a new Fantasyland, a Toontown and a New Orleans… heck arguably a Galaxies Edge as the centerpiece.

Which is why it actually works most of the time, it isn’t overly restricted in its theme and most things can be reasonably massaged into place. The undercurrent to the castle parks are mostly just scaling, genres and occasionally Americana.

Similar to Animal Kingdom, which is both themed, but also plays fast and loose with broad strokes.

I agree that California (without the adventure) is still too restrictive. Mostly because that resort already has an Americana slanting park. Grizzly Peak very much could just be part of Disneyland. I’ve never personally liked Hollywood, it’s so overdone. The world isn’t as obsessed with Hollywood as Hollywood creatives are with themselves. But I do have a soft spot for the trolley.

A worlds fare shouldn’t be restrictive, but they really struggle with that one for no good reason.

 

[MistaDee]

I will say that I think too many counted the MCU out post-Endgame, Deadpool & Wolverine has proven that the MCU and Marvel in general is not dead yet and neither is its popularity. And as shown by the Deadpool interactions and crowds surrounding the same in DCA its not stagnant and dead either in Avengers Campus.

Totally fair, and I do imagine the MCU will remain a major presence in Disney’s IP portfolio. I think this more recent lull/slowdown for Marvel is more that it can’t be as dominant at the big office/ culturally as it was during peak the Infinity War/ Endgame era

Rejoice is a strong word as that implies there was feeling of despair or contempt toward DCA, which there was not. But I am happy that they appear to moving on from the "California" theme to be more broadly themed.

I just meant like an expression of joy for the new, no shade for old DCA

Personally I prefer a "hodge podge" theme park with random concepts and themes over one that tries to keep a strict unified theme, Its why I love Disneyland. Also I wouldn't mind if Grizzly Peak largely remained the same, even with its ties to the old California theme. Let it remain as the last remaining vestige of the "California" theme, even if some IP is used there.

Tastefully done IP could definitely benefit Grizzly Peak if executed right

Country Bears, Up, Pocahontas, Fantasia, Gravity Falls, a generic Sasquatch - would love to see Grizzly Peak get the Rivers of America scenes/vignettes treatment to add some figures and action

Only thing I would do is remove RCT and put in a dark ride there. But other than that the rest can remain largely untouched. And if that makes some sad and long for what could have been with the "California" theme so be it.

If they could figure out how to do the construction in a non-disruptive way digging down and retaining some walk-around space or play area on top of the new sunken showbuilding would be great

DisneySea is really just Magic Kingdom 2.0 with a water thread under-neath. There’s essentially a Main Street, a Tomorrowland, an Adventureland, a new Fantasyland, a Toontown and a New Orleans… heck arguably a Galaxies Edge as the centerpiece.

Which is why it actually works most of the time, it isn’t overly restricted in its theme and most things can be reasonably massaged into place. The undercurrent to the castle parks are mostly just scaling, genres and occasionally Americana.

Similar to Animal Kingdom, which is both themed, but also plays fast and loose with broad strokes.

I agree that California (without the adventure) is still too restrictive. Mostly because that resort already has an Americana slanting park. Grizzly Peak very much could just be part of Disneyland.

It is interesting to think about how some of these lands, and the sorta role they play for the park age groups/moods they

Main Street - Mediterranean Harbor - Buena Vista st
Tomorrowland - Port Discovery - Avengers Campus
Fantasyland - Fantasy Springs - Pixar Pier(?)
Adventureland - Lost River Delta - Pandora
Toontown - Mermaid Lagoon - Pixar Pier(?)
New Orleans - American Waterfront - San Fransokyo?
Galaxy’s Edge - Mysterious Island - Carsland
Frontierland*? - Arabian Coast - Grizzly Peak

I guess DCA is still short a toontown or Fantasyland to have a 1:1 mapping

I’ve never personally liked Hollywood, it’s so overdone. The world isn’t as obsessed with Hollywood as Hollywood creatives are with themselves. But I do have a soft spot for the trolley.

This is so true - the Eisner/Superstar Limo case is a particularly cringey example of this

A worlds fare shouldn’t be restrictive, but they really struggle with that one for no good reason.

The original “WESTCOT” concept was really expansive. I love the World’s Fair/ International Expo inspiration, so connected to the history of themed experiences

 

[Professortango1]

It is interesting to think about how some of these lands, and the sorta role they play for the park age groups/moods they

Main Street - Mediterranean Harbor - Buena Vista st
Tomorrowland - Port Discovery - Avengers Campus
Fantasyland - Fantasy Springs - Pixar Pier(?)
Adventureland - Lost River Delta - Pandora
Toontown - Mermaid Lagoon - Pixar Pier(?)
New Orleans - American Waterfront - San Fransokyo?
Galaxy’s Edge - Mysterious Island - Carsland
Frontierland*? - Arabian Coast - Grizzly Peak

I guess DCA is still short a toontown or Fantasyland to have a 1:1 mapping

I think DCA is still short a lot to have a 1:1 mapping of TDS. The American Waterfront is magnificent and houses their TOT, an elevated train, a large stage show, Toy Story Mania, Turtle Talk, and street vehicles. San Fransokyo is a food court with a small tour of a bread factory.

 

[Professortango1]

DisneySea is really just Magic Kingdom 2.0 with a water thread under-neath. There’s essentially a Main Street, a Tomorrowland, an Adventureland, a new Fantasyland, a Toontown and a New Orleans… heck arguably a Galaxies Edge as the centerpiece.

Which is why it actually works most of the time, it isn’t overly restricted in its theme and most things can be reasonably massaged into place. The undercurrent to the castle parks are mostly just scaling, genres and occasionally Americana.

Similar to Animal Kingdom, which is both themed, but also plays fast and loose with broad strokes.

I agree that California (without the adventure) is still too restrictive. Mostly because that resort already has an Americana slanting park. Grizzly Peak very much could just be part of Disneyland. I’ve never personally liked Hollywood, it’s so overdone. The world isn’t as obsessed with Hollywood as Hollywood creatives are with themselves. But I do have a soft spot for the trolley.

A worlds fare shouldn’t be restrictive, but they really struggle with that one for no good reason.

I'll give you the Main Street, Tomorrowland, and Adventureland, and definitely the new Fantasyland (one of the reasons I don't think Fantasy Springs works for the park at all), but Disneyland uses the common theme of Americana to tie the park together whereas TOKYO Disney Seas, obviously, cannot. They instead replace the America unifier with the spirit of Adventure and Exploration, which is why their Adventureland knock off still works and Fantasy Springs really doesn't. I also wouldn't compare Mermaid Lagoon to Toontown and certainly would never compare Mysterious Island to Galaxy's Edge.

 

[Consumer]

Some of these are a stretch, but I do think there are some good parallels between Disneyland, Disney Sea, and DCA. Some of these are thematic parallels (Adventureland/Lost River Delta) while others are similar in their offerings (Mermaid Lagoon/"a bug's land") and others are paralleled by the general feeling being in them (Adventureland/"a bug's land").

Disneyland ​	Tokyo DisneySEA​	Disney California Adventure​
Main Street USA​	American Waterfront​	Buena Vista Street / Hollywood Land / Paradise Pier / Cars Land​
Fantasyland​	Fantasy Springs / Mermaid Lagoon​	“a bug’s land”​
Adventureland​	Lost River Delta / Arabian Coast​	"a bug's land"​
Frontierland​	American Waterfront​	Grizzly Peak​
New Orleans Square​	Mediterranean Harbor​	Buena Vista Street / Paradise Pier / Pacific Wharf / Performance Corridor​
Critter Country​	American Waterfront​	Grizzly Peak​
Galaxy’s Edge​	Mysterious Island​	Cars Land​
Tomorrowland​	Port Discovery​	Avenger’s Campus​
Mickey’s Toon Town​	Mermaid Lagoon​	“a bug’s land”​

 

[coffeefan]

California is a broad theme compared to Hollywood. USH made Hollywood work, and Disney with Hollywood Studios Park. The reality is, that Disney just failed at DCA and the park's layout did it no favors, it was designed like a Florida park despite having the space challenges of a California park. It's okay to be a Disney fan and say they came up short.

 

[Professortango1]

California is a broad theme compared to Hollywood. USH made Hollywood work, and Disney with Hollywood Studios Park. The reality is, that Disney just failed at DCA and the park's layout did it no favors, it was designed like a Florida park despite having the space challenges of a California park. It's okay to be a Disney fan and say they came up short.

Yeah, DCA was like if Imagineers looked at MGM Studios and said....hmmmm, could we do that a little worse? What if we got rid of the stunt show, TOT, RNRC, and Great Movie Ride and instead had Superstar Limo and a generic-feeling rapid ride? Oh! And a flight simulator with an exposed ride system as our crown jewel? And for everyone who says there isn't enough to do, we will have tractors they can look at and a corner of the park filled with spinners and carnival rides themed to carnival rides. Brilliant!

 

[Disney Irish]

Totally fair, and I do imagine the MCU will remain a major presence in Disney’s IP portfolio. I think this more recent lull/slowdown for Marvel is more that it can’t be as dominant at the big office/ culturally as it was during peak the Infinity War/ Endgame era

Again disagree on the stance of the MCU. Again this has been said about how it would never been the same post-Endgame, and I give the example of Deadpool again and I'll add in Spider-Man who is also part of the MCU. Both recent films are in the top-20 all time. And if you haven't Deadpool yet its have a huge impact culturally right now.

So as the saying goes, reports of its death were greatly exaggerated.

I just meant like an expression of joy for the new, no shade for old DCA

As I said I'm not sad they appear to be moving on from the California theming.

Tastefully done IP could definitely benefit Grizzly Peak if executed right

Country Bears, Up, Pocahontas, Fantasia, Gravity Falls, a generic Sasquatch - would love to see Grizzly Peak get the Rivers of America scenes/vignettes treatment to add some figures and action

Grizzly Peak already has light IP theming. Both Up and Humphrey/Woodlore were used in various areas around the land. I just think it needs a lot more if its to last in any meaningful way long term.

If they could figure out how to do the construction in a non-disruptive way digging down and retaining some walk-around space or play area on top of the new sunken showbuilding would be great

I doubt that Disney would do such a multi-level project with a completely submerged underground show building like that again for a variety of reasons, including the fear of trapping guests underground during an earthquake. Its part of the reason why you didn't see a lot of homes, at least in the past, in California with basements.

 

[coffeefan]

I'm guessing Avatar is going to the Simba lot. I don't think the bus loop area will close (if at all) until they build the Eastern gateway.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

I'm guessing Avatar is going to the Simba lot. I don't think the bus loop area will close (if at all) until they build the Eastern gateway.

Maybe a temporary bus loop could be built while they work on Avatar. I don't think Disnt wants HL to become another Tomorrowland situation.

 

[mickEblu]

Maybe a temporary bus loop could be built while they work on Avatar. I don't think Disnt wants HL to become another Tomorrowland situation.

I thought about this but it can’t be across the street at the location of the new parking lot obviously without a new bridge first. Maybe the old DTD surface lot (where DL Forward is going to go on the DL side) and/ or the Uber drop off lot near the Disneyland hotel?

 

[Disney Irish]

Maybe a temporary bus loop could be built while they work on Avatar. I don't think Disnt wants HL to become another Tomorrowland situation.

I thought about this but it can’t be across the street at the location of the new parking lot obviously without a new bridge first. Maybe the old DTD surface lot (where DL Forward is going to go on the DL side) and/ or the Uber drop off lot near the Disneyland hotel?

Agreed, this is why I'm still not sold on it going to Simba as no matter what a bridge is going to need to be built in order to access that land. It seems like something that would need more planning and not quick versus the EGW which is already planned and shovel ready. So the Backlot still seems like the likely candidate. But I guess we'll see once construction starts.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

Agreed, this is why I'm still not sold on it going to Simba as no matter what a bridge is going to need to be built in order to access that land. It seems like something that would need more planning and not quick versus the EGW which is already planned and shovel ready. So the Backlot still seems like the likely candidate. But I guess we'll see once construction starts.

As for the specific timeline on when many of the things announced at D23 2024 are going to break ground, perhaps they will announce that in early 2025 once all the holiday events are over.

 

[Disney Irish]

As for the specific timeline on when many of the things announced at D23 2024 are going to break ground, perhaps they will announce that in early 2025 once all the holiday events are over.

I think it'll be after they announce the 70th stuff, but yeah sometime in 2025.

 

[coffeefan]

Maybe a temporary bus loop could be built while they work on Avatar. I don't think Disnt wants HL to become another Tomorrowland situation.

That could be a good workaround otherwise the timeline seems very long.

I'm sure Disney will also expand hotels or build a new hotel by then since DL hotels will become more appealing with the harbor entrance closed.

 

[Disney Irish]

That could be a good workaround otherwise the timeline seems very long.

Why does it seem long? Either way they have to build a bridge, whether for the EGW or for access to Simba. So its the same timeline whether it goes into the Backlot or it goes into Simba.

 

[Disney Irish]

I'm sure Disney will also expand hotels or build a new hotel by then since DL hotels will become more appealing with the harbor entrance closed.

Harbor entrance is not closing, it'll just be accessible via the bridge over Harbor once the EGW project is completed.

 

[mickEblu]

Agreed, this is why I'm still not sold on it going to Simba as no matter what a bridge is going to need to be built in order to access that land. It seems like something that would need more planning and not quick versus the EGW which is already planned and shovel ready. So the Backlot still seems like the likely candidate. But I guess we'll see once construction starts.

Yeah Avatar is going in the backlot/ bus transpo area and Coco is going behind the Incredicoaster IMO. They seem to make the most sense. Also, what reason would they have to develop those parking lots when they still have “expansion pads” in DL and DCA proper.