News Avatar Experience coming to Disneyland Resort

[mickEblu]

I think they could leave the facades in place potentially, and have avatar hidden behind. Not sure.

Dustysage was saying it could be like Hollywoodland leading you into the movies, Avatar on one side, Marvel on the other.

Yeah that’s what I was expecting. Guess the Smoozies removal will just be to accomodate the entrance into Avatar Land. It just gets confusing to think what happens to the rest of the facade on the left side of the street between Smoozies and the Hyperion blue Sky facade. I guess there is no reason the Avatar entrance couldn’t be a portal in the middle Hollywood building facades in the same way you have a portal to Adventureland in the hub at Disneyland. They could also go for an unthemed GE style entrance how they have in Frontierland.

 

[mickEblu]

DCA desperately needs more attractions that aren’t like the average carnival just Disney themed so I’m very much in support of this being the chosen location for the land. We just need 2 rides minimum for the land to make it worth it.

If they are getting rid of Monsters Inc, Philharmagic AND the Hyperion I’d imagine that we have to be getting two Avatar rides minimum.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

If they are getting rid of Monsters Inc, Philharmagic AND the Hyperion I’d imagine that we have to be getting two Avatar rides minimum.

Probably 3.

 

[mickEblu]

Probably 3.

My bet is 2. But it would be interesting if they decide to add a third transportation ride for some kinetic energy. Like the Bantha mover ride that got cut from GE. I don’t see any flat rides/ spinners working in the land.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

My bet is 2. But it would be interesting if they decide to add a third transportation ride for some kinetic energy. Like the Bantha mover ride that got cut from GE. I don’t see any flat rides/ spinners working in the land.

If they did two attractions they would probably take over the Hyperion and the transportation hub, and the Sunset Theater will either be used for dining/retail or walking space. But if the Hyperion is indeed going away, I would assume that there must be some other plans down the line to add a performance venue like it somewhere else within DLR.

 

[Suspirian]

Keeping that little strip of Hollywoodland is pointless it might as well all be Avatarland. When is DCA getting a name change already?

 

[Disney Irish]

Keeping that little strip of Hollywoodland is pointless it might as well all be Avatarland.

It makes sense if they want to block out sight lines beyond just a portal entrance.

When is DCA getting a name change already?

Why does the name need to be changed? The California in the name hasn't been tied to the theme for a long time, its rather now just a location similar to DLP.

 

[Professortango1]

It makes sense if they want to block out sight lines beyond just a portal entrance.


Why does the name need to be changed? The California in the name hasn't been tied to the theme for a long time, its rather now just a location similar to DLP.

Because the park is still centered around California. Buena Vista Street, Hollywoodland, Avengers Campus has California ties, Pixar Pier is just a tacky County Fair redo of the California Pier, Grizzly Peak....

If they want to add Avatar to DCA, they really need to change Grizzly Peak. That is the only thing not tied to their film library.

I hate what the IP-ification of Disney parks has done to DCA, but at this point, DCA is a thematic mess trying to be both a California themed park, but also a dumping ground for IP-based lands. Avatar doesn't fit in at all at DCA, unless its us visiting the set and seeing the filmmaking aspect. If they plop in Avatar, they need to change the park to a generic studios park.

Disney's Cinematic Adventures

 

[Consumer]

I agree Disney California Adventure needs to be renamed... to Disney's California Adventure! Bring back the Mickey silhouette on California Screamin, bring back the Sun Wheel and the MaliBOOMer, bring back Tower of Terror, the Beach Boys, and the giant balloon of Chicken Little. It'd be better than abandoning the California theme.

 

[Disney Irish]

Because the park is still centered around California. Buena Vista Street, Hollywoodland, Avengers Campus has California ties, Pixar Pier is just a tacky County Fair redo of the California Pier, Grizzly Peak....

Yes there are references to California all over the place, but the overall theme to me is no longer California like it once was.

If they want to add Avatar to DCA, they really need to change Grizzly Peak. That is the only thing not tied to their film library.

Maybe one day they will change Grizzly Peak, but it today as you probably know has references to Disney IP with Humphrey and Woodlore. So it still fits in in my opinion.

I hate what the IP-ification of Disney parks has done to DCA, but at this point, DCA is a thematic mess trying to be both a California themed park, but also a dumping ground for IP-based lands. Avatar doesn't fit in at all at DCA, unless its us visiting the set and seeing the filmmaking aspect. If they plop in Avatar, they need to change the park to a generic studios park.

Disney's Cinematic Adventures

I disagree the name doesn't need to be changed as I mentioned, and I certainly don't think it needs to be a studios park (I really don't go to a Disney Park to see "fake movie making").

 

[Suspirian]

It makes sense if they want to block out sight lines beyond just a portal entrance.


Why does the name need to be changed? The California in the name hasn't been tied to the theme for a long time, its rather now just a location similar to DLP.

This would make sense if there were several Disney Adventure parks in the same way that there are several Disneylands. Disneyland Paris is called that because there are several Disneylands, "Paris" serves a descriptor. Theres no need to call it Disney California Adventure in the same way DAK isn't Disney's Florida Animal Kingdom.

I think the name should be changed because halfway stepping in and out of the California theme stifles them. If they just want this to just be an IP theme park, we could've gotten Nomanisan Island from The Incredibles or Wakanda or Asgard from the MCU. Places from the properties Disney want to use that guests would actually want to visit. Them trying to stay "in theme" but still use IP is how we get an office park for Marvel, a carnival for Pixar, and potentially a hallway themed to Hollywood to leads you to an Avatar themed land. They know they want this to just be an Islands of Adventure type of park they need to just bite the bullet already.

I think a Disney theme park themed to California is totally doable even with IP and they were obvi on the right track in 2012 (if they tap in with me I have a couple of ideas ) but they clearly have no interest in that anymore and and should admit it.

 

[SplashJacket]

This would make sense if there were several Disney Adventure parks in the same way that there are several Disneylands. Disneyland Paris is called that because there are several Disneylands, "Paris" serves a descriptor. Theres no need to call it Disney California Adventure in the same way DAK isn't Disney's Florida Animal Kingdom.

I think the name should be changed because halfway stepping in and out of the California theme stifles them. If they just want this to just be an IP theme park, we could've gotten Nomanisan Island from The Incredibles or Wakanda or Asgard from the MCU. Places from the properties Disney want to use that guests would actually want to visit. Them trying to stay "in theme" but still use IP is how we get an office park for Marvel, a carnival for Pixar, and potentially a hallway themed to Hollywood to leads you to an Avatar themed land. They know they want this to just be an Islands of Adventure type of park they need to just bite the bullet already.

I think a Disney theme park themed to California is totally doable even with IP and they were obvi on the right track in 2012, but they clearly have no interest in that anymore and and should admit it.

I disagree.

Hollywood Studios (and other studio parks for that matter) suffer from a lack of grounding.

The California aspect grounds DCA in parts, even if it isn’t necessarily an overarching theme.

Studio parks are ugly and heinous and excuses to be cheap. Given Hollywood is in California, it makes sense for a component to be about “stepping into the movies. The Hollywood remains are the better components of the original California themes, so I don’t think we’ve really lost much at all, only gained.

 

[Professortango1]

I disagree.

Hollywood Studios (and other studio parks for that matter) suffer from a lack of grounding.

The California aspect grounds DCA in parts, even if it isn’t necessarily an overarching theme.

Studio parks are ugly and heinous and excuses to be cheap. Given Hollywood is in California, it makes sense for a component to be about “stepping into the movies. The Hollywood remains are the better components of the original California themes, so I don’t think we’ve really lost much at all, only gained.

But if the theme is stepping into the movies, then how does Grizzly Peak fit? Buena Vista street works as a main street, but even Hollywoodland doesn't work anymore since its just a diminished version of Animation Academy, a closed theatre, Monsters Inc, and Reduced Philharmagic.

I loved the California theme for the park, but sadly Disney does not seem to want to that anymore.

 

[Professortango1]

Yes there are references to California all over the place, but the overall theme to me is no longer California like it once was.


Maybe one day they will change Grizzly Peak, but it today as you probably know has references to Disney IP with Humphrey and Woodlore. So it still fits in in my opinion.



I disagree the name doesn't need to be changed as I mentioned, and I certainly don't think it needs to be a studios park (I really don't go to a Disney Park to see "fake movie making").

It is still incredibly rooted in California. So much that they bent over backwards to make Avengers Campus California-centric rather than just being a weird superhero land.

Studios Parks haven't been about fake moving making for quite awhile. DHS reduced and eventually ditched the tour awhile back, Animation building was also shuttered. Universal took away the Special Effects show. Paris' studio park rethemed the tram tour to Cars awhile back. Studio Parks are now focused on Universal's model of "ride the movies" rather than learning how filmmaking occurs.

And yes, Studio Parks are often the laziest parks in terms of themeing and cohesion, which is why I greatly preferred when Disney was trying to commit to the California concept rather than just dumping IP lands and attractions in and forcing them to fit.

 

[Suspirian]

I disagree.

Hollywood Studios (and other studio parks for that matter) suffer from a lack of grounding.

The California aspect grounds DCA in parts, even if it isn’t necessarily an overarching theme.

Studio parks are ugly and heinous and excuses to be cheap. Given Hollywood is in California, it makes sense for a component to be about “stepping into the movies. The Hollywood remains are the better components of the original California themes, so I don’t think we’ve really lost much at all, only gained.

I get what you're saying but I don't think Disney execs (and some imagineers) are as earnest in their desire to connect this project to California as we'd like them to be. Hollywood/Movie making could be used as a gateway of sorts to Avatarland but I feel if that was the purpose, then we'd be getting an Avatar ride and several other IPs in that area. Like sure you could use that little sliver in Hollywoodland to tie it into the park, but the whole reason this land is going there is because they don't particularly care for the theme anyway and just wan't an Avatar land. Why bother keeping it?

 

[Suspirian]

It is still incredibly rooted in California. So much that they bent over backwards to make Avengers Campus California-centric rather than just being a weird superhero land.

Studios Parks haven't been about fake moving making for quite awhile. DHS reduced and eventually ditched the tour awhile back, Animation building was also shuttered. Universal took away the Special Effects show. Paris' studio park rethemed the tram tour to Cars awhile back. Studio Parks are now focused on Universal's model of "ride the movies" rather than learning how filmmaking occurs.

And yes, Studio Parks are often the laziest parks in terms of themeing and cohesion, which is why I greatly preferred when Disney was trying to commit to the California concept rather than just dumping IP lands and attractions in and forcing them to fit.

My thing is that I honestly don't even feel they really bent over backwards to make Avengers Campus California-centric. It seems more like they made it as generic in design as possible so that it could really exist anywhere, including California.

 

[SplashJacket]

But if the theme is stepping into the movies, then how does Grizzly Peak fit? Buena Vista street works as a main street, but even Hollywoodland doesn't work anymore since its just a diminished version of Animation Academy, a closed theatre, Monsters Inc, and Reduced Philharmagic.

I loved the California theme for the park, but sadly Disney does not seem to want to that anymore.

I’m not saying the whole park is stepping into the movies. The whole park is still pretty much California. Just a California homage with IP. Grizzly is still very much California. Pixar Pier is still reminiscent of a California Pier. San Fransokyo is still reminiscent of California. Cars Land is still very much reminiscent of California. Avengers Campus is … reminiscent of Silicon Valley? Stretch, but whatever. Buena Vista street is very nice and an homage to old Hollywood.

Hollywood Land needs to get wiped off the fake of this ugly earth, and I don’t think replacing it with a single IP land is the worst thing in the world. It makes sense that a park with California ties would have a single-movie IP land that’s wholly unrelated to California.

Throwing Toy Story land in Epcot or Animal Kingdom wouldn’t make sense, but my argument is that entertainment, movies, and the export of content are so integral to California that highlighting that content (beyond just the production of it) is a fair inclusion.

It’s obviously less California inherent than other potential outlets, but I’m not sure why people want a random movie park. It would make the park worth. A random hodgepodge is far worse than a bunch of stuff that generally trends in a specific direction.

And disclaimer, I personally really like current DCA, it’s incredibly superior to DHS in just about every way.

I get what you're saying but I don't think Disney execs (and some imagineers) are as earnest in their desire to connect this project to California as we'd like them to be. Hollywood/Movie making could be used as a gateway of sorts to Avatarland but I feel if that was the purpose, then we'd be getting an Avatar ride and several other IPs in that area. Like sure you could use that little sliver in Hollywoodland to tie it into the park, but the whole reason this land is going there is because they don't particularly care for the theme anyway and just wan't an Avatar land. Why bother keeping it?

I don’t think they should keep Hollywood Land. It’s very ugly. And sure, you could use it as a gateway, but my main point was that I don’t detest a large single-IP in DCA.

 

[Disney Irish]

This would make sense if there were several Disney Adventure parks in the same way that there are several Disneylands. Disneyland Paris is called that because there are several Disneylands, "Paris" serves a descriptor. Theres no need to call it Disney California Adventure in the same way DAK isn't Disney's Florida Animal Kingdom.

I think the name should be changed because halfway stepping in and out of the California theme stifles them. If they just want this to just be an IP theme park, we could've gotten Nomanisan Island from The Incredibles or Wakanda or Asgard from the MCU. Places from the properties Disney want to use that guests would actually want to visit. Them trying to stay "in theme" but still use IP is how we get an office park for Marvel, a carnival for Pixar, and potentially a hallway themed to Hollywood to leads you to an Avatar themed land. They know they want this to just be an Islands of Adventure type of park they need to just bite the bullet already.

I think a Disney theme park themed to California is totally doable even with IP and they were obvi on the right track in 2012 (if they tap in with me I have a couple of ideas ) but they clearly have no interest in that anymore and and should admit it.

I personally don't think there needs to be multiple parks for the location based name to be used. And lets be honest, even if they change the name everyone is pretty much going to still call it DCA or California Adventure. And that is because most in general public aren't going to care if Disney isn't leaning into the California theme as they used to, but rather they just know it as the sister park to Disneyland in California.

 

[Professortango1]

My thing is that I honestly don't even feel they really bent over backwards to make Avengers Campus California-centric. It seems more like they made it as generic in design as possible so that it could really exist anywhere, including California.

Such as having Rocket mention Disneyland and not setting the land in any specific Marvel-themed area such as New York City or Asgard.

 

[Professortango1]

And disclaimer, I personally really like current DCA, it’s incredibly superior to DHS in just about every way.

I liked the park in the early 2010's, when Disney-level attention was being applied. But now, it is all undone.

DHS' Midway Mania is better than ours in terms of capacity and queue. They still have Tower of Terror, even if it is the original 1.0 model. They have Rockin' Rollercoaster, which isn't amazing, but better than Incredicoaster. Galaxy's Edge is certainly superior to Avengers Campus. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is better than Mermaid.

DHS has better Disney-level attractions. DCA has more stuff and less studio buildings, but the only top tier E-ticket, IMO, is RSR. Everything else feels like a D-Ticket or below.

The thing DHS has going for it is potential. With Animation Courtyard and so many areas no longer being all that amazing or relevant, it gives opportunity to do something good with it. DCA...I feel like Grizzly Peak is boxed in and can never be improved upon or given full quality attractions. Avengers Campus is what it is. Pixar Pier is horrendous and with WOC being central to the area, there isn't much they can do around the lagoon. The only great areas in DCA are Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, even if Luigi's is a bit of a dud.