You’ll get little argument from me that WWOHP’s substance was modest.
So was Terror of Terror (TOT) in 1994. Yet TOT was (and still is) an amazing theme park experience.
In many ways, 1994 represents the pinnacle of WDW. DHS was still new, DAK was in the planning stages, and WDW had just opened the most remarkable attraction since its early days. A water park had opened and another one was on the way. (I love WDW’s water parks, BTW.) Pleasure Island was there for adults who wanted to have some fun while a complete makeover of Downtown Disney was in the works.
Go back 20 years and almost no one was bashing Disney. It truly felt like “the place where dreams come true”. The pixie dust was pretty thick in those days.
No matter what you or I might think of the substance behind WWOHP, the fundamental reality is that WWOHP was phenomenal critical and economic success. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive and the expansion had a transforming effect on Universal’s cash flow.
It’s not always how much you spend; it’s how wisely you spend it.
Many have been critical of the New Fantasyland for having turned an entire area of the Magic Kingdom into one big kiddie park. Many have been critical of MyMagic+ for being a huge money grab approved by those with no appreciation of the theme park experience. Many have been critical of Pandora for being a poor choice of IP. And, of course, Disney takes takes an inordinate number of years to get these projects done.
Conversely, Universal is on a roll.
WWOHP was an unbelievable success. Both Minions Mayhem and Transformers were positively received. All 3 were relatively inexpensive. And Diagon Alley promises to be the most amazing addition to a theme park since WWOHP.
Disney continues to invest poorly while Universal invests wisely.
