News 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' Blue Sky concept revealed for Magic Kingdom

[UNCgolf]

Certain genres, sure. I think Mario (platforming), Pokémon (monster collection), and Zelda (exploration and puzzle solving) are going to be especially challenging. However, Donkey Kong and, like, Sonic, for example, could be easier because they often have speed-oriented on-rails sections that largely play themselves. RPGs could also work well, but I doubt many would be interested based on comparative sales in that genre.

I actually feel like RPGs might be the hardest, because they tend to rely on interactive narratives where your choices actually affect what happens in the game much more than any other genre. This isn't true across the board for RPGs (especially JRPGs, and to a lesser extent action RPGs) but it tends to be one of the hallmarks of the genre.

 

[neo999955]

I think video games are a great source, as a life-long gamer; the lands Universal have built (Nintendo) and are going to likely build (Zelda and pokémon) are my most anticipated of any theme park rumor. Pokémon alone is probably the largest, most successful franchise in the world. Star Wars, Mickey and Marvel have years on pokémon, but over the long run, I'd bet on pokémon (not that they won't all continue to be incredibly successful).

I'd also go CRAZY for a Warcraft theme park. That's something we deserve.

But anyway, I just hope we get a villains land that looks half as good as Diagon Alley.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think video games are a great source, as a life-long gamer; the lands Universal have built (Nintendo) and are going to likely build (Zelda and pokémon) are my most anticipated of any theme park rumor. Pokémon alone is probably the largest, most successful franchise in the world. Star Wars, Mickey and Marvel have years on pokémon, but over the long run, I'd bet on pokémon (not that they won't all continue to be incredibly successful).

I'd also go CRAZY for a Warcraft theme park. That's something we deserve.

But anyway, I just hope we get a villains land that looks half as good as Diagon Alley.

Warcraft would definitely work as a theme park -- it's kind of just generic high fantasy, but it does have a relatively unique visual style and it's very popular.

Pokemon is kind of a middle ground, in that while it obviously has successful/popular games, I don't think video games are the biggest the reason it is as popular as it is.

 

[Mike S]

Pokémon alone is probably the largest, most successful franchise in the world.

Not probably, it is.

By an extremely wide margin comparative to how long it’s actually been around.

 

[JD80]

I think games are inherently harder to translate into an attraction because they're an interactive medium. Books and movies are passive, as are most theme park attractions. Mario Kart tried and failed miserably (at least in my opinion; I know some people like it), and that's a game that actually should have been relatively easy to translate into an attraction.

I'm not saying it's impossible, or that there aren't some games that would work well for themed lands, but there aren't very many game IPs that have both some sort of unique, easily recognizable environment/setting and the requisite popularity necessary to make it worth building.

I just think Mario Kart was just a bad attraction, not because it was a video game.

There are epic fights/battles in all of the games I listed. Imagine a real life experience of an epic fight that you have fond memories of in one of those games? I think that's more compelling than anything else.

I just listed several IPs that have made billions of dollars through their IP over the last 20 years if not longer.

 

[JD80]

I think video games are a great source, as a life-long gamer; the lands Universal have built (Nintendo) and are going to likely build (Zelda and pokémon) are my most anticipated of any theme park rumor. Pokémon alone is probably the largest, most successful franchise in the world. Star Wars, Mickey and Marvel have years on pokémon, but over the long run, I'd bet on pokémon (not that they won't all continue to be incredibly successful).

I'd also go CRAZY for a Warcraft theme park. That's something we deserve.

But anyway, I just hope we get a villains land that looks half as good as Diagon Alley.

Imagine re-creating WoW fights against Arthas or your first raid of Ragnaros in a well themed attraction at a park? 10s of millions of people would go bonkers.

 

[McMickeyWorld]

A long time ago, someone else had already mentioned it, Genshin Impact is perfect. Since I played it for the first time, I thought about how well it would work either as a themed land in the style of Fantasy Springs or even as a park like DisneySea. I'm not sure if it's popular enough, but if done correctly, it could easily become like what happened with Avatar. I believe that despite its gameplay, due to its own inspirations, it has the potential to create good attractions with different approaches and tones.

 

[Bill Cipher]

Potentially the best video game to ride adaptation idea has yet to be touched but I'm so ready for whenever it happens.

 

[Mike S]

A long time ago, someone else had already mentioned it, Genshin Impact is perfect. Since I played it for the first time, I thought about how well it would work either as a themed land in the style of Fantasy Springs or even as a park like DisneySea. I'm not sure if it's popular enough, but if done correctly, it could easily become like what happened with Avatar. I believe that despite its gameplay, due to its own inspirations, it has the potential to create good attractions with different approaches and tones.

The type of ride the Genshin Impact fanbase would want wouldn’t be appropriate for a Disney park…

 

[Tha Realest]

Do we have an R-Rated land yet in any Disney park?

Not yet - though Extraterrorestrial Encounter could have sufficed?

Alien (MGM Great Movie Ride) and Terminator show (Universal) are the only R-rated properties to be represented in parks IIRC

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Potentially the best video game to ride adaptation idea has yet to be touched but I'm so ready for whenever it happens.
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I’d kill for a Portal ride

 

[danlb_2000]

Potentially the best video game to ride adaptation idea has yet to be touched but I'm so ready for whenever it happens.
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will there be cake at the end of the ride?

 

[Touchdown]

I don’t think Pokemon or Zelda are too difficult to make a themepark land around. For Pokemon the main attraction should be a Pokemon Snap ride, a slow moving dark ride through intricate sets full of animatronic Pokemon armed with a camera. And you get a score based on how good your pictures are (that last part is the only hard part.) Along with the slew of meet and greets, shops, and a Pokemon Cafe, you have a special effects show that is essentially a gym battle where you can watch a Pokemon fight in action.

Zelda will have shops meet and greets and a resturant themed to a town in Hyrule. You could also have secondary attractions like a stunt show featuring a meeting of the three pieces of the triforce (ie centered around a conflict with Gannondorf, Zelda and Link) as well as a walk through interactive dungeon much like the Baby Bowser stuff in Mario Land. The primary ride is supposedly some sort of flying ride, or was at some point. Not sure what they do with it.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

I don’t think Pokemon or Zelda are too difficult to make a themepark land around. For Pokemon the main attraction should be a Pokemon Snap ride, a slow moving dark ride through intricate sets full of animatronic Pokemon armed with a camera. And you get a score based on how good your pictures are (that last part is the only hard part.) Along with the slew of meet and greets, shops, and a Pokemon Cafe, you have a special effects show that is essentially a gym battle where you can watch a Pokemon fight in action.

Zelda will have shops meet and greets and a resturant themed to a town in Hyrule. You could also have secondary attractions like a stunt show featuring a meeting of the three pieces of the triforce (ie centered around a conflict with Gannondorf, Zelda and Link) as well as a walk through interactive dungeon much like the Baby Bowser stuff in Mario Land. The primary ride is supposedly some sort of flying ride, or was at some point. Not sure what they do with it.

You can slap Pokemon on anything and it would be popular, the creature designs alone give it such a wide appeal that people who haven't even played the games will be drawn in.

Zelda is going to be difficult. While it's been rising in popularity it's still never been as mainstream as Mario or Pokemon. The series isn't as friendly to casual gamers and hasn't expanded much to other forms of media which creates a huge barrier to entry for most theme park goers.

Think of it this way, if someone wanted to familiarize themselves with Harry Potter before visiting UOR, they'd have to passively watch 7 movies, or at least just the first couple. Time consuming but easy enough. If someone wanted to familiarize themselves with the Zelda, they'd have to buy at least one $60+ game and maybe a $300 console if they don't have one already, and then learn to play and eventually beat a 50 hour game to get the whole story, probably failing and repeating levels a few times along the way. I'd consider myself a pretty avid gamer and I couldn't get through Breath of the Wild.

 

[James Alucobond]

Zelda is going to be difficult. While it's been rising in popularity it's still never been as mainstream as Mario or Pokemon. The series isn't as friendly to casual gamers and hasn't expanded much to other forms of media which creates a huge barrier to entry for most theme park goers.

Think of it this way, if someone wanted to familiarize themselves with Harry Potter before visiting UOR, they'd have to passively watch 7 movies, or at least just the first couple. Time consuming but easy enough. If someone wanted to familiarize themselves with the Zelda, they'd have to buy at least one $60+ game and maybe a $300 console if they don't have one already, and then learn to play and eventually beat a 50 hour game to get the whole story, probably failing and repeating levels a few times along the way. I'd consider myself a pretty avid gamer and I couldn't get through Breath of the Wild.

They’re supposedly developing a film, so the goal is probably to tie it into that. Also, at a high level, it’s pretty easy to envision something successful with Hyrule Castle, Castle Town, and the Temple of Time at the center with a water ride through Zora’s domain and a coaster around Death Mountain. If there’s space left over, Kokiri Forest playground or spinner.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

They’re supposedly developing a film, so the goal is probably to tie it into that. Also, at a high level, it’s pretty easy to envision something successful with Hyrule Castle, Castle Town, and the Temple of Time at the center with a water ride through Zora’s domain and a coaster around Death Mountain. If there’s space left over, Kokiri Forest playground or spinner.

The movie might help, but I dare you to ask a sample of random tourists if they are familiar with any of those locations or know what they're from.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

They’re supposedly developing a film, so the goal is probably to tie it into that. Also, at a high level, it’s pretty easy to envision something successful with Hyrule Castle, Castle Town, and the Temple of Time at the center with a water ride through Zora’s domain and a coaster around Death Mountain. If there’s space left over, Kokiri Forest playground or spinner.

...what are those? I'm being dead serious I've never heard of any of those before in my life.

 

[Touchdown]

You can slap Pokemon on anything and it would be popular, the creature designs alone give it such a wide appeal that people who haven't even played the games will be drawn in.

Zelda is going to be difficult. While it's been rising in popularity it's still never been as mainstream as Mario or Pokemon. The series isn't as friendly to casual gamers and hasn't expanded much to other forms of media which creates a huge barrier to entry for most theme park goers.

Think of it this way, if someone wanted to familiarize themselves with Harry Potter before visiting UOR, they'd have to passively watch 7 movies, or at least just the first couple. Time consuming but easy enough. If someone wanted to familiarize themselves with the Zelda, they'd have to buy at least one $60+ game and maybe a $300 console if they don't have one already, and then learn to play and eventually beat a 50 hour game to get the whole story, probably failing and repeating levels a few times along the way. I'd consider myself a pretty avid gamer and I couldn't get through Breath of the Wild.

Nothing a good preshow can’t fix. Long ago when this land was created by the 3 goddesses as a parting gift they distilled their powers of Wisdom, Courage and Power into the Triforce, whomever holds the Triforce will get any wish they want granted. However, all was not well in the world and soon the Kingdom of Hyrule and war soon broke out during which the Triforce shattered and disappeared. A uneasy peace settled on the land of Hyrule but whispers soon started that parts of the Triforce reside in people who most embody the three Godesses virtue, Wisdom, Courage and Power.

Lord Gannondorf, power hungry ruler of the Geurudo desert tribe is convinced he has found the triforce and now invading the peaceful Hyrule to achieve his goals. Princess Zelda and her sworn knight Link are all that stand in the way of Gannondorfs brutal conquest. They have asked you…

The story isn’t exactly groundbreaking, evil maniacal dictator, virtuous Princess, brave Knight and magical MacGuffin. The games are based on European Fairytales, something well known to American audiences.

 

[ToTBellHop]

You can slap Pokemon on anything and it would be popular, the creature designs alone give it such a wide appeal that people who haven't even played the games will be drawn in.

Zelda is going to be difficult. While it's been rising in popularity it's still never been as mainstream as Mario or Pokemon. The series isn't as friendly to casual gamers and hasn't expanded much to other forms of media which creates a huge barrier to entry for most theme park goers.

Think of it this way, if someone wanted to familiarize themselves with Harry Potter before visiting UOR, they'd have to passively watch 7 movies, or at least just the first couple. Time consuming but easy enough. If someone wanted to familiarize themselves with the Zelda, they'd have to buy at least one $60+ game and maybe a $300 console if they don't have one already, and then learn to play and eventually beat a 50 hour game to get the whole story, probably failing and repeating levels a few times along the way. I'd consider myself a pretty avid gamer and I couldn't get through Breath of the Wild.

In the same way that HtTYD is really a Viking land, Zelda would basically be a medieval land with mythical beasts (and steampunk elements). You don’t necessarily need to know who the characters are. The hero has the sword. Also, while the games have iconic settings, they change their appearance and location in each game (other than last year’s direct sequel) which provides considerable creative latitude vs. a movie land.

 

[UNCgolf]

I just think Mario Kart was just a bad attraction, not because it was a video game.

There are epic fights/battles in all of the games I listed. Imagine a real life experience of an epic fight that you have fond memories of in one of those games? I think that's more compelling than anything else.

I just listed several IPs that have made billions of dollars through their IP over the last 20 years if not longer.

I completely agree on Mario Kart -- Universal just made poor design decisions there. Mario Kart is one of the games that should be relatively easy to translate into a theme park attraction.

How do you translate an epic fight into a ride, though? To me, at least, it seems like it would generally end up a lesser experience than what you get when you're actually playing the game (and in control of what's happening). I have a hard time imagining how you could design an attraction around The Witcher 3, e.g., that didn't pale in comparison to the game itself.

Maybe I'm an outlier, but I play a lot of video games and there are very few games I've played that I think would both translate well to a theme park attraction and that I'd actually want to experience as a theme park attraction as opposed to just playing the game.