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

[bcoachable]

I’ve always maintained that Universal has better IP than Disney. Disney was just better at making theme parks… until recently.

It would be interesting to see how many “old
Guard” WDI are now “new guy” Uni Creative…

 

[SpectreJordan]

Right? You want to cross that bridge and explore some of that amazing world, not whizz around it for 2.5 minutes and then be booted back to the land of the living.

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I agree that part of the appeal of Flight of Passage is that the way the elements combine to what feels like a relatively unique format. For all the comparisons we make to Soarin', the ride does add up to more than the sum of those parts. But to try that particular ride system again in the same resort sort of risks exposing that those elements are maybe not as special as FoP makes them feel.

Besides, didn't some of Soarin's pull drop when the superior Flight of Passage opened? I know the new film is also less well-regarded than "Over California", and maybe that plays some part, but I think people sense that it's a lesser version of something they may have ridden the day before.

Idk why but I think a boat ride could work really well for Coco. Just make it a really good one like Pirates; maybe even use the Shanghai tech in the US finally.

I didn’t know that the Avengers E was going to use the FoP system, that seems like a poor choice. I also think that the Quinjet idea is a poor choice. A story coaster with elements from Cosmic Rewind could’ve been a great device for the Avengers. Or a more creative storytelling output put into a one of a kind attraction like RotR

An evolution of Rise did is what they shame for with an Avengers (or most Marvel) ride.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The correct me if I’m wrong, the style guides for Universal must fall within the original comic book versions, not the MCU

The comics are not actually specified. Certain style guides are named and their content is generally unknown to the public.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I also find Mario and friends to be way way way less emotionally significant and/or tied to deep
nostalgia. But that may just be me.

Nah, there's insanely deep nostalgia for Mario. From different generations too; you have '80s kids with fond memories of the original Super Mario Bros & Super Mario Bros 3, 90s kids with Super Mario World & Super Mario 64, '00s kids with New Super Marios Bros & Super Mario Galaxy, '10s kids with Super Mario Odyssey. The Mario franchise has insane lasting power.

Honestly, I think Nintendo does a far better job at keeping Mario relevant than Disney does with Mickey.

No doubt there is nostalgia and love for Mario, but there is a large segment that can give 2 hoots about Mario including me. Also, kids arn't clamoring for Mario. Its the 40-50 something crowd that is. I think Mario is more of a niche than you think.

Nah, modern day kids still love Mario. I see kids with Mario merch all the time.

Mario may not have a deep story or intricate characters, but it's absolutely a draw. The mainline Mario games are almost always of the highest quality, they're seen as some of the best the entirety of gaming has to offer. People love this franchise/

Something unique Mario (& gaming in general) has to offer to theme parks is that these are places that people feel like they've been to. Peach's castle in the land looks like it came straight out of Mario 64, that's an area that a lot of people have thoroughly explored & spent time in. But now people get to actually go to these places. It seems to be a big hit in both Japan & Hollywood (Japan looks better though), I can't wait to visit it here in Orlando.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Nah, there's insanely deep nostalgia for Mario. From different generations too; you have '80s kids with fond memories of the original Super Mario Bros & Super Mario Bros 3, 90s kids with Super Mario World & Super Mario 64, '00s kids with New Super Marios Bros & Super Mario Galaxy, '10s kids with Super Mario Odyssey. The Mario franchise has insane lasting power.

Honestly, I think Nintendo does a far better job at keeping Mario relevant than Disney does with Mickey.

Nah, modern day kids still love Mario. I see kids with Mario merch all the time.

Mario may not have a deep story or intricate characters, but it's absolutely a draw. The mainline Mario games are almost always of the highest quality, they're seen as some of the best the entirety of gaming has to offer. People love this franchise/

Something unique Mario (& gaming in general) has to offer to theme parks is that these are places that people feel like they've been to. Peach's castle in the land looks like it came straight out of Mario 64, that's an area that a lot of people have thoroughly explored & spent time in. But now people get to actually go to these places. It seems to be a big hit in both Japan & Hollywood (Japan looks better though), I can't wait to visit it here in Orlando.

Absolutely. A little surprised Donkey Kong got the first expansion though (won’t end up opening as an expansion in Orlando, of course). Other Nintendo properties are far more popular. I would have preferred Hyrule be next door…it’s more popular and has been enormously-impactful on the gaming industry. Most action games, action RPGs and open-world games are inspired by and derivative of a LoZ game.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Absolutely. A little surprised Donkey Kong got the first expansion though (won’t end up opening as an expansion in Orlando, of course). Other Nintendo properties are far more popular. I would have preferred Hyrule be next door…

I’d assume it’s because Mario and DK exist in pretty much the same universe and even debuted in the same game. Having the Mushroom Kingdom and DK Island connected to each other is not the same visual jolt if Hyrule was the expansion. Plus the minecart levels in Donkey Kong Country just naturally lend themselves to a great concept for an attraction.

I don’t doubt that Hyrule will eventually be built though.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I’d assume it’s because Mario and DK exist in pretty much the same universe and even debuted in the same game. Having the Mushroom Kingdom and DK Island connected to each other is not the same visual jolt if Hyrule was the expansion. Plus the minecart levels in Donkey Kong Country just naturally lend themselves to a great concept for an attraction.

I don’t doubt that Hyrule will eventually be built though.

 

[neo999955]

I’d assume it’s because Mario and DK exist in pretty much the same universe and even debuted in the same game. Having the Mushroom Kingdom and DK Island connected to each other is not the same visual jolt if Hyrule was the expansion. Plus the minecart levels in Donkey Kong Country just naturally lend themselves to a great concept for an attraction.

I don’t doubt that Hyrule will eventually be built though.

Yeah. DK goes with Mario. I think we'll get Pokémon and Zelda lands next. Then probably another Pokémon.

 

[SpectreJordan]

They just opened the Guardian's ride for a fairly popular segment of their marvel franchise that's about to see only it's third (and last) movie devoted to these characters.

Meanwhile, IOA has Velosicoaster based on the Jurassic World IP which as a franchise has trounced GOTG (the first Jurasic Word did 1.67 billion in box office compared to the original Guardians which did 773 million) despite being Transformers-level dumb.

One thing in favor of Guardians, none of those movies have made as much as the Jurassic World movies (yet?). But it's left a MUCH bigger cultural impact than the JW films. The JW movies seem to be the type where you see it to watch cool dinosaurs for 2 hours & then forget about it (I've only seen the first, it's alright but it doesn't hold a candle to the original JP).

Guardians is something people remember & quote long after they've seen it. Groot's probably one of the biggest pop culture characters of the 2010s.

I'd say Velocicoaster & Cosmic Rewind are extremely close in quality as attractions though. They're my third & first favorite rides of all-time.

I think this dismissiveness towards Mario speaks to a generational divide that doesn’t appreciate how popular and vital video games are to younger audiences. Sure, Mandalorian gets my kids occasional attention when new episodes are airing, but Fortnite’s hold on them hasn’t waned. Many of their peers are much more likely to watch YT gamers or the like then conventional media.

Disney, for a variety of reasons, hasn’t been able to crack into gaming, and has a really bad blind spot in this regard. Universal has the Mickey Mouse of gaming, with Pokémon, Zelda, and other properties yet to be tapped.

Either way, we’ll know by summer how well the “niche” video game character does when he warps over to animated films and plays in what used to be Disney’s core competency.

I doubt Disney will ever have a third party IP in the parks again. But I'd love if they got into the gaming theme park space as well.

Microsoft would be a good choice. A Minecraft land would be HUGE, Halo would be awesome (I'd get extremely emotional stepping into a Halo land, personally) & if the Activision purchase goes through then they could do Call of Duty or Warcraft as well.

We're past the half-decade point since Pandora opened at AK. They have since closed an attraction without a replacement, losing capacity in the process with conservation station on life support as filler.

They need to be breaking ground there, first, most likely and then going back to revist the other two - again, not at MK.

Disney really needs to develop a "Hagrid's" for both Pandora & Galaxy's Edge. That boat ride tech that was leaked should absolutely be for an Avatar: Way of Water ride.

Galaxy's Edge could use a thrill ride too; I'd be excited if they straight up ripped off Hagrid's with a Speeder Bike coaster (based on The Mandalorian). I don't think it'd feel like that much of a rip-off since riding a Speeder Bike would delight so many Star Wars fans. But maybe they could do something more original.

 

[Tha Realest]

One thing in favor of Guardians, none of those movies have made as much as the Jurassic World movies (yet?). But it's left a MUCH bigger cultural impact than the JW films. The JW movies seem to be the type where you see it to watch cool dinosaurs for 2 hours & then forget about it (I've only seen the first, it's alright but it doesn't hold a candle to the original JP).

Guardians is something people remember & quote long after they've seen it. Groot's probably one of the biggest pop culture characters of the 2010s.

I'd say Velocicoaster & Cosmic Rewind are extremely close in quality as attractions though. They're my third & first favorite rides of all-time.

I doubt Disney will ever have a third party IP in the parks again. But I'd love if they got into the gaming theme park space as well.

Microsoft would be a good choice. A Minecraft land would be HUGE, Halo would be awesome (I'd get extremely emotional stepping into a Halo land, personally) & if the Activision purchase goes through then they could do Call of Duty or Warcraft as well.

Disney really needs to develop a "Hagrid's" for both Pandora & Galaxy's Edge. That boat ride tech that was leaked should absolutely be for an Avatar: Way of Water ride.

Galaxy's Edge could use a thrill ride too; I'd be excited if they straight up ripped off Hagrid's with a Speeder Bike coaster (based on The Mandalorian). I don't think it'd feel like that much of a rip-off since riding a Speeder Bike would delight so many Star Wars fans. But maybe they could do something more original.

I bet tons of franchises wish they had the cultural impact of the Jurassic Park/World series. It consists of some of the highest grossing films of all time, tv series, best selling novels, and tons of merchandise sales. To suggest it doesn’t have the cultural cache of Guardians is silly.

 

[MrPromey]

I bet tons of franchises wish they had the cultural impact of the Jurassic Park/World series. It consists of some of the highest grossing films of all time, tv series, best selling novels, and tons of merchandise sales. To suggest it doesn’t have the cultural cache of Guardians is silly.

I think their point was specifically, World - not so much Park.

And I'd tend to agree.

TRIGGER WARNING - strong opinion, below!

I see the whole Jurassic World thing the same way I see most of the Transformers and FATF movies - they just keep getting dumber and more ridiculous over time and as such, I really see them as bad parts 4, 5, 6 to the original Jurassic Park trilogy that also lost some quality after the first film but not at nearly the same rate.

Again, not disputing the box office power of the JW movies but man, I think they're gawd-awful.

As for additions like Velicicoaster to Universal, it's an awesome coaster so I don't really care so much what it's based on. I'd probably feel a little different about waiting over an hour for Hagrids if I didn't find the IP interesting. It's a fun coaster with interesting elements but many of those elements only work because they tie into story beats on the ride.

Universal finds themselves in an interesting position by having broken with the Disney level of immersion early - not being afraid of exposed track without explanation and such but then also hitting it out of the park with things like the HP lands. I feel like they get more leeway from their fan base than Disney to do this kind of stuff.

I think Disney created this problem for themselves. When Universal first came along and were like "we don't care about sight-lines" with the opening of IOA, I clutched my pearls as tightly as any Disney fan might but given time, I see how it works for them. There is a double standard to be sure but it's because Disney wrote the strict rules on a quality theme park experience and Universal chose not to play by those rules.

Even with Rip Rocket Ride being visible today from half the Studios park and tearing through part of the backlot, it doesn't feel offensively out of place to me the way it would if Disney tried to do that.

It's harder for Disney to break from those rules and get away with it since they're the ones who made 'em to begin with.

 

[erasure fan1]

Nah, modern day kids still love Mario. I see kids with Mario merch all the time.

Mario may not have a deep story or intricate characters, but it's absolutely a draw

Yea Mario is still huge. If the movie underperforms, there's no real hope for video game movies. Lol. Mario is an iconic brand, with an image as well known as most any marvel or DC character. It's a huge get for universal.

 

[erasure fan1]

Microsoft would be a good choice. A Minecraft land would be HUGE, Halo would be awesome

Galaxy's Edge could use a thrill ride too; I'd be excited if they straight up ripped off Hagrid's with a Speeder Bike coaster (based on The Mandalorian)

I've been saying this for a long time. Minecraft would absolutely be an equalizer to Mario. Dare I say even surpass a Nintendo land. As much as I like halo, I don't think that would make too big of a splash. The only other video game ip that would be good for Disney would be Sonic.

There are so many different speeders you could design a coaster around for galaxys edge it's crazy. I still think a underground pod racing circuit would be great. Low profile so you don't hurt the sightlines. And you can craft a fun narrative around it.

 

[UNCgolf]

I've been saying this for a long time. Minecraft would absolutely be an equalizer to Mario. Dare I say even surpass a Nintendo land. As much as I like halo, I don't think that would make too big of a splash. The only other video game ip that would be good for Disney would be Sonic.

There are so many different speeders you could design a coaster around for galaxys edge it's crazy. I still think a underground pod racing circuit would be great. Low profile so you don't hurt the sightlines. And you can craft a fun narrative around it.

I'm not sure Minecraft would work. People loving playing Minecraft, but I don't think many would care about visiting a land designed to look like Minecraft. It's not like there are iconic locations or characters; it's more about being able to build what you want.

That said, I guess it worked for LEGO.

Call of Duty is this to an extreme. It's one of gaming's biggest franchises, but how would you even turn it into a theme park land or build an attraction beyond just slapping the name on something more or less unrelated?

 

[erasure fan1]

I'm not sure Minecraft would work. People loving playing Minecraft, but I don't think many would care about visiting a land designed to look like Minecraft. It's not like there are iconic locations or characters; it's more about being able to build what you want.

The Minecraft look is what's iconic. A land, I'd say no. A ride with a very detailed queue and entrance area is what you would want. I'd beg to differ on the character thing. Steve is extremely recognizable. Heck, of all the popular characters Nintendo could put in smash bros, they choose to add steve. I guess it all boils down to the quality of the attraction. I personally think a quality Minecraft ride would kill in the popularity department.

 

[KingMickey13]

I think we’re getting a bit sidetracked here.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I bet tons of franchises wish they had the cultural impact of the Jurassic Park/World series. It consists of some of the highest grossing films of all time, tv series, best selling novels, and tons of merchandise sales. To suggest it doesn’t have the cultural cache of Guardians is silly.

Jurassic Park absolutely has a bigger cultural impact than Guardians. It's one of the most influential, popular and, IMO, best movies of all-time. Jurassic World? Not so much. I'd be willing to say that Velocicoaster itself has left a bigger cultural impact than those 3 movies lmao

 

[SpectreJordan]

Absolutely. A little surprised Donkey Kong got the first expansion though (won’t end up opening as an expansion in Orlando, of course). Other Nintendo properties are far more popular. I would have preferred Hyrule be next door…it’s more popular and has been enormously-impactful on the gaming industry. Most action games, action RPGs and open-world games are inspired by and derivative of a LoZ game.

On top of the already talked about "same world" explanation, I think the name brand helped in the decision. Zelda is bigger within the world of video games, but the name "Donkey Kong" is something that's widely known by non-gamers. The legacy of the original arcade game is still huge to this day.

I feel like Zelda is next on Universal's list though. They're probably just deciding on which of the 3 parks to put it in.

I've been saying this for a long time. Minecraft would absolutely be an equalizer to Mario. Dare I say even surpass a Nintendo land. As much as I like halo, I don't think that would make too big of a splash. The only other video game ip that would be good for Disney would be Sonic.

There are so many different speeders you could design a coaster around for galaxys edge it's crazy. I still think a underground pod racing circuit would be great. Low profile so you don't hurt the sightlines. And you can craft a fun narrative around it.

Pod Racing is a great idea too. Just about anything on the same level as Hagrid's would be huge for Galaxy's Edge. If they're not already looking into ideas for that they're idiots.

 

[Touchdown]

I don’t think Zelda is next, not when they are sitting on a the most profitable IP of all time, yes I’m talking about the one personified by an electric rat. While Zelda is far easier to convert to theme park attractions Pokémon has a far greater chance of driving visitors. Off the top of my head, I see the main E-ticket being a Pokémon Snap Safari where you go through environments with animatronic Pokémon encouraged to snap pictures. Maybe with a few modest trill moments. I could also see a little mix of live action and muse screens Pokémon Stadium stunt show where you could watch a battle. Throw in tons of meet and greets and a Pokémon cafe and you have a gangbuster land. Zelda would likely wait until they are ready to finally kill the lost continent in IOA.

 

[Schmidt]

Nah, there's insanely deep nostalgia for Mario. From different generations too; you have '80s kids with fond memories of the original Super Mario Bros & Super Mario Bros 3, 90s kids with Super Mario World & Super Mario 64, '00s kids with New Super Marios Bros & Super Mario Galaxy, '10s kids with Super Mario Odyssey. The Mario franchise has insane lasting power.

Honestly, I think Nintendo does a far better job at keeping Mario relevant than Disney does with Mickey.

Nah, modern day kids still love Mario. I see kids with Mario merch all the time.

Mario may not have a deep story or intricate characters, but it's absolutely a draw. The mainline Mario games are almost always of the highest quality, they're seen as some of the best the entirety of gaming has to offer. People love this franchise/

Something unique Mario (& gaming in general) has to offer to theme parks is that these are places that people feel like they've been to. Peach's castle in the land looks like it came straight out of Mario 64, that's an area that a lot of people have thoroughly explored & spent time in. But now people get to actually go to these places. It seems to be a big hit in both Japan & Hollywood (Japan looks better though), I can't wait to visit it here in Orlando.

Nah, its significantly more niche than you think.