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News 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' Blue Sky concept revealed for Magic Kingdom
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Bob Iger worried about movie rights? The man wants to buy everything. Pity he missed out on Harry Potter and Rowling was like
I think the inflection point is actually DHS' MMRR. Notable that years later they were able to make it an addition instead of a replacement on the Anaheim plot but apparently couldn't figure it out in their real estate holdings comparable to the city limits of San Francisco.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
It is absurd how much DHS removed for SWGE and MMRR while Disneyland only removed a few goats.
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
I probably mentioned this already, but I think a Nightmare Before Christmas land would be better for a "spooky" land than a Villains Land. Although the idea of a single-IP land in Magic Kingdom still feels kind of weird to me.
They probably just had Runaway Railway replace the Great Movie Ride because they just wanted to tear out the Great Movie Ride (likely because they were too cheap and/or lazy to maintain it).
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
On one hand, I agree. On the other, I’m kind of happy it didn’t lead to a Toontown 2.0. I’ve always hated the rounded, cartoony shapes of the buildings and the flat backdrops. It’s the antithesis of their design philosophy elsewhere in the parks, where they adapt the look of the source material into something more cohesively realistic.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I suspect The Great Movie Ride needed more than just a little TLC...
DisneyDodo
Well-Known Member
If Disney was looking to respond to EU (which they aren’t), it would make a lot more sense for them to open simultaneous expansions/additions to all 4 existing parks than to create a new one. WDW could fit like 2 full theme parks’ worth of experiences into the footprints of their current parks. Universal doesn’t have that luxury – if they want to build something new at their existing parks, they’re essentially forced to close something else. Hence, the magnanimous investment in EU.
Disgruntled Walt
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I rode it the day after they announced it was closing (which was a miracle in and of itself) and it was in fine working order. Nothing egregiously broken (except for the Busby Berkeley water show, which hadn't worked since it opened).
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Disney now has the rights to more of the movies featured than when it first opened.
They could have always changed individual scenes to be more of their own catalog.
It had a sponsor when it closed, who changed certain aspects and helped to keep it in better shape than it had been.
Another reason why ditching it completely was a mistake.
DHS needs to find its identity. It's not "Hollywood" anymore. A villains-anything would make more sense there, I think. More so than MK; especially if the goal is to cast the park as the "edgy" anti-Magic Kingdom. It skews "more teen", which fits right in with the "Nightmare Before Christmas" IP. If only they could somehow combine the idea of "Villains" while also including non-villainous properties that still fit within the "Scary/Spooky/Evil" conceptual mold. It'd be the perfect park addition. If MK is the sugary dreams of childhood, DHS could be the nightmare and adrenaline fueled fantasies of tween/teen angst.
Fox&Hound
Well-Known Member
Agree 100%. Do any insiders know if there is any internal decision to bring villains to DHS and not MK (whenever they do pull the trigger)? Still stuck in their word choice of overdrive when talking about beyond big thunder (“our plans are shifting into overdrive”).
Don't forget "Turbocharged".
MagicHappens1971
Well-Known Member
Not an insider, just replying to you... I don't think Disney intends to actually start/announce anything for another 6-8 months. As others have mentioned, it seems that Disney won't be doing anything until the end of the fiscal year (September 30th). They could announce a whole slate of things at D23 but we won't see any shovels in the ground until end of 2024. Nothing (of substance) will open until Spring 2026 at the earliest. It's pathetic.... Disney needs to hustle and get (pure) expansions in all 4 parks. I wouldn't be surprised to see them move the ideas of a Villainsland to DHS, but honestly feel that MK would finally be much more fleshed out if they open 4-5 new attractions, 2-4 dining options, and some shopping with these expansions. Especially if they finally do something with SGE and the rest of Tomorrowland. DHS also needs to do something with Animation Courtyard, hopefully we will find out more this August.
Sectorkeeper71
Well-Known Member
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
they don't want the maintence costs of sets and figures anymore etc etc....but I totally agree with all the above. MMRR could have been a part of a new fl version of toontown, in place of that awful animation courtyard....its the worst I have ever seen it currently in all its years of existence. It has gone from pretty good with the animation tour and mermaid, art of disney shop and another shop or two, to just okay, to downright ghetto. its all shuddered except for being stroller he**.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
I think this is worth clarifying - It's not Studios anymore, but it is still Hollywood. Hollywood Boulevard remains intact as the opening act of the park and Sunset Boulevard is a strong supporting player to it. Echo Lake is also, in part, still Hollywood manifest. The changes to the park in the last decade have undercut the park's Studio guise, but the Hollywood-specific elements have stood strong, indirectly affirmed (though not particularly emphasized) by the new themed lands and attractions. Star Wars is a product of Hollywood. Toy Story in its way as well. Mickey, of course.
Point being, I agree that the park needs a clearer identity, but I think the most direct path to that is actually to play up the existing parts of the park. They've moved from the idea that this park is a working Studio operation - fine, but then develop a new idea of what Hollywood means to Disney, how that idea is expressed by a place, why guests should want to go there, and do those in a way that's inclusive of what currently works within the park. "Hollywood" isn't really the issue, scattershot execution of it is. Especially because those thematic elements don't inherently disagree with the park's intended audience. Expand and enhance the existing profile, which could be corralled into something cohesive without undoing the good remaining framework.
With that in mind, I would suspect a type of Villains Land could be worked into DHS in a way that furthers the thematic consistency and targets the core market for the park, though realistically it doesn't seem like that's on Disney's list. I've been getting the impression that a Villains Land for Magic Kingdom is one of the D23 Blue Sky concepts that they're taking more seriously. Though it remains to be seen whether it will actually be selected.
It lost Hollywood with the GMR closure and the Studios aspect with Sounds Dangerous and the Backlot Tour. DHS lacks an identity both in it's aesthetic and branding. I sprinkling of names does not a Hollywood make. Although, I wouldn't be opposed to DHS finding it roots again. I thought the Hollywood angle was a good one. But, you know things are bad when Disney considers changing the park name.
For them to double down on a Hollywood concept now would be an even greater challenge what with the Toy Story and Star Wars based lands. It's clear they're content plopping down whatever for the time being. And to that effect, Yes a Villainsland would probably fit right in. I think we're somewhat in agreement here on wanting DHS to better find it's identity. Though it remains to be seen how Disney intends to do that moving forward.
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yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
Finding a way to make two massive Hollywood franchises fit in a Hollywood-themed theme park would be far less of a challenge than making a Villains Land fit naturally. Or redoing the park once again so that it could fit better. Not that I think either couldn't be done. And not that I think Villains Land is being considered for DHS.
The Great Movie Ride was of course very "Hollywood", and I lament its loss, but the ride was far from the park's final bastion of the concept. As I stated pretty clearly, the entire front half of the park is still heavily Hollywood-themed. A far cry from a sprinkling of names. The back half is not particularly Hollywood-exclusionary, though it is somewhat exclusionary of the "Working Studio" theme. It could be made to work - it somewhat does already, though I'd love a revison that makes a real effort to tie everything together consciously. The park does lack that. It's currently a repository for IP that is fronted by a beautiful half-city's worth of Hollywood art and architecture.
Let's not forget Hollywood wasn't even in the original name of the park. That they considered ditching it again (and then chose not to go through with that) doesn't hold that much weight.
I just don't see it. Sorry.