Bob Iger at WDW now ... BoD to Follow?

[englanddg]

We don't ever want to "make it work". It needs to work on its own. Beyond that, one pavilion isn't enough to make an investment of this size to do something like what you're suggesting. As well as it's not right for Epcot. Example: putting Remy in France. That's not enough to create an entire new infrastructure for transportation to go from a potential Pixar land in Studios to France, when you have an existing boat transportation already. Imagination is only one pavilion. Doesn't make sense there either. If there's going to be a connection above and beyond what's already in place, it's going to be a full scale transportation option that connects multiple areas, i.e., Studios, Boardwalk/Yacht/Beach into Epcot, and it's going to strictly be transportation.

Ok, I don't want to hijack...so let's get back to topic...

<cough> Nemo <cough>

 

[articos]

<cough> Nemo <cough>

Marketing. All Marketing's fault. 95% of WDI screamed.

 

[englanddg]

Marketing. All Marketing's fault. 95% of WDI screamed.

I suspected as much, but I had to point it out. I have other examples as well, but I'm sure you don't need salt in the wound. <wink>

What is sad is that Nemo could have actually "worked" in the Seas...just not as implemented.

 

[BrianLo]

Believe it or not, but I actually thought of AK and Avatar before it was announced as well............

I recall the venom around Nintendo ever going in Kidzone a few years back at Orlando United from their insiders. @Lee thought Frozen in TDS was a terrible idea about a year ago. Things that were largely true at the time do change.


As of today though, I don't see any sort of ride connector occurring at WDW. It does not mean it isn't a possibility to ever happen, but there is no indication it is happening now. Nor would there be a logical reason when DHS and Epcot have transport options and AK largely languishes with buses.

Disneyland could have built a monorail stop in DCA and chose not to, Tokyo actively discourages park-hopping by disallowing it on the first two days of tickets, Euro Disney continues to have very little money. Maybe Hong Kong...

 

[englanddg]

I recall the venom around Nintendo ever going in Kidzone a few years back at Orlando United from their insiders. @Lee thought Frozen in TDS was a terrible idea about a year ago. Things that were largely true at the time do change.


As of today though, I don't see any sort of ride connector occurring at WDW. It does not mean it isn't a possibility to ever happen, but there is no indication it is happening now. Nor would there be a logical reason when DHS and Epcot have transport options and AK largely languishes with buses.

Disneyland could have built a monorail stop in DCA and chose not to, Tokyo actively discourages park-hopping by disallowing it on the first two days of tickets, Euro Disney continues to have very little money. Maybe Hong Kong...

DCA has a monorail stop at the Grand Californian...so, no need for it to push further into the park. Especially in a park that small.

It's often faster to walk somewhere at Disneyland than take the Monorail. Same at the other parks you mentioned, for the most part.

WDW is a unique beast in this respect.

 

[Progress.City]

<cough> Nemo <cough>

We don't ever want to "make it work". It needs to work on its own. Beyond that, one pavilion isn't enough to make an investment of this size to do something like what you're suggesting. As well as it's not right for Epcot. Example: putting Remy in France. That's not enough to create an entire new infrastructure for transportation to go from a potential Pixar land in Studios to France, when you have an existing boat transportation already. Imagination is only one pavilion. Doesn't make sense there either. If there's going to be a connection above and beyond what's already in place, it's going to be a full scale transportation option that connects multiple areas, i.e., Studios, Boardwalk/Yacht/Beach into Epcot, and it's going to strictly be transportation.

Ok, I don't want to hijack...so let's get back to topic...

Well, what I had in mind was a subway themed station on Hollywood Boulevard that took you to the London Underground at World Showcase.

 

[Progress.City]

You don't possess any more powers of clairvoyance than the rest of us. Great, you made a wild guess and got something right before, but that doesn't increase the probability that it will happen again.

Not a wild guess, but a very educated guess. But, it may not be in the cards now. That doesn't mean it won't be in it later.

 

[englanddg]

Well, what I had in mind was a subway themed station on Hollywood Boulevard that took you to the London Underground at World Showcase.

That's a rather major endeavour. Building a subway there...wow...

Nice pie in the sky idea, but the disruption it would cause would be immense, not to mention the construction cost and environmental factors.

That's just unfeasible...

 

[articos]

I suspected as much, but I had to point it out. I have other examples as well, but I'm sure you don't need salt in the wound. <wink>

What is sad is that Nemo could have actually "worked" in the Seas...just not as implemented.

I cringe every time I walk into Seas and every time I get in the d@#n clam and every time I see the unused dive tube and the peeling paint and the tank which hasn't been cleaned in a decade. I cringe at many, many things across the parks. But sometimes creative just has to do what they are told and we resign ourselves to fixing things later if we get the opportunity.

But I also marvel at the art direction within DAK and the fact that even expansions to that park like the new market in Harambe still uphold the same quality standard years after it opened. I still get as excited when I walk into Tower of Terror as I do walking into the Haunted Mansion - both being examples of the highest level of talent that WDI has to give during different eras. I love Everest, Yeti or not. And even with Epcot as it is now, it's still a park that I walk into and it just feels good. There's good and there's bad to everything, regardless of the politics or the battles or anything else. At the end of the day, if you walk in and you smile, I'm happy. And the good people I know and work with will continue to try make the parks a better place - adding new items and fixing past mistakes - as much as we are able to, across the industry.

 

[Progress.City]

That's a rather major endeavour. Building a subway there...wow...

Nice pie in the sky idea, but the disruption it would cause would be immense, not to mention the construction cost and environmental factors.

That's just unfeasible...

Themed, not actual. The stations would be themed like such but the actual line would either be at grade or above grade.

 

[englanddg]

I cringe every time I walk into Seas and every time I get in the d@#n clam and every time I see the unused dive tube and the peeling paint and the tank which hasn't been cleaned in a decade. I cringe at many, many things across the parks. But sometimes creative just has to do what they are told and we resign ourselves to fixing things later if we get the opportunity.

But I also marvel at the art direction within DAK and the fact that even expansions to that park like the new market in Harambe still uphold the same quality standard years after it opened. I still get as excited when I walk into Tower of Terror as I do walking into the Haunted Mansion - both being examples of the highest level of talent that WDI has to give. I love Everest, Yeti or not. And even with Epcot as it is now, it's still a park that I walk into and it just feels good. There's good and there's bad to everything, regardless of the politics or the battles or anything else. At the end of the day, if you walk in and you smile, I'm happy. And the good people I know and work with will continue to try make the parks a better place - adding new items and fixing past mistakes - as much as we are able to, across the industry.

I did a reimagining project a while ago for the Seas. Oddly, we decided to keep Nemo. It does "work"...as I noted, it just doesn't work as applied.

But, I know I'm preaching to the choir, so I'll stop! <grin>

 

[englanddg]

Themed, not actual. The stations would be themed like such but the actual line would either be at grade or above grade.

And visible by guests from the outside.

No, thanks.

The only place I can think of that a "Harry Potter" style train would work well (and this was also an armchair thing I worked on, but never posted the details of, long story) is around the backstage area of World Showcase, providing a "Orient Express" attraction that doubled as pavilion to pavilion transportation (skipping every other pavilion of course)...

Never quite figured out the details, but the space is there, and that could work, as the ride system could be easily hidden from guests.

 

[articos]

Well, what I had in mind was a subway themed station on Hollywood Boulevard that took you to the London Underground at World Showcase.

Would be an interesting idea if Epcot and Studios were built together, or there wasn't an existing transportation corridor. But also, Epcot is a different animal. It's a park that was not intended to be a fantasy world, or connect to the other parks in that way. So I'd have reservations there too. It could work. I'm not sure if it should. Moot point, however.

 

[articos]

And visible by guests from the outside.

No, thanks.

The only place I can think of that a "Harry Potter" style train would work well (and this was also an armchair thing I worked on, but never posted the details of, long story) is around the backstage area of World Showcase, providing a "Orient Express" attraction that doubled as pavilion to pavilion transportation (skipping every other pavilion of course)...

Never quite figured out the details, but the space is there, and that could work, as the ride system could be easily hidden from guests.

That could be interesting, considering there originally were the omnibuses that ran along the promenade. But I think guests would spend too much of their time waiting in line to ride the train, which would then stop every few minutes, rather than enjoying the pavilions. (meaning spending money on food and alcohol and merchandise) I really didn't intend on discussing this much on all of this, and I didn't mean to pull away from the original thread so much. Going to let it get back to topic.

 

[englanddg]

That could be interesting, considering there originally were the omnibuses that ran along the promenade. But I think guests would spend too much of their time waiting in line to ride the train, which would then stop every few minutes, rather than enjoying the pavilions. (meaning spending money on food and alcohol and merchandise) I really didn't intend on discussing this much on all of this, and I didn't mean to pull away from the original thread so much. Going to let it get back to topic.

Yeah, the last I'll say of it was that it involved a whole revamp of World Showcase, with 4 new pavilions on the empty pads and new rides in existing ones. It was for the Elite Eight comp last year, and due to personal reasons, I never got to finish out the proposal. But, that was to be one of the attractions I was adding.

Again, armchair stuff...and probably not practical, but it could be made to work. I was going to propose 4 tracks, with two trains running each way in opposite directions at each time, for the exact concern you mentioned (how to keep it a "transportation method" and not an hour long wait experience, but also make it an experience... Never fleshed it out.

Anyhow, I'll drop it now, as I said, armchair stuff...

 

[articos]

I did a reimagining project a while ago for the Seas. Oddly, we decided to keep Nemo. It does "work"...as I noted, it just doesn't work as applied.

But, I know I'm preaching to the choir, so I'll stop! <grin>

One more note. My opinion, Living Seas should not be Nemo. If the IP is in there as a learning tool, fine. A show within the pavilion, great. But the pavilion should simply be what was intended: a very impressive aquarium with science and nature being the focus, not characters shoehorned in on top. Ok, I'm done.

 

[englanddg]

One more note. My opinion, Living Seas should not be Nemo. If the IP is in there as a learning tool, fine. A show within the pavilion, great. But the pavilion should simply be what was intended: a very impressive aquarium with science and nature being the focus, not characters shoehorned in on top. Ok, I'm done.

http://63.135.165.8/project3/

Click on the icon and you'll see what we came up with.

 

[Progress.City]

And visible by guests from the outside.

No, thanks.

The only place I can think of that a "Harry Potter" style train would work well (and this was also an armchair thing I worked on, but never posted the details of, long story) is around the backstage area of World Showcase, providing a "Orient Express" attraction that doubled as pavilion to pavilion transportation (skipping every other pavilion of course)...

Never quite figured out the details, but the space is there, and that could work, as the ride system could be easily hidden from guests.

I actually thought of that as well. In fact, that's where my subway idea came from. Each country would have a subway-themed station. I then expanded the idea to the studios. Now, it's just London to Hollywood.

There are ways to make it blend in on the outside of the parks.

 

[Progress.City]

Too bad the Imagineers aren't allowed to look outside for ideas... There's a whole wealth of good ideas on just this site alone, if they searched!

 

[englanddg]

Too bad the Imagineers aren't allowed to look outside for ideas... There's a whole wealth of good ideas on just this site alone, if they searched!

Who says they are not?

I mean, it's just a game of simcity to me, I like reworking things. I'm not alone.

But, I don't see that as any reason why Imagineers are "banned" from outside sources. And, as noted, even if the same outside sources came up with something, whose to say the Imagineers didn't on their own. Most of this is conjecture and for fun, something they do all the time.

I don't think WDI is lacking imagination, I think they are lacking political force internally.