News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Bocabear]

It is extremely distressing... and if they are willing to spend all of this money on site prep, why not expand outward without ruining this section of the park....for an IP that doesn't fit...especially when DHS NEEDS more capacity. This is going to be a smaller version of a Cars Land...way smaller than the DCA version, without the beautiful and recognizable location of Radiator Springs... So it will be a non-descript rugged mountain landscape... This is a terrible idea for The Magic Kingdom...

 

[DW Aficionado]

I was all for repurposing Tom Sawyer island, but I never imagined removing the Rivers of America and just filling it a Cars ride in Frontierland

 

[DisneyFan18]

I think the main issue is the fact that it’s hard to imagine how this land will look like once the river is gone because we are used to it being there.

Maybe the Cars area will be very pretty and enhance Frontierland, maybe it will be atrocious, none of us can know for sure because we are talking about something that doesn’t exist and that hasn’t existed yet. The only thing we DO know is that it will be different and that it will take time to get used to it once it opens regardless of how you feel about the final product because part of your mind will still be thinking about how it looked before.

Nonetheless, I do think that some of you are being hyperbolic. It’s okay to feel disappointed and wish they had gone on a different direction. It’s also okay to be ready to embrace change and accept the inevitable. But when it gets to name calling and such, it’s a little ridiculous…

 

[lentesta]

I feel this way of thinking about the parks antithetical to what made Disney parks different from their competitors. Based on reading the numbers this way, you could justify all sorts of weird things like sticking a roller coaster in the middle of World Showcase lagoon because the Friendships don't rate as highly on guest surveys as Cosmic Rewind.

For years, they've been producing glossy books and documentaries explaining how much thought went into colours, sightlines, transitions, research, etc. to suggest that it was this kind of attention to detail that actually made people happier in Disney parks than those of their competitors.

I find it so strange to just say to hell with all that, surveys show people prefer rides. I even don't understand being that enthused about the possibilities it opens up for the future. With this kind of management and Imagineering, we'll have the Incredibles building a training camp at the foot of Big Thunder.

All valid points.

I keep saying this, but keep in mind that Disney's goal is to maximize the amount of money guests give to shareholders.

So if you're an executive, it's a safer bet for shareholders and your career to say to Wall Street "We're replacing a set of old, not-highly-rated attractions that don't generate Lightning Lane revenue with a new set of family-friendly rides based on IP that's earned us $22 billion so far and for which we can charge $20 per person more to skip the lines."

That's it. That's how the parks work. Everything else is marketing.

As you've said (and I agree) this approach has its limits. For one thing, it's almost impossible for this method to build anything like the original Disneyland or EPCOT. There are far too many unknowns for shareholders, and it'd never get past the board. The same is true for out-of-the-box projects like the Galactic Starcruiser (RIP).

As I've also said, if you don't like the idea of shareholders über alles, you're saying you prefer a different flavor of capitalism. Which is also cool. It's just not what we have here.

 

[Incomudro]

beyond all the million and two reasons there are for not making this irreversible misstep with the park, they also said they are leaving Radiator Springs behind and heading west to new locations... Sounds a lot like the Star Wars Land... A new unrecognizable location that was never in a film and a place no one cares about... This really is a terrible idea... So the internal waterway of the park will be gone forever... This really is the worst idea ever....Cars doesn't even belong in the Magic Kingdom....It should be built in DHS where it would fit nicely...

Yes, while I think the ride itself looks like fun and the thematic elements will look good as they inevitably do.
This reminds me of Tiana's.
A story that takes place outside of the story.
I love the way Cars Land in California looks - even though I've never been there - because of what it recreates from the film.
My sons's would have gone bananas if that land existed when they were little boys.
Looks like they'll at least include an AA McQueen and Mater to remind people what this is based on.

 

[lazyboy97o]

One of the truly bizarre dynamics of attraction closures in the Disney fan community is the glee that comes out not regarding something new but others losing something they appreciate and enjoy. It’s like there is some sort of resentment that people enjoy something they do not, especially if it is not a marquee experience, as though it’s some sort of undue deference. A weird jealously that those people are undeserving but being given special treatment and now the undeserving are being out in their place.

 

[Bocabear]

Yes, while I think the ride itself looks like fun and the thematic elements will look good as they inevitably do.
This reminds me of Tiana's.
A story that takes place outside of the story.
I love the way Cars Land in California looks - even though I've never been there because of what it recreates from the film.
My sons's would have gone bananas if that land existed when they were little boys.
Looks like they'll at least include an AA McQueen and Mater to remind people what this is based on.

I wonder if the AA characters will be completely off-model like Tiana is... Like Mater will now be a Chevy Bronco instead of a tow truck and will own and operate an oil refinery and scrap metal yard...

 

[Incomudro]

I wonder if the AA characters will be completely off-model like Tiana is... Like Mater will now be a Chevy Bronco instead of a tow truck and will own and M

Mater will be all new Electric Mater!
Who needs that hydrocarbon spewing bucket of rust anyway!
Old things have no charm!
Progress!

 

[bwr827]

The bear wasn't on the island. I'm not sure what you're referring to with a machete.

It was a Danny Trejo meet and greet. Trejo is secretly a huge Disney guy.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Just so we're al clear: if the leadership at Disney is willing to do this, they are willing to do much, much more.

At risk of sounding ultra-dramatic, it truly is over. And I don't mean that these parks can't be enjoyed by families (they will be). Nor do I mean that every historic aspect of these parks will be gone overnight.

What I mean is that today's dopamine addicted society has convinced Disney that the historic values and ideas that were the bedrock of these parks are no longer important or valuable. I don't know how long it will be but one day, every last facet of these ideas will be gone and Walt Disney World will be indistinguishable from Universal Orlando. My guess is about 20 years left before it's all gone.

 

[Haymarket2008]

It’s also the effect it has on Liberty Square that is so devastating.

No longer will the land be a harbor side village, no longer will the Mansion be presiding ominously over the Hudson River valley.

 

[Kamikaze]

Mater will be all new Electric Mater!
Who needs that hydrocarbon spewing bucket of rust anyway!
Old things have no charm!
Progress!

I like it. We're not going back.

 

[Wall-e]

The park has to evolve to be relevant 20-30 years from now. This is part of it. Kids and families barely have a desire to go on these rides now. But 20 years from now Cars/Jeep ride could be a park icon that draws people to the park. Aside from a few diehards the same cannot be said about TSI and the Liberty Belle.

And while I wish this area could remain as a walkway to new lands Beyond BTM the reality is it already takes a while to walk from the hub to BTM, they need something to give Villians Land more connectivity to the rest of the park.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

The park has to evolve to be relevant 20-30 years from now. This is part of it. Kids and families barely have a desire to go on these rides now. But 20 years from now Cars/Jeep ride could be a park icon that draws people to the park. Aside from a few diehards the same cannot be said about TSI and the Liberty Belle.

And while I wish this area could remain as a walkway to new lands Beyond BTM the reality is it already takes a while to walk from the hub to BTM, they need something to give Villians Land more connectivity to the rest of the park.

This is absolutely a reality that many of us need to face. It just means that the very, very unique Disney parks that we came to love dearly will be a distant memory. We're already seeing that happen; it's just happening faster and at a bigger scale.

 

[Incomudro]

I like it. We're not going back.

You clearly miss the theme and heart of the movie.

 

[RobbinsDad]

Turning the Liberty Belle into a restaurant isn’t some simple undertaking. At a minimum you need a kitchen facility somewhere and a way to quickly move food over and keep it hot and protected. Even then, you’d only be able to have service on decks that can be directly accessed by ramp. If you have dining on the upper level then it needs to be accessible, so you have to add an elevator which is a significant change.

It could be converted pretty easily into a snack spot/gift shop though, and a pretty cool thing to walk around on, even if it's stationary.

 

[Kamikaze]

Just so we're al clear: if the leadership at Disney is willing to do this, they are willing to do much, much more.

At risk of sounding ultra-dramatic, it truly is over. And I don't mean that these parks can't be enjoyed by families (they will be). Nor do I mean that every historic aspect of these parks will be gone overnight.

What I mean is that today's dopamine addicted society has convinced Disney that the historic values and ideas that were the bedrock of these parks are no longer important or valuable. I don't know how long it will be but one day, every last facet of these ideas will be gone and Walt Disney World will be indistinguishable from Universal Orlando. My guess is about 20 years left before it's all gone.

Old and 'historic' are not synonyms.

I think you're leaning more towards 'iconic' than historic. Which, yes, all three features being removed can be described as iconic. But TSI is probably the least visited attraction at MK, just because its so difficult to get to. So I can definitely see why they want to maximize/monitize that space.

 

[Incomudro]

Kind of ironic that the theme of Cars was about the heart and charm of the old being bypassed by a rushed modern lifestyle which has no use for it, and no longer slows down to appreciate the little things.

 

[Bocabear]

That is ironic...and I wonder how relevant Cars will even be in 30 years... Basing everything on the latest trendy IP is not always the best idea...it is too specific. That was what worked well about the design of the Disney parks.. The fabric of it was not specific IP but themes and ideas...

 

[Kamikaze]

You clearly miss the theme and heart of the movie.

Who's talking about a movie?