News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Nevermore525]

I see your point.

I think Disney thinks these are its constraints:

• Frontierland is no longer a viable concept. Americans haven't watched family-friendly Westerns, as a genre, in TV or movies in probably sixty years.
• New rides have to be attached to a commercially viable IP franchise to reduce risk
• New Lightning Lane revenue is a key consideration for future development

We can argue all day about whether those should be the constraints. But for the sake of argument, can we accept those as more or less the things Disney thinks are true?

Here are the top-grossing Disney IP from that list above, and their approximate revenue. I'm not sure how up to date it is for any particular franchise:

• Mickey Mouse ($61.2B)
• Winnie the Pooh ($48.5B)
• Star Wars ($46.7B)
• Disney Princesses ($45.4B)
• The Marvel MCU ($32.9B)
• Spider-Man ($25.5B)
• Cars ($21.5B)
• The Lion King ($15.2B)
• Toy Story ($14.8B)
• Avengers ($14.3B)
• Frozen ($13.9B)
• Pirates of the Caribbean ($7.9B)
• Muppets/Sesame Street ($7.7B)
• X-Men ($7B)
• Ice Age ($6.4B)
• Avatar ($5.78B)
• Beauty and the Beast ($3.52B)
• Iron Man ($2.9B)
• Guardians of the Galaxy ($2.71B)
• Indiana Jones ($2.6B)

Let's cross out on the list the things Disney can't build in Florida (e.g., Marvel), and highlight in red the ones that already have substantial presence somewhere else in WDW.

The ones in green are the ones left to choose from, using the criteria above:

• Mickey Mouse ($61.2B) - Hollywood Studios
• Winnie the Pooh ($48.5B) - Magic Kingdom
• Star Wars ($46.7B) - Hollywood Studios
• Disney Princesses ($45.4B) - Magic Kingdom
• The Marvel MCU ($32.9B)
• Spider-Man ($25.5B)
• Cars ($21.5B)
• The Lion King ($15.2B) - Animal Kingdom
• Toy Story ($14.8B) - Hollywood Studios
• Avengers ($14.3B)
• Frozen ($13.9B) - EPCOT, Hollywood Studios
• Pirates of the Caribbean ($7.9B) - Magic Kingdom
• Muppets/Sesame Street ($7.7B) - Hollywood Studios
• X-Men ($7B)
• Ice Age ($6.4B)
• Avatar ($5.78B) - Animal Kingdom
• Beauty and the Beast ($3.52B) - Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios
• Iron Man ($2.9B)
• Guardians of the Galaxy ($2.71B) - EPCOT
• Indiana Jones ($2.6B) - Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom

That helps understand what's happening here, right?

Can probably cross out X-men too with many X-Men characters being on display in Universal Studios.

 

[psherman42]

I’m referring to that claim made by Bill Zanetti that there will be plenty of water features in the land and yet nothing meaningful is showcased in the concept art.

He also said they’re nowhere near the scope or scale of the river. So why should we be excited about them?

 

[fractal]

One of my favorite spots for photos. Really bummed it's going to be gone forever.

 

[danlb_2000]

Can probably cross out X-men too with many X-Men characters being on display in Universal Studios.

Not just on display, there is an X-men ride at Universal.

 

[Tha Realest]

Dear Imagineering:

Don’t go chasing water features.

Please stick to Rivers of America and Bay Lakes that you’re used to.

 

[lentesta]

If they close HoP, they can put A.I. in the AAs and have them do CM duties like staff the entrance tapstyles.

Oh, hi Mr. Lincoln, my husband has the child's MagicBand, he had to run back to the hotel to get it.

Mr. Lincoln: Ma'am, a house divided cannot enter.

I would like to option this screenplay.

 

[FettFan]

That makes sense. I thought they'd want it back further in the parking lot to not impact star wars sightlines too much. But maybe a grey blob isn't that big of a concern

I was expecting them to replace IJ Stunt Spectacular for Monsters Inc.

1. It’s a large enough plot of land on its own.

2. It can be expanded with demolition of the office buildings between it and the parking lot.

3. The neighboring Backlot Express could become “Harryhausens”


Added bonus: Dinosaur Gertie would blend in well with Monstropolis, (after all, Mike and Sully’s college professor was essentially a dinosaur) making her a transition point between Echo Lake and Monstropolis.

 

[Streetway]

I was expecting them to replace IJ Stunt Spectacular for Monsters Inc.

1. It’s a large enough plot of land on its own.

2. It can be expanded with demolition of the office buildings between it and the parking lot.

3. The neighboring Backlot Express could become “Harryhausens”


Added bonus: Dinosaur Gertie would blend in well with Monstropolis, (after all, Mike and Sully’s college professor was essentially a dinosaur) making her a transition point between Echo Lake and Monstropolis.

I woudo be down, but knowing Disney they probably retheme all of echo lake, including prime time cafe and all that. (Echo lake kidna is a werid zone tho tbh). It is the play id do tbh, Indy becomes monsters.

 

[Jrb1979]

I see your point.

I think Disney thinks these are its constraints:

• Frontierland is no longer a viable concept. Americans haven't watched family-friendly Westerns, as a genre, in TV or movies in probably sixty years.
• New rides have to be attached to a commercially viable IP franchise to reduce risk
• New Lightning Lane revenue is a key consideration for future development

We can argue all day about whether those should be the constraints. But for the sake of argument, can we accept those as more or less the things Disney thinks are true?

Here are the top-grossing Disney IP from that list above, and their approximate revenue. I'm not sure how up to date it is for any particular franchise:

• Mickey Mouse ($61.2B)
• Winnie the Pooh ($48.5B)
• Star Wars ($46.7B)
• Disney Princesses ($45.4B)
• The Marvel MCU ($32.9B)
• Spider-Man ($25.5B)
• Cars ($21.5B)
• The Lion King ($15.2B)
• Toy Story ($14.8B)
• Avengers ($14.3B)
• Frozen ($13.9B)
• Pirates of the Caribbean ($7.9B)
• Muppets/Sesame Street ($7.7B)
• X-Men ($7B)
• Ice Age ($6.4B)
• Avatar ($5.78B)
• Beauty and the Beast ($3.52B)
• Iron Man ($2.9B)
• Guardians of the Galaxy ($2.71B)
• Indiana Jones ($2.6B)

Let's cross out on the list the things Disney can't build in Florida (e.g., Marvel), and highlight in red the ones that already have substantial presence somewhere else in WDW.

The ones in green are the ones left to choose from, using the criteria above:

• Mickey Mouse ($61.2B) - Hollywood Studios
• Winnie the Pooh ($48.5B) - Magic Kingdom
• Star Wars ($46.7B) - Hollywood Studios
• Disney Princesses ($45.4B) - Magic Kingdom
• The Marvel MCU ($32.9B)
• Spider-Man ($25.5B)
• Cars ($21.5B)
• The Lion King ($15.2B) - Animal Kingdom
• Toy Story ($14.8B) - Hollywood Studios
• Avengers ($14.3B)
• Frozen ($13.9B) - EPCOT, Hollywood Studios
• Pirates of the Caribbean ($7.9B) - Magic Kingdom
• Muppets/Sesame Street ($7.7B) - Hollywood Studios
• X-Men ($7B)
• Ice Age ($6.4B)
• Avatar ($5.78B) - Animal Kingdom
• Beauty and the Beast ($3.52B) - Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios
• Iron Man ($2.9B)
• Guardians of the Galaxy ($2.71B) - EPCOT
• Indiana Jones ($2.6B) - Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom

That helps understand what's happening here, right?

I think most understand what's going on and how those in Burbank run the parks. They look at attractions with dollar signs and ROI.

What I don't understand is why the move away from the uniqueness of each park. When I first started going to the parks back in the 80s and 90s. Each park had a unique theme and the attractions in those parks fit the theme. Why can't keep their IP mandate but make it fit the parks they go in.

 

[ToTBellHop]

 

[Haymarket2008]

This seems to me like someone is who actually informed on the subject speaking about how we got here. It does actually line up with talking points I’ve heard for several years now about the actual physical state of the river itself, the consequences of the way it was built, and the logistical and operational issues associated with those issues. If someone here with more knowledge refutes, by all means do it, but this all makes sense to me and I’ve been hearing about problems with the river bed for awhile.

So this is a very fascinating read.

While I do understand that progress can be a cruel b**ch, this is still without a doubt one of the most, if not the biggest crushing foundational losses WDW has ever experienced.

That being said, if we are to lose Rivers of America....the idea of a lush, kinetic, Grizzly Peak area would be a worthy successor.

Yet...every indication seems to say we are getting the Cars franchise version of that. Naturalism doesn't seem to be on the table.

What makes the placemaking of castle park lands inside Disney magic kingdoms so interesting is the little hidden nooks and world building hints that make you ask "I wonder who lives in that apartment above the saloon...", etc.

The destruction of this area to be replaced with an IP that really doesn't provide that level of depth is deeply concerning.

Cars Land at DCA is truly fabulous, and despite its detail, its all hyper specific and doesn't allow for a sense of mystery.

That's my biggest issue with IP in the park. And more specifically with this being a replacement of a LARGE swath Frontierland. So much world building and placemaking they owe us now.

 

[Horizons '83]

I was expecting them to replace IJ Stunt Spectacular for Monsters Inc.

1. It’s a large enough plot of land on its own.

2. It can be expanded with demolition of the office buildings between it and the parking lot.

3. The neighboring Backlot Express could become “Harryhausens”


Added bonus: Dinosaur Gertie would blend in well with Monstropolis, (after all, Mike and Sully’s college professor was essentially a dinosaur) making her a transition point between Echo Lake and Monstropolis.

I feel like Indy is a necessity at the park purely from a capacity perspective. It's a people eater that HS doesn't have much of.

 

[FettFan]

I woudo be down, but knowing Disney they probably retheme all of echo lake, including prime time cafe and all that. (Echo lake kidna is a werid zone tho tbh). It is the play id do tbh, Indy becomes monsters.

Echo Lake was already on the chopping block once, meant to be part of Galaxy’s Edge until someone promoted the idea of a brand new expansion.

And thus while Echo Lake was spared, we got the weirdness of having Star Tours left out by its lonesome, not invited to the GE party.

 

[lentesta]

I think most understand what's going on and how those in Burbank run the parks. They look at attractions with dollar signs and ROI.

What I don't understand is why the move away from the uniqueness of each park. When I first started going to the parks back in the 80s and 90s. Each park had a unique theme and the attractions in those parks fit the theme. Why can't keep their IP mandate but make it fit the parks they go in.

God, there's an industry article on why they use this approach, for films. Let me see if I can find it. It's basically a balance of two things:

• Creating a new IP franchise is a tens-of-billions-in-profit opportunity with lots of risk
• Using an existing successful IP franchise generates more consistent revenue with less risk

 

[mickEblu]

He also said they’re nowhere near the scope or scale of the river. So why should we be excited about them?

Also won’t change the fact that all those attractions that were designed to be facing the river will be facing a ring of trees.

 

[Kamikaze]

I’m referring to that claim made by Bill Zanetti that there will be plenty of water features in the land and yet nothing meaningful is showcased in the concept art.

Thats why they aren't in the art.

 

[aladdin2007]

Also won’t change the fact that all those attractions that were designed to be facing the river will be facing a ring of trees.

probably more like a berm along some of it, its going to feel very closed in walking through FL, if thats how they go about it.

 

[Streetway]

I feel like Indy is a necessity at the park purely from a capacity perspective. It's a people eater that HS doesn't have much of.

Here’s the thing: DHS relies to heavily on theatre spaces for capacity. I felt with we built more high capacity attractions/dark rides, they wouldn’t need so many. Sure we shouldn’t eliminate all of them, just some of the dead weight (BATB, Mickey shorts, and mayybe indy for a good expansion).

Echo Lake was already on the chopping block once, meant to be part of Galaxy’s Edge until someone promoted the idea of a brand new expansion.

And thus while Echo Lake was spared, we got the weirdness of having Star Tours left out by its lonesome, not invited to the GE party.

Yeah. Just get it over with. The lake could have alot of space for a nice green area with fountains and stuff/maybe a flat ride, and the space of the leftover theatres could put in a new show. Echo lake is a concrete wasteland anyway. Imagine a lush, Central Park esque area with benches and trees and a fountain where the lake was!

 

[Kamikaze]

Honestly, not sure I am completely, but I'd be fine if you just eliminate "Nostagic" from the line. How about "Again, remember this is the company eliminating anything if it's not making max profits for LL." Still gets my same point across that they aren't going to eliminate money making places for attractions they can't put a paid line skip on. If they could add it, maybe.

So they're getting rid of every attraction that doesn't offer LL?

You know what costs the most money on a daily basis with the least direct return? Meet and Greets. Are they getting rid of those?

On that subject, for those that don't know, the Lightning and Mater M&Gs at DCA are extremely popular.

 

[KDM31091]

So they're getting rid of every attraction that doesn't offer LL?

You know what costs the most money on a daily basis with the least direct return? Meet and Greets. Are they getting rid of those?

It seems like they will be hyper focused on creating more and more high demand, high wait attractions with LL, far far more often than creating any new A, B or C tickets.