News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[John park hopper]

No they don't.

Maybe they should

 

[FLDisneyFan]

I doubt a petition will do any good. The fact that they held back the concept art and permits until right after D23 demonstrates that they knew there would be backlash.

I'll sign but Disney has never responded to petitions --they will do the will of the bean counters

I should note that neither petition is from me, although I signed both. But i was glad to see the petitions out there. My hope (maybe my far fetched hope) is that the petition could serve as one small piece of what may stop the destruction of ROA and TSI. It's my understanding that notwithstanding Disney's claim that these are not "blue sky", they still haven't filed all the necessary paperwork to begin doing this. That's part of the reason this was such a surprise. My hope is that enough of a negative backlash, together with maybe some financial considerations, and who knows what else, may stall and then cause an end to this plan. Note that various factors have resulted in Disney changing course in the past: No Spaceship Earth refurb, no "play pavilion", no Mary Poppins ride. I would just assume helping to get this awful plan stuck in the mud as well.

 

[graphite1326]

You guys know how there's always one thing that puts you over the edge? The straw that broke the camel's back.

This one is mine. This is unforgivable. The justification of it fitting into the existing land is somehow worse than Chapek's of Cosmic Rewind ("Peter Quill visited EPCOT as a kid"). This is the greatest desecration of Magic Kingdom in its history, and keep in mind Cinderella Castle was once turned into a giant Pepto Bismol cake, and later covered in toilet paper.

The company that announced this is simply not the same company as the one that invented the theme park, and is not deserving of the legacy that got it to this place.

I could not have said it better.

 

[James Alucobond]

How would it not be more efficient? If we define capacity efficiency as # people per square foot of space, the Cars proposal is easily orders of magnitude more efficient than ROA today. You're converting space occupied by water and a small island (that only a limited number of guests utilize today via boat) into 2 attractions each with packed queues, walking paths, bridges, retail, and vertical use of space in the form of a mountain

They’re not apples to apples, and I have no idea what the theoretical capacity of TSI and RoA was. But you had a steamboat, rafts, and various structures that you could conceivably occupy indefinitely. Now, you’ll have two queues, a gift shop, and a pair of attractions of predetermined length. I’m sure someone could do the calculus, but the point is that this expansion is more about popularity, merchandising, LL revenue, and ease of access to other expansion pads than it is about efficiency.

 

[John park hopper]

Built on popularity--and how long will that last until the next fad comes along

 

[Wall-e]

It's like tearing up Central Park in NYC to build a shopping center and more apartment buildings.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. One is a few acres of man made river in a swamp in central Florida and the other is 843 acres in the middle of the largest city in the US. Central Park is owned by the city and therefore owned by it's citizens.

I am sorry you feel the way you do. I felt the same too until my son (who will one day be in our shoes) was as excited as I have ever seen him for anything in his 11 years. My wish is that one day people come to realize that what they want or hold close to them may not be long for this world and they could see that there are others (the future WDW Magic forum contributors) who may take an equal amount of joy in what is too come and that in itself should bring joy to you.

If the current Imagineers are truly stewards of Walt's vision I believe that is what Walt would be happiest about. What joy will this new land bring to the children of tomorrow?

 

[ToTBellHop]

Another consideration - the removal of the river and all those trees for more Disney fake rock sculptures and paving will make the park even hotter.

There will be air-conditioned spaces among these four rides and associated dining and merch. It will probably make my August MK visits cooler than TSI and the Belle ever have…

 

[phillip9698]

The funny thing is, Disney could sell merch for ANY parks IP if they wanted to. Haunted Mansion merch sells. Figment merch sells. If they made merch for Pirates (the ride, not the movie), Country Bears, Jungle Cruise, Small World, etc., it'd sell. People love the parks IP more than Disney expects. The CBMJ shirt has been selling well because people WANT CBJ merch. Disney would rather just sell the kind of merch you can get at any Target in America, because it's safe.

This is 100% facts. We have bought way less merch lately because of two reasons, it seems every location is selling the same thing no matter the area or even the park. Also because it’s the same stuff you can find in retail stores. More unique merch tied to the parks is what we want.

 

[Incomudro]

I am not going back to find your post but I recall an earlier post from you where (paraphrasing) you said that your opinion was better than that of the general public. Were you being sarcastic?

I hope so because if not then this, in essence, would be why there is such a gap between those who are looking forward to the future of MK and those who claim they are done with Disney and will never be back again. An underlying belief among certain WDW guests that their enjoyment is more important then others.

Any chance we could split this forum into a discussion for those looking forward to what is to come and those sad to see Rivers and TSI go?

I wasn't being sarcastic.
I always look forward to what is to come at WDW.
But I don't look forward to it when it is at the destruction of something beautiful.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It wasn't, but it's an example of how seemingly obvious parts of the design process (e.g., land survey, geotechnical and environmental reports, etc.) are worth highlighting, given the material impact they can have on what feels like shocking end results. And at least equally worth highlighting as sensational Disney-wants-to-deliberately-ruin-everything-we-love speculations

What don't you find compelling about his explanation?

They’re only worth highlighting if they have some meaning. That the Adventureland site needs a geotechnical report has nothing to with the Moana project moving forward. And while Concept Design is very early in the whole process, there’s a good chance one was done or an older one referenced from past projects.

I don’t have it handy and am not interested in digging it back up. I don’t buy the claims of foundation issues or inability to build on the island. The river bed is just a concrete pad that holds the track and really just provides consistent definition to the shoreline. Calling it a foundation is a bit of a misnomer because it isn’t holding anything up. Its purpose is by-and-large aesthetic. The riverboat is free floating, so the track isn’t supporting its weight and could exist on a smaller mat or individual piers. So how is the riverbed failing? It could be leaking but so what?

The whole issue of not being able to do construction in the area is also bogus. They’re able to just drive trucks and equipment right into the river bed because it is concrete. Disney just rebuilt a bunch of facilities on Disneyland’s island and that one is more hemmed in.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Is that forever, ever? Or just for now?

Dunno. Disney didn't say why there weren't in the LL mix, nor a timeline for how long.

 

[dreamfinding]

Heck, the Figment book with DREAMFINDER recently sold incredibly well. People love the parks original stuff. Disney should realize if they make MORE parks original stuff, that's more characters to merchandize. You want to give people things they can't experience anywhere else in the parks. I can watch Cars or Encanto anytime I want on Disney+, but I can't see the Country Bear Jamboree or Jungle Cruise (the true versions, the parks versions) anytime I want, so it draws me to the parks to experience those unique attractions. Unique merch only sold in the parks is a cherry on top. I like those attractions so I'll buy that merch.

If they took all of the profit from Figment merch and spent it on the ride, it’d be an absolute E ticket.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

This is 100% facts. We have bought way less merch lately because of two reasons, it seems every location is selling the same thing no matter the area or even the park. Also because it’s the same stuff you can find in retail stores. More unique merch tied to the parks is what we want.

A bit of an anecdotal point- last time I was at WDW (2022-2023, for New Years), I tried to find magnets for the parks since I collect magnets. There was a huge lack of magnets everywhere! Absolutely nothing for HS and MK (MK only had New Years and WDW 50th Magnets), Epcot only had a leftover 40th magnet and AK was the only one with a magnet specifically for that park. Outside of parks magnets, I wanted one for MuppetVision, Country Bears, Splash Mountain, and Haunted Mansion, but couldn't find any- settled with a die cast peel magnet with generic Muppets stock images on it. When I asked a cast member, they said that Disney has decided to stop making as many magnets, which has caused lots of guest complaints. Additionally, I saw the same merchandise EVERYWHERE. Every store had New Years/2023 magnets and 50th merch. Lots of stores had merch for properties that didn't fit (saw Marvel and Star Wars stuff in Animal Kingdom). I barely bought any merchandise the entire week I was there, I bought more at Universal because they actually had unique things to buy! (Though they also lacked magnets...)

Disney knows there's guest demands for specific products but won't make them. It's crazy!

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

If they took all of the profit from Figment merch and spent it on the ride, it’d be an absolute E ticket.

But instead they'll just use that money to support their failing businesses and help Iger buy another car, lmao

 

[phillip9698]

A bit of an anecdotal point- last time I was at WDW (2022-2023, for New Years), I tried to find magnets for the parks since I collect magnets. There was a huge lack of magnets everywhere! Absolutely nothing for HS and MK (MK only had New Years and WDW 50th Magnets), Epcot only had a leftover 40th magnet and AK was the only one with a magnet specifically for that park. Outside of parks magnets, I wanted one for MuppetVision, Country Bears, Splash Mountain, and Haunted Mansion, but couldn't find any- settled with a die cast peel magnet with generic Muppets stock images on it. When I asked a cast member, they said that Disney has decided to stop making as many magnets, which has caused lots of guest complaints. Additionally, I saw the same merchandise EVERYWHERE. Every store had New Years/2023 magnets and 50th merch. Lots of stores had merch for properties that didn't fit (saw Marvel and Star Wars stuff in Animal Kingdom). I barely bought any merchandise the entire week I was there, I bought more at Universal because they actually had unique things to buy! (Though they also lacked magnets...)

Disney knows there's guest demands for specific products but won't make them. It's crazy!

Yep, i collected shot glasses. Had to stop because I couldn’t find unique ones for the resorts anymore. They were all 50th anniversary glasses.

 

[LittleMerman]

Cars is def not a first choice for me, especially in Frontierland, but at least they're original attractions and not Radiator Springs Racers. I don't care at all about Tom Sawyer Island but the river was a nice backdrop. Wish they could just extend the land out another way.

 

[Jrb1979]

I was out but ya'll lured me back in with this IP in the parks discussion...Peter Pan, Mister Toad, Alice in Wonderland, 20,000 Leagues, Snow White, Song of the South/Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Dumbo...IP's that have been in the parks for over 25 years, some since the park opened. It is my opinion/observation that the position of some people that the MK was not built with IP's in mind is being made because Cars does not fit their view of what a traditional Disney IP is.

However, I am sorry to say that the current generation of kids has little emotional attachment to the traditional MK and Disney IP's that where integral to the MK when it opened. Being in my forties and a child of the late 80's/early 90's Disney to me is IP's like Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and then Pixar as they came to form as well. The original MK IP's were to some extent dated for me as a kid too. They are even more dated for my children who have no desire for anything related to PP, SW, Dumbo, or Alice.

An influx of IP's for their generation is absolutely necessary for the MK to form an emotional attachment in their heart's that they will then be able to pass along to their children.

Again many are missing the point. It's not the IP that many have an issue. Even I agree that they need new IP in the parks to get the new generation interested. The issue at least for me is going away from what made the Disney Parks different and unique. Each park had its own theme and IP that fit those parks.

IMO of all the new announcements from D23 the only one that fits the park it's going in is the AK one. The parks are slowly becoming an extension of each other.

 

[Kamikaze]

Yep, i collected shot glasses. Had to stop because I couldn’t find unique ones for the resorts anymore. They were all 50th anniversary glasses.

Toothpick holders*

 

[mickEblu]

The funny thing is, Disney could sell merch for ANY parks IP if they wanted to. Haunted Mansion merch sells. Figment merch sells. If they made merch for Pirates (the ride, not the movie), Country Bears, Jungle Cruise, Small World, etc., it'd sell. People love the parks IP more than Disney expects. The CBMJ shirt has been selling well because people WANT CBJ merch. Disney would rather just sell the kind of merch you can get at any Target in America, because it's safe.

They save all the cool high end, attraction specific stuff for D23 and sometimes milestone attraction anniversaries.

 

[FLDisneyFan]

A bit of an anecdotal point- last time I was at WDW (2022-2023, for New Years), I tried to find magnets for the parks since I collect magnets. There was a huge lack of magnets everywhere! Absolutely nothing for HS and MK (MK only had New Years and WDW 50th Magnets), Epcot only had a leftover 40th magnet and AK was the only one with a magnet specifically for that park. Outside of parks magnets, I wanted one for MuppetVision, Country Bears, Splash Mountain, and Haunted Mansion, but couldn't find any- settled with a die cast peel magnet with generic Muppets stock images on it. When I asked a cast member, they said that Disney has decided to stop making as many magnets, which has caused lots of guest complaints. Additionally, I saw the same merchandise EVERYWHERE. Every store had New Years/2023 magnets and 50th merch.

Yep, i collected shot glasses. Had to stop because I couldn’t find unique ones for the resorts anymore. They were all 50th anniversary glasses.

Wow. Both of these are very true. I just got back from a trip to Disneyland, and wanted magnets to bring back for myself and friends. I could find only a very few, and they were primarily suited to put on cars. (I wanted the refrigerator type magnets.) I also could not locate any shot glasses. I had to settle for generic "California" souvenir magnets and shot glasses at the airport.