Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
One thing that occurs to me about Coco and Encanto and whether they would fit into World Showcase is that it has only been relatively recently (with some exceptions) that Disney has made films like those two which are explicitly set in and to some extent attempt to celebrate the culture of specific countries. For most of the classics, they are not really grounded in any real place and only have hints of their national origins (if they are acknowledged at all). I'd argue even Beauty & the Beast is not really set in "France" in any meaningful way despite the references to the country and use of some French accents in the way that Ratatouille clearly takes place in France.
I don't know if this goes any way to bridging the IP gap for World Showcase, but Coco is very clearly based on Mexican traditions and did such a good job that it was beloved in Mexico. Encanto also has a whole song celebrating Colombia and draws on Colombian history (La Violencia) and cultural motifs such as the butterflies that are associated with Gabriel García Márquez. In that sense, I could see an Encanto attraction as arguably an appropriate way to represent Colombia in the context of a theme park more so than, say, Disney's Cinderella could represent France.
I don't know if this goes any way to bridging the IP gap for World Showcase, but Coco is very clearly based on Mexican traditions and did such a good job that it was beloved in Mexico. Encanto also has a whole song celebrating Colombia and draws on Colombian history (La Violencia) and cultural motifs such as the butterflies that are associated with Gabriel García Márquez. In that sense, I could see an Encanto attraction as arguably an appropriate way to represent Colombia in the context of a theme park more so than, say, Disney's Cinderella could represent France.