News D23 Expo 2019

tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
Well I still haven’t posted my full Star Wars take after visiting...

But I can say the problem - other than lack of emphasis on attractions which continues to be folly - is its tied to the awful Kennedy/abrams sequel movies that have no heart and nothing iconic about them. I don’t see a real “fix” for that.

No doubt wdw attendance will shift in the short term to mgm (studios) when it rolls out...but I can’t see it as a driver for increases over time because of how they have mishandled their IP.

It’s ironic. When avatar was announced, the debate was whether IP mattered?
I was proven wrong in that I thought bad avatar IP would drag it down.
But instincts tell me that it’s gonna flip 180 and that “mishandled IP” is gonna drag the Star Wars land down.

It’s already happened. The myth is that people haven’t gone because all APs are blacked out in California. Not so...the regional APs are. So that’s a lot but it’s not everyone. I went with two groups of premium AP holders last week that hadn’t been to Star Wars yet. And though we all said “this is kinda cool” when we were there...we also echoed the sentiment that Star Wars itself isn’t pulling us in.

That includes some males in their 40s (Ruh-Roh, Raggy) and tween girls that are rumored to “love” Rey...

There just isn’t enough emotional to love there. They’ve gutted it on an emotional level and the visuals aren’t enough to compensate.

Sorry...tangent but I think it’s predictive to the state of WDW.
Click to expand...
We were in DL during the same week!
 
tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
Ghost of Disney Past said:
No that makes perfect sense with what I have been feeling on various other Disney updates. While I have not been to SWGE, the lack of classic Star Wars IP has me feeling that I will be hard pressed to have a really emotional connection to the expansion. I guess time will tell if the younger generations become attached to the new movies/characters. And perhaps Rise of the Resistance will be as good as promised....

When Avatar was announced as an addition to AK I was laughing. But having been there a few times, I think they managed to pull off an immersive and cohesive addition, one that I can enjoy without having any sentimental attachments to the movie.

I'll be interested to hear yours and others thoughts on SWGE. The headlines all seem to laud their newest attempt. But the rumblings of mismanaged IP continue to grow...
Click to expand...

You have to remember Pandora was a joint venture between Joe Rohde and James Cameron, neither of whom would accept a mismanaged IP. The boat ride is boring and anticlimactic, but the overall land is impressive regardless of whether people care about the movie — and FOP is a home run.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
tirian said:
You have to remember Pandora was a joint venture between Joe Rohde and James Cameron, neither of whom would accept a mismanaged IP. The boat ride is boring and anticlimactic, but the overall land is impressive regardless of whether people care about the movie — and FOP is a home run.
Click to expand...

I actually really liked the boat ride! It was too short, but it was very atmospheric and I would have happily sat on it for another few minutes.

I've never even seen Avatar, so it definitely wasn't because of any connection to the movie.
 
britain

britain

Well-Known Member
kevlightyear said:
I would argue they would still sellout even if they live-streamed the big panels.



Yes, press and developers (in the case of WWDC). It's not just Apple, though--lots of tech companies broadcast their events. Good point about Chapek--he's a snore.

By all means invite the bloggers, give them special access even. But the majority of the 7K people at the panel are not bloggers/influencers, they are fans. A blogger update is more valuable than a press release but a direct contact (aka livestream) with a customer is more valuable than both. And it would be watched over and over.

Why do you think timeshare presentations always come with free gifts? Because they want your attention and are willing to pay for it. People are begging to see this 40 minute presentation--let them!
Click to expand...


To be honest, Disney isn't exactly thrilled about telling the general public that "Amazing things are coming in future years" for fear of people not coming to the parks now. They know they have an intense fanbase that is hellbent to know these plans, so they'll throw announcement events for them (and make money off of them). Disney knows these fans will come to the parks this year anyway. But Disney would rather the general public think the biggest thing coming out of D23 will be new Rise of Skywalker footage or something like that.

Apple and Google, their events are normally to herald products that become available within a month or so of their announcements. They aren't giving presentations about what kind of phone or watch they will sell in 2021.
 
Last edited:
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
kevlightyear said:
This is short-sighted. The panel should be broadcast as far and wide as they can get it. Why would Disney want their new attractions being advertised through the lenses of bloggers when they quite literally have the stage all to themselves. Apple learned this lesson, which is why they livestream their events. Disney is 'the brand', but they don't want people to hear about the event directly from them? Ridiculous.

The lure of the expo is to be there when it happens. See people in real life. The smaller panels are the ones that should be attendees only. Livestreaming the important panels so as many people as possible can see them is just good business. Would you rather have 7K people watch your 40 minute advertisement or 200K+?
Click to expand...

Or.. charge thousands hundreds of dollars to see it... then give it away for free later.

Giving it away for free up front while trying to make a destination event is knocking yourself down.

Apple keynotes are not destination events.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
I know this is true, but I would HATE to lose the 1900, 1920s, and 1940s scenes. They are the reason I love the attraction. I suppose they could keep most of the 1900 and 1940s scenes, remove the 1920s scene and replace it with a 1980s scene, then update the finale to 2030 or so. I'm sure I'd still love that attraction, but I don't think I'd love it as much as the original.
Click to expand...

I like your idea about going from 1908, 1948, 1988 and then a finale' that jumps to 2030's. I love the three first scenes, but the 1920's scene would be the easiest to cut.

The problem is the original just doesn't work. It hasn't worked for 20 years. It's now just a hokey show for lost tourists and Walt fanatics. I'm pretty sure Walt would hate what it's become, and especially how it's currently maintained and operated. It's become an insult to his legacy instead of an homage.

They've got to do something, and just cheaply updating the fourth act to make the whole thing even less cohesive isn't it.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Cmdr_Crimson said:
Seriously....No stream for the parks panel..That's the reason for this expo..
Click to expand...


As has been said, the reason for D23 Expo is for you to fly to Anaheim and buy a ticket to get in, and then spend a bunch of money on merchandise in the huge Disney Store there.

But how fun for the panelists who are being live streamed! Apparently, and this is shocking, there are women who work for the Walt Disney Company and these hard working gals will be revealed in live-streamed panels! I just knew once they got the vote that a few would rise to the occasion. :rolleyes:
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
I like your idea about going from 1908, 1948, 1988 and then a finale' that jumps to 2030's. I love the three first scenes, but the 1920's scene would be the easiest to cut.

The problem is the original just doesn't work. It hasn't worked for 20 years. It's now just a hokey show for lost tourists and Walt fanatics. I'm pretty sure Walt would hate what it's become, and especially how it's currently maintained and operated. It's become an insult to his legacy instead of an homage.

They've got to do something, and just cheaply updating the fourth act to make the whole thing even less cohesive isn't it.
Click to expand...

Don't forget history fanatics! That's why I love it; I enjoy seeing the kitchens etc. from the different time periods even knowing they're idealized.

But yes, that was my thinking. Taking out the 20s is the easiest way to go while still leaving as much Walt as possible. They could also potentially START in the 1920s, bring back a version of the original final scene set in the 60s, set a new scene in the 2000s (more or less present day), then do a jump to 2040 or so and try to get really out there with the technology. I don't think that would work as well, though, and I also don't think it fits the original idea behind the attraction. It was always more of a "look back and see how it compares to today" than a "let's look into the future and guess at how things could be". That's why Horizons existed as an unofficial continuation guessing at the future.
 
*Q*

*Q*

Well-Known Member
HmmmmmMMMmm said:
Buzz will be a change for the worse, IMO.
Click to expand...
How could it possibly get worse?
TP2000 said:
I like your idea about going from 1908, 1948, 1988 and then a finale' that jumps to 2030's. I love the three first scenes, but the 1920's scene would be the easiest to cut.

The problem is the original just doesn't work. It hasn't worked for 20 years. It's now just a hokey show for lost tourists and Walt fanatics. I'm pretty sure Walt would hate what it's become, and especially how it's currently maintained and operated. It's become an insult to his legacy instead of an homage.

They've got to do something, and just cheaply updating the fourth act to make the whole thing even less cohesive isn't it.
Click to expand...
Obviously they should change it so that the seating area rises at the 1960s scene to a second floor and then you rotate through another four or five scenes.
 
SteveAZee

SteveAZee

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
I like your idea about going from 1908, 1948, 1988 and then a finale' that jumps to 2030's. I love the three first scenes, but the 1920's scene would be the easiest to cut.

The problem is the original just doesn't work. It hasn't worked for 20 years. It's now just a hokey show for lost tourists and Walt fanatics. I'm pretty sure Walt would hate what it's become, and especially how it's currently maintained and operated. It's become an insult to his legacy instead of an homage.

They've got to do something, and just cheaply updating the fourth act to make the whole thing even less cohesive isn't it.
Click to expand...

Perhaps a solution is to use the 'best of' elements of the first three scenes and compress them down to two eras, then add a recent past era, then the future era. It would keep most of the old stuff for nostalgia but give them lots of elbow room for current and future updates.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
I don't think that would work as well, though, and I also don't think it fits the original idea behind the attraction. It was always more of a "look back and see how it compares to today" than a "let's look into the future and guess at how things could be". That's why Horizons existed as an unofficial continuation guessing at the future.
Click to expand...

To be bluntly honest, the "original idea" behind the attraction at both the 1964-65 World's Fair and it's 1967 Disneyland installation was to sell General Electric toaster ovens and dishwashers to 1960's consumers. That it had a catchy theme song and typical 1960's Walt Disney charm allowed it to stick around long after GE stopped sponsoring it.

But then it devolved into what it is today, and what it's been for at least the past decade; a dusty old theater show that is embarassingly hokey and decrepit, but at least still has air conditioning and a catchy theme song.

No one is as fond of the Carousel of Progress and what it stands for as I am. But at this point it's just embarassing and sad.

It either needs to be put out of its misery and closed for good with a Farewell Performance Season! complete with Bob Chapek upcharge events and limited edition merchandise, or else rip the thing apart and rebuild it with all new 40 year time jumps and scenes. With air conditioning and a catchy theme song. ;)
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
To be bluntly honest, the "original idea" behind the attraction at both the 1964-65 World's Fair and it's 1967 Disneyland installation was to sell General Electric toaster ovens and dishwashers to 1960's consumers. That it had a catchy theme song and typical 1960's Walt Disney charm allowed it to stick around long after GE stopped sponsoring it.
Click to expand...

Well, yes (like the pavilions at EPCOT, although they were a little less blatant), but it still wasn't about projecting GE technology into the future. It was "here's how things used to be... compare them to how great everything is now! (especially if you purchase these wonderful products!)". I suppose the song does hint at the future, though.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom