Interesting article.
LA Times: D23 Expo: Is Disney’s intellectual property squeezing the theme out of our theme parks?
An excerpt:
Disney theme parks in recent years have been undergoing grand transformations, welcoming large-scale lands based upon acquisitions and partnerships. Movie-inspired areas such as Cars Land, Toy Story Land, Pandora — the World of Avatar and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are in, while the topic-based lands of yore — Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland — are no longer in vogue with theme park designers.
It’s a pivot that’s influencing the compositional purpose of the lands. Walt Disney Imagineers are increasingly emphasizing interactive elements and play-based experiences, and in the case of Galaxy’s Edge and the in-development Avengers Campus coming to Anaheim, a more plot-focused design approach. The increased cinematic influence is also gradually tweaking the very mission statements of the parks.
The past decade has seen a rethinking of the theme park’s role, and in turn how many of us consume mass entertainment. More than 150 million people last year took part in Disney-branded endeavors, said Bob Chapek, the senior Disney executive who oversees the company’s parks, on stage Sunday as part of Disney’s three-day fan focused event, the D23 Expo. Such a number illustrates the vital role Disney plays in shaping our cultural narrative.
But the company that once re-created an African savanna in Animal Kingdom or a park dedicated to science, technology, American industry and global culture in Epcot, is looking more inward when it comes to its theme parks in 2019. New projects discussed and announced on Sunday that are coming to Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., focused almost exclusively on maximizing properties that can also live in the multiplex and, eventually, the upcoming streaming subscription service Disney+.
“We’re putting in more Disney, more Pixar, more Marvel and more ‘Star Wars’ into our parks,” Chapek said. “Every live show and spectacular should bring your favorite stories to life in thrilling ways.”
But when everything is Disney, Pixar, Marvel and “Star Wars,” are we at risk of someday losing the “theme” in our theme parks? Lands such as Galaxy’s Edge, currently open at Disneyland and launching in days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, are identical lands that exist in parks built on vastly different mission statements, the latter once dedicated to the how-to of movie-making. The big reveal at D23 Expo this year was Avengers Campus, which will exist as separate but connected lands in Disney California Adventure in Anaheim as well as Disney resorts in Paris and Hong Kong....