David Koenig on the (near-ish) future of Disneyland park

[Deleted member 107043]

I think he'd have a much better audience at the Disney Family Museum.

So do I, or a smaller walk-up exhibition (something like the Statue of Liberty presentation on Main Street at DLP), maybe in Frontierland. He definitely doesn't need a 500 seat theater.

 

[Phroobar]

Rule 34.

That could explain why that costume disappears for stretches at a time.

 

[mickEblu]

More importantly, will they have a new home for Mickey and Minnie in particular in this area? Like, at least new digs closer to the Roger Rabbit area, if not spare the original houses?

I don't think there's enough room for all 3. I'm seriously skeptical of even Roger Rabbit surviving a FL expansion.

 

[mharrington]

I don't think there's enough room for all 3. I'm seriously skeptical of even Roger Rabbit surviving a FL expansion.

When I said "new digs", I meant that they would create a new spot (just one) for Mickey and Minnie. Maybe a new home for them together or something. Of course, that does raise the issue of how to deal with Donald and Goofy...

 

[mickEblu]

I don't know. I'd like to think there would be a way to make it work and keep Roger; but, it really depends on how they want to use the space. When Star Wars was going there, it was going to have a lot of indoors spaces especially on what was going to be the footprint of the western part of Toontown. This was due to being in fall out zone for fireworks. I don't know how far east that extends.

What I heard late last summer was Frozen in the shorter term occupying the top of the hill and into the expansion pad and eventually being reworked into the areas going back into Toontown, with the potential for a large scale combination (attraction/restaurant) building in the fall out zone leveraging the work being done for TDL's B&B ride.

Who knows what will happen between now and then?

Just remember with Disney Parks, until construction starts (and even after in the case of things like Pop's Legendary Years), nothing is guaranteed. Something will eventually happen with the Toontown space. Operationally, it's too big of a missed opportunity to not address. It's just a question of when. For those wanting a 3rd gate, the sooner there is no room to expand (and thus squeeze in more guests), the more probable it will become. The best news of what's in the known pipeline, if/when those plans come to fruition and with the sure success that SW, Marvel, and Frozen will bring - we may finally get what we really want at DLR. For me, a 3rd gate that isn't across the Esplanade is very intriguing because if done right, it would have the capacity to drastically change guest behavior. No longer will people be able to swap parks without a time penalty. A gate down the street would finally be the pressure release valve that DL needs. I'm not knocking DCA at all anymore (well, slightly more after that orange monstrosity). After the 2.0 makeover, it has more than pulled its weight; but, as long as you can hop parks faster than you can get around EPCOT, a good percentage of guests that spend part of their day at DCA will still step foot into DL. Most experienced DLR guests just think of it as one big park.

Great point of how important it is to have a 3rd gate that isn't in (convenient) walking distance from DL. Not that they have a choice but it really would do wonders.

 

[Disney Irish]

When I said "new digs", I meant that they would create a new spot (just one) for Mickey and Minnie. Maybe a new home for them together or something. Of course, that does raise the issue of how to deal with Donald and Goofy...

Make an apartment or condo complex and that takes care of all of them. Don't need a walk-thru for all of them, just Mickey if needed.

 

[Disney Irish]

Great point of how important it is to have a 3rd gate that isn't in (convenient) walking distance from DL. Not that they have a choice but it really would do wonders.

Well if they put it on the Toy Story lot, I would assume they would find a way to build out the monorail to include a station for any future 3rd gate.

 

[mickEblu]

When I said "new digs", I meant that they would create a new spot (just one) for Mickey and Minnie. Maybe a new home for them together or something. Of course, that does raise the issue of how to deal with Donald and Goofy...

Gotcha. I just have a hard time seeing how they make it work thematically with Arendelle and then have a toon house and Roger right around the corner. If I was a betting man I would say all of Toontown is gone. But as a former betting man, I probably wouldnt be making very much on that bet. But then I think how concerned are they about the theme anyway? GOTG:MB has made me realize that anything is possible.

 

[mickEblu]

Well if they put it on the Toy Story lot, I would assume they would find a way to build out the monorail to include a station for any future 3rd gate.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 

[mharrington]

Gotcha. I just have a hard time seeing how they make it work thematically with Arendelle and then have a toon house and Roger right around the corner.

Maybe it will be another dead-end, with the new meet-n-greet spot butting up against the supposed building for the ride.

If I was a betting man I would say all of Toontown is gone.

I hope not. I actually like Toontown.

Make an apartment or condo complex and that takes care of all of them. Don't need a walk-thru for all of them, just Mickey if needed.

Being as Mickey and Minnie would live together, it would have to be a walk-through for both of them. And anyway, an apartment condo would be too small and crowded if you pack them in all together.

 

[Disney Irish]

Being as Mickey and Minnie would live together, it would have to be a walk-through for both of them. And anyway, an apartment condo would be too small and crowded if you pack them in all together.

That would be assuming Disney would break the long standing rule that Mickey and Minnie dated but lived separately. Which I don't have an issue with. As for Donald and Goofy, they don't really need to walk-thru.

So my idea would be to have an apartment or condo complex in Downtown Toontown, where you walk in the front door of the complex. You would walk through a hallway of doors for Goofy, Donald, Minnie (if they need to live separate), and maybe others from Toontown. Then at the end of the hallway you'd have an open door to Mickey's place where you walk through, see his place, and then have a backdoor out to a "photo shoot" with you and Mickey (and even Minnie on certain days). With this idea you just reclaimed a lot of space and still have a meet and greet with Mickey. It can even be placed in the location of the old barn for the Jolly Trolly.

 

[No Name]

Star Tours seems like a fairly easy way to get Marvel into Disneyland. I'm surprised that (apparently) isn't the plan considering that something like HKDL's Iron Man Experience is a reasonable fit for Tomorrowland and presumably an inexpensive overlay.

They woukd have to create a new video and record a whole new voiceover, so I don't think it'd be significantly cheaper than designing something new. I guess Epcot's Soarin' was set in CA, but I don't think DL would use a video set in Hong Kong.

Plus Marvel Land might someday grow beyond GotG:MB at DCA. So maybe 5-10 years from now, they'll have a conundrum similar to the one they have now, this time with a Marvel ride outside of Marvel Land.

I say retheme it to something completely different.

 

[mharrington]

With this idea you just reclaimed a lot of space and still have a meet and greet with Mickey. It can even be placed in the location of the old barn for the Jolly Trolly.

I don't think so. I saw an aerial shot of the Jolly Trolley storage space, and it is tiny.

 

[NobodyElse]

They woukd have to create a new video and record a whole new voiceover, so I don't think it'd be significantly cheaper than designing something new.

Or not, like putting Muppetvision in DCA.

 

[Antaundra]

Well if they put it on the Toy Story lot, I would assume they would find a way to build out the monorail to include a station for any future 3rd gate.

Disney would definitely make it as easy as possible to jump between all three parks. Disneyland guests are conditioned to park hop and it will likely happen regardless of how far away the third gate is. If guests have to leave the security bubble to get to the third gate they're that much more likely to eat/spend money off site and Disney won't let that happen.

 

[Disney Irish]

I don't think so. I saw an aerial shot of the Jolly Trolley storage space, and it is tiny.

You are looking at just the building and not that entire area to the right of it covered in trees. So if they built it up against Small World and redirect the entrance path to the left a bit (while still keeping the existing train crossing), they have plenty of space to match Mickey's current house. Its larger than you think. Bottom line, its a glorified meet and greet, so it doesn't have to be a huge place.

 

[Disney Irish]

Disney would definitely make it as easy as possible to jump between all three parks. Disneyland guests are conditioned to park hop and it will likely happen regardless of how far away the third gate is. If guests have to leave the security bubble to get to the third gate they're that much more likely to eat/spend money off site and Disney won't let that happen.

I agree which is why I believe they would find a way to build the monorail over to the 3rd gate if and when that ever happens. Especially if its in the Toy Story lot. Now if they build it some place else, like one of the plans was Long Beach way back in the day, all bets are off.

 

[MisterPenguin]

That would be assuming Disney would break the long standing rule that Mickey and Minnie dated but lived separately.

Minnie: What's wrong, Mickey?

Mickey: There's something, ha ha ha, I have to tell you. Animated Comedy is strong in my family. Our creator, Walt has it. I have it and... [looks directly at Minnie] My sister has it. [waits for the words to sink in] Yes. It's you, Minnie.

Minnie: [astonished] I know. Oh, Mickey, somehow, I've always known.

 

[Practical Pig]

That would be assuming Disney would break the long standing rule that Mickey and Minnie dated but lived separately. Which I don't have an issue with.

This is just a bit of trivia, since I don't think what Walt had to say on the subject eighty-four years ago would have any affect on today's Disney's decisions on park operations, but according to Walt, Mickey and Minnie are married. From the the September 30, 1933 issue of Film Pictorial magazine:

“In private life, Mickey is married to Minnie. A lot of people have written to him asking this question, because sometimes he appears to be married to her in his films and other times still courting her. What it really amounts to is that Minnie is, for screen purposes, his leading lady. If the story calls for a romantic courtship, then Minnie is the girl; but when the story requires a married couple, then they appear as man and wife. In the studio we have decided that they are married already.” — Walt Disney​

http://waltdisney.org/blog/mickeys-first-love-minnie

 

[Disney Irish]

This is just a bit of trivia, since I don't think what Walt had to say on the subject eighty-four years ago would have any affect on today's Disney's decisions on park operations, but according to Walt, Mickey and Minnie are married. From the the September 30, 1933 issue of Film Pictorial magazine:

“In private life, Mickey is married to Minnie. A lot of people have written to him asking this question, because sometimes he appears to be married to her in his films and other times still courting her. What it really amounts to is that Minnie is, for screen purposes, his leading lady. If the story calls for a romantic courtship, then Minnie is the girl; but when the story requires a married couple, then they appear as man and wife. In the studio we have decided that they are married already.” — Walt Disney​

http://waltdisney.org/blog/mickeys-first-love-minnie

Which I've always found funny and begs the question. Why wouldn't they 60 years later when building Toontown in DL just build one house for Mickey and Minnie the married couple? If needed for separate spaces for M&Gs they could have had two rooms in the one house.

Well anyways, my idea is they have a downtown apartment or condo they share.