DHS ReDo (August 2014)

[RSoxNo1]

That's sounds stupid to me and inconsistent with how successful things have been done recently (Potter, Cars Land) versus FLE, which was panned for its opening in stages. There shouldn't be any reason why Pandora wouldn't open all at once and, realistically, if they want to have DAK be a "full day park" for most guests, they need as many attractions as possible ASAP. They are already planning to extend the hours of the park into the evening in 2016 with the night show and evening safaris opening.

Anyway, I think @pheneix said a month or two ago (when the "boat ride is cut" rumor swirled) that the idea of a staggered opening for parts of Pandora is incorrect.

I agree with you, I don't think it's a good idea.

 

[doctornick]

I like the idea of an indoor spinner (way back I remember riding an indoor "scrambler" with fog, lights, music and it was great) but I can't imagine the capacity problems inherent with spinners. They would need at least 2 or 3 to keep up with demand.

Agree that capacity would be a problem. That's why I look at Mater's (which has two sides) as a good example of how to integrate a quality flat ride into a well themed land. As a smaller part of a full land, I don't think it's necessary a bad thing, though my preference would be a dark ride as a more all ages addition.

 

[FrankLapidus]

Hopefully a DHS overhaul means that the stunt show is on the way out imminently and they'll finally get round to turning Pixar Place into a full-fledged land featuring more than one attraction. I'd be very disappointed to see the Great Movie Ride permanently removed. It could do with a freshen up but it fits as a ride celebrating some of the greatest films in a park that claims to celebrate the "Hollywood that never was and always will be".

At the moment I think the park is a thematic mess, hopefully whatever plans Disney have beyond introducing Star Wars will tie it all together.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

I feel like DHS is fishing for a mission. Removing classic movies from the GMR just makes it seem like a very disjointed park with little purpose. It's missing its soul. It needs to reimagined and redesigned. Removing the Indiana show and the backlot tour are more symptoms of moving away from its overall theme.

Instead of being a working studio, a park celebrating Hollywood and, specifically, film and television, would seem to be a great evolution.

 

[doctornick]

Maybe they should go with a landspeeder spinner instead of an X-Wing? Then they could keep the old HS theme of how movies are made. As the landspeeder itself was a bit of a spinner in how it worked behind the scenes.

interesting, but I would hope not. A good Star Wars Land needs to move away from the "movie making" aspect of (other parts of) DHS and be an immersive "take you into the world" setup.

That said, if the area gets themed to Tattoine, then I would love to see a dark ride which uses a land speeder as the ride vehicle as to explore the planet (maybe focus on Luke's journey to become a Jedi?).

 

[lebeau]

Dang it. I'm all out of salt. Back to the salt mines! This one's a doozy.

 

[Sped2424]

Again... not true. As far as I can tell, he first mentioned it on January 15, 2014 (unless it was in an Unofficial Guide). The refurbishment wasn't announced until May 20th (I first saw it here). People made the leap but there were no indications that one meant the other.

Is PhilharMagic digital? Could they be doing that?

He definitly said they are considering putting frozen in philarmagic. In one of those webshows again I don't know which one (he has a lot). But he mentioned it with that one guy. He said they are toying around with bringing it in there and making that attraction something akin to different scenes everytime you watch it. In the same episode he gets off track and begins to talk about the legend of the lion king.

 

[Fractal514]

interesting, but I would hope not. A good Star Wars Land needs to move away from the "movie making" aspect of (other parts of) DHS and be an immersive "take you into the world" setup.

You said it brother! I feel like the "movie making" theme is really just a justification for leaving support structures exposed, flats half pained, and ceilings unfinished. Nothing drive me crazier than sitting in the Sci-Fi Drive-In and feeling like I'm on a sound stage rather than transported away to a real drive-in because they didn't complete the set fully.

 

[lobelia]

Instead of being a working studio, a park celebrating Hollywood and, specifically, film and television, would seem to be a great evolution.

So you're suggesting that DHS would evolve to celebrate film and television? I can get behind that if this mission if they differentiate itself from Magic Kingdom vision. It's muddy when the rides at MK are based on movies (Snow White, Buzzlightyear, Stitch, Dumbo) or movies were inspired by concepts from the rides (Haunted Mansion, POTC). Adding a Frozen ride in DHS doesn't seem to fit a different purpose than adding it to MK to me.

 

[Fractal514]

He definitly said they are considering putting frozen in philarmagic. In one of those webshows again I don't know which one (he has a lot). But he mentioned it with that one guy. He said they are toying around with bringing it in there and making that attraction something akin to different scenes everytime you watch it. In the same episode he gets off track and begins to talk about the legend of the lion king.

He said it on an episode of Disney Dish when he was talking about how Philharmagic was a big push to draw classic characters in 3D renderings to modernize them. He talked about how the scenes could be interchangeable and that Tangled or Frozen would be logical additions.

 

[Fractal514]

So you're suggesting that DHS would evolve to celebrate film and television? I can get behind that if this mission if they differentiate itself from Magic Kingdom vision. It's muddy when the rides at MK are based on movies (Snow White, Buzzlightyear, Stitch, Dumbo) or movies were inspired by concepts from the rides (Haunted Mansion, POTC). Adding a Frozen ride in DHS doesn't seem to fit a different purpose than adding it to MK to me.

While I do think there are muddy waters when you have IP themed attractions in other parks, I think that the important unifying element is the park's theme and that even if there are attractions based on movies and show in other parks, it's about how well they gel together that counts. A ride based on the Jungle Book could work in Adventureland because it is an adventure, it could work in Epcot as an Indian ride, or Animal Kingdom if it focuses on the animals. The important thing is that the focus of the ride emphasize the aspect that ties it into the park.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

A lot of studios are moving out of California due to how badly that state is struggling. New Orleans is a growing hotbed of activity, as is Atlanta, and North Carolina as an entire state. NOLA is a swamp, seems to be working out alright for them. Atlanta is also fairly close to Florida. North Carolina is a right to work state which makes it easier for union/non-union connection. LA and NYC being the ONLY places for work is just not correct anymore, and there are certainly places other than Florida that should be considered "career suicide".

With love,
Philadelphia (also a great place for TV, Film, and Theatre )

Yep. Lots of industries ditching California for cheaper locales.

Which is a shame, California has always been (my!) "American dream" place to live... but the economy is quite bad right now. With other states offering incentives for movie production, of course someone will bite on that deal.

Lots of east coast cities are getting some serious movie action lately.

Much love,
Pittsburgh.

(Ps: if you ever want to trade peirogi for cheesesteak, hit me up!)

 

[FutureWorld1982]

They tried that once. It only lasted a couple of years. The main problem was that DHS is in Orlando, Florida.

If you are in the entertainment industry you want to be in Southern California. That's where all the executives are, all the agents are, all the other stars are, all the media is, all the work is, where all the decisions are made, and where all the action is.

Meh. They could close most of those studios and I wouldn't even notice it (especially now that we lost the amazing Robin Williams). Southern California can keep the movie industry, as it's becoming increasingly sad anyway. That's just another reason why Disney's Hollywood Studios needs to get away with that theme. I personally have zero interest in seeing sound-stages or actors walking around. I want to be immersed in places that I have never seen before, and that is why the Magic Kingdom Park is STILL the most visited theme park on Earth.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

So you're suggesting that DHS would evolve to celebrate film and television? I can get behind that if this mission if they differentiate itself from Magic Kingdom vision. It's muddy when the rides at MK are based on movies (Snow White, Buzzlightyear, Stitch, Dumbo) or movies were inspired by concepts from the rides (Haunted Mansion, POTC). Adding a Frozen ride in DHS doesn't seem to fit a different purpose than adding it to MK to me.

I just do not want the park to lose its romanticized view of early Hollywood. Like Pixar Place, I wish Star Wars and Indy had their own "Lucasfilm Studio."

 

[sWANNISAX]

I don't know whats true or not here but spinners seems like a waste of money unless they are indoors and in space and dueling. I hope star wars expansion is much more than that.

I think that the real solution to this park is to divide it into studios. Pixar Studios needs expansion. Disney animation studios/Animation Courtyard needs an overhaul and could be home to toon town? Lucasfilm studios could see star wars and indy stuff built. Muppet Studios could use a omnimover ride. Ideally streets of America would become Marvel Studios but we all know thats not happening. Leave Hollywood blvd and Sunset alone. ABC Studios could also be a cheap upgrade. take a soundstage recreate some sets from classic and current ABC shows and run it like a meet and greet. Have your picture taken in olivia pope's office or in grannies dinner from Once, or Victoria's living room from Revenge. It would be a cool experience and inexpensive to execute.

GMR is an important ride but it needs an overhaul. The forced plot of the car jacking has run its course and the animatronics are horrible. The alien one would be the worst on disney property if not for Ellen in the Energy Adventure.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

Exactly!!! See "Maelstrom" thread for more of that. Norway becoming "Frozen"? Pretty sure that's not keeping with Walt's vision of EPCOT..

That's right !! W W W D ?? (what would walt do??)

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

Good point. I guess it would be more accurate to say that Uni did a great job expanding the concept. If Disney can return with something more interactive/integrated I will be impressed. If we see kids just standing in front of a screen waving their hands around, I wont be surprised.

Hey how is this for an idea...The Padawan Test...the young padawans step onto a platform and pull on a glove - one with those motion capture dots built into it and then press a button to begin their 'exercise'. They are facing what looks like a clear window glass, with rocks and trees, bits of scrap metal, blocks etc. They try to use the Force to stack them, move them and so on. A computer uses the dots to track their motions and responds accordingly...occasionally with an explosive error, just for fun.

I don't know much about techie stuff. I am better if you keep me behind either a microscope or a sewing machine. maybe that is how these things work already.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

Sadly, I fear that removing the gangster or old west bandit takeover of the ride would mean replacement with a recorded narration like Living with the Land or backlot tour. That's not a solution I want. However, unmotivated CM's doesn't help either. I would assume their lack of motivation comes from their boredom over trying to make scenes that are so dated come to life. I feel for them.

Hey, when I took drama and theater courses, I was taught that a truly good actor can make a reading of the phone book seem intriguing. If they don't want the job...move over - someone else will do it.

 

[landauh]

That's right !! W W W D ?? (what would walt do??)

He would not have built EPCOT the theme park.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

I live in New Orleans, and the film industry is booming here. There were more high grossing movies made here last year than anywhere else in the world. It's all about tax credits... We've got 'em, Georgia and NC have 'em.

Yep ! they are even filming out here in ('armpit of the cultural universe' - just kidding my fellow okies) Oklahoma..."August Osage County"...anyone ?? There is nothing like catching a glimpse of luscious Benjamin Cumberbach at the home of the local piano teacher...