Disney slashes Forbidden Mountain budget!!

[blm07]

Originally posted by turkey leg boy
There was a video at Dueling Dragons??? I didn't notice because no one was in the queue.

Yes its when you first go into the castle. That queue is so awesome man!

 

[Shaman]

Originally posted by happy snapper
I’m delighted to see the Universal booster club back this post with their full weight. Constructive...ehhh no, Informative, ehh no, Opinionated, yes entirely, but that’s their style Opinion as fact, talking out of their arses as opposed to their mouths.

Simple question why do the burning bird boy and the bandage lover visit this site if they hate the Disney co so much. I guess it’s to grind their axes, but if they limited it to universal no one would give flying monkeys.

Universal!!! ha please they don't even hold a candle to DISNEY. But to say that all is perfect in the magical world would be ignorant. Lets be realistic here, they have gotten cheap as of late. And hey to a certain extent maybe its the product sound business decisions, but I think that if you want to stay with the competition you have to make a leap of faith and take chances. Mission Space will hopefully bring the crowds back.

Before the last post I put up, I said what most have said....cause I doubt they'll cutback on FM...but if they do cut back it should be done on queue just as long as it doesn't affect the ride itself.

Just my opinion, which doesn't mean anymore than anyone elses opinion and vice versa. Rumors will spread and sometimes they are false (most of the time), but lets look at the facts as of late Disney has gotten cheap...look at how EPCOT is falling apart.

But to me a DISNEY falling apart is still better than Universal.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by Main Street USA
They simply choose to believe whatever the negative news is. Which is sad, and quite annoying.

Agreed. Let's leave the speculating to Jim Hill and wait for some real, based on fact, information before we start dishing out mud to WDI execs.

 

[CTXRover]

Originally posted by objr
lets look at the facts as of late Disney has gotten cheap...look at how EPCOT is falling apart.

--Thread Drift---

Epcot's attendance has slid, but in all fairness, I wouldn't say it was because Disney was being cheap, but rather a change in guest's desires. The park is still very similar to how it was when it opened, which cost a pretty penny if I might add (over a billion dollars without inflation considerations, I think). Everything looks in great shape (with the exception of Figment, ok ride, but not near its original predecessor), but it seems less of the general public like the idea of an "educational" park, as it was originally presented.

That's why Epcot has gotten two of the most expensive attractions built by Disney in the recent years, M:S and TT. I think they're pouring the money into Epcot, lets just hope it works

 

[Shaman]

Originally posted by CTXRover
That's why Epcot has gotten two of the most expensive attractions built by Disney in the recent years, M:S and TT. I think they're pouring the money into Epcot, lets just hope it works

yup, I remember when EPCOT was my favorite park . I hope that some of the rumored Gemini will turn out to be true and will make EPCOT what it use to be. But hey lets stop drifting.......back to the cutbacks on FM.......

 

[Bryy2001]

Just as my two cents....I am sure that Disney Imagineering is not stupid. They realize that Forbidden Mountain has the potential to save not only Animal Kingdom but attendance in general at WDW. If they go cheap on FM, they aren't going to be fooling anyone. This is the attraction that will put Animal Kingdom back on the map (it was never off the map, in my opinion, but you know). Give them some credit, they know all that is riding on this attraction. Even if there is a cut, your talking about maybe 10% at the most of an attraction that will probably top 120 million dollars. Forbidden Mountain may be to WDW what Spiderman is to IOA. The same can be said about Mission Space. I think that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, and that in the next five years or so, WDW is going to go under some pretty extensive changes (and not cheap ones in any sense). Imagineering is not stupid, they know that they underestimated the competition they are now feeling from Universal. Mission Space, Forbidden Mountain, project gemini (maybe?) is Disney's answer back. Let the games begin.

 

[ToTBellHop]

There has been no E-Ride built by Disney, EVER, that has not had cut-backs. That was Roy's job way back when, and it still happens. Imagineers PURPOSELY make projects that cost more than they think will ever get approved, just to get as many good ideas on the table as possible, hoping that at least most of them remain. This attraction has a budget of $120 million, so the Imagineers imagined a $150-200 million, and most of that will become part of the final product. Again, it happens on every WDI project, and they still build fantastic e-rides. Sure, we get cheaper C- and D- rides, and have of late, but that is necessary. It has to happen. You cannot just build E-Rides, or you end up only building one, maybe two attractions each year, so you go in cycles. Disney increased the volume of rides through the past few years by adding cheaper, filler attractions (One Man's Dream, the new parades, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Winnie the Pooh, Primeval Whirl!, TriceraTop Spin). Now, of course, we are moving back toward E-Ride construction, with SPACE, PhilharMagic (whether or not we will call the a D- or E-ticket remains to be seen), Everest, Time Racer, and Soarin--and, of course, the new firework show. With so many projects in the works, it is clear that while Disney may have eased of the gas from 1999 until now, they are accelerating again. You had to know in the mid 90s that Disney could not expand at that rate indefinitely, but it is clear that the break is over.

 

[Matt56]

Are Time Racer and Soarin confirmed?

How likely are these attraction to be built within the next couple years?

 

[wdwmagic]

Originally posted by Matt56
Are Time Racer and Soarin confirmed?

How likely are these attraction to be built within the next couple years?

Neither are officially confirmed. Both looks likely from the rumor perspective.
More info http://www.wdwmagic.com/project_gemini.htm

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Just to voice my opinion on possible cut backs to FM...

1. There is no FACT at all here. Until anything has been confirmed or denied by Disney, there is no need to panic or worry.

2. The source isn't that credible - so don't worry! I do enjoy some of the articles written by jimhillmedia, especially about possible plans (i.e. project gemini) but that's only because i'd love certain aspects to come true, not because I believe every word he writes.

3. A pre-show video would genrally cost much more then a themed que area (depending on what was originally planned?)

4. Does Jimhill even say or do we know from other 'sources' what was originally planned? I fail to see how peeps can get on the back of Disney and say they are cutting back on funding when we don't know what was originally planned?

 

[BradleyJ]

Originally posted by Hank Scorpio
3. A pre-show video would genrally cost much more then a themed que area (depending on what was originally planned?)

I know, does anyone acctualy think, that by removing simple and cheep props.

To then spend much more to FILM a preshow and place TV's every makes since.

 

[Raidermatt]

My main point was that the people that are in this thread whining about this "news" as fact, are the same ones that said they didn't believe a word Jim Hill was writing in the Gemini article. They simply choose to believe whatever the negative news is. Which is sad, and quite annoying.

Sure there's some of that. There's also a lot of folks who jump up and down and say "SEE, ALL IS WELL!" when a positive "rumor" comes out, but don't want any part of any rumor not dripping with Pixie Dust. Equally sad. Not so much annoying as disappointing.

Agreed. Let's leave the speculating to Jim Hill and wait for some real, based on fact, information before we start dishing out mud to WDI execs.

Are you suggesting that instead of News and Rumors, perhaps the name of the board should be News and Confirmed Facts?

I assume you also think we should leave the speculating about the possible positive aspects of the attraction out of the discussion as well?

There is no FACT at all here. Until anything has been confirmed or denied by Disney, there is no need to panic or worry.

I don't know...there were a lot of "unconfirmed rumors" about DCA and Dinorama before they opened...

Of course there were also a lot of postive rumors about the new ToT program before it was ever announced...yet there wasn't much call for people to lower their level of anticipation because the rumors were not facts.

 

[Raidermatt]

3. A pre-show video would genrally cost much more then a themed que area (depending on what was originally planned?)

Think of queue areas like Indy, Space Mountain, and ToT.

Yes, they utilize video monitors, but they also contain a bunch of "stuff" just sitting there, as well as some effects. Certainly the cost of designing, constructing and maintaining these queues is greater than a largely "video-only" queue.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by Raidermatt
Are you suggesting that instead of News and Rumors, perhaps the name of the board should be News and Confirmed Facts?

I assume you also think we should leave the speculating about the possible positive aspects of the attraction out of the discussion as well?

No I was refering to the fact that some are bashing WDI execs for doing this rumored cut back when 1) we don't have a reliable source either way, and 2) this is how buisness is done anyways.

If we really knew what was orriginally planned for every Disney attraction, and what we really got in the end, we'd probebly be all up inarms saying things like Disney could have been, should have been, etc. (Not that we don't already do that now :animwink: )

Some are just taking the "rumor" to much as fact, and it may be fact, dunno, but even if it is, will we really care at all once the ride is open? If it sucks, maybe, but I doubt it will.

 

[JRead]

How much exposition do you need here?

"1. They're reportedly en route to join a group of scientists high up in the Himalayas.
2. The Yeti seems to be a pretty fearsome creature." -- JimHill

I mean, really, this isn't Macbeth. Als0, I'm sure you wont be standing in the middle of nowhere in line with TV monitors around, the area will still give the proper mood for attraction, a budget cut doesn't mean they're going to stop being storytellers.

On a side note I agree that Fastpass ruins the Indy queue area but I think ToT's is absolutely fantastic (the video preshow works better there than in other places since it is based on a TV show) and I find Dueling Dragons' queue to be of the same calibar as Disney's.

 

[Testtrack321]

For JH: I take everything he says as one thing: ENTERTAINMENT. It's there for me to read and enjoy. I don't base anything else on it. Not vacations or stock purchases.

For Themed Ques: I think that the que that described the whole story never took off. Look at every ride ever created by Disney. Only a few have ever done this. And those have people still scratching their heads wondering whats going on. I think its a good idea to have 'cluse' that describe the story and possably a spoiler or two for those who pay attention. But then TV's and movies are needed. Hell, Indy uses a movie to set up most of the story.

 

[DisneyWonders07]

About JimHillMedia.com...What I want to know, is how does this website get all this info on Disney? I mean, the only way I can figure it is if the webmaster there is a WDW Imagineer, and if he was I'd imagine he'd have to keep everything hush-hush until official confirmation from Disney.

So either JimHillMedia.com is finding out this information illegally, or they are making up phoney stories and silly rumors!

If anyone can tell me otherwise, go ahead.:veryconfu

 

[JRead]

Originally posted by DisneyWonders07
So either JimHillMedia.com is finding out this information illegally, or they are making up phoney stories and silly rumors!

I'm not saying that he is but the third possibility is that someone from inside gets him the information and he simply reports it, which is not illegal, it's no different from CNN or the Times. However, in this particular case I think he's more like the NY Post.

 

[DisneyWonders07]

ohhhhh I see...And don't worry I didn't even see that you posted so I wasn't trying to critisize u or anything, just that I've been meaning to say that for the past few days

 

[Lee]

Ok, I've said it before, but here it goes again...

Jim Hill has some excellent sources at WDI. People who know much more than they feed to Jim. I know this because it appears that I have some of the same ones, just not as many.

However, sometimes it seem that they use him as a tool for getting info out for their own benefit.
For example, someone who stood to loose a job, or be laid off, if the queue is not extravagantly themed would want to cause an uproar, thereby hoping that public outcry would ensure him a job on the project.

Jim is just the messenger in some cases, for someone elses agenda.

Does Jim intentionally lie? Not that I've seen.
Is there truth to the article? Yep.
Is it anything to worry about? Nope.