Disney to buy Marvel Entertainment

[SirGoofy]

Since he can't touch the big charecters, Iger has already said they are looking into even the most obscure charecters. Citing Iron Man as an example of a non-famous Superhero striking a chord with audiences.

And an Iron Man or even Thor ride would be epic.

 

[lebeau]

And an Iron Man or even Thor ride would be epic.

Captain America ride in Liberty Square!

(Darn, I'm getting caught up in it too...)

 

[SirGoofy]

Captain America ride in Liberty Square!

(Darn, I'm getting caught up in it too...)

Uni's already got a Cap restaurant. I'm trying to steer clear of things they've already built.:lol:

 

[NemoRocks78]

This has been covered to death in this thread, but Universal already promotes properties owned by rival studios in their theme parks. So does Disney for that matter.

The only thing that has changed is how the check is made payable.

THIS.

I don't understand why you blind Disney marks can't get through your heads. Indiana Jones. Star Wars. American Idol. Nearly everything in GMR. Twilight Zone. Aerosmith. TMNT, Ace Ventura, Goosebumps back in the day. IT'S NOT DISNEY. They pay $$$ to all the respective studios to use that stuff, and Universal does the same. Just because the studio they're paying for characters is just down I-4 makes no difference.

Disney and Universal... they're MORE than theme parks. From what I see on this board, people think that's all they're about and that there's this giant war between them because of two theme park destinations each down I-4 from each other. WRONG. The parks are a small, small slice of the pie. Disney DID NOT buy Marvel to get back at Universal for Potter, and Universal isn't going to change out Marvel for DC or Action Island or whatever crazy ideas that are floating around.

Those begging for Spidey at DHS or crazy EPCOT pavilion ideas with Marvel characters... get over it. Marvel Super Hero Island isn't going anywhere until UO decides to change it, thanks to that contract. A good amount of UO merchandise features the Marvel characters, and I don't think they'll be letting that slip away anytime soon.

Here are my thoughts on Marvel Superhero Island.

Attractions:
Incredible Hulk Coaster: Awesome coaster...and I love how it sounds like the Hulk's roar as it passes overhead. That being said, aside from it being green...no theming (aside from the queue...and the torn-apart tank). The Gamma Tube is a stretch.

Storm-Force Accelatron: This attraction is set so far back...that people just walk right by it. It's the teacups with some effects...nothing special.

Dr. Doom's Fearfall: Theming wise...it's great. I love the queue, the looping video, and the "story." And there's nothing like the feeling you get as you're waiting to launch and the doors close forming Dr. Doom's face. The ride, on the otherhand, is nothing special...again. This attraction can be found at most amusement parks throughout the country.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man: WOW...this is an incredible attraction...from the minute you step into the queue, to the minute you are spit out into the gift shop. The queue is incredible...I love the "office" portion...with everything being painted "drab" colors as they would be if they were in a comic book (for the most part, the only "vibrant" things in comic books are the main characters). The safety spiel is hilarious. The ride is spot-on perfection.

Overall theming:
I'm not a fan of the cardboard cutouts all over the buildings. They seem cheap and take me out of the element. I understand why they did it...but it doesn't work IMO. The land is very loud with the roar of the Hulk, the screams from the Fear Fall, the loud music...etc. Again, it WORKS with this environment...because, afterall, it's a cityscape. (When you're up against Toon Lagoon with it's kinetic feel...and cardboard cutouts that work, Lost Continent, Suess Landing, etc...Marvel Superhero Island doesn't stack up.)

Superhero Meet & Greet: Aside from Spider-Man, the characters are all pretty weak. Wolverine and Green Goblin could be the worst characters in any theme park. (The actual costumes are weak, not the characters themselves). Why would superheroes ride 4-wheelers? Storm can fly, Green Goblin has his "board," Spidey can swing through the city, etc. A park-wide parade would work so well...I still don't understand why they haven't attempted it.

Narrow walkways and the fact that it'd have to completely circle the park are the reasons why, I believe. When HHN was at IOA they wouldn't do the parade.

 

[GothMickey]

This has been covered to death in this thread, but Universal already promotes properties owned by rival studios in their theme parks. So does Disney for that matter.

The only thing that has changed is how the check is made payable.

Oy, does Fox own a theme park? NO. So, they promote the Simpsons. And? THEME PARK is the difference here. Disney and Universal are right down the road from each other. Seriously, you think Universal wants Mickey Mouse in their park? Nope. Why? THEME PARK COMPETITOR! That is the difference.

Yes, things HAVE changed.

 

[PirateFrank]

Presumably if it wasn't, Uni would have backed out before now.

It's an assumption on my part. But then, none of us really knows anything.

My point is just that nothing of any substance has changed regarding Universal's deal with Marvel.

I'm not so sure Universal could have done anything about this deal. The acquisition is for Marvel, not Universal. If you mean by backing out that Uni would have started rebranding their attractions. Backing out in advance of the acquisition announcement would have had the same effect as backing out just afterwards. They would be signaling to Disney that they are threatened by Disney's (or soon to be) new holding of Marvel and willing to facilitate change to insulate themselves. I'm sure this is the last thing they want to signal, because they are going to want to sell their contract to Disney and get top dollar for it.


As far as the deal changing nothing...I agree in that it changes nothing in the immediate. But I'm not so sure the status quo will remain....


If Disney starts co-branding everything they can control within Marvel or at the very least, making it very clear to the public that Marvel is now very much a Disney brand....Universal wont want anything to do with any marvel character, no matter how long their licensing agreement is gauranteed for.


That's the point I'm presenting. Disney is in full control of this....they can either leave things be and just pocket the new income stream...or if they want Universal's position on their theme park exclusivity, they can make it very easy to get with a simple yet very effective change of the scenery.

This is not beneficial for Uni in the slightest.

 

[jt04]

Those "rival studios" don't have major theme parks that are competitors.

Disney and Universal are in a different league from say Paramount coaster park out in Nantucket somewhere.

It's a tricky situation for Universal because they know the Marvel island is a huge draw (and the fact is Spider-Man is the best/most technologically advanced e-ticket attraction in the USA until Potter opens) but at the same time do they really want to promote Disney's agenda and hand there fierciest competitor a paycheck every month?

In Universal's mind they should be saying to themselves "If we drop Marvel we will still have Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, the Universal movies, and the delicious Mythos" and they can for under $1 billion retool the island into Transformers (Cybertron), DC (Gotham), Dark Horse (Hellboy, etc.) or Movie monsters or something.

Hell they can even get into bed with Fox and turn the island into NARNIA Kingdom!

If I was Universal I would immediatly announce its closure the second the deal is finalized but thats just me because I wouldn't let my competitor rape me.

When I go to Disney World now im going to be expecting Marvel rides, shows, attractions, and charecters. As a shareholder I want to see my (and millions of others) dollars being put to good use creating value at the resort.

You will see Marvel in the parks sooner rather than later is my guess. It will just not be the characters at Uni. You are right Uni has some tough choices. And they could convert Marvel Island for much less than 1 Billion.

But for the last time, neither Disney nor Fox owns Narnia and they can't put it in the parks. The walk through at DHS is a promotion of the movies and nothing more. And soon that will be gone.

Does anything prevent Disney from putting characters not used at IoA at DHS or DTD?

 

[lebeau]

Oy, does Fox own a theme park? NO. So, they promote the Simpsons. And? THEME PARK is the difference here. Disney and Universal are right down the road from each other. Seriously, you think Universal wants Mickey Mouse in their park? Nope. Why? THEME PARK COMPETITOR! That is the difference.

Yes, things HAVE changed.

You seriously think that makes any difference? Cause, it doesn't.

Wait and see. Marvel Super Hero Island isn't going anywhere (unless Disney lawyers find some kind of loophole in the current deal).

Universal has made it very clear they DON'T want out of the deal.

 

[lebeau]

I'm not so sure Universal could have done anything about this deal. The acquisition is for Marvel, not Universal. If you mean by backing out that Uni would have started rebranding their attractions. Backing out in advance of the acquisition announcement would have had the same effect as backing out just afterwards. They would be signaling to Disney that they are threatened by Disney's (or soon to be) new holding of Marvel and willing to facilitate change to insulate themselves. I'm sure this is the last thing they want to signal, because they are going to want to sell their contract to Disney and get top dollar for it.


As far as the deal changing nothing...I agree in that it changes nothing in the immediate. But I'm not so sure the status quo will remain....


If Disney starts co-branding everything they can control within Marvel or at the very least, making it very clear to the public that Marvel is now very much a Disney brand....Universal wont want anything to do with any marvel character, no matter how long their licensing agreement is gauranteed for.


That's the point I'm presenting. Disney is in full control of this....they can either leave things be and just pocket the new income stream...or if they want Universal's position on their theme park exclusivity, they can make it very easy to get with a simple yet very effective change of the scenery.

This is not beneficial for Uni in the slightest.

It's a two-way street. I bet Disney would love to have full control of their new characters. But they don't. And anything Disney does to promote Spider-man could drive people to Uni where they can see him.

There's a give and take on both sides here.

 

[GothMickey]

THIS.

I don't understand why you blind Disney marks can't get through your heads. Indiana Jones. Star Wars. American Idol. Nearly everything in GMR. Twilight Zone. Aerosmith. TMNT, Ace Ventura, Goosebumps back in the day. IT'S NOT DISNEY. They pay $$$ to all the respective studios to use that stuff, and Universal does the same. Just because the studio they're paying for characters is just down I-4 makes no difference.

Disney and Universal... they're MORE than theme parks. From what I see on this board, people think that's all they're about and that there's this giant war between them because of two theme park destinations each down I-4 from each other. WRONG. The parks are a small, small slice of the pie. Disney DID NOT buy Marvel to get back at Universal for Potter, and Universal isn't going to change out Marvel for DC or Action Island or whatever crazy ideas that are floating around.

Those begging for Spidey at DHS or crazy EPCOT pavilion ideas with Marvel characters... get over it. Marvel Super Hero Island isn't going anywhere until UO decides to change it, thanks to that contract. A good amount of UO merchandise features the Marvel characters, and I don't think they'll be letting that slip away anytime soon.



Narrow walkways and the fact that it'd have to completely circle the park are the reasons why, I believe. When HHN was at IOA they wouldn't do the parade.

None of you are seeing the point here. It has EVERYTHING to do with the theme parks. Does Indiana Jones have a theme park? Star Wars? Twilight Zone? Americal Idol? No they do not. Does Disney have a theme park that competes with Universal? Yes they do. Does LucasFilms have a theme park? Nope. If it did, do you honestly think Star Wars would be in Disney? No way.

Last time I checked, Fox does not own a theme park. So, Universal bought the rights to a Simpsons based attraction. Fine. Let's say Fox HAD a theme park. Hmm, would Simpsons be in Fox' theme park or Universal? I would go out on a limb and say Fox'.

If promoting other competitor's property wasn't such a big deal, then why don't Disney sell the rights to Mickey Mouse to Universal?

Disney will now own Marvel and their characters. By Universal keeping open Marvel, they are promoting Disney's characters. If Disney didn't have a theme park then this would be on the same level of Fox and Simpsons. Since Disney DOES have a theme park, there is more at play here.

 

[jt04]

You seriously think that makes any difference? Cause, it doesn't.

Wait and see. Marvel Super Hero Island isn't going anywhere (unless Disney lawyers find some kind of loophole in the current deal).

Universal has made it very clear they DON'T want out of the deal.

No they haven't. They said it will be there as long as they want it to be there. That is very nebulous wording.

 

[lebeau]

Does anything prevent Disney from putting characters not used at IoA at DHS or DTD?

I have heard conflicting info on this. I don't think anyone will know for sure until the lawyers are done.

 

[Mimi]

I was a little skeptical when Disney took on the Muppets, I was afraid they'd end up all over the parks and ruin the Disney "feel" of the parks. That didn't happen though.

I had the same fear about this deal for only a moment. I believe the Marvel heros will be much more prominent in the parks but I'm actually kind of excited about it. There are a lot of cool possibilities and I really don't think they're going to dilute the Disney originals with Marvel.

 

[SirGoofy]

I have heard conflicting info on this. I don't think anyone will know for sure until the lawyers are done.

Agreed.

I'm still hoping we're able to use Iron Man. Honestly, I'd be okay with just Iron Man.:lol:

 

[lebeau]

None of you are seeing the point here. It has EVERYTHING to do with the theme parks. Does Indiana Jones have a theme park? Star Wars? Twilight Zone? Americal Idol? No they do not. Does Disney have a theme park that competes with Universal? Yes they do. Does LucasFilms have a theme park? Nope. If it did, do you honestly think Star Wars would be in Disney? No way.

Last time I checked, Fox does not own a theme park. So, Universal bought the rights to a Simpsons based attraction. Fine. Let's say Fox HAD a theme park. Hmm, would Simpsons be in Fox' theme park or Universal? I would go out on a limb and say Fox'.

If promoting other competitor's property wasn't such a big deal, then why don't Disney sell the rights to Mickey Mouse to Universal?

Disney will now own Marvel and their characters. By Universal keeping open Marvel, they are promoting Disney's characters. If Disney didn't have a theme park then this would be on the same level of Fox and Simpsons. Since Disney DOES have a theme park, there is more at play here.

Disney didn't sell Mickey Mouse to Universal because they aren't stupid. :shrug:

What do you see as the all-important difference here? Cause I don't see a theme park rivalry as being any more important than a studio rivalry.

 

[jonnyc]

None of you are seeing the point here. It has EVERYTHING to do with the theme parks. Does Indiana Jones have a theme park? Star Wars? Twilight Zone? Americal Idol? No they do not. Does Disney have a theme park that competes with Universal? Yes they do. Does LucasFilms have a theme park? Nope. If it did, do you honestly think Star Wars would be in Disney? No way.

Last time I checked, Fox does not own a theme park. So, Universal bought the rights to a Simpsons based attraction. Fine. Let's say Fox HAD a theme park. Hmm, would Simpsons be in Fox' theme park or Universal? I would go out on a limb and say Fox'.

If promoting other competitor's property wasn't such a big deal, then why don't Disney sell the rights to Mickey Mouse to Universal?

Disney will now own Marvel and their characters. By Universal keeping open Marvel, they are promoting Disney's characters. If Disney didn't have a theme park then this would be on the same level of Fox and Simpsons. Since Disney DOES have a theme park, there is more at play here.

It's a two-way street. I bet Disney would love to have full control of their new characters. But they don't. And anything Disney does to promote Spider-man could drive people to Uni where they can see him.

There's a give and take on both sides here.

I agree with you GothMickey. But In reference to your final paragraph I think, as lebeau has pointed out, anything Disney does with Marvel is also promoting Marvel in Universal, It does work both ways and that has been neglected so far in this thread.

 

[lebeau]

No they haven't. They said it will be there as long as they want it to be there. That is very nebulous wording.

I thought the intent was pretty clear. Uni is in the driver's seat and they are staying the course.

Now, if Disney did something that made Spider-man exceptionally unpopular, maybe they's pull the plug. But I don't think Uni's any more likely to pull the plug today than they were a week ago.

They didn't own Spider-man last week either.

 

[lebeau]

Agreed.

I'm still hoping we're able to use Iron Man. Honestly, I'd be okay with just Iron Man.:lol:

Any or all of the Avengers would be cool in my book. The classic Avengers have always been my favorite Marvel characters.

(Although I really hated Iron Man after Civil War!)

 

[The Conundrum]

Uni's already got a Cap restaurant. I'm trying to steer clear of things they've already built.:lol:

Does Universal have Namor represented at all in the park? If not, im thinking thats going to be a property Pixar/Marvel will be developing. He's kind of like Aquaman but cooler.

Namor would be a sweet e-ticket water ride in Fantasyland (Atlantis going back to 20k themes) or DHS.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

For everyone who says Universal would sooner close down a hit ride than promote anything with corporate ties to Disney, how do you explain the continued presence of Shrek 4-D down the road from both WDW and Disneyland, considering that Disney now distributes Dreamworks films?