Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

[HMF]

I doubt that will happen. Al Lutz wrote and I have heard as well that much of Frontierland will remain like CBJ, DH, BTM etc ... this will take up the real estate that the RoA sits on. It is a big piece of land. I'm a bit sad as it looked beautiful, I missed the boats and TSI on my 2010 visit, but they don't have land to really expand on there.

And they want a third gate and I wonder where that's going!

I know but all the other lands suggest Genres rather than specific franchises the lands would be
*World Bazarr
*Adventureland
*Westernland
*Critter Country
*Fantasyland
*Tomorrowland
*Carsland?
One of these things is not like the other things, unless Cars Land is somehow integrated into Westernland and I don't see how that would work if Westernland is aiming for the same Old West motif as the stateside parks. I suppose since it is "Western" and not "Frontier" you could bend the rules and justify the Route 66 theme as the gateway to the west but that would really be pushing it.

 

[WDW1974]

So they'll lose all or part of their RoA.

That's what it looks like. I can't blame them. They have no choice if they want to keep giving people new reasons to visit. ... and I'm sure this will be done right.

They even make stuff like Turtle Talk seem classy.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I've said this before, but what really bothers me about Cars Land is its massive size. I don't see so much an epic vision and undertaking, like what we saw with the EPCOT Center or even like the Wizarding Worlds, but a massive amount of infrastructure that makes the cost of removal prohibitive.

I believe that is where Disney and WDI have gone off the rails ... because they do ask guests what they want. If that had been the mindset years ago, we never would have had a DL or a WDW or an EPCOT Center or anything that Disney did in the parks business beginning in 1955.

Bingo. The problem is that people are misunderstanding what is far more a function of language. Despite all the warm cuddly-ness, not everybody is creative. So in order to make up for this shortcoming, we use what we know to express desires for something new. A desire for another [insert great work] is not an actual desire for just it done again, but something else that is new that embodies the spirit of that work.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

That's what it looks like. I can't blame them. They have no choice if they want to keep giving people new reasons to visit. ... and I'm sure this will be done right.

They even make stuff like Turtle Talk seem classy.

No doubt, but as a huge Mark Twain fan, I'm kinda saddened by the projects moving forward that will eliminate the TSI's. however. I'm guessing they'll do a pretty extensive rainbow/taillight caverns scene for their railroad, so that along with carsland should be pretty cool with an OLC budget. Also, is it true that TDO wants painted flats for their rock work?

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Maybe WDW can get their Riverboat and other Frontierland stuff. Better yet, send it to DLP!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Maybe WDW can get their Riverboat and other Frontierland stuff. Better yet, send it to DLP!

Mitch from ImagineeringDisney would go through the roof if they brought the Mike Fink Keelboats and canoes back!

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

That's what it looks like. I can't blame them. They have no choice if they want to keep giving people new reasons to visit. ... and I'm sure this will be done right.

At great personal risk to my physical well being... I'm going to lend my support for this project and state, "Good riddance!" to MK's RoA.

I've always loved DL's River because of its intimate size. Double ditto for TSI. There's a quaintness to the original that I've always found lacking at MK. It's too big to feel personally inviting, but too small to seem genuinely realistic. The trees and dense foliage are terrific, but... I could lose the river and never look back. It is a waste of space for the return value. Better to repurpose it into something new that family members of all ages will enjoy.

They even make stuff like Turtle Talk seem classy.

I really wanted to hate TT. I really did. But it's just so gosh darned cute!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Maybe we can all buy their MT Riverboat as a timeshare and tie it up in Newport Beach.

 

[WDW1974]

At great personal risk to my physical well being... I'm going to lend my support for this project and state, "Good riddance!" to MK's RoA.

I've always loved DL's River because of its intimate size. Double ditto for TSI. There's a quaintness to the original that I've always found lacking at MK. It's too big to feel personally inviting, but too small to seem genuinely realistic. The trees and dense foliage are terrific, but... I could lose the river and never look back. It is a waste of space for the return value. Better to repurpose it into something new that family members of all ages will enjoy.

I was referring to the OLC removing the RoA for Cars Land. ... That is almost assuredly happening. The MK's RoA, which have been in a sorry state for over a decade, are not going anywhere.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

When we talk about the free ranging TDL Pooh ride system, it's only fair to say that initially getting that thing up and running was really hard. OLC had the software rewritten eventually as it had lots of glitches in the first year. The versions they are doing today are schematically very different, but the free ranging guest experience will be fundamentally the same. So one reason you didn't see them jumping into developing wireless dark rides (I pushed extremely hard back in 1998) day two, was that that it was such a new system with bugs and with an expensive premium attached to it. I still believe that roaming vehicles is a huge breakthrough and presents so many exciting possibilities, that it still should have been exploited earlier in even more unique ways. We will see other competing parks do this and possibly take more risks and do bigger and better things.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Today Sam Gennaway has an interesting piece on the development, background and eventual demise of the Peoplemover. Interesting read.

http://micechat.com/17017-peoplemover/

 

[Darth Sidious]

Today Sam Gennaway has an interesting piece on the development, background and eventual demise of the Peoplemover. Interesting read.

http://micechat.com/17017-peoplemover/

I sure do wish the company still had a visionary like Walt at the healm. The fact that such rides dueled as an attraction and as a prototype for future transportation is amazing. I know TWDC sold one model of this system to Houston but think of the possibilities available today if they took this approach in other facets of the resort. I wish they would make some brilliant cutting edge ideas come to life in a way that could even benefit your hometown airport or mall. Think of the extra money that could be had by patenting and selling some of these technologies. Now I understand TWDC isn't really looking to get into that sort of business but I think if you could do something that could potentially be doubled down upon for further return you should examine it.

Imagine a state of the art, 'makes sense', economical transportation solution/system being designed and engineered for the transportation problems at WDW. If they really put themselves to the task maybe they could revolutionize infrastructure and sell those ideas elsewhere. Far reaching and crazy, yes but I would have to believe it is something right in line with Walt's vision.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

I was referring to the OLC removing the RoA for Cars Land. ... That is almost assuredly happening. The MK's RoA, which have been in a sorry state for over a decade, are not going anywhere.

Oh. The Al Lutz rumor. Which leemac denounced over at LP. Do you believe Lee's correct?

Too bad MK's river is staying. I would like to see the revamped Discovery Bay circa 2000 put there, with the docked steamboat and land bridge to TSI. It would fit in perfectly next to BTMRR. But I know it will never happen.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Maybe we can all buy their MT Riverboat as a timeshare and tie it up in Newport Beach.

I'd love to have another piece of Disney history where I live. It'd definitely make up for the loss of the Reuben E. Lee.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I'd love to have another piece of Disney history where I live. It'd definitely make up for the loss of the Reuben E. Lee.

That was my thinking too. Loved that place as a kid!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Oh. The Al Lutz rumor. Which leemac denounced over at LP. Do you believe Lee's correct?

Too bad MK's river is staying. I would like to see the revamped Discovery Bay circa 2000 put there, with the docked steamboat and land bridge to TSI. It would fit in perfectly next to BTMRR. But I know it will never happen.

I don't know if it's correct, but I can say from the OLC point of view, given the lack of interest by guests in that area that it would be plausible and perhaps the only real option if they want Carsland, other than to lose Grand Circuit Raceway. A decade ago that area was pretty dead and kind of flavorless.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I sure do wish the company still had a visionary like Walt at the healm. The fact that such rides dueled as an attraction and as a prototype for future transportation is amazing. I know TWDC sold one model of this system to Houston but think of the possibilities available today if they took this approach in other facets of the resort. I wish they would make some brilliant cutting edge ideas come to life in a way that could even benefit your hometown airport or mall. Think of the extra money that could be had by patenting and selling some of these technologies. Now I understand TWDC isn't really looking to get into that sort of business but I think if you could do something that could potentially be doubled down upon for further return you should examine it.

Imagine a state of the art, 'makes sense', economical transportation solution/system being designed and engineered for the transportation problems at WDW. If they really put themselves to the task maybe they could revolutionize infrastructure and sell those ideas elsewhere. Far reaching and crazy, yes but I would have to believe it is something right in line with Walt's vision.

I don't know, but I'd bet WDI isn't staffed to produce in those directions anymore. I think they'd outsource transportation engineering. I was on the new monorail last week and could not believe how bad the interiors have held together. I guess the plastic they chose warps in the sun and the joinery in the nosecone was kind of laughable compared to todays cars. To your point, being visionary and leading the way in those areas would be nice but I think they'd have to choose that as a corporate mandate to fund the development right.

 

[Darth Sidious]

I don't know, but I'd bet WDI isn't staffed to produce in those directions anymore. I think they'd outsource transportation engineering. I was on the new monorail last week and could not believe how bad the interiors have held together. I guess the plastic they chose warps in the sun and the joinery in the nosecone was kind of laughable compared to todays cars. To your point, being visionary and leading the way in those areas would be nice but I think they'd have to choose that as a corporate mandate to fund the development right.

Oh absolutely, I would have to guess those days are behind us. I would never expect TWDC to start engineering transportation and I am sure they would outsource it. My post was mostly idealistic in nature. The company's mission statement is to be a leader in entertainment not a master developer for the future haha.

If you look at the background of Eisner/Iger, I think it is noticeable their decisions are coming from an entertainment background (which they both have). While Iger/Eisner are from entertainment, Walt was more creative seemingly with an interest in a broad spectrum of subjects. This is not a knock to either Eisner/Iger as I think they do a good job as CEOs into today's culture. I would just prefer a visionary type leader but it just doesn't seem feasible for a multitude of reasons today.

Out of curiosity do you know what the mission statement was in the 60s before Walt passed? Also... any suggestions of books on Walt/The Company? I found the article Sam wrote on Micechat to be very intriguing and I'd love to get more like that.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I don't know that they needed one in the 60's as Walt was the mission statement! I do remember that the Annual Reports in the early 70's used to say "Look to the name Walt Disney for the finest in family entertainment". That was enough for me.

 

[HMF]

This is not a knock to either Eisner/Iger as I think they do a good job as CEOs into today's culture..

I would not consider that a compliment.