FoTLK To Close in January?

[the.dreamfinder]

Actually, it's Tom Staggs. The "Avatarland" idea was his baby from the start.

Well, Pixar has a professional baby killer on staff.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Brav...ng-Babies-Taking-Over-Someone-Film-31243.html

 

[tirian]

Lee and WDW74 have made comments that Pandora was in flux and that it could get canceled especially after Iger leaves. At least that is how I remember it. Bet they wish they could take that back now though. And I wouldn't buy into the Cameron/perfectionist meme. It is just too obvious a take and can't be proven or disproven. It is just too pat.

The "perfectionism meme" does sound "too pat," but it's also true. Cameron does this with everything he touches; whether or not it's worth the trouble is a question too complicated to answer here. I don't care for any of his movies, yet I can't deny that he's a master at creating an environment. "Titanic" is a soap opera and it won the Oscar for Best Picture. I don't know anyone who liked "Avatar" for anything more than its visuals, but they helped it make millions in B.O. revenue. Cameron knows how to make movie watchers feel like they've entered a new universe, and he has high standards for anything going into DAK, too.

At 2 am on August 10, 2012, Pandora is still being built in DAK. Any behind-the-scenes drama is fodder for us fans, even though it doesn't matter much in the long run.

 

[Next Big Thing]

I wouldn't dismiss this, but keep in mind that dates like these have a tendency to change or get moved further out. Even announced dates change when ops get the schedule and pitch a fit about reduction in capacity/potential revenue. But, that is a good time of year to close it. I'm kind of surprised they are doing it sooner in the month when crowds at the lowest.

Earlier in the month is when the WDW Marathon is. Gotta cater to those runners.

 

[dlpwishes]

Am I losing my mind or was there a time when FOLK was in fact partially outdoors? I seem to remember siting though some HOT performances of that show.

We visited in 2002 and 2005 and at some time between then the theatre was enclosed. The back used to be open with just curtains around

 

[Patricia Melton]

It seems pretty obvious what's happening:

* "Pandora - the World of Avatar" is being built on the Camp Mickey Minnie pad and CMM is going to be torn down completely and removed from the park

* Festival of the Lion King is being moved to Harembe Village in the Africa section of the park where it will be slightly retooled so that it becomes a show as if the people living in Harembe Village put on this show for visitors to their village

* You'll soon start to see other things from CMM that Disney wants to save being moved to other places. Mickey, Minnie, and the other characters will soon find new homes in DAK so that the entire CMM area will be soon walled off and Pandora construction will begin.

Not sure what they will build for Pandora, but after the huge success of DCA and the fact that the people behind DCA have been moved to Florida to start work on new projects, it sure looks like Disney wants Pandora to be spectacular.

 

[jt04]

The "perfectionism meme" does sound "too pat," but it's also true. Cameron does this with everything he touches; whether or not it's worth the trouble is a question too complicated to answer here. I don't care for any of his movies, yet I can't deny that he's a master at creating an environment. "Titanic" is a soap opera and it won the Oscar for Best Picture. I don't know anyone who liked "Avatar" for anything more than its visuals, but they helped it make millions in B.O. revenue. Cameron knows how to make movie watchers feel like they've entered a new universe, and he has high standards for anything going into DAK, too.

At 2 am on August 10, 2012, Pandora is still being built in DAK. Any behind-the-scenes drama is fodder for us fans, even though it doesn't matter much in the long run.

I agree we love any bits of info we can get so we can run with it. I have been hoping and calling for Cameron's involvement at WDI and WDW for many years. Specifically I think he could work wonders at the Living Seas. The Terminator attraction still holds up well after all these years IMO. It is the sleeper hit of Universal that does not get enough credit.

He reminds me of Walt Disney as far as his ability to create environments as you mention but also his ability to incorporate his technical and scientific interests.

And I realize he is a perfectionist but I also am not sure he would try to micro-manage WDI. I imagine he is just too busy primarily but also I would guess he delegates much of the day to day leg work to his team.

 

[John]

Agreed. To call it a theater is a stretch. Essentially it is a flat concrete pad with rails for the floats, temporary style bleacher seating, and a steel beam octagon or pentagon shaped structure erected over the top of it. I think the tech booth is essentially a shipping container that would seem easily moved as well. Of course, this is all wild speculation, but it seems like a pretty simple.

Rough guess here, but IF they wanted to do it cheaply and were just going to re-build it as is without any modification, the whole move re-location process could probably be done in just a few short weeks, with the most timely part being disassembling the structure and transporting to the new pad. If they budget for it and build a new structure, it could only be closed for a couple of weeks while they move the floats and props.

Nothing is done quickly at WDW .Cept' for cuts to guest offerings....just sayin'

 

[Lucky]

* Festival of the Lion King is being moved to Harembe Village in the Africa section of the park where it will be slightly retooled so that it becomes a show as if the people living in Harembe Village put on this show for visitors to their village

That would be tricky to pull off, for all sorts of reasons

 

[danlb_2000]

Lee and WDW74 have made comments that Pandora was in flux and that it could get canceled especially after Iger leaves. At least that is how I remember it. Bet they wish they could take that back now though. And I wouldn't buy into the Cameron/perfectionist meme. It is just too obvious a take and can't be proven or disproven. It is just too pat.

Cameron's perfectionism is a well document fact. There is no reason to believe he would treat this project any different then anything else he has worked on. I am sure no one had any illusions that Cameron would be easy to work with on this project.

Specifically I think he could work wonders at the Living Seas.

Here is a point I totally agree with you on. He would be the perfect person to re-imagine that pavilion.

 

[jt04]

Cameron's perfectionism is a well document fact. There is no reason to believe he would treat this project any different then anything else he has worked on. I am sure no one had any illusions that Cameron would be easy to work with on this project.



Here is a point I totally agree with you on. He would be the perfect person to re-imagine that pavilion.

What bothers me is that I knew people on these boards would claim he was being difficult because that is his reputation. I knew it was coming and the people who would make the claim. I do not doubt Cameron's perfectionism. I do doubt the story about him being difficult on this project.

I mean seriously, can you picture Rhode and Cameron having an argument? I can't.

 

[danlb_2000]

What bothers me is that I knew people on these boards would claim he was being difficult because that is his reputation. I knew it was coming and the people who would make the claim. I do not doubt Cameron's perfectionism. I do doubt the story about him being difficult on this project.

I mean seriously, can you picture Rhode and Cameron having an argument? I can't.

From what I have read about Cameron, I could imaging him having an argument with Mother Teresa! He has a well known reputation for being hard to work with, don't see any reason it would be different on this project.

Being hard to work with obviously has it's downsides but in the end it can turn out to be a good thing. Look at Steve Jobs, he was very hard to work with but ended up doing amazing things.

 

[JustInTime]

It would be SO stupid to close this down so early. AK can't afford to operate without this show. Seriously. They need to start working on the new theater before they close this.

 

[JustInTime]

I just skimmed the thread and have no idea of its veracity ... but it is VERY likely based on what I've been hearing that FotLK could go away for six months (or more) likely replaced by LK meet and greets while a new venue is constructed.

Disney is looking to save a tremendous amount of money to cover for the fact the resort's numbers have been awful (still waiting for that Jason Garcia piece comparing actual attendance in summer of 2012 versus low-points like 2001-03).

And a show like that is pricey (well, by cheapo Mickey's standards) to put on multiple times a day ... also putting it on hiatus could allow Disney to cut hours further at that park ... in other words, 9-5 all the time ... no 9-6s and 9-7s when spring starts.

I want to be clear that I have no idea if this is 'the plan' but anyone who thinks Disney wouldn't do this isn't dealing in reality.

Didn't Animal Kingdom just surpass Hollywood Studios last year though? Doesn't make sense.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I mean seriously, can you picture Rhode and Cameron having an argument? I can't.

Easily. Achieving creative success requires a good bit of ego. Throw in another and tension arises. It is not an attack on either, but a recognition of the reality of such environments. Neither man is particularly keen on the creative "baby" of the other and that only adds more to the base recipe for tension.

 

[FrankLapidus]

Easily. Achieving creative success requires a good bit of ego. Throw in another and tension arises. It is not an attack on either, but a recognition of the reality of such environments. Neither man is particularly keen on the creative "baby" of the other and that only adds more to the base recipe for tension.

And Cameron does seem to have a particularly big ego, understandable given his success even if he and his films aren't exactly my cup of tea (to put it mildly). I agree with what you say, Avatar is Cameron's 'baby' and AK is Rohde's so I could imagine some clashes between the two who each have the best interest of their 'baby' at heart.

 

[flynnibus]

Cameron is his own Walt Disney.. obscessed with pushing forward.. leveraging technology.. and insistent on his way regardless of cost even in the face of all opposition.. because he believes in his heart this is the way and it will pay off.

There are a lot of analogies between the two.. especially Snow White vs Titanic.

 

[unkadug]

Cameron is his own Walt Disney.. obscessed with pushing forward.. leveraging technology.. and insistent on his way regardless of cost even in the face of all opposition.. because he believes in his heart this is the way and it will pay off.

There are a lot of analogies between the two.. especially Snow White vs Titanic.

???
Please explain.

 

[ChrisM]

Easily. Achieving creative success requires a good bit of ego. Throw in another and tension arises. It is not an attack on either, but a recognition of the reality of such environments. Neither man is particularly keen on the creative "baby" of the other and that only adds more to the base recipe for tension.

I would also suspect that Cameron wouldn't have any reason to be particularly impressed with Rhode. Sort of a "who is this guy and why should anything he says matter to me?" scenario.

I don't know the personalities of either man but the situation is ripe for conflict if either party was predisposed to it.

 

[flynnibus]

???
Please explain.

Titanic was so far over budget and late - they were considering pulling the plug.. or the studio forcing edits on the film due to its length.. but Cameron put himself on the line to protect the film as he wanted to make it. Like Snow White - people did not believe the format and expense was going to accepted or successful - yet, like Walt, Cameron thought otherwise, and like Walt, created the most successful movie the world had seen up to that point.

Cameron, like Walt, is unrelenting in his vision of what the product should be, even if that means trashing what was already done. Their concept and their view of it is the only thing that matters. They were willing to bet it all - to see their vision to completion. Of course Cameron wasn't mortgaging his friends to get funding... but the tenacity and uncompromising direction, even in the face of commercial and financial scrutiny, is shared between them.

 

[CaptainShortty]

I would HIGHLY doubt that FOLK will be leaving anytime soon. It is the most popular show in WDW by a landslide so I can't really see them ever scraping it. Moving it to make room for avatar, maybe. Canning it, I think not.