Guardians Tower announcement Saturday in SD ...

[NobodyElse]

It goes under the beam at the final brake zone before unload.. but where do you count your 'twice'?

In that same general area, I believe it goes under then turns right toward unload and goes under again.

 

[lazyboy97o]

That was basically a nice way of phrasing the common complaint that Universal just shoves IPs wherever they see fit. So almost anywhere in USO that isn't Harry Potter. Transformers is a great ride in a building they at least attempted to theme...but it completely, hilariously clashes with its surrounding area. Springfield is fine...but then Men in Black has its own funny little corner too. From what I can tell, USH has even more mishmash. It's frustrating, but Universal's core philosophies are not as dedicated as Disney's (even though they corrected it to some degree with Islands). Sometimes the Studios concept lends itself to another "ride in a box", as long as it's good. And, like I said, usually those IPs are external. We'll see how those other ones turn out....I'm not sure how beloved Twister and Disaster were, but at least they won't completely clash with their neighbors.

Universal Studios Hollywood has to be a mishmash because it is a studio. Sets aren't coordinated to align with each other. The park has a unique messy vitality because it really is not themed, it actually is a studio. Universal Studios Florida and the Disney-MGM Studios tried to replicate this but it doesn't work without the established history. They were too well planned for such messiness and in Disney's case the exposed fakeness just read as cheap. Usf now faces the problem of losing its identity because Universal has been reshaping the Universal Stufios park concept to follow that of Islands of Adventure. But even with all of their hot properties and pioneering "what people today expect and want," none of the Universal Studios have ever been anything of a cultural touchstone like Disneyland or EPCOT Center.

This. I have a hard time believing replacing Maelstrom with Frozen Ever After is what people meant when they said they wanted more Frozen in the parks.

Given that there seems to be so much praise for such an all around poor atttaction, it seems they must have meant it.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Given that there seems to be so much praise for such an all around poor atttaction, it seems they must have meant it.

And therein lies another issue. General Disney park-goers will accept and eat up pretty much anything Disney hands them.

 

[wdisney9000]

On the one hand, a small group of folks who believe they are and know better than everyone else, and, thus, believe that their view is the only correct view, and have disdain for those that do not share that view, and on the other hand, everyone else, no matter how diverse, who don't fall in line with the "correct" view??

Given there are millions of people from all over and outside the country who walk through those gates, there are many different types of Disney World guests from different backgrounds and experiences who come with their own personal values, perspectives and preferences. There would be only just two distinct types of guests if the guests are categorized based on a single, narrow and simple binary criterion.....such as, for example, those that buy turkey legs and those that don't. A lot of the topics discussed on this board, don't seem so narrow and binary.

I was simply reffering to those who view WDW in its entirety and recognize that the real magic is created by ALL of its individual components that come together and form an intricately woven design and experience..vs...Those who just want more rides, right now and a popular IP attached to it! Every other microcosm of guests fall into one of those two criterion, IMO of course.

 

[Matt_Black]

I was simply reffering to those who view WDW in its entirety and recognize that the real magic is created by ALL of its individual components that come together and form an intricately woven design and experience..vs...Those who just want more rides, right now and a popular IP attached to it! Every other microcosm of guests fall into one of those two criterion, IMO of course.

And you present those two groups without any sort of bias.

 

[RSoxNo1]

If it if it absolutely HAD to go into WDW at all (which I don't think it did), the Studios makes fine sense.
As does the expansion pads at MK.
Epcot...no.

Any insight you can provide on the new direction of Epcot? The idea of a Disney park with less IPs is simply unrealistic now. Epcot, DCA and TDS have all seen expansions highlighted by IPs. Epcot's World's Fair approach is long since dead unfortunately and the park has less direction than DHS did 5 years ago.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Whether it's Tower of Terror or GotG, I suspect the attraction will appeal to the same market segments.

For Disney to "add something", it must either:

1) Bulld a new attraction or
2) Convert an existing unpopular/underutilized attraction into a popular one.

This overlay does neither.

I'll repeat my assertion that this overlay "adds nothing".

Tower certainly wasn't broken there from a popularity standpoint, but given how Southern California normally reacts to a new attraction this will have more traffic initially, and possibly over the long term depending on quality.

 

[Lee]

Any insight you can provide on the new direction of Epcot?

 

[Cletus]

Holy smokes!! People are ripping this a new one on the DPB Facebook (where they can't get rid of the negative points of view).

 

[Variable]

This. I have a hard time believing replacing Maelstrom with Frozen Ever After is what people meant when they said they wanted more Frozen in the parks.

its like there was nothing, then it was overboard and everywhere, and in between somebody looked and stuck a pin in a map.

And therein lies another issue. General Disney park-goers will accept and eat up pretty much anything Disney hands them.

But General Disney park-goers are the same IMHO to Casual Disney park-goers, and that other guy is saying THOSE are up in arms about this.

 

[wdisney9000]

And you present those two groups without any sort of bias.

Now when have you ever known me to do such a thing?

 

[VJ]

You've said the same but articulated better? =D

See? I'm horrible at making.. words. Nice catch, though not what I meant!

 

[VJ]

Well remembered. When post-Eisner TWDC doesn't build a ride based on and swamps the park with merch of their latest IP they have no confidence in their own product and their creatives. When post-Eisner TWDC does build a ride based on their IP, they are destroying Walt's legacy. The spin is strong in this one.

Yes. Yes yes yes. This.

 

[mergatroid]

He doesn't make sense, and unfortunately he's not as contrarian as he thinks. The "it's not your park" line is as tired as "Disney is a business". Just because "Disney is a business" doesn't mean they should tear up the book they wrote. Just because "things have to change" doesn't mean they have to change for the worse. And just because "it's not my park", that Disney is a private company, doesn't make them immune from bad decisions detectable by the public. That argument is about as patently stupid as this attraction. My favorite restaurant just replaced the veal cutlets with chicken fingers. But I won't complain about it...it's not my restaurant.

If you can't see it you can't see it, but Disney's theme parks are not supposed to be interactive billboards.

Well you have some points and everyone is entitled to their opinions. There is stuff at Disney now that I loved as a kid that I know don't like so much and wouldn't mind them changing. That's human nature and is selfish, but it's the way we view things and I think that's what he's saying. I personally don't like the idea of TOT changing, however I can see kids who love GOTG thinking it's great so there's more than one side to the argument?

As for the 'interactive billboards', I can see what you're saying however the Magic Kingdom had Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr Toad, Swiss Family Robinson, 20,00 Leagues, 'Cinderella' castle and Mickey Mouse all based on movies years ago and I doubt people complained about that then?

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Well you have some points and everyone is entitled to their opinions. There is stuff at Disney now that I loved as a kid that I know don't like so much and wouldn't mind them changing. That's human nature and is selfish, but it's the way we view things and I think that's what he's saying. I personally don't like the idea of TOT changing, however I can see kids who love GOTG thinking it's great so there's more than one side to the argument?

As for the 'interactive billboards', I can see what you're saying however the Magic Kingdom had Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr Toad, Swiss Family Robinson, 20,00 Leagues, 'Cinderella' castle and Mickey Mouse all based on movies years ago and I doubt people complained about that then?

Same for the fact that Sleeping Beauty Castle was put in DL 4 years before Sleeping Beauty went into theatres.

 

[RSoxNo1]

View attachment 153459

Dear Disney, here's your new 5 year plan for Epcot:

• Overhaul Universe of Energy with a Cosmos inspired attraction featuring host Neil Degrasse Tyson.
• Overhaul Imagination Pavilion with a high capacity LPS attraction featuring the original characterization of Figment and Dreamfinder.
• Add a new World Showcase pavilion, ideally one that doesn't necessitate an IP.
• Fix the Spaceship Earth Descent
• Add a peoplemover around Future World
• Redo Innoventions, I'd even entertain devoting all of Future World West to meet and greets

 

[Lee]

Dear Disney, here's your new 5 year plan for Epcot:

• Overhaul Universe of Energy with a Cosmos inspired attraction featuring host Neil Degrasse Tyson.
• Overhaul Imagination Pavilion with a high capacity LPS attraction featuring the original characterization of Figment and Dreamfinder.
• Add a new World Showcase pavilion, ideally one that doesn't necessitate an IP.
• Fix the Spaceship Earth Descent
• Add a peoplemover around Future World
• Redo Innoventions, I'd even entertain devoting all of Future World West to meet and greets

A sound plan...which means they'd hate it.

 

[marni1971]

I personally don't like the idea of TOT changing, however I can see kids who love GOTG thinking it's great so there's more than one side to the argument??

So put Guardians in a new, purpose built building.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

So put Guardians in a new, purpose built building.

Do you happen to know if the future plans of the expansion of DCA for Marvel Land will be announced soon? Like D23 next year, or a few more years from now? Just curious as to how long ToT (well GOTG:MB) will look super out of place.

 

[marni1971]

Do you happen to know if the future plans of the expansion of DCA for Marvel Land will be announced soon? Like D23 next year, or a few more years from now? Just curious as to how long ToT (well GOTG:MB) will look super out of place.

I expect it to open in 2020 so it's up to them to decide. Depends when marketing think it's best.