The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Meh, they don't do nostalgia like they used to do anyways.
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how will IP attractions hold up
- Thread starter peterwendy
- Start date
Starlight67
Well-Known Member
I agree. A big difference from now and 'yesteryear' is related to our world in general. The original (now nostalgic) rides are from stories we read to kids. Kids read a lot back then. When the movies came out (Peter Pan in 1953), it was long before the time that 873 channels on tv were available, way before x-boxes, the internet and cellphones were all vying for our attention. The attractions in the parks had a sort of connectedness. These stories and attractions based on them were more than a flavor of the month. Maybe simply because there wasn't enough technology to even have a flavor of the month. Now, we're onto the next thing in life in a hot minute.
The beauty of Disney, as you mentioned, was in the fact that no edginess was necessary. Just quality attractions based on stories that were woven into the fabric of our lives. Now, I think Disney is trying to redefine itself in relation current times and the way we live. So we are ending up with a lot of flavors of the month popping up, (and sometimes in odd places (yup, Frozen.) The risk is that by the time these things are built, we're onto the next thing. Though I suppose anything that's good enough entertainment (regardless of subject matter) will have some staying power. It's just sad that it sort of forces the Disney parks to become a clustermess of disconnected one hit wonder attractions. Which doesn't mean it can't be a good time, but IMO it causes it to lose some of the charm and 'flow' I used to feel when I was there. But hey, I'm 50--I imagine 20 year olds have a whole different perspective!
winstongator
Well-Known Member
Many of the most iconic rides are IP based: Peter Pan Flight, now gone 20,000 Leagues, 7DMT, Swiss Family Treehouse, Dumbo, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Does Twlight Zone's presence at ToT count as IP? Say you have 2 years before DL opens for IP to be used. You've got about 20 films, and lots of those wouldn't support a ride. They developed non-IP rides because they had to. They used a good chunk of what they had at the time.
Theoretically it would cost a lot more to develop the back story for a bunch of rides. Disney has already spent billions to acquire Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel, they'd want synergy. Pandora was driven as a response to WWoHP. Star Wars screamed having an immersive area. I fear it will be too small and the crowding to be insane all the time. They're also creating & buying IP at a much faster rate than they're creating new rides - IP or non-IP. I've counted 12 relatively new or in the works 'e' ticket attractions, with all of them being IP related. How many would have gotten trimmed if they were all done from scratch? How hungry are we for a non-IP attraction?
I do like the from-scratch non-IP rides, and with the value they've gotten from Pirates, the branding flow can go the other direction too. When you list the non-IP rides, you get a lot of my favorites, and a lot of the rides that make Disney different. It's a Small World takes me back to the Cold War time it was conceived and reminds me that these seemingly intractable geopolitical problems aren't new, and a spirit of unity can help out. Carousel of Progress and Spaceship Earth highlighting technological improvements with time. Everest has incredible theming.
After doing the Void experience at Disney Springs, I see more of those VR adventures coming. The bonus is that you can reconfigure them periodically, or have multiple different experiences going at once. With all the Marvel worlds, I don't see that going away.
justintheharris
Well-Known Member
I'm actually fascinated with this thought. Is Flight of Passage truly a classic? I can't help but feel like the ride's technology is going to become dated more quickly than any of us are thinking.
justintheharris
Well-Known Member
When people talk about IPs and IP based lands, people really need to start talking about A Bug's Land in California Adventure. Has it occurred to anyone that there is a chance that one day Toy Story land and Cars land or Frozen land will be just as dated and embarrassing? Not that the Lion King or Beauty and the Beast isn't a wonderful movie but wouldn't a full land based on one of those movies in a theme park feel incredibly dated right now?
TwilightZone
Well-Known Member
The difference between those and a bug's land is that frozen, toy story, and cars have already proven themselves to be classics (though classic is subjective for cars), a bug's land was just sort of pushed out to promote the movie, not a whole lot of pixar flicks being around at the time doesn't exactly help either, as there was not a whole lot for audiences to compare it to at the time. Now audiences know it is one of pixar's more meh and forgettable movies.
I think a better comparison may be marvel land to a bug's land...I am uncertain if they have proved themselves to be timeless, even with so many coming out, simply because they are audience magnets.
winstongator
Well-Known Member
I've waited over 2 hours for Pandora, and did not feel like that time was wasted. I've waited close to that for 7DMT as an adult, Space and Big Thunder Mountain as a kid. After those rides, I felt, 'that's it?' I was not a fan of Avatar the movie, and my kids haven't seen it. They love the area, and the other-worldness of it fits well with Animal Kingdom. Avatar did make a ton of its box office overseas, and I don't know how foreign guests are driving crowds there. It's also done well enough that they're discussing it for other parks. Frozen is getting a land in Paris too - hope Frozen 2 does better than the short they stuck with Coco.
Only in merchandise and merchandise facade paint.
Starlight67
Well-Known Member
Along these lines, I always wondered why Disney never built a Mary Poppins attraction. I think a lot in that movie would translate to a creative, fun ride (umbrella ride vehicles!) Wonder too if Disney built it today if it would be a crowd pleaser?
winstongator
Well-Known Member
Aren't the Marvel characters decades old? The longevity of those characters is the definition of timeless.
KINGLOUIS1993
Well-Known Member
The IP attracts the interest but the ride has to be solid for it to be a success. I will however say a brilliant ride can outlive it's IP.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
Yes!
Also, I wonder if a good IP can make an otherwise lackluster ride more popular than it otherwise might have been?
ppete1975
Well-Known Member
And its being replaced by marvel land.. or whatever its called.
ppete1975
Well-Known Member
Something that's occurred to me is the changing times as far as media. Originally rides like peter pan snow white etc could retell the story (I think they tried that with little mermaid) because you had to go to the movie theaters to see a movie and they only rereleased them about every 10 years. You may have never seen the movie. I remember seeing empire strikes back in 83 and never having seen the original star wars until a few years later (due to it not being rereleased when I was old enough) althrough due to story records, books and toys I was in love with star wars and knew the entire story. Now with vhs, dvd, blu ray, streaming.. cable you can see these movies anytime you want so we don't want a rehash.
Before they could use retelling of the movie so that you could know what the movie was about and either want to see it or see it again, want to see the sequel and also buy the merchandise. This also built huge excitement for rereleases.
Now they need to use ip to make you want to watch the movies and sell merchandise but they have to come up with original stories because a retelling of the movie you just saw is in our eyes boring.
many of the non ip of the early days were a need thing. Walt wanted Animal kingdom although with technology of the time it would have been boring so we got jungle cruise, he wanted a haunted house we got the haunted mansion, he wanted pirates so we got pirates of the Caribbean. None of those had suitable ips at the time (ok there was lonesome ghosts)
So honestly the non ip and ip thing has always been there. Non ip when there isn't one but the ride is wanted, ip to sell Disney, merchandise, and movie viewing.
My only issue with IP now is how many are non "true Disney" I would like to see more mickey Donald and the classic Disney and less marvel, Pandora, star wars (I LOVE STAR WARS AND IM EXCITED FOR THE LAND) but I honestly think they should have just taken California adventure and Hollywood studios and turned them into non Disney ip parks and kept marvel star wars muppets away from WDW Disneyland and epcot (animal kingdom needs whatever it can get).
sorry for the rambling rant.
Before they could use retelling of the movie so that you could know what the movie was about and either want to see it or see it again, want to see the sequel and also buy the merchandise. This also built huge excitement for rereleases.
Now they need to use ip to make you want to watch the movies and sell merchandise but they have to come up with original stories because a retelling of the movie you just saw is in our eyes boring.
many of the non ip of the early days were a need thing. Walt wanted Animal kingdom although with technology of the time it would have been boring so we got jungle cruise, he wanted a haunted house we got the haunted mansion, he wanted pirates so we got pirates of the Caribbean. None of those had suitable ips at the time (ok there was lonesome ghosts)
So honestly the non ip and ip thing has always been there. Non ip when there isn't one but the ride is wanted, ip to sell Disney, merchandise, and movie viewing.
My only issue with IP now is how many are non "true Disney" I would like to see more mickey Donald and the classic Disney and less marvel, Pandora, star wars (I LOVE STAR WARS AND IM EXCITED FOR THE LAND) but I honestly think they should have just taken California adventure and Hollywood studios and turned them into non Disney ip parks and kept marvel star wars muppets away from WDW Disneyland and epcot (animal kingdom needs whatever it can get).
sorry for the rambling rant.
KBLovedDisney
Well-Known Member
First there were non IP rides, then IPs came along due to some of the non-IP rides (i.e. PotC). I honestly think the cycle may continue if we get more original non-IP rides in the future.
You mean from original Disneyland? Because they had a mix. The IPs included Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan, and Snow White's Scary Adventures. Then soon after: Casey Jr., Dumbo, Davy Crockett, and Alice in Wonderland. [Not to mention Sleeping Beauty Castle which was in development at opening.]
KBLovedDisney
Well-Known Member
And I had a brain fart
Completely forgot about all of the references from the original rides...
Well, I guess it will just always be a mix of IPs and non-IPs
Bob Harlem
Well-Known Member
The definition of IP is weird for things like Snow White, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, etc, they are all based off public domain fairy tales, which is a bit different than things like Star Wars and Marvel.