Totally, stagnation is an issue at WDW, but the most stagnant park is probably USF.
You don’t give enough credit to imagineering from a worldwide purview. The industry I’d argue was advanced as recently as 2012 (Radiator Springs, WOC, Mystic Manor), 2016 (SDL East side, Shanghai Pirates), 2017 (Pandora), 2019 (ROTR) by imagineering and again presumably this year in Tokyo. There are more debatable endeavors of course that could be added to the list.
When I talk about replacement and attraction longevity, I don’t mean things like revisions. Revisions are fine, a new video on a ride platform or an overlay or effect modernization is what should come every 10-15 years. Galaxies Edge isn’t going anywhere? A new ride profile on Millennium Falcon isn’t what I mean. Nor is a contracted sponsored Test Track revision, that’s a niche case anyways.
Simpson’s, the Dreamworks overlay, All of Minions efforts, Fallon, Fast and Furious, Rip Ride Rockit… heck basically everything that isn’t Diagon, Mummy and probably Transformers at this juncture in USF seems like things that won’t or shouldn’t be running next decade. As much as I love ET and I know others really love Men in Black. I think those could be casualties. It just seems like a park no one would care about if it was knocked down and started over again. Which sucks, because my childhood affinity was for USF.
I doubt Kilimanjaro, Africa, Everest, Pandora, etc are going anywhere, whereas Dinoland, yes seemed always quite temporary. Epcot is guilty of getting rid of multiples things that they really shouldn’t have historically, but I’m sure we’ll still be largely walking around a preserved world showcase 20 years from now.
This doesn’t seem to be as much as an IOA or certainly Epic issue. I just know the conversation very quickly in the coming years is going to turn to people wishing they’d just get rid of the Dreamworks effort entirely and wrap it into a bigger Pokémon effort. I think there are already hopes that the entire front of the park, including their neweest Villain Cons Attraction would be removed and completely change the entry experience.
Universal invests, but they seem to have less consistency by gravitating to brief decade long fixes as opposed to permanent lasting infrastructure.
And to everyone’s points above, I hope and suspect this may be more of a historical issue with UC and project approvals? Though again VillainsCon and Dreamworks… so who knows…
First, I get the childhood affinity for USF. But really, not many of the original opening day things ever made it much more than a decade. We are just getting older my friend and Pop culture is moving faster. Hitchcock, Murder She Wrote, Hanna Barbera, Kongfrontation. None of them lasted over 12 years. (I miss Kong and Hitchcock the most) Ghostbusters 1.0 made it a year before it was finally altered to a better working version and then that version was gone within five years. Twister did not make it to two decades. Earthquake extended life with Disaster and that was gone in less than a decade too. Jaws made it as a hold out but the real estate was valuable. If you went to the park in 1990 and came back in 1996 it was pretty differnete, and 1990-2003 was radically different. To me the Universal of 1990-2001 is more iconic and the glory days, but it has grown, no denying. Three opening day attractions still remain in almost original form. That is more than most Disney parks can say. Universal definitely needs to take sharp turns to earn the 1990 to 2004 reputation they had of excellence though. We know that Fast and Fallon won't cut it for how big of investments they were.
you can do the same thing at Hollywood Studios. Disney is stagnant in its last decade and a half and yet everything at that park has changed. There are zero opening day things left. And most of those had changed by 2011.
What is left from the opening two decades of EPCOT? Zilchy except for American Adventure and SSE which has changed so drastically and can't really be modified further without great cost so it stays as an icon.
I can't really count Tokyo in good faith for Investment consistency becuase Disney does not really fund much of that. If Universal had a park not owned by them but an OLC tossing money than I could compare. Hong Kong and Shanghai are not owned soley by WDW so it is kind of dicey to count their investments too. Subsidiary of Comcast owns USJ entirely. Which they have done amazing things with and people like to leave out Space Fantasy(which is odd and sadly now more seasonal since it has popular overlays, is a better dark coaster design than Guardians or Tron)
ET and some other minor things still stand successful, in a park whose attendance has grown while DHS has had to change every single opening day attraction where not one is left. That tells you something of the industry of people pleasing. Subjective choice of innovation aside. Universal Orlando Resort is the one growing the most.
It is wild to me you left out Volcano Bay completely which is more innovative as a whole than anything Disney has done.
Toy Story Land is really just amusement park things with Value Resort theming without much care to scale.
Disney just had their biggest Star Wars creative effort flop miserably. So many millions down the drain, so I don't know about lasting infrastructure. And Marvel Superhero Island will very likely outlast whatever most of Avengers Campus goal is supposed to be.
Don't forget that Rise of the Resistance was also based mostly on Universal's original goals for Spidey when it was planned in the mid 90s as a Superman ride. Kind of like Spiderman with a drop element but now it turns trackless.
Most of Disney's efforts are still drying to replicate the success of Spiderman's motion platform dark ride system of screens enhancing the world and sensation of falling and squinching that was done first by UC in 1999 and utilized in various ways since. See Ratatouille, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. All follow ups to what Universal and other theme parks have done with the tech first. So not sure if innovation is the ride word. Rise of the Resistance came close, but upkeep is not a track record Disney has.
Disney's latest big hits are roller coasters in the dark, one being cycle themed. Seems again, like they are trying to emulate.
How long would you give the broken Moana Fountains?
The difference is at Universal if a ride is truly bad, you likely won't have it last very long.
Stitch's Great Escape, Wonders of Life, a decade and a half of 20K's spot, Most of Imagination Pavilion.
The best things EPCOT has gotten in the last fourteen years are two things that emulate what Universal did more successfully about a decade and two decades ago.
The Theirry Coupe and Bill Davis days are over. We will see what happens now.
And
@Tom Morrow I agree that is totally the problem with Gringotts plus the pacing is kind of all wrong. That tilt effect should have likely have lead into the finale or near it on a tad larger drop and a longer coaster portion with drop thrills in the finale. Part of the situation too is Potter had all of these thrilling rides with high height requirements in Hogsmeade. 42 inch requirement coaster was a bit of a compromise and less thrilling to be accessible dark ride hybrid as all young thrill seekers have to ride with the family pre diagon was the Flight of the Hippogriff.
That being said. It has raised attendance in its initial years and supports it.
Something the results show Guardians did not do. So it pleases plenty enough for its investment.
