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MAGICal DLP News, Rumours & Thoughts
- Thread starter Animaniac93-98
- Start date
mrflo
Well-Known Member
I’m giving big credit to WDI Paris for adding Marc Davis scenes to Rivers of the Far West. I see the fact that DLP is still investing in enhancements that are not directly monetizable or IP-based as a very good sign. Realistically, it doesn’t look like this will require a large budget to implement—but it’s the creative direction behind it that I hope they continue, hopefully with more additions to come for the park.
What surprised me a bit is that DLP Space Mountain’s 30th anniversary this year wasn’t mentioned at all. I’m glad the ride building is currently getting some maintenance love, though I had hoped for announcements about the future of the ride or perhaps an anniversary event. Maybe they’ll use the actual anniversary date for further announcements?
As for the other WDS-related announcements: it’s great to see them finally introducing a preview center to showcase the new additions and the concepts behind the revamped park to guests in person. Though, it doesn’t hide how incoherent the concept/theme still feels—and I’m still not used to the new name. The park will definitely be significantly improved and offer enjoyable additions to the resort, but it won’t be a masterclass in Disney theme park design in terms of theming, transitions, sightlines, etc.
The Up addition looks nice to me. It should add a Tivoli-style charm and more kinetic energy to the area. The Lion King concept art continues to improve my opinion of the ride, though it hasn’t changed my impression that I would have preferred it in Adventureland—and something more groundbreaking in WDS/DAW instead. I’m happy to be convinced otherwise when it opens, but a re-themed, modernized, and enlarged Splash Mountain doesn’t quite fit that category for me.
The other big question mark I still have is: how much will there actually be to do in those new areas? The way Disney keeps designing new lands—with one major ride, one restaurant, one shop, and one meet & greet location—feels like the bare minimum to me. One of the things that really impressed me about the Epic Universe preview videos was how much there is to do and see—even without counting the rides. The amount of interactive elements, details, and streetmosphere they’ve put into that park looks outstanding. I feel like I could spend hours discovering each land without even riding anything and still feel I got value for my park ticket—just like I do at Disneyland Parc. Hopefully, I’ll be positively surprised in DAW, but from what I’ve seen so far, it still doesn’t look like it.
nickys
Premium Member
So she’s defending the lack of a new ride on the fact that they refurbish classic rides and have new shows?
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
I would be surprised if there isn't some limited edition merch but I think a big event would just get criticism from the fans as they will all just be (rightly) complaining that the 30th anniversary of the ride still has the Star Wars overlay.
Natacha was hardly going to say "Yes Disneyland Park is way over due an attraction but I don't have the cash as I'm spending it all on refurbishing and replacing the dated hotels, shopping village and infrastructure and expanding the car crash of a 2nd gate that still hasn't been fixed after 20 years."
Gusey
Well-Known Member
BDX Droids, Ahsoka and lightsaber experience for under 10 coming to DLP for Star Wars week May 4 -May 11
disneyparksblog.com
Guide to Star Wars on May the 4th at Disney Parks and at Home - Disney Parks Blog
May the 4th (Star Wars Day) is an annual fan holiday to celebrate the love for all things Star Wars, and at Disney Parks, there are many ways to make it memorable. From new galactic foods and merchandise to unforgettable entertainment and returning Star Wars favorites, plus upcoming walkthrough...
disneyparksblog.com
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
Do we know what they're doing with Annette's Diner? It seems like it would be a shame to replace it as it has some character and always at least seemed popular to me.
Apparently infrastructure works and a bit of BOH extending.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
Happy to hear that. Not entirely sure why, but I have a soft spot for that place!
You’re not the only one !
Absimilliard
Well-Known Member
Last fall, Disneyland Paris quietly rolled out some changes on the Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril control system. The aim for that is to reduce the lateral forces on riders and I'd be curious to try it to see if it improved the ride at all.
The two changes are simple, but it feels like they want to bring the ride closer to Raging Spirits in forces and speed than before. First, the lift hill slows when the train reaches the top, reducing the speed down the first drop slight and the following turn. Second change is that the first block brake up in the air actively slow the train down now.
You can hear the chain slowing down and also, the harsh sound the train make when its slowed at the first block brake.
The two changes are simple, but it feels like they want to bring the ride closer to Raging Spirits in forces and speed than before. First, the lift hill slows when the train reaches the top, reducing the speed down the first drop slight and the following turn. Second change is that the first block brake up in the air actively slow the train down now.
You can hear the chain slowing down and also, the harsh sound the train make when its slowed at the first block brake.
Bernswss
Active Member
Having ridden it you can definitely feel the changes. The first breaks now reduce the speed by quite a bit and the ride is noticeably slower. I believe this was done in order to delay the aging of the already extremely warned out tracks plus help with the roughness of the ride, but believe me it still is a head banger.
You can no change the laws of physics! Or rather the high centre of gravity.
infloencer
Active Member
Last time I rode it (in March) I was impressed by how much smoother it was than I remembered. Guess that explains it. So yeah you definitely feel the difference. Overall it’s still not a great experience though
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
I'm not normally one for advocating the removal of attractions when there are plenty of expansion pads available but if the solution to guest complaints and/or the aging structure they should just remove it and replace it with something better. Retrack BTM and then SM and then replace this with something new. And this is from someone who liked the prior 'intense' version of the attraction before the decrease in ride speed.
In fact when I took a group of non theme park people to DLP in 2020 they preferred this over BTM and SM so... who knows what the general public actually like in attractions.
mrflo
Well-Known Member
Breaking News: Disney announces new theme park coming to Abu Dhabi
Pretty wild news. I’m sure there’ll be a dedicated thread soon for all the details, but I’m really curious how this might affect Disneyland Paris.
After visiting Abu Dhabi again this winter, I could definitely see myself skipping some DLP trips in favor of the new park — assuming the price and overall experience are solid. The team behind SeaWorld Abu Dhabi did a fantastic job, so I’m pretty confident they’ll make something really special with WDI involved.
Plus, with Universal opening a new park in the UK, the competition is getting interesting. Might actually be good news for DLP fans if it pushes them to up their game a little.
Pretty wild news. I’m sure there’ll be a dedicated thread soon for all the details, but I’m really curious how this might affect Disneyland Paris.
After visiting Abu Dhabi again this winter, I could definitely see myself skipping some DLP trips in favor of the new park — assuming the price and overall experience are solid. The team behind SeaWorld Abu Dhabi did a fantastic job, so I’m pretty confident they’ll make something really special with WDI involved.
Plus, with Universal opening a new park in the UK, the competition is getting interesting. Might actually be good news for DLP fans if it pushes them to up their game a little.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure it is going to be a huge issue for Disneyland Paris. Abu Dhabi is a long way away and I don't honestly hear about many people in Europe taking their vacations there. DLRP is still easily connected to the rest of Europe within a few hours by train or air and attached to a massive population and tourism centre in Paris. I would imagine only the most hardcore Disney fans will be tossing up between a Disneyland Paris and a Disneyland Abu Dhabi trip.
Charlie The Chatbox Ghost
Well-Known Member
I hope this sparks some new additions and improvements to Paris, as despite how amazing their castle park is, it could still use some updates, namely Discoveryland. But I don’t think Abu Dhabi is going to affect attendance much, as iirc that area is much more expensive to visit than Paris. Plus it’s hotter than Orlando and less friendly to certain groups of people. I also expect that the park will be constructed in a way that I’d Disneys decides to cut their licensing deal, Miral can just quickly retheme things to non-Disney. So, we might get original attractions and lands, but I also expect them to be cheap, a la the other parks there. The Hotel Transylvania and Shrek rides come to mind.
The concept art is so vague and messy that there’s no use speculating on what it hints at, so we’ll have to wait and see!