News New Haunted Mansion Grounds Expansion, Retail Shop Coming to Disneyland Resort in 2024

[D.Silentu]

Walt Disney Imagineering doesn’t get to just come up with projects, and that includes small projects.

Respectfully, that is something they do all the time. I never meant to imply they had the authority to approve them.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Respectfully, that is something they do all the time. I never meant to imply they had the authority to approve them.

The whole idea of just having fluff projects to keep their jobs only works if they have some power to approve projects. In project oriented work you want to be working but there’s only so much you can control your destiny. Most people are assigned to projects, not originating them. There’s also only a handful of positions/disciplines that would really be safe in such a strategy.

 

[Rich T]

Wasn't it mentioned here that WDI teams have lately been churning these projects out to justify their existence to accounting as they wait for the next big assignment to be handed to them from on high?

I’ve heard many theories and comments, but I’m not there behind the scenes, so I don’t believe I can rightly do anything except express my opinions on what the end results are… and continue to vote with my wallet (Universal, take my money). Whatever’s really going on, I hope several people in the know write some good backstage tell-all books about the current mess so that at least SOMETHING entertaining will come from all of this.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I’m sure you have much stronger feelings as you’ve been visiting the parks longer than I have, but it’s a very sad that we had to go from excitedly awaiting new additions to dreading them because of the company’s ability to screw things up. I’m at the point now where I actively dread announcements from Disney because I can be 99% sure that they will involve lessening or ruining the previous experience in some way.

Of course there are exceptions, but it seems like Disney is the most out of touch with its consumer it has ever been. It seems like every new decision being made is the exact opposite of what people actually want. People have been clamoring for the DL Peoplemover to return and for a Figment overhaul for years, but Disney continues to ignore those pleas in favor of tinkering with classics in ways nobody has asked for and in ways which detract from their previous experiences.

I’m convinced that it’s a battle of egos at this point. Disney knows that people will still ride Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise and others no matter what. However, when Disney tinkers with the ride, they selfishly believe that people will credit Iger and Charita Carter with what they are seeing rather than Walt and Marc Davis. My theory is that they tinker just to throw their hat in the ring and attempt to take a piece of what came before as their own.

Bingo! There's areas of Disneyland Park that desperately need to be better utilized.

-The Carousel Theater/Innoventions building is huge and vastly underutilized.
-The Peoplemover track is decaying in sight.
-The Fantasyland Theater is underutilized.
-Galaxy's Edge still has not lived up to it's initial promise. It needs more/better entertainment, new Falcon Missions, and a headliner that can actually operate for an entire operating day.

And that's just Disneyland Park, not even worrying about DTD or DCA.

But instead of addressing this, we get a rethemed Splash Mountain, continual changes to Mansion and Pirates, a Snow White overhaul, Jungle Cruise changes, Roger Rabbit changes, unnecessary changes to Fantasmic, and other random stuff that does little to improve Disneyland.

We've learned all to well that WDI today can't compete with the first and second gen WDI. At this point they'd be better off running the park as is without changing anything then the continual stream of reductions we've been getting.

(Disclaimer: the Adventureland Treehouse is the exception to everything I just said. What a delightful improvement over Tarzan and a return to form for Disneyland)

 

[BrianLo]

We've learned all to well that WDI today can't compete with the first and second gen WDI. At this point they'd be better off running the park as is without changing anything then the continual stream of reductions we've been getting.

In that general concept you have really current day Disneyland Paris.

Going to come down to preference on that one. I know many would agree with you. I personally think Disneyland has continued to pull ahead of DLP, with its general treading water status, as lovely as the bones are.

 

[Avastindy]

Clownfish TV's thoughts

 

[PiratesMansion]

In that general concept you have really current day Disneyland Paris.

Going to come down to preference on that one. I know many would agree with you. I personally think Disneyland has continued to pull ahead of DLP, with its general treading water status, as lovely as the bones are.

In the sense that you feel that the changes that have been happening have been an overall negative for Disneyland Paris?

I haven't been since those changes have started, but I was under the impression that the only thing within Parc Disneyland that wasn't received well was the 20,000 Leagues refresh.

 

[BrianLo]

In the sense that you feel that the changes that have been happening have been an overall negative for Disneyland Paris?

I haven't been since those changes have started, but I was under the impression that the only thing within Parc Disneyland that wasn't received well was the 20,000 Leagues refresh.

Sorry. I meant in the sense that DLP has been stagnant for too long and I feel like ultimately Disneyland is better than it was 10-20-30 years ago. Further accelerating it ahead as the stronger park, in my eyes. Whereas Disneyland Paris is very similar to its make up 30 years ago.

But on the flip side, with stagnancy comes very minimal changes at DLP. I’m sure some people prefer that, as has been voiced.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

Clownfish TV's thoughts

I hate that guy so much

 

[Consumer]

In the sense that you feel that the changes that have been happening have been an overall negative for Disneyland Paris?

I haven't been since those changes have started, but I was under the impression that the only thing within Parc Disneyland that wasn't received well was the 20,000 Leagues refresh.

The loss of Space Mountain in favor of Hyperspace Mountain is one change I frequently hear complaints about, and rightfully so.

 

[duncedoof]

I hate that guy so much

The "theme park ride has a not-so-good change to alt-right grifter YouTube videos" pipeline. Let's... Not go that route.

 

[duncedoof]

But on the flip side, with stagnancy comes very minimal changes at DLP. I’m sure some people prefer that, as has been voiced.

I'll say, the Phantom Manor makeover in 2019 is the worst refurb I've seen Disney do to one of their rides. Probably the only one that upsets me just thinking about it.

That and their unique Space Mountain ending up in their current state definitely disappoint me with that resort.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I'll say, the Phantom Manor makeover in 2019 is the worst refurb I've seen Disney do to one of their rides. Probably the only one that upsets me just thinking about it.

Do tell! I thought the attraction as I experienced in 2015 was something of a mess, and it seems like there's been a lot of mostly positive sentiment about PM 2.0.

The main criticism I did have based on what I've seen is the unnecessary inclusion of more HM music in places where it doesn't belong, but they did walk that back somewhat.

What are your thoughts on PM 2.0?

 

[Disney Analyst]

This is def opening early.

 

[britain]

Do tell! I thought the attraction as I experienced in 2015 was something of a mess, and it seems like there's been a lot of mostly positive sentiment about PM 2.0.

The main criticism I did have based on what I've seen is the unnecessary inclusion of more HM music in places where it doesn't belong, but they did walk that back somewhat.

What are your thoughts on PM 2.0?

Agreed, I personally think Phantom Manor is a whole lot better now than it used to be, both both story wise and execution wise.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Walls going in to block view of unfinished work. Opening imminent. Within next two weeks perhaps?

 

[mickEblu]

Walls going in to block view of unfinished work. Opening imminent. Within next two weeks perhaps?

This would be more exciting if it was OG Mansion coming back but I suppose some Mansion is better than no Mansion. Rumors are now saying OG Mansion may not even come back next January and they still may need more time. So we might be looking at anywhere from 18-24 months (total) with no classic Mansion.

EDIT: 18-21 months. 24 months is impossible as that would be time for HMH again.

 

[Disney Analyst]

This would be more exciting if it was OG Mansion coming back but I suppose some Mansion is better than no Mansion. Rumors are now saying OG Mansion may not even come back next January and they still may need more time. So we might be looking at anywhere from 18-24 months (total) with no classic Mansion.

Yeah. They may have just used this time to install the infrastructure needed for the changes, and then an extend conversion time to switch back, add the new stuff, test and adjust.

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[Phroobar]

So the outside isn't being decorated for HMH?