Thrill
Well-Known Member
If you're referring to the 3D, well, yeah, it's a factor...but 3D didn't help Mars Needs Moms. I think the Lion King got big box office pretty much on its own merits. I bet Chicken Little 3D wouldn't do so well...
As for merchandising, it'll be interesting to see how that goes. I wonder if the Muppet store in DHS will start carrying all-Muppet merchandise, as opposed to the way it is now, which is about 1/3 Muppet and the rest Mickey and company...
3D certainly wouldn't hurt the Muppets. And a limited release would definitely help press for a larger opening.
Oh, it's not just the Lion King. Where's Mary Poppins - you know, the Oscar-winning film that many consider to be Walt's masterpiece? And where's Fantasia? There are also no attractions based on Pinocchio in WDW. Not to mention the Jungle Book. No-one will ever convince me that Jim Henson's puppets should take precedence over them.
However, a couple of people on this thread have mentioned that the Muppet expansion probably won't happen anyway. I'm inclined to agree with them. After all, while the Muppets placed second at the box office, it didn't do nearly as well as Tangled did last Thanksgiving, http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2010&wknd=48&p=.htm and Tangled was up against Harry Potter. And since I haven't heard anything about a Tangled attraction beyond that little tower during the Flower Show and the Flynn and Rapunzel meet-and-greets, it does seem kind of doubtful that Disney would invest more money on an attraction based on a lesser film.
Again, it's not all about box office returns.
Which do you think has a broader potential for attractions? A collection of dozens of puppets, or a very small core of characters? How about for merchandise?
As for the films you mentioned, Mary Poppins has Great Movie Ride recognition, Fantasia does as well, plus some Fantasmic involvement and a mini golf course, and Pinocchio has rides in other resorts. I believe Jungle Book has a restaurant in Hong Kong. Even though these might not be enough, movies like Fantasia have (sadly) fallen from cultural relevance, and, aside from C-Ticket Fantasyland style dark rides, I've seen very little by way of ideas for attractions based on these movies. Only exception is the supposed Bald Mountain coaster, which would be way too expensive for a movie that the majority of the population doesn't know much about.