Only a year and a half away from Harry Potter Land and still nothing from Disney!

[automation85]

Outsourcing and releasing proprietary info are two horses of completely different colors.

One can have a contract to use a proprietary method for manufacturing the generic AAs (such as replacements on It's a Small World). I believe wording is important on occasion; besides the usage of phrases like manufacturing all Audio-Animatronics figures in-house is not feasible" and "manufacturing of some Audio-Animatronics will be given to outside vendors", the following quote makes me believe that any models that are not A-100 or better will be made be outside vendors:

“Our industry has generated quite a few heavily-skilled and proficient vendors who can supplement our teams with simple figures with significant oversight by our production team,” Waters said. “This will allow us to focus on creating more sophisticated and advanced figures.”

Note the terms simple figures and advanced figures.

Now if these companies are in China, they may stick to their contract as strongly as they did with the limited edition pins (which as we know was a wonderful mistake...). But I don't see the simple figures posing too much of a problem.

 

[tirian]

Hate to break it to you but Disney's most popular attraction is not a thrill ride. Its Buzz lightyear in the MK. More people ride this every day than any thrill ride. You can't just look at how long the wait time is. Thrill rides definitly are very popular but unfortunatly most do not have high ridership levels. They take a very long time to load and unload causing the long lines. You say Disney's thrill rides would be just as popular without the themeing. I dare you to find any free fall attraction in the world that is half way as popular as Tower of Terror. If TOT had no themeing they would have taken it out allready just as Great adventure took out free fall last year.

Actually, the ride with the highest riders per hour is SSE at Epcot; its prime location attracts Guests who don't even know what it's about. The line never seems long because the Omnimover absorbs people.

 

[dandaman]

^Exactly. It's more a question of capacity than popularity sometimes. I know the TTA at Christmas could easily outdo the other thrill rides for hourly ridership.

I say end the proverbial ing match of statistics and have some fun... I hear they still sell that in Orlando. :shrug:

 

[Giraffe Lounge]

If Disney plopped a bare-bones, non-themed roller coaster in one of their parks, I guarantee it would be very popular (assuming of course, it wasn't a dud of a ride).

You don't even need an "if"-- it's already there in the form of California Screamin'.

Oh, wait, I forgot, CS is themed... it's supposed to look like a roller coaster.

 

[EpcotServo]

And that's why no one will ever take anything you say seriously. :brick:

Serious is highly overrated.

And as a Michael Stipe says "Living well is the best revenge"
:lol:

 

[Yankeeplex]

they need to get George Lucas and Robert Iger into a room together and go to the hilltop with a whole Star Wars land. What better way to expand while keeping it in the family. Not to mention, they have the whole Indy area, subsequently owned by Lucas, to play around with. That would effectively counter punch the whole buzz with HP, which I personally could not care less about if I tried.

 

[Rosso11]

Actually, the ride with the highest riders per hour is SSE at Epcot; its prime location attracts Guests who don't even know what it's about. The line never seems long because the Omnimover absorbs people.

I don't have access to the numbers anymore but when I worked at Disney Buzz had the highest number of riders every day. SSE does have a higher capacity but for actual riders Buzz wins.

 

[pheneix]

the following quote makes me believe that any models that are not A-100 or better will be made be outside vendors:

The A-100's have been outsourced as well. In fact, a number of robotics companies have created animatronics that are more advanced than the A-100 series (and one needs to only look at ASIMO to see how far robots have come in mimicing human behavior.

Basically anything outside of Lucky the Dinosaur and Wall-E is not being made by WDI anymore. They are holding on to a team of specialists to work on projects like that, but by and large AA production is not a function of WDI anymore.

 

[darthjohnny]

You don't even need an "if"-- it's already there in the form of California Screamin'.

Oh, wait, I forgot, CS is themed... it's supposed to look like a roller coaster.

It is actually themed to surfing and the beach as well as harkening back to the days of old style amusements with a modern twist.

 

[Giraffe Lounge]

It is actually themed to surfing and the beach as well as harkening back to the days of old style amusements with a modern twist.

umm, yeah, still not buying it.

You must work in marketing :wave:

 

[darthjohnny]

umm, yeah, still not buying it.

You must work in marketing :wave:

Uh, no. Sorry you didn't or couldn't get it. :wave:

But I guess Disney can't please everyone.

Some people complain about not enough theming. And then there are threads on MiceChat that go on for pages and pages that have people complaining about when there is too much theming and a backstory to a new food cart.

 

[Langdonj]

They say a bug zapper attracts more bugs to a yard than it kills. Obviously, a terrible analogy to this situation. But anyway, I don't doubt that Disney will get business from people who came to Orlando for Harry Potter, and spend time at Disney while they are here. This will be a great marketing opportunity for Disney.

 

[EpcotServo]

Uh, no. Sorry you didn't or couldn't get it. :wave:

But I guess Disney can't please everyone.

Some people complain about not enough theming. And then there are threads on MiceChat that go on for pages and pages that have people complaining about when there is too much theming and a backstory to a new food cart.

:ROFLOL:

I hear ya! I remember that. Over there they A:Whined about how the name of their ODV was over themed, and then B: Whined about our name for our ODV sounding lame.
:hammer:

 

[tirian]

I don't have access to the numbers anymore but when I worked at Disney Buzz had the highest number of riders every day. SSE does have a higher capacity but for actual riders Buzz wins.

My SSE info comes from last year, so I could be wrong. Just the same, I'd imagine that the latest refurb has brought SSE up to high ridership numbers again, because more Guests than Disney expected know about the new version.

 

[DisneyYorkian74]

A bath tub could be considered "immersive." For many people, Disney is a "kiddie-park"

And where did you get that information from?

that isn't worth the time of day.

Is that why WDW is the world's number one vacation destination?

which bears answering.

You should back up your own statements with proof before you go off and ask others to back up theirs.

None of the statements you have written are backed up or reflected in fact.

You have fulled up page after page of nothing but negative stuff to say about WDW. I have no idea why someone would spend so much time pushing their own opinions on other people that go against the place this very site is dedicated to?:brick:

This is a fallacy that is changing even as we speak.

I'm sure WDW's record high and rising attendance figures reflect that, right?:hammer:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

And where did you get that information from?


:

A view thats expressed quite a lot in the UK, but then that is how Disney markets itself

 

[MousDad]

A view thats expressed quite a lot in the UK, but then that is how Disney markets itself

So we won't be seeing Charles and Camilla on Splash Mountain anytime soon?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

So we won't be seeing Charles and Camilla on Splash Mountain anytime soon?

Not unless Chuck can bring his gun and hunt Brer Fox

 

[Legacy]

And where did you get that information from?

Is that why WDW is the world's number one vacation destination?

You should back up your own statements with proof before you go off and ask others to back up theirs.

None of the statements you have written are backed up or reflected in fact.

You have fulled up page after page of nothing but negative stuff to say about WDW. I have no idea why someone would spend so much time pushing their own opinions on other people that go against the place this very site is dedicated to?:brick:

You have never, not once in your life, have heard someone call Disney a kiddie-park? You have never met someone who didn't feel like they HAD to go to Disney? My statements weren't barbs at Disney, but there are people who believe those things. There are a lot of people who grew up in Central Florida who feel that way (my dad is one of them). It isn't a case of spouting statistics, it a case of recognizing other's opinions.

Frankly, I believe that Disney is the number one vacation destination in the world because of its age as a brand-name and super efficient synergetic marketing. Their product is very good, yes. I haven't denied that. But their name is carried before their product. They don't advertise how good they are, they only advertise that they are Disney (note recent commercials that show nothing of the parks but still advertise the parks).

Now, I don't know where you got the impression that I'm forcing my opinions on people. Maybe it's the simple fact that I'm disagreeing with people on a fan site. I cannot think back to any where in this thread where I have "forced" my opinions. I have attempted to back up every one of my statements with examples (note the two list of Universal attractions that were posted in response to statements) but I'm not belittling people about it. That would be stupid. You are the first person to accuse me of anything (other than being wrong) in this thread, but considering I have twice as many posts specifically in this thread (click the post count number for the thread when looking at the "News and Rumors" board if you don't believe me) as anybody else I must being doing something right because it's still going after 350 total posts.

You make it sound so shocking that somebody on this discussion forum can say "negative things" about Disney, when most of what people do on this site is complain about how Disney can be better rather than simply appreciating what Disney is. Don't get too hung up on my opinion. I'm not too concerned about your's.

 

[Legacy]

Not unless Chuck can bring his gun and hunt Brer Fox

Wouldn't be too difficult with Brer Rabbit just standing there, not hopping.

:lookaroun