News Paradise Pier Becoming Pixar Pier

[Curious Constance]

BLAH BLAH BLAH! this happens every time when Disney changes something, all people do is complain.. Lots and lots of people complained about GOTG:MB, but now they love it. Same thing is going to happen with the marvelous Pixar Pier! I said this when people were complaining about GOTG:MB in the early stages, if you don't like it please don't come to the parks, and please cancel your annual pass. Less people I have to deal with in the crowded parks.

Oh, and when I said the same thing about GOTG:MB over at Micechat (don't come to the parks if you dont like change), I got an infraction point for some reason haha!

I think your Bad Bob profile picture is seeping into your brain.

 

[Curious Constance]

I think the older I get and longer I've been a Disney fan, the more I can appreciate those who are upset about changes being made. I find myself becoming more and more opposed to changes.

I don't think anyone should be called out for being against a change as long as they are rational and at least willing to discuss things with a level head. There are definitely those who are not capable of this, but not so much on this site.

Although, I think on the flip side, these people dead set against change do a lot of name calling and calling out of people of their own. Towards people who aren't as opposed to a change as they are. I can think of several personal examples where I've been called kool aid drinker or a Disney apologist etc, just because I wasn't foaming at the mouth over something that was changing.

Both sides have extremists who enjoy ridiculing others. As usual, the ideal seems to be somewhere in the middle.

 

[nevol]

I am not really sure about this change myself but hoping that whatever they have in mind fixes parts of the pier that were left untouched or that they fix the parts that had minor updates done from opening day.

This Pixar theme does seem a bit off in Design but I do think they did a great job in Tokyo Disney when they integrated the Midway Mania section. Not only did they capture the heart of the Toy Story characters but they were also able to maintain the theme of the American waterfront and a themed carnival pier seaside area.
I think that we might be able to see the same outcome here in DCA, just because they will be adding pixar themed characters i don't think that that it would destroy the theme of the pier but maybe instead enhance it.
Looking at historical pictures and documents of old seaside piers i don't see any one defining theme in any of them. These old seaside piers/carnivals had such an eclectic array of rides and themes all put together into one area. Creepy Haunted mazes, western shooting galleries, ghost trains, noahs ark themed play grounds, circus acts, mermaid themed dark rides and many many more themes thrown together.

I think that is what most people don't seem to understand when talking about Disney screwing up with the theme of the Pier and California.

In essence WDI can add any themed ride into a Paradise Pier area and it would still be within the theme of a Carnival Pier. what WDI has been doing and it seems like they will continue to do is add one element that marries all these themes together and that is architecture.

They started it with Mermaid and instead of adding the fantasy based facade they went with a facade that kept with the old architecture of the era. the same goes for Toy Story Midway Mania and the Paradise grill area. all slightly different in architecture to give each one their own identity but also different enough to remind us of the eclectic array of architectural designs used in these old seaside amusements.
with that said the theme of a Pier still looks like it will be maintained whether it has a Pixar character or an offbeat character that no one knows. In my mind I would tend to also say that this change in no way distances the park from the California theme. the park will still have a land based on seaside amusement parks would be found along the coast of the State with the exemption of having a unified character theme that is tied to Disney.

it is the same way that i see the whole of DCA's theme. A park with a main central heart themed to Los Angeles, Buena Vista (DCA's mainstreet) branching out into individual lands that carry unique themes but still have a connecting aspect that links it to Buena Vista Street. Grizzley Peak showcasing the national parks of the state, Paradise Bay with Pixar pier showcasing the eclectic amusement Piers of California Coasts and Cars Land a somewhat twist of the American car culture.

where i do have trouble understanding the reasoning in theming is when it comes to Bugsland. when that land was added i still felt it somehow fit with the theme because they maintained several aspects of the farming industry within the land. As years progress many of those props disappeared and the land just became an odd fit. If they do remove it and then integrate it into a much larger Hollywood themed land i personally think that it might work. If they could pull of a Hollywood land that has sub districts that can include Marvel, Disney and non IP brands it could make for a land that fits within the Filming Industry of Hollywood.

It will be interesting to see how WDI slowly integrates the themes so that they at least have one unifying connection within them. Something that i think they can pull of

woah hadn't seen this! GREAT post!

 

[nevol]

BLAH BLAH BLAH! this happens every time when Disney changes something, all people do is complain.. Lots and lots of people complained about GOTG:MB, but now they love it. Same thing is going to happen with the marvelous Pixar Pier! I said this when people were complaining about GOTG:MB in the early stages, if you don't like it please don't come to the parks, and please cancel your annual pass. Less people I have to deal with in the crowded parks.

Oh, and when I said the same thing about GOTG:MB over at Micechat (don't come to the parks if you dont like change), I got an infraction point for some reason haha!

A. Nobody is complaining. Apparently if a post becomes too long winded, your ability to comprehend it gives out, and you replace every word with "bla bla bla." Are we the teachers in Charlie Brown?
B. Not all the people who were upset about the Guardians overlay have come around, so trying to predict that everybody will come to accept pixar pier based on the full eventual acceptance of guardians is a false prediction based on false information.

 

[October82]

BLAH BLAH BLAH! this happens every time when Disney changes something, all people do is complain.. Lots and lots of people complained about GOTG:MB, but now they love it. Same thing is going to happen with the marvelous Pixar Pier!

This isn't actually what happens. Generally what happens is that people comment about a change when the change is announced, follow the construction and speculate for the year or more it takes for the change to happen, and then respond to the finished product. Some people agree with the change, some people disagree. Those that disagree are most likely to comment at the beginning, and less likely to comment over time. Those that agree with the change are most likely to comment at the end, and less likely at the beginning. Hence the appearance that every change progresses in this way. Most WDW fans that I know are still upside about the loss of Toad. Most Epcot fans are still upset about Maelstrom.

I said this when people were complaining about GOTG:MB in the early stages, if you don't like it please don't come to the parks, and please cancel your annual pass. Less people I have to deal with in the crowded parks.

This is pretty much said in jest, but for many people on these boards, it's certainly trending in that direction, and not out of a sense of spite. Disney is no longer marketing the parks towards many of their core fans. If Disney fails to provide an experience in line with brand expectations, then yes, people do cancel their APs and don't plan vacations to Disney parks.

Oh, and when I said the same thing about GOTG:MB over at Micechat (don't come to the parks if you dont like change), I got an infraction point for some reason haha!

Micechat has pretty much banned debate. I'm not joking. They updated their rules in response to Mission Breakout.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

DISNEY: Next Summer New Orleans Square will will be transformed into Ratatouille Land. This permanent change will delight guests for years to come...

DISNEY CAN DO NO WRONG CROWD: I kind of like this change. NOS needed something, it was getting a bit stale.

LOL!

Is it wrong to think that NOS is a little stale (I can kind of see why someone might think this) but at the same time be suspicious about a Ratatouille transformation?

Maybe there should be a I'VE ACCEPTED THAT DISNEY IS GOING TO DO WHATEVER IT WANTS SO I'M JUST GONNA GO WITH WITH THE FLOW CROWD.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

It wasn't bad on this thread. A couple folks seemed a bit riled up, but nothing major, IIRC. Take a look at the MiceChat board if you're interested in some actual meltdowns. The way some of those folks were carrying on, I hope the medicine cabinet was locked up and all the sharp objects were hidden away.

I'm tempted to go look, but I know I'll get sucked in and may never come back.

 

[mickEblu]

LOL!

Is it wrong to think that NOS is a little stale (I can kind of see why someone might think this) but at the same time be suspicious about a Ratatouille transformation?

Maybe there should be a I'VE ACCEPTED THAT DISNEY IS GOING TO DO WHATEVER IT WANTS SO I'M JUST GONNA GO WITH WITH THE FLOW CROWD.

Lol yes there can be some middle ground. I was purposely trying to generalize to show how some of us get labeled. It seems that if anyone opens their mouth with a negative opinion on a new project they get lumped into the "sky is falling" crowd. Their is a lot of gray area and that is what the discussion forums are for. There isn't really a lot of depth and conversation in black/white.

Suspiscious about Ratatouille!? It would be end of days.

 

[nevol]

My observations of micechat recently is that there is a flood of younger members (you can tell by spelling and an abundance of bad ideas and questions) and a ton of discussion about operation-type stuff, crowds, how certain services work, etc. Oh, and 10 threads for every single topic. Every day, someone tried to start a NON-HEATED discussion of Pirates' changes. There were even TWO SURVEY THREADS DEDICATED TO POLLING PEOPLE'S OPINIONS OF THE CHANGES. So, its kind of a mess. The crowd here is smaller, but likely older? I've come to appreciate everybody and there are distinct personalities and opinions/perspectives here.

 

[nevol]

I think one thing that is kind of the unspoken and elusive truth, even among the fan community, and it seems increasingly with P+R, is that DisneyLAND is incredibly DISNEY. It is basically its own IP. It and all of its non-IP elements are this invisible glue that binds all the experiences together and that people love in and of itself. Not everything needs to be IP-driven, and sometimes, but not always, IP stuff that is intended to make things MORE disney can have the opposite effect, once you acknowledge that disneyland and the parks in general are legitimately "Disney."

The oddest phenomenon right now is this rejection of the idea that a Disney Park is inherently Disney, and that any IP disney owns in the animation or film divisions should take priority over that and be immortalized in a disney park. It is obvious that disney theme parks have always been a life support for Disney Animation; look no further than brand awareness of Snow White and Pinocchio, for example, up to 80 years after their theatrical release. But Blue Bayou and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln are also Disney. Walt dedicated the final decade.5 of his life to Disneyland and then EPCOT. He'd moved on from presenting the world through film and animation to building said worlds fictionally with the hope that they would inspire the broader social context, until finally, having done that with Disneyland, saying through EPCOT that he was ready to literally build a prototype civilization. There is an audience of people who are obsessed with disney's theatrical releases and IP's, who come to the resorts expecting that content to be present. But there are also people who come for other reasons. Not saying that everybody has to be fascinated with the phenomenons of disneyland in general and 1967 Tomorrowland in particular, with its people movers, rocket to the moon, the nation's first monorail, the ribbon cutting by richard nixon, and how moments like these can change a national identity, but there are certainly times that I wonder if Disney would even be willing to build something that reflects the story of us, something like Main Street USA, anymore, or if they'd overlook it because it isn't IP motivated. It would be like a steakhouse taking seafood items off the menu. Calamari, seafood towers and shrimp cocktails, salmon, etc are pretty much expected to be on the menu. Sure, it is still a steakhouse, but it's missing half the menu.

Obviously I'm happy to see Future World's central plaza getting upgrades and for cgi enhancements to Mission: Space and ESPECIALLY for the restaurant on the space station. That can't be cheap, and it isn't IP driven! Heaven.

 

[yookeroo]

I could be wrong, but I don't remember one illogical, ultra emotional post on this thread that warrant anyone mentioning "Sky is falling." All I have seen are many well thought out posts of people stating their opinion in a Disney theme park forum.

This is one of the most idiotic changes in Disney park history.

So a pixarpier with little mermaid darkride and mickeys funwheele #whatajoke

This ****es me off. They really ought to change the name of the park already. The "California" idea has been incoherent for a long, long time but now it's beyond the point of absurdity.

Is there any imagination left at Imagineering? I feel like Iger's Reign of Terror is never gonna end.

I think these are all from the first page.

Most of the discussion has been relatively sane, but there are Chicken Littles here.

 

[nevol]

I think these are all from the first page.

Most of the discussion has been relatively sane, but there are Chicken Littles here.

Sometimes its fun to say "you know what really grinds my gears?" It's why married people need to separate from their daily routine to talk S*** with their friends (or therapists)! All in good fun? We did have a troll threaten to kill themselves once though. That was a first.

 

[indianajack]

If Disney themes Pixar Pier as well as the Toyville Trolley Park at DisneySea then we're in for a treat.
Since the Marvel universe is diegetic to the parks, I prefer the Marvel attractions be set in the parks themselves, not be some kind of faux New York City. Stark Expo is in HKDL with the attraction's action beginning and ending at the park. GotG_M:B is in CDA because the Collector wanted to show off his wares in one of the biggest tourist spots on Earth (though he missed by about a thousand feet). And those Marvel attractions link up with Iron Man calling in from HK to CDA for the training show (albeit the show is lame). Look forward to what Disney is going to do next.

 

[nevol]

If Disney themes Pixar Pier as well as the Toyville Trolley Park at DisneySea then we're in for a treat.
Since the Marvel universe is diegetic to the parks, I prefer the Marvel attractions be set in the parks themselves, not be some kind of faux New York City. Stark Expo is in HKDL with the attraction's action beginning and ending at the park. GotG_M:B is in CDA because the Collector wanted to show off his wares in one of the biggest tourist spots on Earth (though he missed by about a thousand feet). And those Marvel attractions link up with Iron Man calling in from HK to CDA for the training show (albeit the show is lame). Look forward to what Disney is going to do next.

Could allow them to keep hollywoodland actually, not that I like the hollywoodland we have, but I like the idea of it.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Lol yes there can be some middle ground. I was purposely trying to generalize to show how some of us get labeled. It seems that if anyone opens their mouth with a negative opinion on a new project they get lumped into the "sky is falling" crowd. Their is a lot of gray area and that is what the discussion forums are for. There isn't really a lot of depth and conversation in black/white.

I can see why that's your perception. I get it. May I explain mine?

I've grown to accept that The Walt Disney Company is not my friend. The people at the top of the organization are wealthy executives running a multi-billion dollar business with zero accountability to Dr Hans Reinhardt and what he personally expects from Disney. Literally no one at Disney needs to be concerned about my emotional connection to Disney theme parks because when Pixar Pier opens thousands and thousands of mousehats will flood the gates for weeks to get into DCA and see it.

It's this (cynical?) mindset that puts me at odds with the repetitive nature of online fan debates about projects like Pixar Pier. Based on what we've seen across DP&R recently a fully branded Pixar transformation of an existing land at DLR was inevitable, and I'm surprised that anyone, especially people who follow DP&R closely, would be surprised by this announcement. We all know how this ends: Pixar Pier will be popular, the critics will give it mixed reviews, the park will be gridlocked on opening day, and before the online chatter dies down after the opening the online community will have moved on to some other "terrible" thing Disney has announced.

I really do enjoy the camaraderie in this section of WDW Magic, and I feel like the conversations here are mostly mature and people are generally polite to each other. I guess I sometimes get a bit thrown when people expect a destination Disney resort to run like a small boutique theme park.

 

[mickEblu]

I can see why that's your perception. I get it. May I explain mine?

I've grown to accept that The Walt Disney Company is not my friend. The people at the top of the organization are wealthy executives running a multi-billion dollar business with zero accountability to Dr Hans Reinhardt and what he personally expects from Disney. Literally no one at Disney needs to be concerned about my emotional connection to Disney theme parks because when Pixar Pier opens thousands and thousands of mousehats will flood the gates for weeks to get into DCA and see it.

It's this (cynical?) mindset that puts me at odds with the repetitive nature of online fan debates about projects like Pixar Pier. Based on what we've seen across DP&R recently a fully branded Pixar transformation of an existing land at DLR was inevitable, and I'm surprised that anyone, especially people who follow DP&R closely, would be surprised by this announcement. We all know how this ends: Pixar Pier will be popular, the critics will give it mixed reviews, the park will be gridlocked on opening day, and before the online chatter dies down after the opening the online community will have moved on to some other "terrible" thing Disney has announced.

I really do enjoy the camaraderie in this section of WDW Magic, and I feel like the conversations here are mostly mature and people are generally polite to each other. I guess I sometime get a bit thrown when people expect a destination Disney resort to run like a small boutique theme park.

I also see where you re coming from. My comments are directed at people who say "if you don't like it don't go to the parks, less crowds to deal with" or state the whole denial>anger>acceptance thing as a response to a logical, well thought out post. Those types of comments add nothing to a conversation.

TBH, nothing really surprises me anymore, especially after the TOT thing. I don't really have a strong emotional attachment to Paradise Pier but that doesn't mean I'm not going to share my thoughts on the Pixar Pier project.

I agree, the conversations here are leaps and bounds better than what I've been seeing at Micechat lately.

 

[mickEblu]

I think these are all from the first page.

Most of the discussion has been relatively sane, but there are Chicken Littles here.

I feel like for knee jerk initial reactions, these aren't too bad.

 

[nevol]

I can see why that's your perception. I get it. May I explain mine?

I've grown to accept that The Walt Disney Company is not my friend. The people at the top of the organization are wealthy executives running a multi-billion dollar business with zero accountability to Dr Hans Reinhardt and what he personally expects from Disney. Literally no one at Disney needs to be concerned about my emotional connection to Disney theme parks because when Pixar Pier opens thousands and thousands of mousehats will flood the gates for weeks to get into DCA and see it.

It's this (cynical?) mindset that puts me at odds with the repetitive nature of online fan debates about projects like Pixar Pier. Based on what we've seen across DP&R recently a fully branded Pixar transformation of an existing land at DLR was inevitable, and I'm surprised that anyone, especially people who follow DP&R closely, would be surprised by this announcement. We all know how this ends: Pixar Pier will be popular, the critics will give it mixed reviews, the park will be gridlocked on opening day, and before the online chatter dies down after the opening the online community will have moved on to some other "terrible" thing Disney has announced.

I really do enjoy the camaraderie in this section of WDW Magic, and I feel like the conversations here are mostly mature and people are generally polite to each other. I guess I sometime get a bit thrown when people expect a destination Disney resort to run like a small boutique theme park.

Makes sense. The backlash against guardians was definitely on their radar, though, so I know parks and WDI is aware of these things. And it wasn't unique to Disney forums; people who visit the parks very infrequently, even marvel fans, thought it was odd, because TOT is one of those things that even people who visit once a decade or once in a lifetime remember. They are relieved that their project has succeeded, it seems, so even if they were confident they had a better project ready to launch, they didn't know how far the opposition to it would go. And if the ride flopped for unrelated reasons, like simply in response to show quality/guest satisfaction, I doubt they would have tried such a project again, and it would have validated said concerns. But given that it has been accepted by audiences, they will have less concern for our voices moving forward (and sadly probably try to move forward with more of these decisions; what E-ticket is next?).

There is a counter-argument to this, however, and exceptions to the rule. times they step up to the plate and give fans what they want kicks in when and only when attendance drops and a park is under-performing. DCA 1.0 is what happens when they disregard the rule book and the fans and try to just create whatever junk. "Build it and they will come." It is a really condescending way of treating the audience that fails just about every company in every industry. People's brand relationships aren't that loyal. Clothing companies cant make crappier clothes forever and expect that people who like the brand will stick around just because of the nametag. Hopefully all of these changes have/will have teams behind them that are excited by the projects and putting in every effort to make them successful stories and experiences. Quality trumps branding, and yes, you can do both. I think while you have accepted that they'll do what they want to do, which I tend to agree with, I still think that poor show "shows" and they can only get away with so much, and can therefore only do so much. Quality matters. They'll listen to the paying audience when projects lack quality and nobody is interested. Sometimes our concerns correlate with the park's performance, sometimes they don't.

A completely unrelated instance when disney listens to their fans, for whatever reason, is with the APs. TDA is terrified of their AP's, and will give them any free thing they ask for. FREE MAXPASS! for example. Which is just a bad policy in principle, because people who pay 1000$ for unlimited access 365 days a year shouldn't be getting special treatment over somebody who paid 10-20% of that for 1/365th the access and opportunity to see and experience these attractions; if anybody should be getting free maxpass, it is those who will be spending 1200$ PER NIGHT to stay in a star wars hotel. It really only makes sense.

 

[Disney Irish]

I can see why that's your perception. I get it. May I explain mine?

I've grown to accept that The Walt Disney Company is not my friend. The people at the top of the organization are wealthy executives running a multi-billion dollar business with zero accountability to Dr Hans Reinhardt and what he personally expects from Disney. Literally no one at Disney needs to be concerned about my emotional connection to Disney theme parks because when Pixar Pier opens thousands and thousands of mousehats will flood the gates for weeks to get into DCA and see it.

It's this (cynical?) mindset that puts me at odds with the repetitive nature of online fan debates about projects like Pixar Pier. Based on what we've seen across DP&R recently a fully branded Pixar transformation of an existing land at DLR was inevitable, and I'm surprised that anyone, especially people who follow DP&R closely, would be surprised by this announcement. We all know how this ends: Pixar Pier will be popular, the critics will give it mixed reviews, the park will be gridlocked on opening day, and before the online chatter dies down after the opening the online community will have moved on to some other "terrible" thing Disney has announced.

I really do enjoy the camaraderie in this section of WDW Magic, and I feel like the conversations here are mostly mature and people are generally polite to each other. I guess I sometime get a bit thrown when people expect a destination Disney resort to run like a small boutique theme park.

This is where I am as well when it comes to changes. Though I do find some changes more interesting than others, Galaxies Edge/Marvel. But in the end Disney is going to do whats in the best interest of Disney, not the fans. So in my opinion I might as well accept they are going to make changes and just try to enjoy what is offered.

As for Pixar Pier, there have been rumors for years that an overhaul was coming. Its been discussed on many fan sites for years ever since DCA 2.0 was started. With the TSMM being added it was not a huge leap to see more and more Pixar being added. So in my mind its been telegraphed for almost 10 years.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

There is a counter-argument to this, however, and exceptions to the rule. times they step up to the plate and give fans what they want kicks in when and only when attendance drops and a park is under-performing.

I would argue that Disney "stepping up to the plate" could be interpreted as fans expectations matching Disney's. PTN or DL Forever are good examples of this, and I would also argue that in general DL fans are more aligned with Disney's business goals than they care to admit. Major fan strike outs are rare. Disney Parks is on a roll and the steady stream of people with an insatiable interest in DL is proof.