PHOTOS - Temporary store to open during a major update to World of Disney at Disney Springs

[POLY LOVER]

The themeing of the store is what made it special. If they turn it into a bigger version of a vanilla Target then it's another notch in the loss of the Disney magic! Chip chip chip until it's all gone. It makes me sick because we long time visitor to disney can see the differences as they degrade and can't do a thing about it.

 

[I am Timmy]

The best example of this drudgery....Look at the cold souless entryway to the New "Improved?" Disney stores..

It turned black and white?

 

[Skipper Dan]

The new World of Disney store will remove nearly all of the themeing and props. More of a "vanilla box" with departments that can be changed out easily. Lots of white slat walls and apparently more along the lines of other shops in Springs like Uniqlo.

Half of WoD will be closed during the renovation, necessitating the extra space. Once complete, the other half will undergo work.

Believe it or not, Disney is hoping their sales go up signifcantly as a result of the renovation (not sure I see the connection between a bland store and higher sales, but I digress). I wish it weren't true, but generic is the way they are going, from what I've heard.

Well, time to leave this World. I don’t want to see a World like that.

 

[Flynnwriter]

VERY worried. The anti-theming crew is getting their white paint ready.

 

[Flynnwriter]

Unfortunately, there seems to be a group of designers at Disney who are hellbent on making Disney World resemble Images they can find on Pinterest and Google Image Search. They simply want to make the parks and resorts look like other places people “like”. It’s pathetic and will slowly erode the experience. Disney was never about making things tasteful, it is about making things thematic, cinematic and unique.

 

[BraveGirl]

Glad it won't be starting until after my trip next week!

 

[Jon81uk]

I don't think getting rid of the VERY dated looking carpet and wood look and replacing it with a more modern theme and look is making it "anti-theming". When I get inside WoD I don't really notice characters or themed displays inside the store, just lots of dark wood and old-style carpet. What difference does it make if there are more white displays, tiled floors and similar so that the displays and theming around this stands out more?

 

[Horizons '83]

I don't think getting rid of the VERY dated looking carpet and wood look and replacing it with a more modern theme and look is making it "anti-theming". When I get inside WoD I don't really notice characters or themed displays inside the store, just lots of dark wood and old-style carpet. What difference does it make if there are more white displays, tiled floors and similar so that the displays and theming around this stands out more?

I think there is a lot more going into this refurbishment than carpet... think very sterile, hospital like

 

[Jon81uk]

I think there is a lot more going into this refurbishment than carpet... think very sterile, hospital like

What is your source for that? Why is everyone seeing minimalist and less cluttered and then thinking sterile?

You can get rid of the outdated carpet and wood style and go for something more white and uplifting while retaining an indivual style and pushing pops of colour. If anything the plainer colours will make characters and themed displays stand out more.

 

[disneyC97]

The large character shop that preceded WoD didn’t have a lot of overt “Disney” to its decor...more the old style Disney Village cedar/beams etc. It will be interesting to see what they do here. I agree with others...hopefully not as severe as the new mall Disney stores.

 

[Flynnwriter]

What is your source for that? Why is everyone seeing minimalist and less cluttered and then thinking sterile?

You can get rid of the outdated carpet and wood style and go for something more white and uplifting while retaining an indivual style and pushing pops of colour. If anything the plainer colours will make characters and themed displays stand out more.

Do you want stores at Disney world to look exactly like the apple store or h&m? That’s all we’re saying. It’s odd you feel so opposed.

 

[Jon81uk]

Do you want stores at Disney world to look exactly like the apple store or h&m? That’s all we’re saying. It’s odd you feel so opposed.

There is no evidence it will look EXACTLY like those stores. In fact nobody knows exactly what they will do.
I'm looking forward to seeing a more modern, vibrant World of Disney with decor that allows the displays and theming to stand out against the interior design. Also a nice bright store will be a good thing, the current wooden decor makes the store feel very dark inside.

After a quick Google search to try and find pictures of newer Disney stores, I found a few images (at the site that cannot be named) that show white shelving surrounded by displays of the latest movie merchandise. The branding of the film (Cars, Star Wars etc) around the display shelving is definitly not like Apple or H&M and is really clear, the bright shelving and other decor really helps show off the changeable display.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...AUICygC&biw=1920&bih=957#imgrc=3Wa5UgQBACZhEM:

 

[wdwmagic]

In fact nobody knows exactly what they will do.

Well I wouldn't go that far. There are people who have seen the renderings.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

Does anyone remember when Winnie the Pooh merch was so popular that it had its own store in Downtown Disney, and then later all of the props were removed to make it a generic store? I'm fearing that this is what will happen to WoD.

 

[lazyboy97o]

There is no evidence it will look EXACTLY like those stores. In fact nobody knows exactly what they will do.
I'm looking forward to seeing a more modern, vibrant World of Disney with decor that allows the displays and theming to stand out against the interior design. Also a nice bright store will be a good thing, the current wooden decor makes the store feel very dark inside.

After a quick Google search to try and find pictures of newer Disney stores, I found a few images (at the site that cannot be named) that show white shelving surrounded by displays of the latest movie merchandise. The branding of the film (Cars, Star Wars etc) around the display shelving is definitly not like Apple or H&M and is really clear, the bright shelving and other decor really helps show off the changeable display.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...AUICygC&biw=1920&bih=957#imgrc=3Wa5UgQBACZhEM:

That image is the problem. It is a great example of bland copycat “minimalism.”

 

[MisterPenguin]

In 2037 people people will look at pictures of the white, minimalist stores and pine for how they miss them telling one another, "hey, they're starting to come back in style... so retro!"

 

[I am Timmy]

That image is the problem. It is a great example of bland copycat “minimalism.”

It looks like Ikea is selling Disney merch in a child's room.

 

[Slowjack]

What is your source for that? Why is everyone seeing minimalist and less cluttered and then thinking sterile?

You can get rid of the outdated carpet and wood style and go for something more white and uplifting while retaining an indivual style and pushing pops of colour. If anything the plainer colours will make characters and themed displays stand out more.

I think we are all on the the same general page with what we expect this to look like. We just differ in how much we like it. For many people, minimalist decor is sterile, which is why they don't like it. Others see it differently.

For me, theming isn't just something you can add with decorations on top of a plain background. It needs to be an integrated whole. It's the same problem I have with the Poly's new lobby. It's no longer a Tiki style; it's a generic hotel style with Tiki decorations.

Again, I know that different people prefer different styles. In some contexts, I like a modern, minimalist style myself (in, for example, a modern-styled house). But for most people, if the "theme" can be changed by changing the display cabinets, it's not really themed to begin with.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

“Public squares” or not, Apple’s retail stores go much deeper than their aesthetics. It’s all focused on your relationship with your Apple products and how you can use them for all sorts of things. The new Disney Stores should be stealing that, the relationship between the customer and the Disney ecosystem, but they aren’t.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

For what it's worth here are photos from the Disney store in International Plaza in Tampa. They play classic music from Peter Pan, Casey Jr etc. there are projections of Peter Pan and the lost children and Up etc. on the walls. I like the store a lot.