yeti
Well-Known Member
Like American Idol- bad property made into as good a ride as possible still amounted to a bad ride. I do think Avatar had the potential to be fantastic, though (and I hated the movie).
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Say.... What if Avatarland got cancelled?
- Thread starter pheneix
- Start date
Like American Idol- bad property made into as good a ride as possible still amounted to a bad ride. I do think Avatar had the potential to be fantastic, though (and I hated the movie).
CaptJapan
Member
You got it!
I read your post and got the idea and put it together before class.
I'm currently taking Business Administration and our class ranges from 20-30 years old. not quite teen, but seems pretty dang close. Some students have been doing surveys for local businesses and I thought it would be fun (and easy) to actually test your idea.
So I asked everyone in class, about the possibility of a Star Wars land, AVATARland, Muppetland, and my idea for a Nintendo/Pokemon land.
There was a total of 32 students.
Here are the results.
25 students loved the idea of a StarWars land, a few told me as long as it didn't involve the new trilogy though. 4 didn't, they felt HWS had enough already, and 3 didn't know either way.
15 students loved the idea of a muppetland, 7 thought i was referring to sesame street. 10 thought the muppets weren't popular enough.
almost all the students loved the idea of a Nintendo theme park. only half thought a pokemon based land was a good idea.
i loved when i asked this.
when i asked about avatarland, almost everyone said they loved that show. XD once i explained it was about jame's camerons movie, only 12 people liked the idea, while 16 didn't like the idea, and 4 had never seen the movie. i asked why they didn't like the idea and most said, it just wasn't a memorable movie.
i did however get a bunch of new suggestions though, it actually turned into a pretty fun discussion in class. my favorite? one student actually suggested a land based on dragons. XD she had no idea, until i told her about beastly kingdom.
i will say this, that was the funnest time i've had in class.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
I'll play your little game. I'll grant you that American Idol is a bit of a challenge. It has less obvious potential than Avatar. And I'll admit, they did a heck of a job elevating karaoke with the production values of the AIE. But yeah, the show falls short because at its heart it is still just karaoke.
Doesn't mean they couldn't have made a better AI attraction if they wanted to. If you can theme a roller coaster to Aerosmith, it could have just as easily been the American Idol Coaster.
yeti
Well-Known Member
Game?
Sure, the sky is the limit in terms of what you can actually come up with. Such is the nature of blue sky imagineering. But how far can you go before people see it as a joke? Next up: The Shamwow Experience.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
People say that because the work has already been done for them. They can already see the world and know what it contains. What hurts both the Muppets and Toy Story is that they take place in this world, so what they see is just this world. But the public is also not being paid to be creative.
How does Walt's involvement automatically make something more creative? Walt was not obsessed with filling attractions with narratives, thus we get the vignette experiences that are still considered some of the best of the best.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
You have no idea ... or maybe you do. I went through three rooms before I accepted one. Then I slept in my clothes on top of the bed ... and only used the bathroom for No. 1s and one scary shower.
But if you want to be a Spirit of the People, then it can't always be the Four Seasons.
And in Tally, it can never be the Four Seasons!:ROFLOL:
~It's an acquired talent ... like snark.~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
I understand and you aren't prying. Trust me, I've had folks play that game and I know it when I see it. If there's something you feel like asking privately send me a PM.
WOW!!! Thanks!
A friend and fellow MAGICal member told me you had posted a thorough review and they weren't kidding. Seems like I either missed the fun or a bunch of wasted time. We should all pitch in and get some flowers for Da Mom!
I knew it was only a matter of time. Most people saw that. I wonder why when someone knows they're going up in flames, they don't pull back if they really want that obnoxiousness to last ...
There's always hope. Things can get better. And it wouldn't take much, which is why TDO is so infuriating. Disney still provides amazing product across the globe. For some reason they insist on running WDW by a different model. That's why you have four stale parks and folks are excited by construction walls.
Now, do I think it will change in the near term? Being that they're getting people to pay $134 a night at the Pop Century and $234 a night at Coronado Springs and God knows how much at the GF, no ... I absolutely think nothing is changing for years.
~Seriously, who pays these prices and thinks they're getting a deal?!~
TinkerBelle8878
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't be upset in the least if this fell through. Hey, why not retheme the Dinosaur ride (or whatever its now called) to Indiana Jones? After all that's the reason they won't give WDW and Indy ride of its own, right?
I think Dinosaur has lost its appeal and Indy has at least kept its appeal since they still do the show in DHS. Plus, I know people will say that it doesnt' fit, but he's a globe trotting archeologist. He could be in any of the areas in AK searching for relics. Retheme the Dino area to one of those exotic jungle places. The Dino dig can be an archeology dig, etc.
The Indy ride in DL is amazing. Dinosaur..not so much. It would be a band-aid in the mean time, of course.
Also it helps to consider that HP had a huge following by the time it came to build the land. The books were still being written, which took a few years of anticipation between each. The movies were still being filmed. Its not like Avatar, with one movie, and nothing for years and years. And it doesn't have that kind of following except with a select group of fans.
Beastly Kingdom still sounds like the best idea. Fantasical animals and mythology. So we don't get the Dragon coaster. Not everything has to be a roller coaster. Just more rides and attractions to make the park more than a half dayer.
That's if they throw the money into AK at all. I'd rather see the money being put towards fixing Future World, making DHS more of a full day park worth admission, and just generally fixing everything that's been breaking down and not maintained as well as of late.
However if the other option for the money is a new DVC, I say bring on Avatarland. At least in time, that'll probably be rethemed or completely changed into something else viable.
I think Dinosaur has lost its appeal and Indy has at least kept its appeal since they still do the show in DHS. Plus, I know people will say that it doesnt' fit, but he's a globe trotting archeologist. He could be in any of the areas in AK searching for relics. Retheme the Dino area to one of those exotic jungle places. The Dino dig can be an archeology dig, etc.
The Indy ride in DL is amazing. Dinosaur..not so much. It would be a band-aid in the mean time, of course.
Also it helps to consider that HP had a huge following by the time it came to build the land. The books were still being written, which took a few years of anticipation between each. The movies were still being filmed. Its not like Avatar, with one movie, and nothing for years and years. And it doesn't have that kind of following except with a select group of fans.
Beastly Kingdom still sounds like the best idea. Fantasical animals and mythology. So we don't get the Dragon coaster. Not everything has to be a roller coaster. Just more rides and attractions to make the park more than a half dayer.
That's if they throw the money into AK at all. I'd rather see the money being put towards fixing Future World, making DHS more of a full day park worth admission, and just generally fixing everything that's been breaking down and not maintained as well as of late.
However if the other option for the money is a new DVC, I say bring on Avatarland. At least in time, that'll probably be rethemed or completely changed into something else viable.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Just to add some more hard info before I get lost in this thread ... but when I talked to my source at WDI, said source pointed out the fact that Disney hasn't released one piece of generic artwork to get fanbois excited 'because they can't even agree on the basics' ... what you have are two diametrically opposite views on building the land (and I absolutely saw that coming). Cameron wants something groundbreaking. Disney wants to give you Soarin Over Around and Thru Pandora. Cameron wants to take that $500 million budget and add 'whatever it takes to do this right' ... Disney wants to trim $100-125 million from the budget (guess they need to cover the John Carter disaster).
Also want to make it clear (like the OP) that Avatarland isn't quite dead and you're dealing with another ego here -- Bob Iger's. And he really is burning about the work UNI is doing. In California, he can point to the DCA Makeover and crow. But at the 'flagship resort' that modest Fantasyland project isn't going to do it.
My point being this could stay alive just because of Iger's ego.
My gut tells me that I am hungry ... oh, and it also tells me that the chances of ever seeing construction are very, very, very slim.
~Hail in Hawaii? Glad I'm not at Aulani!~
Also want to make it clear (like the OP) that Avatarland isn't quite dead and you're dealing with another ego here -- Bob Iger's. And he really is burning about the work UNI is doing. In California, he can point to the DCA Makeover and crow. But at the 'flagship resort' that modest Fantasyland project isn't going to do it.
My point being this could stay alive just because of Iger's ego.
My gut tells me that I am hungry ... oh, and it also tells me that the chances of ever seeing construction are very, very, very slim.
~Hail in Hawaii? Glad I'm not at Aulani!~
Quoted For Truth!!!!!! After our last Universal/WDW trip and staying onsite for both(RPR/Carb. Beach), we will never stay at a moderate or value again. I think the time is coming that "let's just raise the price, they will pay it" for Disney is coming to an end. Could be wrong but thats just my opinion.
(When I first started posting on here, I would never have believed I would say that)
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
YES!!! THIS!!!
I don't think people realize how little Disney wants to spend. Everyone points to DCA's makeover, but if they had attempted to fund it six months later, we would still be looking at the old DCA now.
And for all the fanboi drooling over the Fantasyland construction walls, let's not forget this project was first proposed over a decade ago. And the original pricetag was $750 million (they are spending about half that now) and included the entire land and added another ...well, the only E-Ticket of the project. They've even cut out the 'Phase II' Pixie Hollow area with its immersive meet and greet and Tow Mater-like attraction.
Oh, and be happy you clush your plush and cry at Wishes because they killed the replacement show ... but at least DLP gets a version of it and, more importantly, at least this Spirit gets to see it next month.:king:
It's always how little can we do when it comes to Disney, especially in FLA.
That's very dangerous for a company that built its reputation (today that's BRAND) on being second to none and always looking to raise the bar creatively. Much more so when your top competitor has decided to up its game to the highest level.
~Where's Peyton Gonna Play?~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
None.
At.
All.
They didn't want it ... Disney PR planted a story they did. All they did was think about it.
UNI is happy with its current properties and I'd look for them to exploit more of what they already have in the near future!
~Surprising Spirit Fact: He doesn't own and isn't affiliated with Spirit Airlines~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Doing the impossible requires two things: vision and money.
Now, you ask yourself if Disney has those ...
~OTOH, at least I can steal soda at the A-S-S again!~
AEfx
Well-Known Member
LOL.
Putting those together is like saying:
"They want ice cream. They want Hamburgers. They want tofu."
Sure, do some fringe people want tofu? Yup. The average person? Nope.
Avatar was a spectacular financial success due to a number of external factors - it was the first "really made for real with 3-D" full-length "live action" (if one can call it that - debatable) big studio film, 3-D was just really hitting "mainstream" cinema (when you could see it in just about every theater that way), and there was little else in the theaters at the time.
But as far as continued public interest, you are sorely, sorely mistaken. I mean, people forget that there wasn't a ton of Star Wars product from about 1986 to 1995, when basically demand had grown so much they had to start releasing figures again (and they never stopped).
Avatar has no legs. Yes, it made a ton of money, and deserves credit for that. But there is no "universe" to speak of, no ancillary product, which is a good indicator of public demand. Even the name "Avatar" is likely to get you blank looks from most people these days (partially Cameron's own fault for using such a generic name, especially one that is already attached to a popular children's franchise). "Oh, that one with the blue people?" Even folks that saw the film would be hard pressed to remember a single character name.
People do not crave Avatar, outside of a small group of rabid fans who think it's the best thing ever invented. The same people that were saying by now every single movie would be in 3-D, and we'd all be craving 3-D. The fad is, again, like it did in the 50's, and again in the 80's, begun to pass. That doesn't mean it will disappear - the studios will not let it, as they want to collect the 3-D tax as long as they can - but the general public has proven they don't much care. It's fun occasionally, but it's not the future. Just like Avatar.
I'd bet you a 7-day park hopper, if Disney starts advertising "Avatarland", more people are going to think it's about that Airbender thing than "that movie about Blue people with the pretty backgrounds".
All that said - I hope the OP is correct. I'd rather Disney spend a billion bucks on just about any other topic than Avatar.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
That's why smart people rent one of the beautiful condos 3 or 4 miles down the road with private pools, jacuzzi, etc. for about the same price as you'd pay for a room at a Value.
Mike730
Well-Known Member
Yes.
They have much more than that actually.
And in this case less is more.
....(for us)
thelookingglass
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I know this is now off topic, but:
A college course full of 20-30 year olds all said they loved Avatar: the Last Airbender? A children's show that has very limited appeal outside of it's target demographic? (unlike something like, say, Adventure Time)
AvengersWDW
Banned
I still love how i have yet to be proven wrong on here...
spaceghost
Well-Known Member
Well, in all fairness, Avatar did originally start airing in Feb. of 2005, making it just over 7 years old. That would put the age of the class when they might have started watching it in the 13-23 y/o range. And it is something that was admittedly popular outside its targeted demographic. (Never seen it myself, though.)