Rumor Something happening at the Studios?

Bill Cipher

Bill Cipher

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
I wanted to make a dedicated thread for this as it seems to be making the rounds now. A few users around here have posted recently about some potential addition(s?) to Hollywood Studios.
lentesta said:
I could be wrong. But yeah, what I've heard is MK and HS are the focus.

This is all off the top of my head, so help me clarify my thinking here.

The thing I don't know is whether the strategy Disney's betting on is:
  1. Add to already-popular parks -or-
  2. Add to less-popular parks
Strategy #1 seems to make sense if Disney sees a need to get people in the door. So if surveys say "I'm not coming because there's nothing new", even after everything that's been added to EPCOT, then adding to MK makes sense. Lots of people think WDW === MK.

Strategy #2 seems to make sense if they need to get people to stay longer. Like, people are coming, but they're only going to 2 parks instead of 3 or 4.

I mention strategy #2 because I recently got an email asking for advice about G+. When I asked for details about the trip, the response was "We're doing 2 days at MK, 1 at EP, and 1 at HS."

I would love to see how many people are skipping AK like that. And this person has a 2-BR at BLT for a week. They have the money and the time.
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lentesta said:
I think Animation Courtyard is a good thing to focus on. I've heard "Monsters, Inc" for the area, including some version of the long-rumored coaster.
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pheneix said:
*chefs kiss*

When ppl get so obsessed with “immersion” that they fall into this wormhole and obscurity and detail, you lose people.

And with respects to pirates, your starting point there is so broadly known in culture, that the story you dial in can be ensured not to sail over everyone’s head.

Huge chunks of “the point” are sailing over millions of heads. It’s a key problem that is playing out as it ages.

I will say tho, Batuu is a draw and it gets ppl thru turnstiles at Studios. Disney is pretty content to let that overcrowded poor service mess to stay as it is. It banks money. And they have other problems.

Actually I’ll throw a rumor in here for fun. I do know of some modest, motivated attempts to get some extra capacity into Studios. Just so they can sell more Genie+ into the scarcity they made for themselves.

I figure they’ll find a way to throw $30 million at something. Broke by Disney standards still means you got stuff to do something. It’s just… we can safely assume they’ll screw it up. Never get against the mouse? Lol, nah. They clowns now. A decade of unserious entertainment.
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wdwmagic said:
If you are talking about what I think you are talking about, that is still very much a goer.
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Everything sounds a bit nebulous right now and it's always fun to hear the door coaster mentioned again. Seems like something might be brewing but as always I wouldn't trust anything till we see shovels. That being said, speculation is fun. :) Would love to hear everyone's thoughts.
 
Bill Cipher

Bill Cipher

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
doctornick said:
I feel like there are two different things being talked about. A short term quick "add" to DHS for capacity that probably is nothing special. And a longer term more substantial addition (perhaps Monsters Inc) in the Animation Courtyard area.
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This could be true. I find it interesting because this short term add seems like something unheard of. I guess it could be the mermaid show returning as that's technically adding back capacity that's been missing for years but that feels a bit incongruent with this idea of monsters or potentially something more substantial coming to Animation Courtyard down the line. And there's no need to talk about that as if it were a rumor since it's been officially announced.

There were pre-pandemic talks of show replacements in the BatB and Indy theatres but if revived those wouldn't be new capacity, just replacements. My gut thinks this means a ride of some kind, I just have no idea what or where.
 
Gusey

Gusey

Well-Known Member
It seems odd for Disney to invest in the new Little Mermaid show if they are planning to close Animation Courtyard. The only thing that would make sense would be if they were keeping Little Mermaid & Walt Disney Presents (they share the same building) and Disney Junior, then replacing Launch Bay with something
 
BrianLo

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
An animation courtyard would prove to be a reasonable dumping ground of things Disney really clearly wants to use in the WDW parks, but has absolutely no conceivable way to pull it off without thematically coming unhinged.

Especially urban set-based animated IP. Where else does Disney put Zootopia, Simpson’s, Monsters Inc (which is an extremely tenuous Tomorrowland property), Incredibles, etc.

Their animated films that skew more fantasy, or country inspired are a bit easier for them to flexibly slot.
 
nickys

nickys

Premium Member
For an immediate quick hit that will be massively popular, reinstate the Jedi Training and March of the First Order. Use the old space for the Jedi. Have the First Order March from near the towards GE. I think they should just let them head through the tunnel too - abandon the strict timeline of GE.

For a quick hit (6 months), what’s the theatre that shows Mickey shorts and Olaf meets next to?

They should use that, put on a really good stage show, along the lines of Mickey and the Magician from DLP.

Medium term, do something with Launch Bay. Raze it down or gut it and put in a classic IP dark ride.

Long term, expand from Animation courtyard towards Sunset Blvd. It can be done without disrupting the rest of the park and they can do it one step at a time.
 
O

ohioguy

Well-Known Member
I'm still of the belief we're getting an entire land based on "Frozen" soon. That IP is just too hot (like Toy Story) not to see it repeated in Florida.
 
uncle jimmy

uncle jimmy

Premium Member
Has Disney Junior Dance Party! remained listed on DHS map all this time it has been closed or could this be something coming soon?
 
Brer Oswald

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
I’m always more partial to the ToonTown in DHS idea, but I’d be completely down for Monstropolis. There’s a lot of creative avenues you can take with it, especially over other Pixar IPs like Toy Story. In addition to the door coaster, they could have an animatronic filled dark ride (with old and new monster designs) as well as a show (maybe a Laugh Floor port, maybe something new).
 
Bill Cipher

Bill Cipher

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
castlecake2.0 said:
What does $30 million get these days? Could it be the return of some sort of version of The Magic of Disney Animation? With VOTLM returning if you could get the animation classes back and some character M&Gs there it could turn that area into something useful.
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The $30 million number threw me off too. Going back in time through the rumor tracker, I read that the scrapped Coco overlay of GFT at one point had a $75 million budget. Surely $30 million can't produce much of substance with today's Disney. Maybe a theatre show or a flat ride of some kind?
 
castlecake2.0

castlecake2.0

Well-Known Member
Bill Cipher said:
The $30 million number threw me off too. Going back in time through the rumor tracker, I read that the scrapped Coco overlay of GFT at one point had a $75 million budget. Surely $30 million can't produce much of substance with today's Disney. Maybe a theatre show or a flat ride of some kind?
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That’s why I was thinking TMODA, could be a quick way to add something “new” real quick and cheap and make that area a little more useful. Just wishful thinking 🤔
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
ohioguy said:
I'm still of the belief we're getting an entire land based on "Frozen" soon. That IP is just too hot (like Toy Story) not to see it repeated in Florida.
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We already have a Frozen land in WDW. It's called Norway, and was clearly the beta test for future Frozen lands.

That it's too small, compromised an existing land, wasted much of the expansion plot between Norway and Mexico and is already dated from a technology standpoint, is why it was such a bad idea to begin with.
 
Bill Cipher

Bill Cipher

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
doctornick said:
Where is $30M coming from (as a discussion item)? Is that something rumored from Disney?
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It's in the original post, I quoted a message from Pheneix in his casual rumors thread. After he brought up the "modest, motivated attempts to get some extra capacity into Studios," there's another sentence that reads, "they’ll find a way to throw $30 million at something." That doesn't necessarily mean this studios project has a $30 million budget, but it felt interesting to use that wording and imply a specific number following that. Not a confirmation that's what Pheneix meant by that though.
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Bill Cipher said:
It's in the original post, I quoted a message from Pheneix in his casual rumors thread. After he brought up the "modest, motivated attempts to get some extra capacity into Studios," there's another sentence that reads, "they’ll find a way to throw $30 million at something." That doesn't necessarily mean this studios project has a $30 million budget, but it felt interesting to use that wording and imply a specific number following that. Not a confirmation that's what Pheneix meant by that though.
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Oh okay, I see it now. I think that’s just an off the cuff number to suggest the ballpark of investment as opposed to an approved budget/plan. At least that’s how I read it.

But it’s useful as a ballpark for discussion I suppose
 

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