Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Mike S]

What we thought was the phase 3 plot may be SWL, yes. However, is everyone just forgetting that SWL was rumored to go into the parking lot? That expansion space will still be there after this.

Read @marni1971's post I quoted.

 

[rioriz]

If it gets it open earlier that is fine by me.. I never liked the idea of Star Wars land going in the front of the park anyways. This might make for a better transition aesthetically. As for Star tours, it always made me sick so I wouldn't mind it being changed.

 

[BrianLo]

So, going from actually expanding the parks footprint to using up the best spot for phase 3 is better?

Yes but then the original plan for phase 3 is pretty much dead.

Ah, this is the disconnect. It may well be correlated (a sign of whats to come), but the cause is budget slashing, not Star Wars moving. I think that's where the confusion lies. Phase 3 may not be happening due budget cuts, not for lack of space in the park.

If the budgets have been slashed, there are really only two things you can cut under our old scenario that fully preserve the priority (Star Wars). Phase 3 or the expanded boundaries and parking garages.

So your choices are:
-No phase 3, parking garages now and Star Wars Later.
-No parking garages/expanded boundaries, Star Wars now and half a phase 3 later.

Another option that clearly wouldn't be considered is to keep parking garages, phase 3, no park boundaries increased with half a Star Wars land.


If the budget has not been slashed, they can still afford to build Star Wars, expand the park boundaries for Phase 3 and build the parking garages. The change would merely be to get Star Wars opened sooner as a parking garage needs to be built before they can start on phase 3. The wetlands where @danlb_2000 pointed out needs to be converted to surface parking before they can even start on the first parking garage.

@marni1971 can elaborate, but I still can't make sense of how Phase 3 can not 'fit' at the front. The park boundaries can still be expanded (like they would have to be for Star Wars). Unless Phase 3 is way, way in excess of 14 acres - slightly more land can always be incorporated from parking and the layout can be tweaked to make it fit. The other way it wouldn't 'fit' is if phase 3 was an expansion to Toy Story... the cynical part of me knows the insiders would never be singing how wonderful Phase 3 is, if it were just more Toy Story.


To circumstantially answer your question, yes I'd prefer (they need) to build a phase 3 and expand the park boundaries. I'm not convinced that option is completely precluded. It's certainly a possibility, but I believe the more likely drive was to get Star Wars open, not to slash and reconfigure the budget.

 

[PorterRedkey]

But the map that was shown earlier is not 14 acres. With the blue box.

Star Tours is not included in the 14 acres. It still may be larger than 14, but WDW version was always going to be a little different since ST WAS to be included. Hopefully, they can find a way to make it work.

Since ST was updated, it is one of my favorite rides. I ride it multiple times so I can get my favorite planets. It would just be a shame to force (no pun intended) a new IP on top of a perfectly good attraction.

 

[jt04]

By rerouting the entrance as many maps show, wouldn't that leave more than enough room to connect Star Tours to Star Wars Land?

 

[Mike S]

Ah, this is the disconnect. It may well be correlated (a sign of whats to come), but the cause is budget slashing, not Star Wars moving. I think that's where the confusion lies. Phase 3 may not be happening due budget cuts, not for lack of space in the park.

If the budgets have been slashed, there are really only two things you can cut under our old scenario that fully preserve the priority (Star Wars). Phase 3 or the expanded boundaries and parking garages.

So your choices are:
-No phase 3, parking garages now and Star Wars Later.
-No parking garages/expanded boundaries, Star Wars now and half a phase 3 later.

Another option that clearly wouldn't be considered is to keep parking garages, phase 3, no park boundaries increased with half a Star Wars land.


If the budget has not been slashed, they can still afford to build Star Wars, expand the park boundaries for Phase 3 and build the parking garages. The change would merely be to get Star Wars opened sooner as a parking garage needs to be built before they can start on phase 3. The wetlands where @danlb_2000 pointed out needs to be converted to surface parking before they can even start on the first parking garage.

@marni1971 can elaborate, but I still can't make sense of how Phase 3 can not 'fit' at the front. The park boundaries can be still be expanded (like they would have to be for Star Wars). Unless Phase 3 is way, way in excess of 14 acres - slightly more land can always be incorporated from parking and the layout can be tweaked to make it fit. The other way it wouldn't 'fit' is if phase 3 was an expansion to Toy Story... the cynical part of me knows the insiders would never be singing how wonderful Phase 3 is, if it were just more Toy Story.


To circumstantially answer your question, yes I'd prefer (they need) to build a phase 3 and expand the park boundaries. I'm not convinced that option is completely precluded. It's certainly a possibility, but I believe the more likely drive was to get Star Wars open, not to slash and reconfigure the budget.

If Star Wars and phase 3 really have only switched spots and the park still expands to the parking lot I would think Pixar would be off the table. Besides putting Star Wars there to fit with Star Tours there's one franchise that would fit up front due to it taking place in the same time as Hollywood Blvd. in the 1930's-1940's and that's Indiana Jones. Star Tours has worked next to the stunt show all these years so why wouldn't it work this way? Just change the exterior enough to help them blend. If there's ever a phase 4 they can expand Pixar to Animation Courtyard and adopt my plan here.

Here's how you do it. Marvel, coincidently enough, started in October 1939 under a different name. I wonder if Universal's rights extend that far?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timely_Comics
The entrance to RnRC is replaced with a comic shop with the "Diagon Alley effect" of leading to the GotG coaster which would receive effects similar to HyperSpace Mountain. Animation Courtyard is completely demo'd to make way for a new Incredibles E Ticket with a path to Toy Story Land and Big Hero 6 somewhere in the middle of these two rides. Considering my plan is pretty much what Universal did with Hogsmeade by repurposing space already within the park, except I'm retheming only one coaster and not two, would this be such a problem?

 

[marni1971]

Phase 3 as I understand it at the moment may not come soon after phase 2.

Or may be spread around the existing park.

 

[SCOTLORR]

Phase 3 as I understand it at the moment may not come soon after phase 2.

Or may be spread around the existing park.

Is this only if SWL is built on LMA/SOA? Or is it already basically a foregone conclusion that it is getting built there?

 

[Pam Loves Penguins]

Star Tours is not included in the 14 acres. It still may be larger than 14, but WDW version was always going to be a little different since ST WAS to be included. Hopefully, they can find a way to make it work.

Since ST was updated, it is one of my favorite rides. I ride it multiple times so I can get my favorite planets. It would just be a shame to force (no pun intended) a new IP on top of a perfectly good attraction.

From @danlb_2000 (i think) he said the LMA/Catastrophe Canyon area is 18.5 acres. @djkidkaz is going way over the statement, "14 Acres"

 

[marni1971]

Is this only if SWL is built on LMA/SOA? Or is it already basically a foregone conclusion that it is getting built there?

People that tell me SWL is LMA also say this about phase 3.

 

[jt04]

I think the mouse has spread so much subterfuge around at this point it is impossible to know. They must be laughing at our expense right now.

 

[Pam Loves Penguins]

People that tell me SWL is LMA also say this about phase 3.

We'll have to know by this year if Phase 3 is coming or not. Even though I am the enemy of @Pam Hates Penguins , there could be a chance that on Cars's 10th anniversary in June (wow. has it been 10 years already?) , they could announce Cars Land. OR on Monsters Inc.'s 15 anniversary, in November, they could announce Monsters Inc Land or Monstropolis.

 

[JUFL2019]

We'll have to know by this year if Phase 3 is coming or not. Even though I am the enemy of @Pam Hates Penguins , there could be a chance that on Cars's 10th anniversary in June (wow. has it been 10 years already?) , they could announce Cars Land. OR on Monsters Inc.'s 15 anniversary, in November, they could announce Monsters Inc Land or Monstropolis.

and here I was hoping you weren't the same person.....FYI it is against forum rules to have multiple accounts even if one day you like penguins and one day you don't...

 

[Adam N]

Phase 3 as I understand it at the moment may not come soon after phase 2.

Or may be spread around the existing park.

I would prefer getting phase three spread around the park. I don't need another entire land based around one IP. If they were to just add and plus attractions all over, that would help immensely. But I guess we'll see sooner or later what happens.

 

[Herbie]

Shouldn't they be updating Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and eventually Launch Bay anyway regardless of it being labeled Phase 3?

 

[rioriz]

Phase 3 as I understand it at the moment may not come soon after phase 2.

Or may be spread around the existing park.

Spreading around is what I'm thinking...

 

[jt04]

I would prefer getting phase three spread around the park. I don't need another entire land based around one IP. If they were to just add and plus attractions all over, that would help immensely. But I guess we'll see sooner or later what happens.

Future adds (if phase 3 is for upgrades) could concentrate on more Star Wars and more Pixar. Those franchises will be around awhile. So expanded Star Wars and expanded Pixar could be WDW exclusives.

Cars and Marvel might work better as DLR exclusives.

Keeping the Indy show makes perfect sense for the time being. And Muppets. I like the trend lines here. A lot.

 

[Slowjack]

What we thought was the phase 3 plot may be SWL, yes. However, is everyone just forgetting that SWL was rumored to go into the parking lot? That expansion space will still be there after this.

That only means that the parking will still be available as an expansion area if they create more parking elsewhere. But again, this will be the most expensive place to build of all the options discussed. My ongoing question about Phase 3 is this: if Disney isn't willing to spring the dough the rejigger the parking to make Star Wars, will they be willing to do so for a less popular IP?

 

[Mike S]

Future adds (if phase 3 is for upgrades) could concentrate on more Star Wars and more Pixar. Those franchises will be around awhile. So expanded Star Wars and expanded Pixar could be WDW exclusives.

Cars and Marvel might work better as DLR exclusives.

Keeping the Indy show makes perfect sense for the time being. And Muppets. I like the trend lines here. A lot.

Considering the only things Marvel Disney can use in WDW are BH6 and GotG I don't think there would be a problem capitalizing on them while still giving DCA its Marvel Land. I still think "Superhero Land" or whatever would work great for DHS.

 

[jt04]

Considering the only things Marvel Disney can use in WDW are BH6 and GotG I don't think there would be a problem capitalizing on them while still giving DCA its Marvel Land. I still think "Superhero Land" or whatever would work great for DHS.

This is true in the very long term. Marvel has to create some new Disney exclusive content. And I am sure they will. But there might be another place on property that will prove to be a better fit for the franchise. Some place magical perhaps?