Star Wars themed land announced for Disneyland

[Californian Elitist]

I understand what you mean when you say that they need to build something at Disneyland before they build a third park. That being said, they should build something more fitting like a Frozen and/or Tangled ride in Fantasyland, a Princess and the Frog ride in New Orleans square, expand Toontown and/or Critter Country, do something in Adventureland if possible, do the most popular option of redoing an aesthetically broken Tomorrowland that still suffers from problems from 15+ years ago, or build a 9th land that will at least SOMEWHAT gel with the existing ones. From my perspective, a Star Wars LAND does not gel with the rest of the park because not only is it an IP land but its an IP that, if it were to grow outside of its existing Tomorrowland footprint, becomes clear that Star Wars has a completey different tone and feel from classic Disney, especially from the Walt era. If you think of Disneyland or any or the Magic Kingdoms as a roadmap of Walt's life, every land has some sort of connection to his creations, adaptations, and interests. Not only that, but most ideas from after his death were usually based on animated movies, all of which done with a bit of direct Walt inspiration behind them. Star Wars is one of the best franchises there is, but certainly contradicts and deminishes the classic Disney feel of the park if given its own land. However, a land does make a ton of sense in Disney Hollywood Studios which is coincidentally getting a redo beyond that. This is why I believe that in the early stages of planning the DHS redo, Star Wars Land was one of the earliest ideas since its presence, along with that of a few other franchises like Toy Story, make up of the few things worth salvaging in that dead mall of a theme park. It was a no brainier, but Iger forced (no pun intended) in a park where it doesn't belong because he needed to exploit it and sell more toys NOW!!! this is probably why the land was rumored to be moving around all over the place fr Toontown to Tomorrowland until they found a place that was the least of all evils since all it removed is a petting zoo and a barbecue. However, the ROA area is possibly the place where it wI'll most likely create the most mood whiplash. This is why it would be best if they built something else at Disneyland, let DHS have a world exclusive AAA attraction for a few years just like they did at DCA with Cars Land and THEN they can build a third theme park that is more fitting for non-Disney created IP themes like Star Wars and Marvel. If Disney executives just thought about the long term for five seconds rather than the next few fiscal years, decisions like this wouldn't be made.

Thank you.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

It's possible MGM was going to get something similar to the current design and DL was going to get the Tomorrowland redo we'd heard about a while back. I mean, it's not as though the retheme of DL's Tomorrowland could have been integrated in an entirely different park, and I do believe the plan for WDW was always to put it in MGM.

Exactly, but the point is that Star Wars probably shouldn't take over any area of that park. What works for MGM/DHS doesn't necessarily work at all for Disneyland. The problem for Disneyland and potentially all Magic Kingdom parks in the future is that Disney executives are setting a dangerous precedent with this that every land or land redo has to be based on an IP and that is very concerning. Just look at how Shanghai Disneyland is looking. While they will have a few original rides, there are a lot of examples where IP is overused like how the Pirates land is all based on the movies. They say its because it's what China knows, but I doubt that's the whole reason or even half of it. Iger is clearly seeing the parks more and more as places to push whatever he needs to push. Even in Eisner's later, cheaper years, you could tell that he at least had some sort of apreaciation for it. He always showed his face at park openings, while the only two things that Iger's shown his face at since he took over that I can think of was the re-dedication of DCA and the World of Color opening.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Thank you.

My pleasure. More common sense is something that is sorely needed on the internet.

 

[Californian Elitist]

My pleasure. More common sense is something that is sorely needed on the internet.

I would also say more awareness and appreciation of the history of Disneyland and its concept is needed in this forum.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I agree 100% with you that Star Wars shouldn't be a land in DL. I contemplated this the other day on the old Mike Fink Keelboat dock and I know in my heart that it isn't right but there's nothing we can do about it at this point but hope for the best and perhaps eventually avoid it.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I agree 100% with you that Star Wars shouldn't be a land in DL. I contemplated this the other day on the old Mike Fink Keelboat dock and I know in my heart that it isn't right but there's nothing we can do about it at this point but hope for the best and perhaps eventually avoid it.

You got the idea. Disney does not listen to its fans and, in extreme cases like this, always ends up shooting themselves in the foot when they don't. I'll probably end up walking though the land at DL just once to see what extent it will catastrophically break the park's mood and atmosphere and actually experience and enjoy it at MGM/DHS. I'm all for avoiding it and pretending it doesn't exist like you. This'll just be a well themed DCA 1.0 level disaster from fan's perspective. Especially since Bob Chapel seems to be Paul Pressler 2.0.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Unfortunately, I believe the majority of guests have embraced the whole Star Wars thing. It's supply and demand. I guess.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Unfortunately, I believe the majority of guests have embraced the whole Star Wars thing. It's supply and demand. I guess.

That's why I said "fan's perspective". The general public's too neutral on the place to care how things are done. If Disney takes the "They're tourists. What do they know?" route for everything they do, they'll end up ruining their own parks and what made the company trusted to begin with.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

The problem for Disneyland and potentially all Magic Kingdom parks in the future is that Disney executives are setting a dangerous precedent with this that every land or land redo has to be based on an IP and that is very concerning.

Too late. That ship took off long ago.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Too late. That ship took off long ago.

As far as Magic Kingdom parks go, not really. MOST of the IPs implemented until this point have been good fits for the lands that they've been put in. This is an entire IP land that doesn't fit the park in any sense of the word.

 

[FigmentForver96]

As far as Magic Kingdom parks go, not really. MOST of the IPs implemented until this point have been good fits for the lands that they've been put in. This is an entire IP land that doesn't fit the park in any sense of the word.

Seems like TDA and TDO have different problems. They like to take things that don't belong in the original Magic Kingdom park and place them in there out west. Here in Orlando, they take something that SHOULD be in Magic Kingdom and put in a park that does not need it. Oh the irony...

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Seems like TDA and TDO have different problems. They like to take things that don't belong in the original Magic Kingdom park and place them in there out west. Here in Orlando, they take something that SHOULD be in Magic Kingdom and put in a park that does not need it. Oh the irony...

Can you give examples of each so I have a better idea of what you're saying? Thanks.

 

[ght]

Can you give examples of each so I have a better idea of what you're saying? Thanks.

Having Frozen take over Norway in EPCOT is one.

 

[ght]

I agree 100% with you that Star Wars shouldn't be a land in DL. I contemplated this the other day on the old Mike Fink Keelboat dock and I know in my heart that it isn't right but there's nothing we can do about it at this point but hope for the best and perhaps eventually avoid it.

This is where I am with it as well, though I won't avoid it because I do like Star Wars even if I don't think it is in the right park. At least, from what I can tell, it will be somewhat isolated from the rest of the park and will hopefully have minimal impact on the existing park experience (outside of what has already changed/closed). On the optimistic side, maybe it will even have a positive impact pulling guests and crowds away from the other areas of the park.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Having Frozen take over Norway in EPCOT is one.

Great example. It was a very bad long term decision to put it in Epcot, but Star Wars Land in DL makes Norway look like just a good of a placement as Fantasyland would've been.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

This is where I am with it as well, though I won't avoid it because I do like Star Wars even if I don't think it is in the right park. At least, from what I can tell, it will be somewhat isolated from the rest of the park and will hopefully have minimal impact on the existing park experience (outside of what has already changed/closed). On the optimistic side, maybe it will even have a positive impact pulling guests and crowds away from the other areas of the park.

The reason that we're going to avoid it for the most part is because you can't harp on things that make you angry. The more attention we give it we give it while in the park, the more we'll be angry and miserable while visiting what's supposed to be the happiest place on earth. Also, there's something wrong with a land if they have do whatever they can block it off from the rest of the park like it doesn't exist.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The important thing to remember is that Star Wars Land will be there forever and future generations will associate Star Wars with Walt Disney.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

The important thing to remember is that Star Wars Land will be there forever and future generations will associate Star Wars with Walt Disney.

And that's the worst part of this entire thing. Not only will this never go away, but the franchise will end up being associated with the wrong man because it interfered with what was once and always will be HIS park. Star Wars should always be associated with George Lucas just like Disneyland should always be associated with Walt Disney.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

As far as Magic Kingdom parks go, not really. MOST of the IPs implemented until this point have been good fits for the lands that they've been put in. This is an entire IP land that doesn't fit the park in any sense of the word.

All indications are that Disney's corporate strategy for the parks going forward is to drive franchises, and as a result there are some pretty poor IP fits at the MK, primarily in TL. Now that I think about it, hasn't every major attraction that has been added to the MK over past decade or so been related to a film or character franchise? In any case, based on the success of IP based attractions and the phenomenal draw of WWoHP and Cars Land, we should assume that most or all future additions will follow a similar strategy across the P&R portfolio, including the possibility of an entire land at the MK being devoted to a valuable franchise. Again, the precedent for IP being the main focus at Disney parks, including the MK, was set at least a decade ago.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The problem extends to existing classic attractions, which are altered to have a movie theme. Jack Sparrows of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion Garbage Day, ''it's a small world with a crapload of movie characters'', etc. This is perhaps even more offensive.