Star Wars themed land announced for Disneyland

[Pam Hates Penguins]

I think they do sort of conflict. Suddenly, there's a cartoon mountain. I feel like Critter Country would have worked better on the other side of the river as a buffer between Frontierland and Fantasyland.

It would seem kind of weird to have Splash Mountain there.

 

[Californian Elitist]

My concern, as I stated earlier is that 14 acres and 3 attractions all for one IP in a small landlocked park is like you said , overkill. Especially when there are so many great stories that have no representation at the park. But I have no doubt that the land itself will be awesome. For the simple fact that it's 2016 and the imagineers will have a nice budget to work with.

I think for a lot of the people against SWL it just comes down to the idea that Star Wars doesn't feel Disney because they just purchased it and almost feels like they're merely Star Wars distributors. To be honest there's nothing about Force Awakens that feels like it was Disney-fied. Which of course was the right way to go about it. There's no way they could change the formula of the greatest phenomena in the history of Cinema. Disney did do a lot of things to ensure it was a success like getting JJ / Kasden on board etc.. But it doesn't feel like a Disney movie. Sure, classics like Peter Pan & Alice in Wonderland weren't original but the movies were 100% Disneyfied. Granted, most of the same people against SWL probably don't mind Indiana Jones and Star Tours but that's when the sheer size of the new land comes into play and turns folks off.

I would say most people's concerns about the ROA being butchered were a lot worse before the concept art and newer rumors came out.

So basically it just doesn't feel like Disney to people. Disneyland is one of a kind, it will always be the only park Walt walked in and there will never be another one. It's just kind of sacred to a lot of people, myself included, so any drastic changes are always frowned upon. It's one of a kind, it will always be the only park Walt walked in and there will never be another one. Keep in mind we are talking about the fan community here and not the general population which I'm sure you are aware of.

Star Wars Land disrupts the concept of Disneyland. It's not necessarily the fact that it's not Disney, it's that it's not Disneyland.

 

[Curious Constance]

Yes I have been there. I'm going back in March in fact. And I do know the history very well. I'll give you a fun fact many of you probably don't know. Do you know how the Jungle Cruise path got set up? A guy took a stick lying on the ground and started tracing where the path goes where the Jungle Cruise lies today.

Okay, I'm convinced this person is trolling.

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

Okay, I'm convinced this person is trolling.

Not a troll. Disney fan.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Big difference! I'm a troll.

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

Big difference! I'm a troll.

Really?

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

Well I'm not.

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

I'm just a person that dislikes Star Wars.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

To place something this non-Disney inside of Walt’s theme park just feels … dirty. Like a money grab.
What makes Disneyland special (in my humble opinion), is that it was built on the hard work and imagination of a team of people dedicated to bringing a great mix of stories to life. One flowed into the other effortlessly, and this land transitioned into the next as fluidly as you could hope for. Tomorrowland and Fantasyland – there is no jarring exit/entry there. Or Adventureland to New Orleans Square: they sort of blend together and perhaps even enhance one another.When I go to Disneyland I am leaving the world behind. The addition of SWL will serve only to fracture the ecosystem that has been built over the years, and will stick out like a sore thumb.

Preach!

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

Preach!

Hey thanks for liking my post.

 

[mickEblu]

Star Wars Land disrupts the concept of Disneyland. It's not necessarily the fact that it's not Disney, it's that it's not Disneyland.

I was using the word "Disney" interchangeably for Disneyland as well. However, I think the fact that it doesn't feel Disney is just as important as the fact that it doesn't feel Disneyland. If they were creating a 14 acre "Neverland" back there I think a lot of the fan community would be less critical.

I understand your concern though and how one could view a 14 acre SWL as the death knell of Classic Disneyland by possibly setting up a dangerous precedent.

 

[Curious Constance]

My concern, as I stated earlier is that 14 acres and 3 attractions all for one IP in a small landlocked park is like you said , overkill. Especially when there are so many great stories that have no representation at the park. But I have no doubt that the land itself will be awesome. For the simple fact that it's 2016 and the imagineers will have a nice budget to work with.

I think for a lot of the people against SWL it just comes down to the idea that Star Wars doesn't feel Disney because they just purchased it and almost feels like they're merely Star Wars distributors. To be honest there's nothing about Force Awakens that feels like it was Disney-fied. Which of course was the right way to go about it. There's no way they could change the formula of the greatest phenomena in the history of Cinema. Disney did do a lot of things to ensure it was a success like getting JJ / Kasden on board etc.. But it doesn't feel like a Disney movie. Sure, classics like Peter Pan & Alice in Wonderland weren't original but the movies were 100% Disneyfied. Granted, most of the same people against SWL probably don't mind Indiana Jones and Star Tours but that's when the sheer size of the new land comes into play and turns folks off.

I would say most people's concerns about the ROA being butchered were a lot worse before the concept art and newer rumors came out.

So basically it just doesn't feel like Disney to people. Disneyland is one of a kind, it will always be the only park Walt walked in and there will never be another one. It's just kind of sacred to a lot of people, myself included, so any drastic changes are always frowned upon. It's one of a kind, it will always be the only park Walt walked in and there will never be another one. Keep in mind we are talking about the fan community here and not the general population which I'm sure you are aware of.

Also, some people just flat out hate Star Wars. It's not for everyone, and I can understand them not being excited or happy about a huge part of the park being devoted to a franchise they detest. I think some people however, try and deny it's a personal taste for them and try to use excuses like "it's 14 acres devoted to WAR" or "it's just not happy enough for DL" or "Dumbo is dreams, but Star Wars isn't." Seems silly.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I would like to not be able to see it from anywhere in the park

I would not like for the Millennium Falcon ride to be something like Mission:SPACE where you and several other people riding with you nonsensically ''interact'' by pressing buttons and using a manual steering column, AKA a joystick.

I would like that too and I think that they are going to try their best to hide it. Although, I don't think that's going to work out well with those tall tree like structures.

 

[Pam Hates Penguins]

I would like that too and I thinkthar they are going to try their best to hide it. Although, I

I would like that too and I think that they are going to try their best to hide it. Although, I don't think that's going to work out well with those tall tree like structures.

The last place where I want to see those tree-like structures would be on Main Street or by the castle.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

It's very different to see the very tops of some rock work from Frontierland that actually fit the land than see HM and Splash sitting next to each other clear as day. I will take a guess and say the entrance to a Star Wars ride will not be seen from ROA.

1. How does Star Wars rock work fit with Frontierland?
2. The Haunted Mansion looks like a southern plantation which works greatly as a transition to Splash Mountain.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

@mickEblu I think you summed it up nicely. I guess then my next question is this: in this age of the Disney Studio being merely functioning as a distribution arm for content not dreamed up organically by Disney, and the Parks and Resorts operation acting as an extension of this strategy, is it legitimate to expect Disneyland to be exempt from the practice?

 

[Donaldfan1934]

@mickEblu I think you summed it up nicely. I guess then my next question is this: in this age of the Disney Studio being merely functioning as a distribution arm for content not dreamed up organically by Disney, and the Parks and Resorts operation acting as an extension of this strategy, is it legitimate to expect Disneyland to be exempt from the practice?

Yes, because Disneyland Park has been exempt from most other un-Walt like decision making. The less Walt like aspects that you have in your park, the less Disneyland you have in that park. If Disney continues to remove the ever changing yet traditionaly Disney aspects of that and other Magic Kingdom parks, then they can go you know what themselves as far as I'm concerned.

 

[mickEblu]

@mickEblu I think you summed it up nicely. I guess then my next question is this: in this age of the Disney Studio being merely functioning as a distribution arm for content not dreamed up organically by Disney, and the Parks and Resorts operation acting as an extension of this strategy, is it legitimate to expect Disneyland to be exempt from the practice?

Thank you, no I don't think it would be reasonable to expect Disneyland to be exempt from this practice nor am I upset that they are acquiring IPs like Star Wars so long as they keep the tradition of original or at least Disney style animated feature films going. Which they have, Pixar included. I consider Pixar and Disney to be one in the same. I do miss the old school beautful animation from Snow White through the 50s though.

Going back to the topic of the park, I think the ideal situation for Star Wars would have been a third gate. But considering that this is a business I think they are doing a nice job of respecting the classic aspects of the park while still trying to keep it fresh and capitalizing on their acquisitions.

With that said I dont want to see SWL start a trend in DL. NOS turns into Pirates land, Tomrrowland into Tron land. Adventureland into Indiana Jones land etc. It would just be too limiting and repetitive which is my biggest issue with SWL. However, it gets a pass because it's taking over mostly backstage area outside of the berm and it seems they are taking great care in preserving and dare I say enhancing the ROA/ DLRR.

 

[BrianLo]

I'm actually interested in having a conversation that gets to the root of why the inclusion of SW Land at Disneyland is upsetting for some fans. None of the major points being made by the people who dislike the idea are meaningful enough to sway my opinion.

The idea that the ROA is being drastically re-rerouted and/or destroyed by the SW Land expansion has been debunked. The notion that a major new addition to Disneyland that may feature battles, bloodshed, and strife doesn't belong in the park has been proven false because all of these themes have been staple features in several attractions for decades. There have been several strong points made that the "Walt wouldn't have approved" argument is invalid since no one could possibly know what his thoughts on the matter would be today.

I understand that some people just don't like SW or think a 14 acre land devoted to the story is overkill, but there's something about the idea of SW Land inside Disneyland that seems to have gotten under some people's skin in an emotional way, and I'm curious what it is.

There's no real conversation to be had, the sooner people come to that conclusion the sooner the pages and pages of back and forth (that will continue for the next 3 years) can be quelched.

Star Wars is interesting because inherently it appeals to a bit of a different demographic than the average DL fan. Not to generalize, because there are obviously many, many exceptions. Star Wars is going to appeal most strongly to pre-teen/teen boys and their fathers in their 4th or 5th decade of life who grew up with the films. There is not a doubt in my mind there will be full-grown men sobbing when they enter that land - and that's pretty much 'happiness' right there.

That is not Disneyland's strongest Demo. Disneyland appeals to the nostalgia laden, American pride, toddlers and princesses, the families, it's thrill seekers top out around 10-12 years of age.

Star Wars is inherently a bit different than what has come before it. That's what people mean when they say it does not feel "Disney", because it does not appeal to their concept of what Disney is in their worldview. Unfortunately, the demo that it does not appeal to is one of Disney's loudest. They simply don't like it, they are upset that Disney is spending so much time, money, real-estate on a property that is not 'for them'. That's a totally fair, reasonable reaction. There is no point bickering about it though, what's done is done. A lot of the other points are just noise to try and make a splashy point, when much of it can simply be filtered out by people who like or dislike Star Wars.


The hand-wringing has already started to cool over ROA since we in recent weeks gained perspective.

This happens every time the demo strays from what people want or expect in a Disney park. The two worst reactions in recent memory were to Cars and Avatar. Star Wars is actually in all context a lot more accepted than either of those two proposals and that's basically all the writing on the wall we need.

The only valid points that weren't either apocalyptic projections, fuelled by distaste of Star Wars or people's desire for it to be in a 3rd gate (Yes, we all want that. No, it's not a realistic plan) were made by @GiveMeTheMusic. Disney is unloading their absolutely biggest Potter-like Gun on a park that has no trouble attracting guests, and many would say is already attracting too many. The amount of space they are creating for it is admirable and DL is expanding in a meaningful way. The way they are going about it was shocking, but actually appears to have made a lot of acreage with very little impact to legacy DL.

But, DL infrastructure has already surpassed the breaking point. There's a chance this land finally breaks it. That's the only short-sighted thing I can really identify.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

There's no real conversation to be had, the sooner people come to that conclusion the sooner the pages and pages of back and forth (that will continue for the next 3 years) can be quelched.

Star Wars is interesting because inherently it appeals to a bit of a different demographic than the average DL fan. Not to generalize, because there are obviously many, many exceptions. Star Wars is going to appeal most strongly to pre-teen/teen boys and their fathers in their 4th or 5th decade of life who grew up with the films. There is not a doubt in my mind there will be full-grown men sobbing when they enter that land - and that's pretty much 'happiness' right there.

That is not Disneyland's strongest Demo. Disneyland appeals to the nostalgia laden, American pride, toddlers and princesses, the families, it's thrill seekers top out around 10-12 years of age.

Star Wars is inherently a bit different than what has come before it. That's what people mean when they say it does not feel "Disney", because it does not appeal to their concept of what Disney is in their worldview. Unfortunately, the demo that it does not appeal to is one of Disney's loudest. They simply don't like it, they are upset that Disney is spending so much time, money, real-estate on a property that is not 'for them'. That's a totally fair, reasonable reaction. There is no point bickering about it though, what's done is done. A lot of the other points are just noise to try and make a splashy point, when much of it can simply be filtered out by people who like or dislike Star Wars.


The hand-wringing has already started to cool over ROA since we in recent weeks gained perspective.

This happens every time the demo strays from what people want or expect in a Disney park. The two worst reactions in recent memory were to Cars and Avatar. Star Wars is actually in all context a lot more accepted than either of those two proposals and that's basically all the writing on the wall we need.

The only valid points that weren't either apocalyptic projections, fuelled by distaste of Star Wars or people's desire for it to be in a 3rd gate (Yes, we all want that. No, it's not a realistic plan) were made by @GiveMeTheMusic. Disney is unloading their absolutely biggest Potter-like Gun on a park that has no trouble attracting guests, and many would say is already attracting too many. The amount of space they are creating for it is admirable and DL is expanding in a meaningful way. The way they are going about it was shocking, but actually appears to have made a lot of acreage with very little impact to legacy DL.

But, DL infrastructure has already surpassed the breaking point. There's a chance this land finally breaks it. That's the only short-sighted thing I can really identify.

Absolutely. The single IP aspect doesn't bother me much; it's inevitable at this point. I'm glad the plans were altered to preserve most of the river and the Fantasyland Theater (which was NOT the original plan). At this point it's having as little impact as possible on the existing portions of the park, and Disney should be commended for making those changes.

Operationally, Disneyland can't handle this. It will add capacity sure, but not enough to withstand demand. The park will be overwhelmed and I imagine capacity closures will happen regularly for awhile when the land is new. DCA will suffer even more and become more of a ghost town.

If you really want to have fun this week, head to DCA before WOC comes back. With WOC down, the park reverts back to its previous state of absolute deadness after sundown. That park needs more than Cars Land to start pulling its weight and SWL is just going to aggravate an already woefully unbalanced situation. DL bursts at the seams while wide open space at DCA goes empty.