Star Wars themed land announced for Disneyland

[dweezil78]

Naming it "The Star Wars Experience." It's not a land, but is a lot more than just an attraction. It's other. Not a 3rd park, but it's close.

I've heard from many sources that it is not called "The Star Wars Experience." Not sure how the rumor got started that they were announcing the final name during the 60th show, but it evidently was not the case.

 

[Curious Constance]

Number one is invalid. They do the same in Hong Kong and those lands aren't any less Disney or appropriate

It's not like they have a lot of options (or any) to put it inside the berm anyway.

 

[britain]

Number one is invalid. They do the same in Hong Kong and those lands aren't any less Disney or appropriate

Those areas aren't called 'lands' are they?

Eh, Toy Story is. Whatever.

It's still a way to make it less of an infringement on Walt's Park.

 

[Phroobar]

I guess Toontown and Critter Country are not part of Walt's park even though Walt had an Indian village there. Oh don't forget the cicus Walt had outside the RR track. Most of the show buildings are outside the RR track.

 

[TP2000]

From today's MiceAge update:

" Meanwhile, as Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary celebration continues with not much more than the addition of a food festival and a minor new ride in Cars Land, a little park just an hour’s drive north of Disneyland is previewing its new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal Studio‘s magical new land has already changed the theme park landscape in Florida and now it’s preparing to change everything out here in California."

They need to make up their minds. Are IP based lands the be all and end all, like they claim Harry Potter is? Or is it the end of the world, like they claim Star Wars Land is?

No kidding! I have to remember to separate the various personalities that blog regularly on Micechat, but most of the key players are quite clearly in the tank for Potterland and Universal.

And yet, when I think of my last visit to Universal Studios, I remember a place that had an excellent tram tour, but less than a half dozen rides, employees that have a noticeably rough urban LA edge to them, overpriced outsourced food like Panda Express in Jurassic Park (cause dinosaurs like Orange Chicken?), no parade, no fireworks, no water show or any night spectacular. And to get there you have to walk through a garish 1990's mall full of corporate chain restaurants and tacky shops.

Yes, Potterland will be great (just visually it looks very impressive). Yes, they spruced up an aging park that desperately needed it. But it's only got six rides all based on trendy movie IP and none of it created for the theme park specifically, and no major entertainment. Does it even have a sit-down restaurant in the park? I can't think of one.

But all that gets a pass from Micechat editors for some reason, and we are supposed to believe that TDA is shaking in their boots and all of Southern California can't wait to turn their backs on Disneyland and rush to embrace Universal Studios this summer.

I think Micechat swam way too far into the deep end on this one.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Look, we can all sit here all day and come up with a list of arguments that support why Star Wars Land makes sense like you've done with New Orleans Square (scroll through the past 89 pages and you'll find at least a hundred in either direction). The point I'm trying to make is, 10 years after Disneyland opened, they dropped a land based on a CITY inside the park (yes, Main St is inspired by real places - but it is not called Fort Collins Marceline Street). It was an unprecedented move by the company in the way its lands were themed and how it connected to the rest of the park. For all the reasons you can say it made sense, there are just as many as why it did not.

If New Orleans Square had not been built in the 60s and they announced it today, people would be scratching their heads screaming bloody murder.

To the kids who get to grow up with the Star Wars addition, this won't seem strange and out of place in the same way that New Orleans Square doesn't to the majority of us who were born in the 70s and beyond.

Obviously the kids today aren't going to be bothered by Star Wars Land.

I understand your point, but honestly, comparing a land based on a city at Disneyland to a land based on an IP/franchise/movie, etc. is pretty much moot, in my opinion. Again, building a land based on a city leaves one with lots of room to work with to come up with concepts, based on the city. A land based on a movie is something significantly and dramatically different. Everything has already been written, the characters, the places, plots, etc.
There are constraints. A land based on a city is a hell of a lot closer to Disneyland's many concept than a land based on a movie.

Highly doubt there would be as many complaints from fans had Disney decided to build something based on Paris, New York, Rome, or whatever else.

 

[Curious Constance]

No kidding! I have to remember to separate the various personalities that blog regularly on Micechat, but most of the key players are quite clearly in the tank for Potterland and Universal.

And yet, when I think of my last visit to Universal Studios, I remember a place that had an excellent tram tour, but less than a half dozen rides, employees that have a noticeably rough urban LA edge to them, overpriced outsourced food like Panda Express in Jurassic Park (cause dinosaurs like Orange Chicken?), no parade, no fireworks, no water show or any night spectacular. And to get there you have to walk through a garish 1990's mall full of corporate chain restaurants and tacky shops.

Yes, Potterland will be great (just visually it looks very impressive). Yes, they spruced up an aging park that desperately needed it. But it's only got six rides all based on trendy movie IP and none of it created for the theme park specifically, and no major entertainment. Does it even have a sit-down restaurant in the park? I can't think of one.

But all that gets a pass from Micechat editors for some reason, and we are supposed to believe that TDA is shaking in their boots and all of Southern California can't wait to turn their backs on Disneyland and rush to embrace Universal Studios this summer.

I think Micechat swam way too far into the deep end on this one.

I bet the opening of Harry Potter will HELP Disneyland Resort's attendance. Heck Harry Potter is open, let's make a trip to Southern Ca, spend one day at Universal and 3 days at the DLR while we're in the area.

 

[TP2000]

I bet the opening of Harry Potter will HELP Disneyland Resort's attendance. Heck Harry Potter is open, let's make a trip to Southern Ca, spend one day at Universal and 3 days at the DLR while we're in the area.

Bingo.

The parks that should be worried are SeaWorld, Legoland, and Knott's. Potterland will be a big draw, but it will just siphon off the secondary market after the tourists have already spent their two or three days at Disneyland.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I can tell you for the most part, the people who visit USH don't tend to visit Disneyland. I noticed this when I worked at USH.

Once Potter opens, I believe the days of some tourists spending just one day at USH will be over. Potter will take up a majority of people's day, and they will want to see it more than just for one day.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

The parks that should be worried are SeaWorld, Legoland, and Knott's. Potterland will be a big draw, but it will just siphon off the secondary market after the tourists have already spent their two or three days at Disneyland.

Yes, and I bet DLR bookings are surging this week following the 60th Anniversary Special on ABC. According to TVline the broadcast was the number one network show during the time slot with 6.8 million viewers.

http://tvline.com/2016/02/22/james-burrows-friends-reunion-ratings/

 

[dweezil78]

Highly doubt there would be as many complaints from fans had Disney decided to build something based on Paris, New York, Rome, or whatever else.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. Me personally? I'd much rather have the opportunity to explore locales from different planets in a fictional galaxy than to be limited to the setting of city that I can drive or fly to and see the real thing. (Or see at EPCOT.)

 

[Curious Constance]

I can tell you for the most part, the people who visit USH don't tend to visit Disneyland. I noticed this when I worked at USH.

Once Potter opens, I believe the days of some tourists spending just one day at USH will be over. Potter will take up a majority of people's day, and they will want to see it more than just for one day.

If it takes a majority of one day, I would see that as an issue since the land only has two rides and one of them is a SUPER SHORT kiddie coaster. Sure there are shops and the super cool restaurant, but still. It shouldn't take nearly a whole day unless you have to wait 6 hours to ride the Forbidden Journey. (Which likely will be the wait times when it first opens.)

 

[Phroobar]

The tour can reach a couple hour wait sometimes but it's worth it. Being flung around on a robot arm in a movie theater isn't worth more than a 90 minute wait to me.

 

[Californian Elitist]

If it takes a majority of one day, I would see that as an issue since the land only has two rides and one of them is a SUPER SHORT kiddie coaster. Sure there are shops and the super cool restaurant, but still. It shouldn't take nearly a whole day unless you have to wait 6 hours to ride the Forbidden Journey. (Which likely will be the wait times when it first opens.)

The chances of people waiting five or more hours for Forbidden Journey are very high. Add in the wait time for Hippo and time spent browsing around shops and you've got yourself over half a day spent at USH. You've still got six rides, three shows, and the studio tour to wait in line for and experience, the studio tour alone taking 45 minutes to an hour to complete, let alone wait in line for. All of this easily turns into at least a two-day visit to USH.

I spoke with plenty of guests who were spending more than one day at the park when I worked there, and this was/is before the opening of Potter.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Forbidden Journey has such an amazing queue that the wait is worth it. The queue is better than the ride.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Forbidden Journey has such an amazing queue that the wait is worth it. The queue is better than the ride.

Honestly, I enjoy Mermaid's queue more than the actual ride. It's really pretty to me.

 

[gsrjedi]

Again, building a land based on a city leaves one with lots of room to work with to come up with concepts, based on the city. A land based on a movie is something significantly and dramatically different. Everything has already been written, the characters, the places, plots, etc.
There are constraints. A land based on a city is a hell of a lot closer to Disneyland's many concept than a land based on a movie.

I disagree with this part. The original Star Tours was loosely connected to Star Wars, you take out blowing up the Death Star & it's pretty much a space tour gone wrong. That loose connection though would make it fit in with Star Wars land IMO. The Star Wars universe is so rich that tons of attractions could be thought up that fit perfectly in it. Just as much as you could think up attractions around a particular city or "Adventure". Now if Disney Imagineers are allowed to fully explore that is a separate question (the answer to which is no).

Other franchises (like Star Trek) could probably be more constrained, but Star Wars wouldn't be as easy.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Star Trek > Star Wars

 

[Californian Elitist]

I disagree with this part. The original Star Tours was loosely connected to Star Wars, you take out blowing up the Death Star & it's pretty much a space tour gone wrong. That loose connection though would make it fit in with Star Wars land IMO. The Star Wars universe is so rich that tons of attractions could be thought up that fit perfectly in it. Just as much as you could think up attractions around a particular city or "Adventure". Now if Disney Imagineers are allowed to fully explore that is a separate question (the answer to which is no).

Other franchises (like Star Trek) could probably be more constrained, but Star Wars wouldn't be as easy.

There are still constraints, and I specifically mean constraints in terms of different aspects of the theme and what one can do with it, in terms of creating attractions (rides, shows, etc.), restaurants, and shops. There's less diversity with a land based on a film. Star Wars is a series of films written by George Lucas and a few others. There's only so much you can do with that. What's written in those seven films is what you've got to work with. Now take a land themed to, let's say, Los Angeles... You've got plenty to work with due to history alone, let alone culture, landmarks, etc. You've got multiple aspects of Los Angeles you could work with, film and television, car culture, Los Angeles noir, the Mexican influence in Los Angeles, the fast food culture, etc. These aspects of Los Angeles are all significantly different from each other, and would create a diverse land.

It's like comparing a land based on Disney's Hercules to a land themed to ancient Greece. Which one are you going to get the most out of, and lends itself to some actual room for creativity?

 

[Curious Constance]

There are still constraints, and I specifically mean constraints in terms of different aspects of the theme and what one can do with it, in terms of creating attractions (rides, shows, etc.), restaurants, and shops. There's less diversity with a land based on a film. Star Wars is a series of films written by George Lucas and a few others. There's only so much you can do with that. What's written in those seven films is what you've got to work with. Now take a land themed to, let's say, Los Angeles... You've got plenty to work with due to history alone, let alone culture, landmarks, etc. You've got multiple aspects of Los Angeles you could work with, film and television, car culture, Los Angeles noir, the Mexican influence in Los Angeles, the fast food culture, etc. These aspects of Los Angeles are all significantly different from each other, and would create a diverse land.

It's like comparing a land based on Disney's Hercules to a land themed to ancient Greece. Which one are you going to get the most out of, and lends itself to some actual room for creativity?

But a land based on make believe is very UNlimited when they not only have various/diverse lands within the movies that already exist, but have the ability to create anything you can imagine for the future content.