The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[PiratesMansion]

Walt was very clear in his lifetime that he didn't want his likeness anywhere in the park. And for awhile the company honored his wishes. But we ended up with Partners for two reasons:
1. Some level of fan desire for representation of Walt in the park
2. According to an imagineer on one of the podcasts I listened to over the years (may have been Baxter) apparently in the very early years of Eisner they did all sorts of garish festivals and things in the hub area. Putting Partners there would solve both problems.

As for the rumor about the name change of WDW, there isn't a topic about it at all on the WDW News/Rumors forum, which leads me to believe this is bunk.

And isn't this from Jim Hill, the guy no-one took seriously a few years ago but now every once in awhile something he and only he says is treated as gospel by people for some reason?

 

[Too Many Hats]

Well, Walt Disney was not the kind of man that would have liked something like a statue of him being erected. There’s good intention behind the statue, but…

I don’t mind it being up, but I wouldn’t make a big stink if it were to be removed.

Ah yes, that's my understanding as well. I'm fuzzy on the details, but I've read that Walt forbade such tributes while he was alive - yet somehow a mold of his head was preserved and ultimately used to create Partners years later.

Despite Walt's wishes, I'm cool with it existing. Ties the hub together nicely, and I think most visitors are fond of it.

 

[TwilightZone]

I didn't get that either. It's just Midway Mania, except you don't get a gun and there's a twink in the pre-show. Why?

I'm clearly not the target audience for this Marvel stuff, let me just say that up front. But I am a theme park fan. Before I moved from OC I had a few passing thoughts of making a trip to Disneyland/DCA to see it as a "local" one last time. I even pieced together a hotel stay on a couple of potential dates. Then I stopped. Nothing about this new Marvel Land appealed to me, and the rest of the property was all the same or still on Covid closures as of this past April. So... why even bother?

It's beyond baffling that they put that ride system and concept in the same park a few hundred yards from Midway Mania. Idiots. I can't even blame Bob Chapek for it, as there had to be a whole bunch of other people who sold the idea to Bob Chapek.

Because God knows Chapek isn't going to have any sort of vision for a theme park, beyond applying the troublesome App and confusing rules branded with plus signs to more stuff.

Marvel Land is the worst themed land that I know of. I am not even joking, even compared to the lands of DCA 1.0. At least those lands, as bad as they were, had some elements that are charming in sort of a retrospective way.
Most I can think of that's charming about the Marvel Land is maybe the pretzel effect in that one restaurant, and even that has been done before.

 

[Sailor310]

I'm also underwhelmed by the campus, but over by the gold magic ball thing is an area with black and white tile. If you take a picture in just the right spot, it looks like you're getting sucked into a vortex.

 

[TwilightZone]

Going back into hibernation. If I do return before TRON or PATF opens feel free to gimmie a big slap lol. Nothing interesting or noteworthy enough otherwise. I miss when Disney discussion was fun and full of attraction rumors. Those days are long gone.

 

[TP2000]

Going back into hibernation. If I do return before TRON or PATF opens feel free to gimmie a big slap lol. Nothing interesting or noteworthy enough otherwise.

Hence, why I decided against spending two days at Disneyland this past spring. Instead, I went to Best Buy and test opened/closed the doors on snazzy ovens and microwaves to get ready to update the beach house's old kitchen.

I'm immersed!

 

[drizgirl]

Weird timing if true no? They don’t play the opening day day speech on Disneylands birthday for the first time in decades (undoubtedly because it was the first time I was in attendance on the parks anniversary) and now they re considering taking “Walt” out of Walt Disney World?

This. If that hadn't just happened, I wouldn't give this rumor a second thought. Now it has me going hmmmm.....

 

[drizgirl]

According to Len Testa on this week's Disney Dish, it likely has more to do with tourists by and large referring to the resort as Disney World or Disneyworld rather than Walt Disney World.

Personally, I hope the name remains WDW. But hey, this is the company that had the gall to replace Maelstrom, so all bets are off.

If they name parks based on what people call it, then DHS should go back to MGM.

 

[Rich T]

Weird timing if true no? They don’t play the opening day day speech on Disneylands birthday for the first time in decades (undoubtedly because it was the first time I was in attendance on the parks anniversary) and now they re considering taking “Walt” out of Walt Disney World?

More steps toward Disney becoming just another soulless media company with no identity, style or vision—And only referencing its history to sell merchandise.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they eventually dump all logos based on Walt’s signature.

 

[DrAlice]

I hear you. If I didn’t live “down the street” from Disneyland and we were some family from the Mid West, I probably would have pulled the trigger a while ago. We don’t travel out of state/ internationally that much so it gets hard to justify the price tag for a proper WDW trip. Especially for someone who visits Disneyland 2x a month +. With that said, I currently have rooms booked at WDW for next March. We’ll see. March is far away and they don’t need the balance until January. Haha

My advice as a fellow parent: Go to WDW. Your kids will appreciate it more than a trip to Italy. Will it be perfect? Of course not, but don't try to make it perfect. See what you can get done, let your kids be kids, and decide if you go back another time to get what you missed. Have fun!

I think if you expect a trip to Italy with kids to be as perfect as a trip to Italy without kids, you will be very disappointed. Go to Italy when they are older and can appreciate the history.

 

[Phroobar]

2. According to an imagineer on one of the podcasts I listened to over the years (may have been Baxter) apparently in the very early years of Eisner they did all sorts of garish festivals and things in the hub area. Putting Partners there would solve both problems.

You gott'a miss the outdoor orgies in the hub area Eisner put on.

 

[No Name]

Walt was very clear in his lifetime that he didn't want his likeness anywhere in the park. And for awhile the company honored his wishes. But we ended up with Partners for two reasons:
1. Some level of fan desire for representation of Walt in the park
2. According to an imagineer on one of the podcasts I listened to over the years (may have been Baxter) apparently in the very early years of Eisner they did all sorts of garish festivals and things in the hub area. Putting Partners there would solve both problems.

3. The folks in charge started to understand just how much value Walt Disney (especially their carefully crafted image of him) could bring to the company’s image and brand. They wanted Walt in the park as much as anyone else did.

The idea that they’re getting rid of the partner’s statue is ludicrous. They keep adding new statues of the guy.

 

[CaptinEO]

Walt's first and last name should not be attached to the abomination that the company is today.

I hope they remove his stuff, it's like a posthumous endorsement of over merchandising, greed, bad quality, and China pandering.

Take the Disney family name out of the company, no one in the family even runs it ever since Roy was kicked out.

 

[eddie104]

I think it’s important to recognize each resort offers something different to its visitors. Tokyo and Paris are not the same neither is Orlando or Anaheim.

For instance I find the castle at DLP to be the most beautifully designed castle of all the parks.

 

[Phroobar]

The Mickey Mouse copyright expires in a couple of years. Any chance DreamWorks would remake Steamboat Willie just out of spite.

 

[Disney Irish]

The Mickey Mouse copyright expires in a couple of years. Any chance DreamWorks would remake Steamboat Willie just out of spite.

Comcast/NBCUniversal would be more spiteful as a wink and nod to the Oswald incident, have Illumination make it.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Comcast/NBCUniversal would be more spiteful as a wink and nod to the Oswald incident, have Illumination make it.

DreamsWorks Animation is owned by NBCUniversal.

 

[Disney Irish]

DreamsWorks Animation is owned by NBCUniversal.

Thanks, noted.

 

[No Name]

Kind of random but I recently learned there are almost twice as many roller coasters in China as there are in the US, which I found surprising. It’s all very recent… I’m not sure if they had a single coaster 30 years ago.

 

[Phroobar]

Kind of random but I recently learned there are almost twice as many roller coasters in China as there are in the US, which I found surprising. It’s all very recent… I’m not sure if they had a single coaster 30 years ago.

Most of them are short on safety standards. However the people really like their amusement parks.