truecoat
Well-Known Member
Even at that price, no way. Too much specialized tech and software.
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The Miscellaneous Thought Thread
- Thread starter mickEblu
- Start date
Even at that price, no way. Too much specialized tech and software.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Doubt it, they'll continue to try to do it other places with other IP. Who knows maybe they'll bring back those Parks ones.
Also suspect they'll they turn GSC into a moderate to recoup cost.
mlayton144
Well-Known Member
This would be hard to envision. A windowless concrete bunker with no resort style pool area? I guess the one thing going for it is a short walk to Hollywood studios. I suppose they could remodel the outside , keep the rooms with Star Wars theme , and add a pool. Now that I think about it that would probably fetch $500–$700 per night easily. Just ditch the Larping
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I remember when Mickey used to be seen on Main Street Station where he waved goodbye to guests leaving the Magic Kingdom as Walt Disney World was closing.
Here's a few videos taken between 2003 and 2006
This used to be common at WDW during the early till mid 2000s (specifically between 2003 till 2006). But I'll never forget being pleasantly surprised hearing Mickey's voice as me and my parents were leaving through the Train Station and suddenly turning around to see Mickey waving at all guests leaving when I first visited on July 2004.
Disneyland Paris also did this as seen in this video from 2008.
I honestly miss this more than the Welcome Show, because it always occurred unannounced catching many guests (especially first-time visitors) by surprise and on random days. Heck, I miss when WDW used to be little things like that compared to nowadays.
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gerarar
Premium Member
They still do this kind of stuff, albeit more random.
I was watching a livestream at Hollywood Studios recently and Stitch was up on a balcony waving goodbye to guests as they were leaving for the night. It sure caught some guests by surprise and brought laughter.
HS as a whole seems to do a whole lot more random character encounters than out of the 4 parks. You'll see Donald and Daisy randomly having a picnic or dancing together. Frozone and Edna were spotted walking around near the Chinese Theater (before they were moved recently to Pixar Place for M&Gs). Goofy and Max playing hide and seek and scaring guests in the ToT queue.
I also recall during my last visit in 2021, Mickey in his 50th clothes was waving goodbye from the train station (it was still closed off at the time so not sure about now).
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Glad to know WDW still does these kind of things. But for some reason, Mickey interacting with guests on the Train Station during the early 2000s really stuck out more. Probably because Mickey actually spoke to guests (pre-Talking Mickey) and wasn't limited to special occasions and events like Paris had done with Mickey and Friends beginning in the 2010s era.
Reminds me of when WDW used to allow Disney Characters to water skii across Seven Seas Lagoon for guests who traveled to the Magic Kingdom by using the Ferry Boat from the TTC. Occasionally you would either see Pinocchio, Geppetto, Goofy, or Mr. Smee entertaining ferry passengers as they traveled across Seven Seas Lagoon. This used to be common throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Pinocchio (from 1991)
Smee (from 1983)
I miss when WDW used to do things like that.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
Apparently, and Len Testa would know if anyone here would, they sunk $1 Billion into the failed concept.
Even if it's only half that, they're now taking a huge loss on a facility that was supposed to be amortized for at least 20 years, if not 30.
This one's gonna leave a mark on budgets on both coasts, I'm afraid...
D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
For those curious about the content purge coming to Disney+ as soon as next week, I have found a list of titles that are on chopping block.
www.joblo.com
Willow, Big Shot, Y: The Last Man & many more shows will be removed from Disney+
Willow, Big Shot, Y: The Last Man and more are among the many shows set to be removed from Disney+ and Hulu.
www.joblo.com
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Very unhappy that they're removing Howard. What a wonderful documentary that I would absolutely buy, but I suppose content that's streaming only and isn't available on physical media because it'll be there forever...until it isn't and then is gone forever is "progress" for somebody, somehow.
Or for some executive's bottom line. Y'know, whichever.
Or for some executive's bottom line. Y'know, whichever.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Since the Galactic Starcruiser is closing this Fall at Walt Disney World. I wanted to share this promo Disney released last January featuring Ann Morrow Johnson and Sean Giambrone touring parts of the hotel.
The first-look promo was mocked so hard by both Disney and especially Star Wars Fans. That Disney decided to quietly remove the video from their Youtube and Twitter Accounts.
They also created a tie-in book focusing on Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa's wedding and honeymoon that was spent at The Starcruiser.
The first-look promo was mocked so hard by both Disney and especially Star Wars Fans. That Disney decided to quietly remove the video from their Youtube and Twitter Accounts.
They also created a tie-in book focusing on Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa's wedding and honeymoon that was spent at The Starcruiser.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
That disaster, from its pre-opening to its sudden closure the following year, will go down in Disney history alongside Light Magic, Rocket Rods, and KiteTails. Except the Galactic Starcruiser reportedly cost a cool $1 Billion to design and put into operation, so it's going to leave a horrible stain on the financial carpet for many years to come.
I had forgotten about that ridiculously cringey preview video with Ann Morrow and that odd man from the Goldbergs. I'd also forgotten that Disney had to remove it from the Internet after it was appropriately mocked mercilessly by fans and non-fans alike.
The Galactic Starcruiser, and how it wasted a Billion dollars and years of people's lives, would make for a great business book. Sadly, Disney's top leaders involved in the project have egos that would never allow it. But what a tale that must have been behind the scenes!
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention that the "Welcome Video" for The Galactic Starcruiser was leaked a few weeks prior to the first-look video. The video dates back to mid to late December 2021.That disaster, from its pre-opening to its sudden closure the following year, will go down in Disney history alongside Light Magic, Rocket Rods, and KiteTails. Except the Galactic Starcruiser reportedly cost a cool $1 Billion to design and put into operation, so it's going to leave a horrible stain on the financial carpet for many years to come.
I had forgotten about that ridiculously cringey preview video with Ann Morrow and that odd man from the Goldbergs. I'd also forgotten that Disney had to remove it from the Internet after it was appropriately mocked mercilessly by fans and non-fans alike.
The Galactic Starcruiser, and how it wasted a Billion dollars and years of people's lives, would make for a great business book. Sadly, Disney's top leaders involved in the project have egos that would never allow it. But what a tale that must have been behind the scenes!
As a WDW fan, all that money spent to constructing The Galactic Starcruiser only for it to run for barely a year should had been spent on a proper re-imagining of The Imagination Pavilion at Epcot. I honestly forgot it opened last March until rewatching the original promo video today.
The current state of the Journey Into Imagination Attraction and Pavilion is just sad.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
That was another good one! So painful and cringey!
The whole thing was a disaster from beginning to end. I'd like to think they'd be embarrassed, but that gives them too much credit.
Agreed. The original Kodak Imagination pavilion was one of my all-time favorites. All four WDW parks desperately need investment and capacity expanions via a range of rides and attractions. And yet they spent a Billion on this oddly cringey Star Wars hotel and then closed it the next year?
At some point, someone besides Bob Chapek needs to be held accountable. We can't keep blaming everything on that one guy, no matter how clueless and generally unlikable he may have been.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Crossing my fingers for the upcoming "Figment Movie" (especially in animated format) by Seth Rogen to actually be successful. Just for the folks at Disney to finally get the hint that the entire Imagination Pavilion deserves a major overhaul. Bring back Dreamfinder, restore Figment's original characterization, and restore the original Imageworks (since the former location is currently for DVC Members only). Heck a modernized version of Magic Journeys would be a welcome addition.That was another good one! So painful and cringey!
The whole thing was a disaster from beginning to end. I'd like to think they'd be embarrassed, but that gives them too much credit.
Agreed. The original Kodak Imagination pavilion was one of my all-time favorites. All four WDW parks desperately need investment and capacity expanions via a range of rides and attractions. And yet they spent a Billion on this oddly cringey Star Wars hotel and then closed it the next year?
At some point, someone besides Bob Chapek needs to be held accountable. We can't keep blaming everything on that one guy, no matter how clueless and generally unlikable he may have been.
Going to rewatch Martin's recent tribute to the entire Journey Into Imagination Pavilion in it's original incarnation.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I forgot that mention that you could really only visit SW:GE and none of the other parks. Which was a terrible idea.
If anything, that sounds like the rules and mindset at the former Nick Hotel located in Orlando, Florida (near Universal Studios Orlando). For those unfamiliar, visitors that stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel weren't allowed to leave the location until their visit is done.
Highly recommend watching this video by Defunctland covering Nick Hotel.
If anything, that sounds like the rules and mindset at the former Nick Hotel located in Orlando, Florida (near Universal Studios Orlando). For those unfamiliar, visitors that stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel weren't allowed to leave the location until their visit is done.
Highly recommend watching this video by Defunctland covering Nick Hotel.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
@brb1006 reminded me of how much I always enjoyed the Kodak pavilion at Epcot in the 1980's. All of those corporate pavilions had incredibly high ride capacity, and you'd only wait 5 or 10 minutes before you shuffled onto a loading belt and get into a vehicle. Often they were just complete walk-ons, swallowing up thousands of people per hour without breathing hard.
I remember riding Kodak's Journey Into Imagination a second and third time on 1980's visits, and instead of watching the show I kept looking down at the floor and the ride system trying to figure out how we got off the rotating carousel show with the Dreamfinder and on in to the big show building for the main ride. Back in the pre-Internet days, that kind of stuff was a mystery. I remember being so impressed with the engineering behind all those big Epcot rides!
Kodak and Exxon were the two that fascinated me most. Kraft was just a flume boat ride, so no worries there. General Motors and the Bell System were mega-Omnimovers, so I could understand that. And General Electric had a nifty overhead suspended carriage type thing with the "Choose Your Own Ending" feature that was revolutionary at the time.
But Kodak's ride was one of those where you thought "How did they just do that?!?" and I'd get back on and re-ride watching the floor and the cars to try and figure it out!
Ah, the innocence and charm of pre-Internet days!
Now I can just Google and 4 seconds later I find this...
I remember riding Kodak's Journey Into Imagination a second and third time on 1980's visits, and instead of watching the show I kept looking down at the floor and the ride system trying to figure out how we got off the rotating carousel show with the Dreamfinder and on in to the big show building for the main ride. Back in the pre-Internet days, that kind of stuff was a mystery. I remember being so impressed with the engineering behind all those big Epcot rides!
Kodak and Exxon were the two that fascinated me most. Kraft was just a flume boat ride, so no worries there. General Motors and the Bell System were mega-Omnimovers, so I could understand that. And General Electric had a nifty overhead suspended carriage type thing with the "Choose Your Own Ending" feature that was revolutionary at the time.
But Kodak's ride was one of those where you thought "How did they just do that?!?" and I'd get back on and re-ride watching the floor and the cars to try and figure it out!
Ah, the innocence and charm of pre-Internet days!
Now I can just Google and 4 seconds later I find this...
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No Name
Well-Known Member
That is not true at all.
On behalf of the hotel and everything holy in this world, I will not accept such slander!
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I normally don't get personal when I'm on this site. But I've been feeling melancholy lately for unknown reasons. Maybe it's because of the current state of this world (which I'm not going to discuss on this site) and the constant focus on negativity found on various news that's become the norm in recent years.
To counteract with this, I've decided to re-read Osamu Tezuka's "Unico" manga which ran from late 1976 till early 1979. While I briefly brought this up a few pages back, I wanted discuss my thoughts on Unico and why the protagonist has quickly became my all-time favorite non-Disney Character. In short, the character and the series' itself always carries messages of hope, love, and kindness with the titular character being very purehearted.
For those unfamiliar, the manga is about the eponymous baby unicorn who is hated by Venus (The Goddess of Love and Beauty) due to having the ability to spread happiness, encourage kindness, and love. At first she is extremely envious at Psyche (Goddess of Soul) due to gaining more attention thanks to Unico's ability of spreading happiness and kindness where she summons The West Wind to separate him from Psyche. The West Wind actually took pity to the unicorn where she's forced to wipe all his memories (such as forgetting his own species and the friends he's made). The storylines for each Chapter is told in Episodic Format but are very decent with messages and themes that are very progressive considering it was written in the mid to late 1970s.
While I'm currently on Chapter 4 (I prefer reading each Chapter once a week to fully get invested). For a children's manga (Tezuka actually aimed the Unico series for all-ages and genders). Unico isn't afraid of touching on darker and heavier subject. Some of the storylines touches on darker themes such as tackling prejudice and racism, the effects of pollution and carelessness with the environment, among others things. However, Tezuka manages to balance out the darker and sadder moments with a healthy does of hope, perseverance, and the importance of friendship and kindness.
But one of my favorite moments of the Manga and other animated incarnations is seeing Unico being very compassionate towards his friends and sometimes enemies and antagonists (depending on the story).
* Chapter 2 features an antagonist that accuses Unico of being a "Demon" (the chapter is set during the Middle Ages where nobody is aware of unicorns) and hires a group of assassins to kill innocent people across town at night to fuel anger in order to frame Unico as a Demon alongside his attempts to overthrow The King and marrying his Daughter. However neither The King, The Princess, and people who live inside The Castle believe Unico as a "Demon" which causes The King to get arrested for treason. After Unico and The Princess escape, he immediately notices The Princess crying in fear of her father getting executed. Unico decides to have a heart-to-heart conversation to reassure her where he promises to her that "Her father won't be executed" and even gives her an affectionate kiss before telling her to "Have Sweet and Positive Dreams". After providing The King's innocence alongside saving his life and humiliating the stories' antagonist. He gets separated from The Princess and The King from The West Wind but kindly asks The West Wind to give him a bit more time since "There's one more person that deserves happiness the most" referring to The King. He flies back to The King where he uses his powers to lift The King's curse from being "Ugly" to back to his normal appearance. The King even wonders if Unico was "A Gift from God".
* Chapter 3 (which was combined in the 1981 animated film) features Unico befriending a black and white cat named "Chao/Chow" (Katy in the 1981 animated film "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" and Chloe in "Unico: Awakening") who rescues him from a pit of mud (due to a flock of sheep sans a mother sheep) treating him rudely since he doesn't have white wool (Unico's fur is blue). After she cleans Unico up they both form a close friendship. However, an elderly couple decides to abandon Chow thinking she's worthless, believes that she will give them bad luck, and thinking "She would be better as a witches' cat" by putting her into a basket and throwing her down a river. Luckily Unico quickly follows the elderly man where he decides to comfort Chow who starts crying into his chest.
While she later decides to take the idea of being a "Cat Witch" to heart at first. Unico finds the idea absurd but tries to make her dreams come true. When he notices Chow crying due to struggling to find anything to eat. He starts remembering how his powers work before suddenly remembering that it only works "When somebody loves him and vice-versa" and summons tons of fish for her to eat. Eventually Unico and Chow befriend an Old Beggar Woman/Granny. While I'm not going into too much detail (it's one of the longer chapters), the chapter ends with Unico secretly using his powers to fully heal the old woman who appears to be dying of illness before once again getting separates from his friends by The West Wind.
And that's only the first 3 Chapters! I'm about to re-read Chapter 4 sometime this evening or this weekend as of this writing. The Unico manga and other anime incarnations has complex storylines about how love can be a double-edged sword, the importance of empathy, compassion, and kindness towards others, and very thought provoking.
It's up there with The Last Unicorn in terms of similar tones and atmosphere but man does the themes and messages ring nowadays than it dad back in the 1970s. Heck, the original manga even has positive depictions of Native Americans/Indigenous People where they're treated like ordinary people compared to other media at the time featuring them.
If it wasn't for Disney Channel (formerly "The Disney Channel") for frequently airing "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" and "Unico in The Island of Magic' throughout the 1980s. Then Tezuka's Unico wouldn't have gained a dedicated cult following in The United States.
Damn right am I hyped to get "Unico: Awakening" (An American/Japanese collaborated manga) by Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru later this Summer!
The Kickstarter Page for the "Unico: Awakening" manga
The "My Unico Fans" fan website has more information on the franchise and its characters created by "Xellis". I currently keep in contact with the owner of the site by sending her messages occasionally and is very dedicated to updating the entire site to help spread more info on the series to English fans.
To counteract with this, I've decided to re-read Osamu Tezuka's "Unico" manga which ran from late 1976 till early 1979. While I briefly brought this up a few pages back, I wanted discuss my thoughts on Unico and why the protagonist has quickly became my all-time favorite non-Disney Character. In short, the character and the series' itself always carries messages of hope, love, and kindness with the titular character being very purehearted.
For those unfamiliar, the manga is about the eponymous baby unicorn who is hated by Venus (The Goddess of Love and Beauty) due to having the ability to spread happiness, encourage kindness, and love. At first she is extremely envious at Psyche (Goddess of Soul) due to gaining more attention thanks to Unico's ability of spreading happiness and kindness where she summons The West Wind to separate him from Psyche. The West Wind actually took pity to the unicorn where she's forced to wipe all his memories (such as forgetting his own species and the friends he's made). The storylines for each Chapter is told in Episodic Format but are very decent with messages and themes that are very progressive considering it was written in the mid to late 1970s.
While I'm currently on Chapter 4 (I prefer reading each Chapter once a week to fully get invested). For a children's manga (Tezuka actually aimed the Unico series for all-ages and genders). Unico isn't afraid of touching on darker and heavier subject. Some of the storylines touches on darker themes such as tackling prejudice and racism, the effects of pollution and carelessness with the environment, among others things. However, Tezuka manages to balance out the darker and sadder moments with a healthy does of hope, perseverance, and the importance of friendship and kindness.
But one of my favorite moments of the Manga and other animated incarnations is seeing Unico being very compassionate towards his friends and sometimes enemies and antagonists (depending on the story).
* Chapter 2 features an antagonist that accuses Unico of being a "Demon" (the chapter is set during the Middle Ages where nobody is aware of unicorns) and hires a group of assassins to kill innocent people across town at night to fuel anger in order to frame Unico as a Demon alongside his attempts to overthrow The King and marrying his Daughter. However neither The King, The Princess, and people who live inside The Castle believe Unico as a "Demon" which causes The King to get arrested for treason. After Unico and The Princess escape, he immediately notices The Princess crying in fear of her father getting executed. Unico decides to have a heart-to-heart conversation to reassure her where he promises to her that "Her father won't be executed" and even gives her an affectionate kiss before telling her to "Have Sweet and Positive Dreams". After providing The King's innocence alongside saving his life and humiliating the stories' antagonist. He gets separated from The Princess and The King from The West Wind but kindly asks The West Wind to give him a bit more time since "There's one more person that deserves happiness the most" referring to The King. He flies back to The King where he uses his powers to lift The King's curse from being "Ugly" to back to his normal appearance. The King even wonders if Unico was "A Gift from God".
* Chapter 3 (which was combined in the 1981 animated film) features Unico befriending a black and white cat named "Chao/Chow" (Katy in the 1981 animated film "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" and Chloe in "Unico: Awakening") who rescues him from a pit of mud (due to a flock of sheep sans a mother sheep) treating him rudely since he doesn't have white wool (Unico's fur is blue). After she cleans Unico up they both form a close friendship. However, an elderly couple decides to abandon Chow thinking she's worthless, believes that she will give them bad luck, and thinking "She would be better as a witches' cat" by putting her into a basket and throwing her down a river. Luckily Unico quickly follows the elderly man where he decides to comfort Chow who starts crying into his chest.
While she later decides to take the idea of being a "Cat Witch" to heart at first. Unico finds the idea absurd but tries to make her dreams come true. When he notices Chow crying due to struggling to find anything to eat. He starts remembering how his powers work before suddenly remembering that it only works "When somebody loves him and vice-versa" and summons tons of fish for her to eat. Eventually Unico and Chow befriend an Old Beggar Woman/Granny. While I'm not going into too much detail (it's one of the longer chapters), the chapter ends with Unico secretly using his powers to fully heal the old woman who appears to be dying of illness before once again getting separates from his friends by The West Wind.
And that's only the first 3 Chapters! I'm about to re-read Chapter 4 sometime this evening or this weekend as of this writing. The Unico manga and other anime incarnations has complex storylines about how love can be a double-edged sword, the importance of empathy, compassion, and kindness towards others, and very thought provoking.
It's up there with The Last Unicorn in terms of similar tones and atmosphere but man does the themes and messages ring nowadays than it dad back in the 1970s. Heck, the original manga even has positive depictions of Native Americans/Indigenous People where they're treated like ordinary people compared to other media at the time featuring them.
If it wasn't for Disney Channel (formerly "The Disney Channel") for frequently airing "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" and "Unico in The Island of Magic' throughout the 1980s. Then Tezuka's Unico wouldn't have gained a dedicated cult following in The United States.
Damn right am I hyped to get "Unico: Awakening" (An American/Japanese collaborated manga) by Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru later this Summer!
The Kickstarter Page for the "Unico: Awakening" manga
The "My Unico Fans" fan website has more information on the franchise and its characters created by "Xellis". I currently keep in contact with the owner of the site by sending her messages occasionally and is very dedicated to updating the entire site to help spread more info on the series to English fans.
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