The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

Piebald

Piebald

Well-Known Member
I'm at diagon alley right now and it blows anything disney has away. The stores are better themed than all of fantasyland. I love disney, but anyone who tries to discredit universal is a complete fool. Anyone can have an opinion, but if it isn't that DA is amazing, then it's wrong.
 
JenniferS

JenniferS

When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
Animaniac93-98 said:
Families only made up 45% of Maleficent's opening day weekend crowd. The main reason for Maleficent's success I think is this:

"It's also important to note that Maleficent was the first major Summer movie targeted toward women. At the risk of sounding redundant, women make up half of the population and half of moviegoers and will continue to reward movies with interesting lead female characters."

- Box Office Mojo

Maleficent is the third female-lead box office tentpole hit in the last 8 months. And neither Frozen or Hunger Games had anything to do with the typical Hollywood "chick flick" conventional thinking of what women want to see in a movie (the story of finding a man with shopping along the way). It's all proof that not every blockbuster has to star a male character or be male-centric to be a success.
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I am a middle-aged woman. Saw Maleficent 3x.

The first time was with my SIL/Disney companion, on opening day.
Then I dragged Hubby to see it a week later. (He liked it much better than Frozen; which he hated!)
And then I saw it again last week with my aunt.

Each time I saw it was in 3D.
Did I love the film? No, but I certainly liked it enough to want to see it multiple times.
The biggest draw, for me, was Angelina Jolie. I am not really a fan of her acting, but I thought she was riveting. I couldn't take me eyes off of her. And I can scarsely imagine anyone else in that role.
 
Piebald

Piebald

Well-Known Member
The only thing that disney can do to even come close to this is build an amazing star wars land and sell some sort of robe or something to rip off the wand and all its gimmicks. Use the force instead of magic. Tons of adults with wands. At around 40 bucks a pop it's a huge hit
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Spirited Saturday Afternoon Quickees:



BTW, someone said my pal @PhotoDave219 was complaining somewhere in this thread about Brian Singer chat. The guy is a scumbag whose behavior around Hollywood has been known for years. And his behavior isn't something that is the exception ... Disney legal is well aware they are one angry fanboi with a great lawyer away from having a scandal that would dwarf the Singer sordid tales.

Did y'all see how Celebration Place/Dr. Blondie/Crazy Gary/Bland Tommy and Co placed The Mongello on FOX 35 in O-Town to up the Frozen Summer offerings? Did you see how he ignored a softball question about Diagon Alley? Do those folks have any shame whatsoever? Lou is a paid shill, but how do his handlers face themselves in a mirror.

A few thoughts on Gringotts, which I have not ridden yet, after a lovely lunch with someone who helped bring it to life:

It is not close to being ready to be ridden. It was forced to be rushed due to UNI/Comcast's marketing team and having a media event scheduled and The Tonight Show taping. Capacity, right now, is about half to 2/3rds (on a good day) of what it should and will be.

Despite the fact the ride will immediately be one of the best in O-Town, it isn't groundbreaking. It takes a lot of existing techs and bakes them into a perfect pie. Forbidden Journey was groundbreaking as a ride experience, though. Gringotts isn't.

And while Diagon Alley as an area may well equal or surpass the quality seen in TDS, it doesn't change the fact that the rest of UNI Studios has its good, bad and ugly and doesn't measure up to the amazing new world created.

Back to the Frozen Summer. ... Any Disney fanbois who think this is designed to take attention away from Diagon Alley are smoking some bad pixie dust. Any UNI fanbois who think this is designed to attempt to take attention away from DA are smoking worse weed. This is something Tom Staggs ordered ... and ordered at last minute due to the amazing $$$ the franchise has brought into Disney's coffers. Nothing else was at play here.

Yet another summer comes and Disney deluxe resorts struggle to fill rooms, with the Grand Flo and Poly and BW all having vast quantities of rooms out of service for rehabs or conversion to DVC units. Again, speaks fully to Disney's faulty 'the sky isn't the limit' continually rising prices. When I have stayed at Ritz Carltons for less than the prices of Disney 'moderate' resorts, something is seriously effed up in corporate thinking.

A friend sent a note today about visiting Europa Park (very high on my list of parks I want to visit) and their new Arthur hybrid rolley coaster/dark ride. Said the attraction, which was delayed like seemingly every major attraction opening this summer, was very nice, but not up to Disney standards (especially the animatronics).

It is true: UNI Creative has gone and picked up Disney's trash. The fired Jason Surrell has been hired as an entertainment/show writer for UNI.

How come I have no interest in seeing the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes film at all?

Y'all remember a few summers ago when Disney was shuttering the Studios park at 7 on Friday and Saturday nights?

Earthquakes in Oklahoma? Yeah, nothing at all to do with the energy companies and what they are doing below the surface.

Time to run ... but going to drop some serious news here shortly.
 
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K

KJC

Active Member
Piebald said:
The only thing that disney can do to even come close to this is build an amazing star wars land and sell some sort of robe or something to rip off the wand and all its gimmicks. Use the force instead of magic. Tons of adults with wands. At around 40 bucks a pop it's a huge hit
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Honestly, the list of what Disney could do with its unique combination of history and recent IP acquisition is staggering and could easily keep pace with, and outpace, what Universal Creative is doing.

What they actually will do is the ongoing issue and the only reason any serious discussion about Universal outpacing them is possible in the first place.
 
Smiddimizer

Smiddimizer

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
A friend sent a note today about visiting Europa Park (very high on my list of parks I want to visit) and their new Arthur hybrid rolley coaster/dark ride. Said the attraction, which was delayed like seemingly every major attraction opening this summer, was very nice, but not up to Disney standards (especially the animatronics).
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Considering that park runs on forty euros a pop, it looks lovely and is the kind of tech that would be great in a family coaster at Disney. I don't know if Luc Besson's film franchise is any bigger in Europe, but I'm guessing it is since its an odd pick for IP.
 
DinoInstitute

DinoInstitute

Well-Known Member
Smiddimizer said:
Considering that park runs on forty euros a pop, it looks lovely and is the kind of tech that would be great in a family coaster at Disney. I don't know if Luc Besson's film franchise is any bigger in Europe, but I'm guessing it is since its an odd pick for IP.
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I just watched that POV and am so damn mad because I have been designing for months a suspended ride based on bugs life. :cool::(.
 

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