The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[WDW1974]

Jim Hill is back with a new podcast all about DHS...I'm listening right now to see what he says but so far the only thing new is the name will be changing to Disney's Hollywood Adventure.

Don't take this personally, but I don't care what Hill says. He is irrelevant and he has become a Disney apologist in order to get freebies/invites etc.

I am not going out and saying what I believe the park will be called. I have heard three names and that is one. But I will point out (because I am a for attention and for getting credit where it is due!) that I had the reBRANDING story months before anyone ... actually, longer since I mentioned it was a possibility (rumour) sometime last year and then placed it out here as FACT (news) this summer.

Micechat said today that more Frozen is coming to DCA. Frozen will take over Animation academy, meet and greet will move to turtle talk lobby, ice skating in stage 17, stage show in Muppets theater...

Frozen will be shoved ... (OK, I can't come up with anything that doesn't involve fanbois and Imagineers, so I won't!)

 

[WDW1974]

Finished Jim Hill. This is what he said.

Oops, misread that as Jim Hill was finished!

New Name Disney's Hollywood Adventure

We'll see. They are all bad as far as I'm concerned. But research has told Disney that 'Adventure' is a good word now based on DCA's redo.

A version of Radiator Springs racers is coming along with Flo's V8 Cafe

Possible. Just like I said ... back in 2013.

Star Wars is still coming to Echo Lake area

Boy, that's a toughie.

Toy Story attractions are coming to pixar place area

Possible. But did he say this before or after @ScarlettAshley1 's favorite guy said it first as simply a rumor?

Something big is coming to Universal that will make it worth going for three days, which leads me to believe its the long rumored waterpark

That is a done deal. I've said it, as have others. It is being designed right now.

Jim doesn't think a TSMM expansion is happening

He's wrong.

Soarin around the world film is being made for Shanghai and will come to WDW

This 'news' is ancient ... seriously, years old at this point.

Imagineering doesn't like Avatar

Imagineering doesn't have one mind. Some folks there hate that it is being done, others love it. Some wish it were being done differently, others don't.

 

[WDW1974]

BTW, two UNI tidbits.

But I want to be crystal clear:

UNI doesn't have theme park rights to either LoTR and/or Star Trek.

Could it change? Sure. But they don't have them now, no matter what some fanbois think or what UNI has blue-skied.

 

[WDW1974]

I really got to ask, what do you do for a living? You're the only person I've ever seen do financial analysis as a hobby. Lol.

He's more secretive than I am!!!

Oh, and I love his 'work' but don't think for a second it is simply a ''hobby''.

 

[Mike S]

BTW, two UNI tidbits.

But I want to be crystal clear:

UNI doesn't have theme park rights to either LoTR and/or Star Trek.

Could it change? Sure. But they don't have them now, no matter what some fanbois think or what UNI has blue-skied.

So they have considered both? Not really surprising that they would consider two other franchises with huge fan bases after their success with Harry Potter. I wonder if they would save these two (should they get the rights) to anchor their third park if that's still a possibility after the cuts you've mentioned. They could work in USF and IoA too but it would also be a great way to promote a new park.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit, are the Lasseter projects coming to MGM Studios going to be Cars Land/Ratatouille quality or is it just going to be some Toy Story play land bs? Seems like a waste of time and money to do the later.

There will be a mix of projects coming as the park is reBRANDED.

That means a variety of quality levels and targets.

 

[Nemo14]

'74 - During your absence, we discussed how Kennedy Space Center in many ways still invokes that inspirational feeling that so many of us remember about the early years of EPCOT Center. Have you been there lately?

 

[flyerjab]

I had some interest in the premise, but never DVR'd it and doubt I will.

Was wondering if you ever gave The Leftovers a try on HBO.

 

[SosoDude]

@WDW1974 thanks for posting your point of view. I enjoy your commentary. When I read your "musings" post, you remind me of radio talk show host Michael Savage and "hear with my minds ear" your post in his voice. Aside from some of his political views, I always enjoyed hearing his views on pop culture and life in general. I mean that as a compliment I guess. Anyway, thanks again.

 

[misterID]

So they have considered both? Not really surprising that they would consider two other franchises with huge fan bases after their success with Harry Potter. I wonder if they would save these two (should they get the rights) to anchor their third park if that's still a possibility after the cuts you've mentioned. They could work in USF and IoA too but it would also be a great way to promote a new park.

LOTR would require an entire new park to do it justice, bigger than Potter. They say the estate isn't interested in having it in a theme park. They say a lot of things... At one time there was no interest at all of making a film out of LOTR.

ST would be like one ride.

And UNI hurt themselves with DA. There was no reason to advertise the "lightning strikes twice" slogan. That's about business, how huge FJ (WWOHP) was, the lines, how much merch they sold out of their...ears. The average tourist doesn't care about that... not to mention recapturing that kind of hype is near impossible. It makes you wonder about those phase 3 plans are now. You wanted insane returns, you got incredible, and somehow that's a disappointment. Mind boggling.

 

[FigmentJedi]

LOTR would require an entire new park to do it justice, bigger than Potter. They say the estate isn't interested in having it in a theme park. They say a lot of things... At one time there was no interest at all of making a film out of LOTR.

Well the films were made because JRR Tolkien sold the film rights off in the 60s because he needed money and figured that nobody would ever be able to do them right anyways, which was kinda validated by Ralph Bakshi's mediocre effort in the 70s.

Only way we're getting a theme park or Silmarillion movies/TV show is if Christopher Tolkien drops dead and his heirs decide they want more money. I know one of the younger Tolkiens loved the movies and even cameo'd in one of the battle scenes or something like that.

 

[StageFrenzy]

Summer is over, monsoon season is here.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

But there is a desire by the Academy members to go overboard on the folks from HBO (they don't all deserve the accolades they get) and, now, the hip-kid on the block, Netflix.

Speaking of Netflix
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amc-theatres-boycotting-crouching-tiger-736983

 

[dhall]

This is awesome!! Couldn't have said it better myself. Doesn't help that Vildemort is one of the most asinine master villains I've seen in some time...that's not really a knock on the ride so much as the franchise, but still.

The dragon should've made a large, physical appearance. Not just lumbering around wondering *** is going on (like I was!)

His dad stole his nose when he was just a toddler, and he never got over it.

 

[dhall]

So did we...

The thing is, topics without further developments generally sort of peter out as a matter of course. The big reason why threads like this stay open and gather so many views is exactly because they jump to whatever's happened that day.

I liked that 8th wonder stayed on topic, but the natural consequence of that is that it died out relatively young.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Micechat had a big update today about Disneyland

Disneyland
1. Disneyland is getting the paint the night parade that Hong Kong received. The Disneyland version will have some differences tho including a frozen float.

2. A new Steve Davison show is coming for the 60th. Big pyrotechnic upgrades are needed so the old fantasy in the sky show will return starting January 9th.

3. The backstage alley/arcades behind main street will wrap up in late fall.

4. Peter Pan is getting a big refurb starting in February and finishing in May

5. CMs will get special diamond celebration name tags

DCA
1. New world of color

2. Luigis flying tires is going goodbye come January 11th to make way for a new ride called luigis festival of dance. The tires have been too hard for Disney to maintain so they had to shut it down. The new ride will incorporate a ride system similar to ratatouille.

3. GM is looking to sponsor an attraction in Disneyland could end up being RSR or autopia with some upgrades

4. Frozen is going into the animation academy

5. Soarin will close January 11th for HD upgrades. The new film will not come until 2016 when it debuts at Shanghai.

Weren't we just talking about Aquatopia concepts being used for Flying Tires? This was suggested almost immediately upon that attraction opening up. That change should be for the best.

 

[doctornick]

Lots of talk about what it may or may not mean. Let's cut thru the bull and all, there are numerous projects coming to WDW, but don't expect any surprises ... or surprises of substance. Everything that will likely be coming between now and 2020 is something you've heard about or read about here (or elsewhere) in one form or another. The real question is what has been approved and in what order of the pipeline. From Star Wars product to Pixar product to Marvel product (yeah, just seeing if you are paying attention) to Blue SexKitten product.

Can't tell if this is meant as a joke or serious. If this is something real, does that mean that we might see a GOTG attraction actually be developed, since that would most likely be the only Marvel thing of value that could be in WDW?

 

[Mike S]

Can't tell if this is meant as a joke or serious. If this is something real, does that mean that we might see a GOTG attraction actually be developed, since that would most likely be the only Marvel thing of value that could be in WDW?

Joke I'm sure.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Don't take this personally, but I don't care what Hill says. He is irrelevant and he has become a Disney apologist in order to get freebies/invites etc.

I am not going out and saying what I believe the park will be called. I have heard three names and that is one. But I will point out (because I am a ***** for attention and for getting credit where it is due!) that I had the reBRANDING story months before anyone ... actually, longer since I mentioned it was a possibility (rumour) sometime last year and then placed it out here as FACT (news) this summer.



Frozen will be shoved ... (OK, I can't come up with anything that doesn't involve fanbois and Imagineers, so I won't!)

August 16, 2014: WDWMagic.com user WDW1974 has reported that as part of this makeover Disney's Hollywood Studios will undergo another name change along with the removal of the studios component.

 

[TalkingHead]

BTW, this week marks the 30th Anniversary of Miami Vice. I was a fan of the show. I even may have dressed a bit like Crockett and Tubbs back in the 80s. But really, anyone who enjoys TV today should understand and appreciate that the show set the mark for an entire new style of big screen production values (music, fashion, lighting) on the small screen that everyone takes for granted today no matter what they watch. It really did things that were just not part of the medium before. Anyone interested, I'd advise checking out the Miami Herald as they have some great stories about the impact of the show (South Beach didn't exist until Miami Vice showed what could exist).

Did another show ever do a better job redefining the character and atmosphere of a city than Vice did for Miami?

To my ears, the music Jan Hammer composed for the show still sounds like a quintessential Florida soundtrack. Like you said, the show really did raise the bar for TV productions -- the sequence with Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" from the show's pilot is justifiable famous. It's easy to forget it was also the show that introduced Michael Mann's brilliance. I know his MV film from a few years back was polarizing, but I appreciated what he did with the material.

And funny you mention the show's filming in Miami Beach -- in the first season, if you study some of the location shots of South Beach, you can see it was the run-down turf of elderly retirees. Funny how things change.

Plus, not enough can be said about Phillip Michael Thomas, EGOT and all. A man's reach should exceed his grasp, right?