Tom Staggs drops some REAL information about the future

[WDW1974]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...ar-land-cars-land-resorts-chairman-tom-staggs

Knock yourself out with the link but for those that want a summary:

- Avatarland budget between 400-500 million dollars.
-Cars Land has (obviously) been a huge success and will be used as the model going forward. They want to focus on building entire lands for properties instead of just 1 ride like in the old days.
-He hints/basically confirms Cars Land is getting cloned (Doesn't mention when or where)
-Promises bigger Lucasfilm presence in all of the parks.

It's all old news at this point. I thought someone would have already linked to it on one of the many threads (like say 'DIS was RIGHT!!! Cars Land Announced TODAY!!!') discussing many of these topics.

I don't really like to give Jason Garcia much props/attention because I feel he is an extremely weak reporter. But I read this when it came out and I read his tweets, which fearure a few more meaningless Staggs quotes that he got in his seven and a half minute interview with Staggs (which he thanks Disney for as he was only supposed to get five, gotta love Disney dealing with the media!)

Nothing in that story says anything. You summarized it well above as it's all talking points that point to years more of stagnation at WDW before anything of substance comes (No, yet again, a data-mining/trip planning new revenue stream for Disney is NOT important to 98% of WDW visitors!)

I'm glad the analysts agree with me about not expecting to see Avatar before 2017 (I said late 2017 in a conversation with Mrs. Lee's second favorite man ... if at all ... nice to see the 'experts' agree).

Have no idea what the eventual plan for Cars Land will be, but the last I heard was very much a mini-value engineered version that would also include mini-areas for other Pixar films including Monsters (yes, with coaster) and Ratatouille (not sure whether this would include the very pricey ride Paris is getting).

Reasonably sure that Disney has no clue either ... on Pandora and whatever the Studios makeover will entail. And pretty sure that by the time they decide, UNI and SW will have invested in billions of brick and mortar projects that will be driving their visitor counts through the ceiling.

Maybe by the time they actually announce something of substance it will be time to rotate the MSEP back in to replace SpectroTragic again.

 

[WDW1974]

This, coming from the man who is a year overdue on a PI announcement.

Hah! ... Someone actually got a comment through on his Blog update on New Fanasyland calling him out on it.
There was no response. Wonder if that comment is still up?

I am sure Disney is just giving UNI and SW head starts of 5-7-10 years ... to show how superior they are ... oops, I mean think they are.

I do feel a little sad for the exec team that will be running P&R and WDW, in particular, because they're the ones who will have to deal with the mess these folks are leaving behind.

(Oh, and my heart goes out to Wannabe Lou and all of the other blogging whores who found out what the Spirit said back in the spring was true and that Disney was pruning who gets invited to their non-event events!)

 

[JEANYLASER]

thanks for very interesting info!

 

[WDW1974]

400-500 million is definitely more than the great model of green nothingness we saw yesterday.

Star Wars additions make so much sense. I just wish they'd light a fire under the development.

Star Wars projects being worked on right now are for two parks ... HKDL and SDL. Nothing else, although you can be sure that DLP will have its Star Tours updated in the next few years too.

What he said was a great presence in the parks ... that can meet and greets with Chewbacca in front of Star Tours ... or larger retail locations. It does NOT in any way mean they are bringing fanboi dreams of Star Wars lands to fruition anywhere. They're not.

 

[djlaosc]

Have no idea what the eventual plan for Cars Land will be, but the last I heard was very much a mini-value engineered version that would also include mini-areas for other Pixar films including Monsters (yes, with coaster) and Ratatouille (not sure whether this would include the very pricey ride Paris is getting).

So would the mini-value engineered version just be RSR with cardboard rockwork?

 

[Mouse Detective]

It does NOT in any way mean they are bringing fanboi dreams of Star Wars lands to fruition anywhere. They're not.

Which is pretty damn sad.

Can't even trust construction beginning (Hyperion wharf)

Well technically they never constructed anything. They only destructed a couple things.

 

[afar28]

Star Wars projects being worked on right now are for two parks ... HKDL and SDL. Nothing else, although you can be sure that DLP will have its Star Tours updated in the next few years too.

What he said was a great presence in the parks ... that can meet and greets with Chewbacca in front of Star Tours ... or larger retail locations. It does NOT in any way mean they are bringing fanboi dreams of Star Wars lands to fruition anywhere. They're not.

That's a shame. A Star Wars land could be outstanding. I'd take it over avatar anyday

 

[Captain Chaos]

That's a shame. A Star Wars land could be outstanding. I'd take it over avatar anyday

I've defended the Avatar project but honestly, if they decided Star Wars over Avatar, I'd say yes please... Sadly, I won't have that opportunity... In WDW anyway...

 

[afar28]

I've defended the Avatar project but honestly, if they decided Star Wars over Avatar, I'd say yes please... Sadly, I won't have that opportunity... In WDW anyway...

I agree. I don't understand the avatar hate at times

 

[GeneralKnowledge]

Not trying to be a downer because I think if Pandora is done correctly it can be one of the best most immersive theme park experiences ever. However, will anyone still care about the Avatar franchise in 2017?

Since I visit the parks on an annual basis, I find it hard to fathom that I'll have visited WDW five times before Avatarland is completed. I find it even harder to fathom that I may have children by the time this is completed. I will probably have to baby swap my first ride on the Avatar attraction.

Also, Considering it's the only major thing that has been officially announced as of yet, I find it even harder to stomach that there will be no other major additions to the Florida parks between now and then. This really doesn't bode well for WDW. I really don't think Avatar is a timeless franchise, and I honestly have no interest in it. I think investing this much time, energy, and money into a crap franchise is a bad move.

...and who likes James Cameron anyway, he's such a smug .

 

[71jason]

I can only hope/assume that Curl moving out of that pod of buildings is a sign of a major overhaul in that complex area ...

Word from the Save PI Blog months ago was that their lease was up. I can't blame them wanting to go to a more high-visibility location where they aren't literally surrounded on three sides by shuttered buildings (not to mention set back from the main walkway). In other words, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

 

[dmc493]

i want blue people to serve me food in Pandora.

 

[NoChesterHester]

Star Wars projects being worked on right now are for two parks ... HKDL and SDL. Nothing else, although you can be sure that DLP will have its Star Tours updated in the next few years too.

What he said was a great presence in the parks ... that can meet and greets with Chewbacca in front of Star Tours ... or larger retail locations. It does NOT in any way mean they are bringing fanboi dreams of Star Wars lands to fruition anywhere. They're not.

So in the park with the biggest lagging attendance... where it could make immediate impact... where thematically they don't even have to redo everything to get it in... it isn't planned.

Yup. Makes too much sense.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Not trying to be a downer because I think if Pandora is done correctly it can be one of the best most immersive theme park experiences ever. However, will anyone still care about the Avatar franchise in 2017?

I don't care about it NOW.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Yawn!

Snore.

 

[doctornick]

Not trying to be a downer because I think if Pandora is done correctly it can be one of the best most immersive theme park experiences ever. However, will anyone still care about the Avatar franchise in 2017?

I think the same could easily be said about Transformers (I mean, the last two movies were awful and it's not like the first one was all that great), yet Universal is still building a ride. And people seem to be excited by it.

If the Pandora expansion provides good attractions and a well themed land, people won't care about the movie it is based on. If it sucks as a theme park land, then it won't matter if the upcoming movies make a crapload of money and become part of the cultural consciousness. A good ride is a good ride.

Look at how many people say they don't care for Cars, but still enjoy Cars Land immensely.

 

[td1129]

I think the same could easily be said about Transformers (I mean, the last two movies were awful and it's not like the first one was all that great), yet Universal is still building a ride. And people seem to be excited by it.

If the Pandora expansion provides good attractions and a well themed land, people won't care about the movie it is based on. If it sucks as a theme park land, then it won't matter if the upcoming movies make a crapload of money and become part of the cultural consciousness. A good ride is a good ride.

Look at how many people say they don't care for Cars, but still enjoy Cars Land immensely.

People here like to complain that Disney isn't more like universal, yet fail to point out that universal is filled with a bunch of motion simulators based in crappy IPs. Nothing new.

 

[GoofGoof]

So in the park with the biggest lagging attendance... where it could make immediate impact... where thematically they don't even have to redo everything to get it in... it isn't planned.

Yup. Makes too much sense.

Maybe this is a good thing. Instead of half assing Carsland with cardboard cutouts and adding just a Star Wars themed bath room maybe the best thing for DHS is to hit rock bottom. It ain't far from it. Maybe if it slips below the 2 Universal parks in attendance, TWDC (not TDO) will finally step in and give it the DCA treatment. $1B plus makeover including full Pixar Studio area (Cars, Monsters and French rats included) plus Lucas land including both SW and Indy additions and maybe some other stuff not even dreamed up yet. I know, I know, I just got a fresh batch of pixie dust in so I blame it on that, definitely overly optimistic.

 

[Omnispace]

Yes - Carsland seems to be a real success -- but Cars has the Radiator Springs "Main Street" story that lends itself well to creating the nostalgic type of place that resonates well with guests. When Skaggs says that themed mini-lands are the approach they plan to take, I hope it's not just a cookie cutter application of Carsland. His notion that "allowing guests to visit Pandora can be very magical" already sounds like they are going to get the story wrong. I imagine a visit to Pandora is a lot like Jurassic Park -- a place that can be full of wondrous things but can also be very deadly. There's a reason why everyone sleeps up in the trees...

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Not trying to be a downer because I think if Pandora is done correctly it can be one of the best most immersive theme park experiences ever. However, will anyone still care about the Avatar franchise in 2017?

To me, the model says, "Yes, it's Pandora, but we can turn it into the Pride Lands very quickly."