Toy Story Land expansion announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[doctornick]

And perhaps you've discovered the reason for Disney's pace.

2016--RoL and other DAK updates
2017--AVATAR
2018--TSL
2019--SWL
2020--Phase 3 and another SWL ride?
2021--new E ticket and parades/fireworks at MK

And somewhere in there Epcot will start getting looked at.

If they rush TSL, they have nothing new to market in 2018 and instead actually compete TSL up against AVATAR.

While I don't disagree with your point at all, with proper planning and effort there's no reason they couldn't be opening a new/updated ride in Epcot (like an Imagination replacement) or a new build in MK (like the alleged Frontierland expansion or something on the expansion pads in TL or Adentureland) in 2018 to have something new that year, if they wanted to open TSL in late 2017. Furthermore, there's always the opportunity to present a new big budget entertainment instead (which can be developed more quickly) like a daytime show at DAK or a Wishes or MSEP replacement for MK as a big new offering in 2018.

TSL should be open sooner than 2018. The park needs it more desperately than that timeframe. IMHO.

 

[doctornick]

I think the argument is for all the time, money and space of TSL there are only two new attractions. One of which will be a minor addition.

An additional dark ride could have sealed the land as a real plus.

It is absolutely costing too much. Realistically, with all of the additional thematic work for the land (across 11 acres!), $250m would be far more reasonable. But it will cost double that.

I do agree with Martin that it is absurd to use all of this space for a flat and a coaster. They need to learn to use land more efficiently.

I want to go back to this point, but this is what really grates me about this addition. I like the attractions that they have planned, but it is absolutely absurd that, in a park desperate for additional rides, they are only adding two rides in an 11 acre land. That's just crazy. Putting in some additional flat rides or (preferably) a dark ride would have been much appreciated.

When there was the original talk of a TS themed land for DHS, I pictured it being more like "It's a Bug's Land" with multiple smaller rides just to up the capacity of the park and provide quick additions for a park that has a lot of stuff shuttered. I'm happy to see them be more ambitious with the attractions with the coaster but it just seems so inefficient for the amount of land. As mentioned, it's crazy that the same company tuns DL -- someone needs to walk around DL's Fantasyland and see how to use space properly.

Is there any possibility of additional attractions that were not announced (besides the requisite M&Gs that we know will be there). I know there was talk of a "Woody's Roundup" themed attraction at some point. Could we at least have some sort of show in the area?

 

[A foolish mortal]

Does anyone know when they'll start building this new land? (the answer might be in this 117 page thread.. but i dont have strength to go through them all)
Thank you

 

[twebber55]

While I don't disagree with your point at all, with proper planning and effort there's no reason they couldn't be opening a new/updated ride in Epcot (like an Imagination replacement) or a new build in MK (like the alleged Frontierland expansion or something on the expansion pads in TL or Adentureland) in 2018 to have something new that year, if they wanted to open TSL in late 2017. Furthermore, there's always the opportunity to present a new big budget entertainment instead (which can be developed more quickly) like a daytime show at DAK or a Wishes or MSEP replacement for MK as a big new offering in 2018.

TSL should be open sooner than 2018. The park needs it more desperately than that timeframe. IMHO.

but the timeline makes since
no need to open up two lands and cannibalize folks coming to orlando

 

[UpAllNight]

but the timeline makes since
no need to open up two lands and cannibalize folks coming to orlando

I disagree purely because the product offered at 2 of the 4 Orlando parks is brand damaging to Disney. They need to sort that and stop messing around or people won't return. And when Universal build their shiny new 3rd park down the line, it will sway some people to stay there instead of Disney, and by the time Disney can react the damage will have been done. This mentality they seem to have that people will return regardless is very dangerous.

I know I offer a very small sample size, but my experience of speaking to others who returned from Disney this year is that they are not always seen as the pinnacle anymore. There's issues bubbling under the surface...

 

[Magenta Panther]

I feel about as much enthusiasm for this TSL as I did for Dumbo's Storybook Circus. Nice for the kiddies, but otherwise, meh. (And what the heck does "Storybook" even refer to?)

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Bugs Land is cute and well themed, but it does not have great capacity nor does it have even a "C" level attraction. Cute, but I guess for such a small space it does fill out the park a bit. I'd think with 11 acres, TSL would have so much more than it does.

 

[SirLink]

but the timeline makes since
no need to open up two lands and cannibalize folks coming to orlando

It doesn't make sense for a park with a dying need of more capacity and a land that it is so overbudget they need to start clawing some of that money back like yesterday.

People come to Orlando for various reasons and a rising tide helps all ships.

 

[twebber55]

It doesn't make sense for a park with a dying need of more capacity and a land that it is so overbudget they need to start clawing some of that money back.

the question becomes will it hurt the number of people who go to DHS? the answer sadly is it probably wont.
i agree with you DHS needs the additions asap but what have they lost thats worth anything?

 

[SirLink]

the question becomes will it hurt the number of people who go to DHS? the answer sadly is it probably wont.
i agree with you DHS needs the additions asap but what have they lost thats worth anything?

Capacity they have lost - capacity they need. Obviously it helps if they add something cool that is worth a damn to stand in the Floridian summer sun for,but without capacity of the areas/restaurants and counter service/shops its gonna me a miserable existence.

 

[doctornick]

Bugs Land is cute and well themed, but it does not have great capacity nor does it have even a "C" level attraction. Cute, but I guess for such a small space it does fill out the park a bit. I'd think with 11 acres, TSL would have so much more than it does.

Yes, I don't necessarily mean a copy of Bug's Land but more the concept of a smallish land to increase the number of rides and specifically offerings for younger children. I think the two attractions for TSL actually sound/look great so I'm happy for them to be coming, but would like to have also seen another ride or two in all of that space and would have been fine if the additional rides were minor -- even something like a teacups rides, though, as @marni1971 mentioned, having a dark ride among the ride roster would be great.

I could totally see a cool small Fantasyland style dark ride themed to the Woody's Roundup show from Toy Story 2.

 

[danlb_2000]

Does anyone know when they'll start building this new land? (the answer might be in this 117 page thread.. but i dont have strength to go through them all)
Thank you

Permits were filed in the last week or so for backstage work in the area where TSL will go, so it appears that backstage prep work will begin very soon.

 

[doctornick]

As an aside, I'm wondering what the status is with any new shows coming to DHS. I could forgive the longer timeframe for TSL a bit if at least they open up some new shows in the interim -- the rumored daytime show at the Fantastmic theater, a replacement for BatB or VOTLM, etc.

 

[SirLink]

Yes, I don't necessarily mean a copy of Bug's Land but more the concept of a smallish land to increase the number of rides and specifically offerings for younger children. I think the two attractions for TSL actually sound/look great so I'm happy for them to be coming, but would like to have also seen another ride or two in all of that space and would have been fine if the additional rides were minor -- even something like a teacups rides, though, as @marni1971 mentioned, having a dark ride among the ride roster would be great.

I could totally see a cool small Fantasyland style dark ride themed to the Woody's Roundup show from Toy Story 2.

I couldn't see what your asking for, totally could see them raiding the cabinet of rides already built for Shanghai - or rides that were designed but never built for Shanghai.

But I could only see them even considering it if they crunched the numbers, costs and realised: "MOAR CAPACITY!"

 

[twebber55]

i think a Blue sky seller type of room/building would help a lot, give s us hope

 

[Kate F]

Heres why I am upset that they haven't started working on this land yet (and I may be going on a bit of a tangent):

My first trip to WDW was in 2005, and we saw Everest being built as well as several commercials for the ride. Everyone in my family was excited and we were all in agreement that it was something we definitely needed to return for. After Everest, there hasn't been anything that we felt we just had to go back for, despite taking multiple trips over the years. The past few years, the main reason we've been coming back is because of the constant stream of new exciting additions at Universal. We've been much more impressed by them as of late and we don't currently have any plans to go back to Disney for a while. To be fair though, we are fans of thrills and I understand Disney isn't focused on adding many of those at the moment, but our main problem is that the parks are kind of stale now, which I know they are trying to fix.

Anyway, I'm not really excited about TSL at all, the coaster might be fun but that's all I got at the moment. The theme, the low quantity of rides and the lack of any new E-tickets (not all E-tickets need to be thrilling) really doesn't give me anything to be excited about to begin with, but the fact that they haven't even started with this pretty simple project kind of infuriates me. I get that the land is supposed to be for families, and I'm sure kids will love it, which is great, but it's just kind of depressing to see that it takes Disney so much time and so much money to build such simple things nowadays. I honestly wish they would just get it done and over with so they can focus on the more ambitious projects.

 

[Daveeeeed]

I personally think if you have a gorgeous land you can do with less rides, or at least to meet with the demand instead of build to attract newcomers, and repeat visitors. I don't go to Epcot for the rides I go for the beauty. Hollywood Studios on the other hand is mainly for the rides, and I hope they are able to change that.

 

[Daveeeeed]

I get what you were referencing, but it is an odd obsession. You keep insisting on an older, troubled project that was more than just the coaster over more and recent examples.

Revenge of the Mummy was about 40-45 million. I don't have an obsession over the rip ride rockit I am just trying to compare Universal to Disney instead of other much smaller companies.

 

[Daveeeeed]

But fake trenches and rock work ... Martin ... that totally is worth $40million ....

Note the sarcasm

The tsl coaster will never have even near the detail of btm, ee, or any other ride like that. It is a relatively cheap and disappointing ride for what it could be based on the concept art. Compare it to Radiator Springs Racers, and it sucks. Space Mountain, and again bad, but you shouldn't just say it is bad based on if it's worse than something. I have a feeling it will still be good, but amazing like the rock n' roller coaster or something. It will serve its purpose well being a good coaster in an immersive filler land to balance capacity. It is unfortunately the truth, and even with some nice 'trenches' it is still not a 199.5 feet tall mountain on display or as cost, but that doesn't mean it will be bad it just means the land cost will go down. Toy Story Land in Hong Kong, and Toy Story Playland in Paris cost some 85 million in all. While not the same at all it still brings into light how this land probably will come in under triple the cost as it really is also a filler land too. I don't know for sure, but those are just my thoughts.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Revenge of the Mummy was about 40-45 million. I don't have an obsession over the rip ride rockit I am just trying to compare Universal to Disney instead of other much smaller companies.

Regardless of the park, the coasters come from the same few vendors. If you want to know how much just a coaster is going to cost then those other parks where they just build the coaster is the best example.

Revenge of the Mummy being in the same range as Hollywood Rip Ride Rock It shows the problem with that coaster as a point of comparison.