The answer is simple - They can have a unifying icon across all parks. They just need to build a giant statue of...
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Transformative Multi-Year Expansion Announced for WDS Paris
- Thread starter Jwhee
- Start date
The answer is simple - They can have a unifying icon across all parks. They just need to build a giant statue of...
Haymarket
Well-Known Member
I think they switched. It's been pretty consistently ToT for at least the last few years. I think it's in part because it's much bigger, and roughly on the same scale as the others.
But who knows: maybe they'll switch again.
Haymarket
Well-Known Member
This park has been haphazardly thrown together since its creation, and unfortunately nothing in this re-do is changing that.
The 2012 DCA 2.0 redo should’ve been the blueprint: taking areas that didn’t evoke a particular theme and changing them so that guests felt transported to another time or place—that old-school Disney Parks vibe. For all their flaws and deviation from their original thematic visions, at least DHS and DCA still accomplish that.
Avengers Campus was a step in the right direction, but these mini-lands with just one attraction don’t do it for me.
Give us Buena Vista Street. Give us an Arendelle with 2 or 3 attractions. Flesh out “Worlds of Pixar” with that iconic Emeryville brick pattern and a Luxo Jr. animatronic.
Instead we’re left with “Disney’s Greatest Hits Premier Access Studios Adventure World.” It all feels very Universal or Six Flags IMO.
The 2012 DCA 2.0 redo should’ve been the blueprint: taking areas that didn’t evoke a particular theme and changing them so that guests felt transported to another time or place—that old-school Disney Parks vibe. For all their flaws and deviation from their original thematic visions, at least DHS and DCA still accomplish that.
Avengers Campus was a step in the right direction, but these mini-lands with just one attraction don’t do it for me.
Give us Buena Vista Street. Give us an Arendelle with 2 or 3 attractions. Flesh out “Worlds of Pixar” with that iconic Emeryville brick pattern and a Luxo Jr. animatronic.
Instead we’re left with “Disney’s Greatest Hits Premier Access Studios Adventure World.” It all feels very Universal or Six Flags IMO.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
I think the difference here is that DCA was a full sized park... it was just the themes were mainly questionable and lots of placemaking could fix these errors. WDSP however was a quarter sized park when it opened. After the many piecemeal additions it's now a half sized park. The expansion is making it a three quarter sized park with expansion pads to make it a full sized park. If they had only concentrated on what was still there we'd still have a half sized park with no access to expansion pads.
Ultimately it all comes down to money. It would be awesome to have multiple fleshed out lands around the lake but DLP doesn't have an unlimited budget so I don't think there is a simple solution to this?
mrflo
Well-Known Member
After reflecting on the D23 announcements and various reactions over the last two weeks, I feel a bit disenchanted. I have been hoping for a Splash Mountain type ride to come to DLP since the 90s and am a fan of the Lion King movie & musical as well. So in theory I should be over the moon.
Disney Adventure World totally fits into the trend of IP-driven lands, shaped heavily by marketing that focuses on giving people what they think they want - nothing less and nothing much more. But in doing so, it misses that element of surprise & wonder that made Disney so magical. I think Joe Rohde said something like that it’s not about giving people what they ask for, but surprising them with something beyond their expectations.
Looking at our pre-D23 poll the announcements were completely in line with what most members expected. Yet that’s where - my personal - feeling of fatigue might be coming from. Disney may be playing it too safe by mainly relying on popular franchises and using a very formulaic approach. The „how did Disney do that“ has shifted to a „I see what you did there“ - lacking major ambition, sophistication and level of design quality that made the first DLP park outstanding.
Meanwhile, despite also relying on IPs, Universal’s Epic Universe is capturing that spirit of wonder with its innovative world-building, and that’s where my excitement has been shifting to. Just one of those lands from Epic - in terms of ambition, innovation & scale - would have made the WDS expansion worthwhile. The Lion King definitely looks like a step up in terms of scale and probably investment as well - those animatronics are not cheap. While I am looking forward to ride it, I am still very cautious what to expect in the end.
Disney Adventure World totally fits into the trend of IP-driven lands, shaped heavily by marketing that focuses on giving people what they think they want - nothing less and nothing much more. But in doing so, it misses that element of surprise & wonder that made Disney so magical. I think Joe Rohde said something like that it’s not about giving people what they ask for, but surprising them with something beyond their expectations.
Looking at our pre-D23 poll the announcements were completely in line with what most members expected. Yet that’s where - my personal - feeling of fatigue might be coming from. Disney may be playing it too safe by mainly relying on popular franchises and using a very formulaic approach. The „how did Disney do that“ has shifted to a „I see what you did there“ - lacking major ambition, sophistication and level of design quality that made the first DLP park outstanding.
Meanwhile, despite also relying on IPs, Universal’s Epic Universe is capturing that spirit of wonder with its innovative world-building, and that’s where my excitement has been shifting to. Just one of those lands from Epic - in terms of ambition, innovation & scale - would have made the WDS expansion worthwhile. The Lion King definitely looks like a step up in terms of scale and probably investment as well - those animatronics are not cheap. While I am looking forward to ride it, I am still very cautious what to expect in the end.
I think - even allowing for the plus points the physical expansion and lake offers - also having one D ticket and one spinner as the sum total addition for this multi year project at opening is a real low point. Scrapping GE is already biting them on the rear. I’ve said elsewhere about the boy / girl / space / princess balance and it’s abundantly clear here. Opening day should absolutely have offered Frozenland and GE - preferably with more than one attraction per “land” - with LK already coming along and a forth hi quality, unique offering waiting in the wings. But profits.
TheDisneyParksfanC8
Well-Known Member
Perhaps the land coming after LK might be a unique version of Avatar to WDSP/DAW. Avatar was extremely popular in France and it would be a missed opportunity to not bring it to the park.
nickys
Premium Member
Do you think there’s truth in the idea that they panicked when they saw the relative lack-lustre reception that GE got when it opened in the US?
nickys
Premium Member
I mean, why not? But the next movie is coming out this year, correct?
And since LK hasn’t even broken ground yet, any Avatar themed land would be 6/7 years away. Maybe hey could theme it not to Fire & Ice but whatever #4 is going to be.
I don’t. It was purely a cost decision.
nickys
Premium Member
The like was for your reply.
So do you think they are regretting the decision? Or is it a case that the rumoured Star Wars expansion would be a cheaper option as a compromise?
Always with the caveat of “if you can say” of course.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
I think they panicked when they saw what a nightmare ROTR was to build, operate and maintain. Both US parks don’t have a handle on the latter two points to this day.
It runs satisfactorily now (minus canons) plus they have 5 years of operational knowledge now
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
Does it?
During my visits last August and this February off the top of my head I had the following issues...
No finale Kylo at all including on one occasion the 'ceiling' was down but no B mode Kylo
Kylo broken on the bridge
And/or Hux broken on the bridge
No lightsaber on one ride
Guns don't lower on the AT-AT
We also had a completely out of sync escape pod scene which was hilarious.
Erm... I think that was it. To be fair the probe droid was working which it hadn't been on my trips prior to this.
I've had a couple of friends visit since and they have reported similar but varied issues. But of course it will have its good and bad days but from my last two experiences show quality seemed to have fallen off a cliff.
I’d call those show issues and would be annoyed if they existed the following day. Any attraction can have them and that’s mainly down to maintenance. But operationally it does. IIRC 91% uptime on average (which is considered good)
Toni25
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I think the same. Definitely nothing else coming until after 2030.
I don't even believe Lion King will open until either 2028 or 2029 so...might actually be no additions until 2035.
Loose Pebble
Active Member
Lion King closes the loop around the bay right? Because Avatar was going to be in a side plot? If they are doing that I could definitely see them saying they're done for a while. And then maybe we can finally get something new for Disneyland park
Not quite