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.
