News Walt Disney Company plans to spend $17 billion at Walt Disney World over the next ten years

[SpectreJordan]

Cosmic Rewind is especially weird because it badly misuses the IP. The Guardians feel like an afterthought rather than something integral to the ride experience, and it doesn't really capture the feeling of the films at all.

I gotta disagree here. It's not as obvious as Rise of the Resistance or even Mission: Breakout (atleast how it looks on YT, I haven't riden it yet) but I think it captures the feeling of those movies very well. The high octane coaster action mixed with fun pop music gives me the same feeling as when I watch one of the action scenes set to music. I have a huge smile every time I ride it just like when I watch the Guardians movies.

Now the story is stupid & incomprehensible. But the feeling of the ride is what matters most to me.

DHS originally had clear themes and direction. Modern DHS is just IPland. I never cared for the original theme of DHS, but at least it was a theme. Movies isn't a theme. It's a subject. Visiting movie themed lands isn't a theme, it's a premise. What are the themes of DHS? It literally doesn't have one I'd wager, or at least it doesn't have one that's consistent across the entire park. The only thing stringing DHS together is the subject of film. Besides that, it simply lacks any singular direction or set of themes/ideas. Sure the rest of the parks have their issues, but DHS is just a complete mess, + it's tiny, + it has nothing to do. They literally removed their thesis statement dark ride in favor of literally just another dark ride, only this one doesn't have anything to do with film as a medium. Lmao, Bob what have you done.

They really need to complete the new version of that park. The theme should be the wonder, joy & adventure that movies & their worlds can make. I, personally, think you can see that in GE, TSL & Muppets Courtyard (to an extent, it could use more); but then you have the remainder of the old park that's just a mishmash of attractions.

Sunset Boulevard needs to fully embrace the '40s theme that Tower has. '40s Hollywood has been romanticized enough in film that I think a full land dedicated to it would be great. BATB should become Snow White or Fantasia, RnRC should be rethemed to like anything else (The Rocketeer? Something original for once?). IDK if it'd work land wise but it'd be cool if the Cars show could go away & be replaced with the Roger Rabbit dark ride from DL.

The area around Indy should be expanded into that empty parking lot & Indy gets a full land. Then do anything with Animation Courtyard.

I love a lot of aspects of DHS, it has my favorite lineup of rides at WDW. But I definitely agree that it needs a lot of help still.

I think the design of the lands themselves is what’s better. The execution of Pandora and Hogsmeade, but especially Cars Land and Diagon Alley are a step-up despite them being smaller, ignoring the rides they have.

I think it’s partially because Star Wars is just a different IP than the others. Yes, there are some iconic locations, but the direction they chose to be an all encompassing place for all things Star Wars means they probably should’ve focused more on it feeling like it’s actually occupied by people in the galaxy.

Galaxy’s Edge is great, I most definitely disagree with people saying otherwise, but it is so large and has so many shops that comparatively it feels like it needs more things to walk through.

It just sort of seems lifeless, like there needs to be more in the way of it feeling like an actual place. Cutting the PeopleMover ride for capacity reasons in this sense hurt the land. I think that alone would’ve made the largest difference.

I know it’s a battle scarred location, but I don’t think that’s the issue. The original concept art seemed more vibrant despite it being a place that had seen “fighting.” I personally would’ve gone with that art direction.

The Cantina should’ve been large enough that you can just roam into. Again, to feel like a real place. It also is sort of just okay? The theming is great, but Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar I feel is a far better themed bar.

The interactive stuff and show elements throughout the land shouldn’t have been cut, again, because the land itself feels like less and it would’ve made it feel more real.

A TSR would balance out the land’s offerings and would make Disney a ton of money bringing more depth to the land as well. It’s a massive land, how does it only have one restaurant?

A third ride, perhaps a speeder bike coaster, would fix the dead space on the right side of the land.

They need some walk around aliens. Not people or stormtroopers. We need to see a Greedo and some other aliens walking around, the land should’ve been set up to have them interact with actual things going on in the land. Planned interactions if you will.

Some more greenery wouldn’t hurt either (which is why Tatooine would have been a terrible idea to build).

I know IPs shouldn’t matter in the execution of a land, but I do think GE is set back by it not being set in the original trilogy, which has far more interesting lore to explore.

You go to Harambe in Animal Kingdom’s Africa land and it feels lived in. There’s so much detail. GE has so many clever instances of that, from the repurposed engine for Ronto Roasters to the blaster marks on walls, but you also don’t know really know who lives in the land.

Pandora is just nature so let’s exclude that one, but the other lands, Cars Land, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade are more grounded. Star Wars I feel would be a lot harder to nail, but to do the IP justice that’s what it seems like it needs.

Yeah, I love GE, it's a dream come true as a huge Star Wars fan. It really feels like I'm stepping into that universe, I teared up when I saw the Falcon for the first time. But it could definitely still use some extra touches.

An ideal world, they'd add that Bantha-Peoplemover & a coaster that visibly whizzes by. I think both of those would go a long way in making it feel like the kinetic worlds found in Star Wars. Walk around aliens are definitely needed too, have them shop around the markets & stuff like that.

 

[BlakeW39]

I gotta disagree here. It's not as obvious as Rise of the Resistance or even Mission: Breakout (atleast how it looks on YT, I haven't riden it yet) but I think it captures the feeling of those movies very well. The high octane coaster action mixed with fun pop music gives me the same feeling as when I watch one of the action scenes set to music. I have a huge smile every time I ride it just like when I watch the Guardians movies.

Now the story is stupid & incomprehensible. But the feeling of the ride is what matters most to me.

They really need to complete the new version of that park. The theme should be the wonder, joy & adventure that movies & their worlds can make. I, personally, think you can see that in GE, TSL & Muppets Courtyard (to an extent, it could use more); but then you have the remainder of the old park that's just a mishmash of attractions.

Sunset Boulevard needs to fully embrace the '40s theme that Tower has. '40s Hollywood has been romanticized enough in film that I think a full land dedicated to it would be great. BATB should become Snow White or Fantasia, RnRC should be rethemed to like anything else (The Rocketeer? Something original for once?). IDK if it'd work land wise but it'd be cool if the Cars show could go away & be replaced with the Roger Rabbit dark ride from DL.

The area around Indy should be expanded into that empty parking lot & Indy gets a full land. Then do anything with Animation Courtyard.

I love a lot of aspects of DHS, it has my favorite lineup of rides at WDW. But I definitely agree that it needs a lot of help still.

Yeah, I love GE, it's a dream come true as a huge Star Wars fan. It really feels like I'm stepping into that universe, I teared up when I saw the Falcon for the first time. But it could definitely still use some extra touches.

An ideal world, they'd add that Bantha-Peoplemover & a coaster that visibly whizzes by. I think both of those would go a long way in making it feel like the kinetic worlds found in Star Wars. Walk around aliens are definitely needed too, have them shop around the markets & stuff like that.

DHS does have some really solid attractions, and with most of the effects broken on Everest I definitely think DHS has the best thrill ride on property. I would prefer the new, broader theme you suggested to the old one the park adopted, but I'm not sure management is really concerned with finding a new theme for DHS. I think they're just stuffing it to the brim with popular IP that vaguely fits the surface level premises of the park like celebrating and exploring popular film franchises. But how would MMRR fit into a park solely focused on exploring film as a medium when the ride itself explores a different medium of entertainment entirely?

 

[SpectreJordan]

DHS does have some really solid attractions, and with most of the effects broken on Everest I definitely think DHS has the best thrill ride on property. I would prefer the new, broader theme you suggested to the old one the park adopted, but I'm not sure management is really concerned with finding a new theme for DHS. I think they're just stuffing it to the brim with popular IP that vaguely fits the surface level premises of the park like celebrating and exploring popular film franchises. But how would MMRR fit into a park solely focused on exploring film as a medium when the ride itself explores a different medium of entertainment entirely?

Hopefully the Imagineers could convince them to go with this theme by basing it around the IPs the execs want to force in. Avatar was absolutely an exec decision, but the team was able to make it fit perfectly in Animal Kingdom. My 1940s idea wouldn't fit in with anything relevant but maybe they could get in if they agree with other stuff lmao

MMRR is hard since it's based off a series of TV/streaming shorts instead of the classic theatrical ones. But they could just say something along the lines of entering the world of one of the most iconic theatrical characters ever. If they were to beef up the themed-land lineup, that ride/the theater could be the center of the park & then it branches off into other movie worlds. Star Wars & Toy Story to the back. Muppets to the side. Then, let's say, Indiana Jones & Marvel to the sides.

I truly believe they can turn DHS into an amazing park. But I'm just scared that they'll think GE & TSL are good enough for the next 15 years or something.

 

[BlakeW39]

Hopefully the Imagineers could convince them to go with this theme by basing it around the IPs the execs want to force in. Avatar was absolutely an exec decision, but the team was able to make it fit perfectly in Animal Kingdom. My 1940s idea wouldn't fit in with anything relevant but maybe they could get in if they agree with other stuff lmao

MMRR is hard since it's based off a series of TV/streaming shorts instead of the classic theatrical ones. But they could just say something along the lines of entering the world of one of the most iconic theatrical characters ever. If they were to beef up the themed-land lineup, that ride/the theater could be the center of the park & then it branches off into other movie worlds. Star Wars & Toy Story to the back. Muppets to the side. Then, let's say, Indiana Jones & Marvel to the sides.

I truly believe they can turn DHS into an amazing park. But I'm just scared that they'll think GE & TSL are good enough for the next 15 years or something.

Hmm.. you make a decent case, but I do believe the park would have been better off with the Great Movie Ride or something similar as its flagship attraction. If they rethemed it one day to the old shorts then maybe it would work better. But I don't see that happening inside the next fifteen years or so.

The question is though do we see it as likely that imagineering will go through the effort necessary to transform DHS. i worry because the park still needs extensive TLC.

 

[SpectreJordan]

Hmm.. you make a decent case, but I do believe the park would have been better off with the Great Movie Ride or something similar as its flagship attraction. If they rethemed it one day to the old shorts then maybe it would work better. But I don't see that happening inside the next fifteen years or so.

The question is though do we see it as likely that imagineering will go through the effort necessary to transform DHS. i worry because the park still needs extensive DLC.

Oh, I'd definitely would have preferred the Great Movie Ride to stay too. They really screwed that up. I get they didn't want to pay the licenses for third party IPs anymore & they wanted to focus on their selves. But then they purchased Fox which had a ton of amazing IPs they could've used in a remade GMR. Titanic, The Sound of Music, Home Alone, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Independence Day, etc... It would've probably just been the Great Disney/Fox/Lucasfilm/Pixar ride. But I think Fox's portfolio is large enough to make it feel diverse.

 

[BlakeW39]

Oh, I'd definitely would have preferred the Great Movie Ride to stay too. They really screwed that up. I get they didn't want to pay the licenses for third party IPs anymore & they wanted to focus on their selves. But then they purchased Fox which had a ton of amazing IPs they could've used in a remade GMR. Titanic, The Sound of Music, Home Alone, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Independence Day, etc... It would've probably just been the Great Disney/Fox/Lucasfilm/Pixar ride. But I think Fox's portfolio is large enough to make it feel diverse.

Oh Disney definitely has plenty of IPs to remake the GMR with. They just felt the MMRR idea was more interesting. Because it's new, popular IP for the braindead masses.

And again. I didn't even really love the OG premise of the GMR or MGM as a park. Poster @Henry Mystic aptly stated on another thread that it was too narrow. Very niche idea for a park, for which I am not the target audience. But I prefer thematic continuity of any kind over, "yeah whatever who cares the public will eat it up."

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Oh Disney definitely has plenty of IPs to remake the GMR with. They just felt the MMRR idea was more interesting. Because it's new, popular IP for the braindead masses.

It’s really not that simple. MMMR has far less animatronics and has a way lower maintenance cost. I wouldn’t even say they felt MMRR was “far more interesting”, it was “more relevant, more timeless, more Disney”. They could’ve built MMRR literally anywhere else in the park, Disneyland closed a merchandise store and relocated some BOH facilities to build theirs. I loved the GMR and I was sad to see it go, but that’s modern Disney. They didn’t want to spend the money to refresh the attraction or continue to upkeep it, so it was replaced with a far less expensive attraction.

 

[BlakeW39]

It’s really not that simple. MMMR has far less animatronics and has a way lower maintenance cost. I wouldn’t even say they felt MMRR was “far more interesting”, it was “more relevant, more timeless, more Disney”. They could’ve built MMRR literally anywhere else in the park, Disneyland closed a merchandise store and relocated some BOH facilities to build theirs. I loved the GMR and I was sad to see it go, but that’s modern Disney. They didn’t want to spend the money to refresh the attraction or continue to upkeep it, so it was replaced with a far less expensive attraction.

lol well yes maintanence costs are certainly a reason also. But I'm not really sure what your first point is supposed to be because calling MMRR "more timeless, more relevant, and more Disney" is tantamount to saying Disney finds it more interesting than the GMR— because that slogan constitutes what Disney finds interesting right now.

 

[Henry Mystic]

It’s really not that simple. MMMR has far less animatronics and has a way lower maintenance cost. I wouldn’t even say they felt MMRR was “far more interesting”, it was “more relevant, more timeless, more Disney”. They could’ve built MMRR literally anywhere else in the park, Disneyland closed a merchandise store and relocated some BOH facilities to build theirs. I loved the GMR and I was sad to see it go, but that’s modern Disney. They didn’t want to spend the money to refresh the attraction or continue to upkeep it, so it was replaced with a far less expensive attraction.

I genuinely don't think they would've replaced it today.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I genuinely don't think they would've replaced it today.

What do you mean? That today, May 2nd, 2023 they wouldn't make the decision to replace GMR?

 

[Henry Mystic]

What do you mean? That today, May 2nd, 2023 they wouldn't make the decision to replace GMR?

Yes.

Iger's comments about capacity after witnessing how many people come for new attractions, so replacing old ones keeps capacity the same and you can't grow because of it.

They can now tap into a plethora of Fox IPs.

MMRR not replacing anything at Disneyland and was instead built in a completely new warehouse.

MMRR also ended up opening after Galaxy's Edge while it was originally slated to open before to help with crowding issues, so replacing GMR rather than a new build which would've taken longer I'm sure factored into their decision.

TCM was still a willing sponsor which I'm sure more than offset the labor costs. Disneyland has CMs on Storybookland Canal Boats, Casey's Junior, Submarine Voyage, the Explorer Canoes, and Jungle Cruise, so I imagine it wasn't actually that big of a deal. And who's to even say it couldn't have been reworked in a way that required less staffing? Sure, it would've been a different experience but that was an option.

Mickey is a solid E-Ticket, but riding it at Disneyland made me realize that my issue with it at HWS was that it's positioned as a headliner in the center of the park when it's not while GMR was, albeit dated.

Or maybe it's a perennial truth that Disney World ALWAYS gets the short end of the stick. That's probably truer, but I'd still like to think it was a shortsighted move.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Yes.

Iger's comments about capacity after witnessing how many people come for new attractions, so replacing old ones keeps capacity the same and you can't grow because of it.

Yet they're closing Splash Mountain to retheme it to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, instead of building a new Tiana attraction. I don't disagree that Iger & Co are aware that the parks need more capacity, and that we may see more net gain attractions as opposed to the past.

MMRR not replacing anything at Disneyland and was instead built in a completely new warehouse.

I'm not too familiar with the rumors/pre-planning of MMRR for DLR since I don't really follow the Disneyland forums, but I don't see where/how they could've built MMRR Disneyland without building something new.

MMRR also ended up opening after Galaxy's Edge while it was originally slated to open before to help with crowding issues.

MMRR wasn't announced for Disneyland until April of 2019. Galaxy's Edge opened one month later.

Or maybe it's a perennial truth that Disney World ALWAYS gets the short end of the stick. That's probably truer, but I'd still like to think it was a shortsighted move.

I personally am in the camp that WDW will always get the short end of the stick.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Yes.

Iger's comments about capacity after witnessing how many people come for new attractions, so replacing old ones keeps capacity the same and you can't grow because of it.

They can now tap into a plethora of Fox IPs.

MMRR not replacing anything at Disneyland and was instead built in a completely new warehouse.

MMRR also ended up opening after Galaxy's Edge while it was originally slated to open before to help with crowding issues, so replacing GMR rather than a new build would've allowed them to finish it sooner.

Or maybe it's a perennial truth that Disney World ALWAYS gets the short end of the stick. That's probably truer, but I'd still like to think it was a shortsighted move.

They should ADD and not replace attractions. You add attractions, you add capacity.

For the longest time, I was under the stupid impression that, "well that can't afford to add attractions". Wow was I wrong! We see the money they throw away on Disney+ content and money losing movies that you watch once, maybe twice!

All that money could have been spent on building attractions that folks come back year after year and ride over and over for decades.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

They should ADD and not replace attractions. You add attractions, you add capacity.

For the longest time, I was under the stupid impression that, "well that can't afford to add attractions". Wow was I wrong! We see the money they throw away on Disney+ content and money losing movies that you watch once, maybe twice!

All that money could have been spent on building attractions that folks come back year after year and ride over and over for decades.

It was never that they couldn't afford it, it was that they didn't want to spend money on them. Disney+ and this ridiculous streaming war that Hollywood has entered into is a problematic and short-sided business decision.

 

[Henry Mystic]

Yet they're closing Splash Mountain to retheme it to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, instead of building a new Tiana attraction. I don't disagree that Iger & Co are aware that the parks need more capacity, and that we may see more net gain attractions as opposed to the past.

They're only doing so because they are trying to rid the world of any SOTS reference, period.

It killed two birds with one stone by being able to add an inclusive IP as well. It even fits in Disneyland's New Orleans Square which of course means that TWDC could care less about the placement of the attraction at the "for tourists" WDW.

I'm not too familiar with the rumors/pre-planning of MMRR for DLR since I don't really follow the Disneyland forums, but I don't see where/how they could've built MMRR Disneyland without building something new.

They could've replaced Roger Rabbit in Toontown or Monsters Inc. at California Adventure, though they would've been repurposed for only the queue, so I suppose is it a bit different in that sense, but they still could've done that, but they chose not to.

MMRR wasn't announced for Disneyland until April of 2019. Galaxy's Edge opened one month later.

I was referring to MMRR at Hollywood Studios. It was announced in 2017 and by replacing GMR (rather than a new build which would take longer) it could open before Galaxy's Edge, but we know in reality that that did not happen. I'm pretty sure that was a factor in GMR's ultimate fate.

I personally am in the camp that WDW will always get the short end of the stick.

I agree, and that's the more likely result regardless, but I do tend to think it would be less likely to happen today for the reasons mentioned.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

They're only doing so because they are trying to rid the world of any SOTS reference, period.

It killed two birds with one stone by being able to add an inclusive IP as well. It even fits in Disneyland's New Orleans Square which of course means that TWDC could care less about the placement of the attraction at the "for tourists" WDW.

I agree with all of this, I personally have attested to all of these opinions several times.

I was referring to MMRR at Hollywood Studios. It was announced in 2017 and by replacing GMR (rather than a new build which would take longer) it could open before Galaxy's Edge, but we know in reality that that did not happen. I'm pretty sure that was a factor in GMR's ultimate fate.

My apologies on this front, I think their technology issues was the main thing that delayed MMRR's opening at DHS. I'm sure it was a portion of the deciding factor, but I'd have to say that the maintenance costs, coupled with the fact that they didn't own those IPs were the leading factors.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It was never that they couldn't afford it, it was that they didn't want to spend money on them. Disney+ and this ridiculous streaming war that Hollywood has entered into is a problematic and short-sided business decision.

For sure, I was under the stupid impression that they couldn't afford to add attractions, as you say, they simply don't want to spend the money.

 

[Henry Mystic]

They should ADD and not replace attractions. You add attractions, you add capacity.

For the longest time, I was under the stupid impression that, "well that can't afford to add attractions". Wow was I wrong! We see the money they throw away on Disney+ content and money losing movies that you watch once, maybe twice!

All that money could have been spent on building attractions that folks come back year after year and ride over and over for decades.

Agreed!

They excessively spent on Disney Plus with garbage content that no one watched not understanding that the main reason people subscribed to Netflix in the first place was because it had quality shows like House of Cards, The Crown, Breaking Bad, The Office, Friends, and of course amazing movies that come and go like The Shawshank Redemption. The crappy content Netflix is forced get alongside their contracts for “better quality” products was barely watched by comparison. And when Netflix decided to start producing/buying original content they also had the same approach which was to throw cash on the problem and try to fix it. It worked, but so inefficiently it’s painful to think about how much money they wasted.

Disney copying Netflix’s silly strategy to spend billions on crap hoping something eventually sticks on the wall killed so much money even though it had next to zero impact on their ROI.

In the end, it was the back catalog of quality-content paired with a few hits like Mandalorian & WandaVision that got the vast majority of people to subscribe to Disney Plus.

No one subscribed because of that 10% Rotten Tomatoes show you’ve never heard of that cost 100M.

That being said, they viewed Disney Plus as a platform as a long-term investment, so it made sense to invest in it. They just went about it the wrong, inefficient way.

They’re such a large conglomerate they’re afforded the ability to course correct, and retaining customers is easier than getting new ones outright, so I imagine they have a very bright future if they get this going forward. It just seems apparent that it shouldn’t have had to be a lesson learned to begin with.

Like you said, given the longevity of an investment in a ride/land, it is puzzling that they haven't expanded the parks more.

 

[BlakeW39]

Or maybe it's a perennial truth that Disney World ALWAYS gets the short end of the stick. That's probably truer, but I'd still like to think it was a shortsighted move.

WDW didn't always get the short end of the stick. Under Eisner I think WDW was treated more favorably. But current management definitely gives WDW the short end of the stick compared to DLR, it makes me jealous lmao.

 

[Lilofan]

Oh, I'd definitely would have preferred the Great Movie Ride to stay too. They really screwed that up. I get they didn't want to pay the licenses for third party IPs anymore & they wanted to focus on their selves. But then they purchased Fox which had a ton of amazing IPs they could've used in a remade GMR. Titanic, The Sound of Music, Home Alone, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Independence Day, etc... It would've probably just been the Great Disney/Fox/Lucasfilm/Pixar ride. But I think Fox's portfolio is large enough to make it feel diverse.

If Great Movie Ride was remade at DHS, how many years would that take to happen? One year GMR was closed for 6 months for "rehab". When we went back after it opened back up, the only item noticeable was there was new carpeting in the pre show area.