Rumor What is everyone’s confidence level that a Villain’s land will happen?

[eddie104]

IMO, sadly Disney state side nothing is given a proper budget anymore.

I don’t understand this flat out lie people keep peddling on this board.

Plenty of things were budgeted appropriately and turned out fine. If you didn’t like them that’s a completely different story.

I don't think a villains land belongs in Magic Kingdom

How come ?

 

[Disone]

Budgets aren’t the problem.

Galaxies Edge
Tron
Cosmic Rewind
Even Ratatouille

All had proper healthy budgets

Ehhh. None of them moved the needle. Attractions that genuinely moved the needle when they opened, Disney has a large and long history of that. Captain EO. Star tours. Indiana Jones adventure. Going back further pirates of the Caribbean. Haunted Mansion. Big thunder mountain railroad. The Matterhorn. These are attractions that genuinely moved the needle in the theme park industry. They either created a standard or they elevated it to a new level. Galaxy's edge, Tron, cosmic rewind, and Ratatouille have not genuinely done that.

Yes they had huge budgets, but those budgets have still underperformed. With the possible exception of cosmic rewind. Which I do think is a very fun and good attraction. I don't think it's the Star tours or Indiana Jones adventure of its day.

 

[Disone]

I don’t understand this flat out lie people keep peddling on this board.

Plenty of things were budgeted appropriately and turned out fine. If you didn’t like them that’s a completely different story.

How come ?

Eddie, calm down. It's not a lie. It's an opinion. Mine. I'm sorry you disagree with it but it's not a "flat out lie." And there's absolutely no need to accuse me of that. Thank you.

 

[WolverineInMichigan]

This is an extremely easy one. Less than 5%. CAVEAT: If Epic Universes Monsters blows the roof off the place in terms of attendance...and wayyy more importantly.... merchandise sales. Then... odds shoot up tremendously.

 

[Sneakman]

I'm not opposed to a villain land with the correct selection of villains, but I haven't seen a pitch that's more than 'all these villains are sitting next to each other and chilling out with rides'.

Disney doesn't really do catch-alls anymore in WDW, outside of AK because it doesn't really support single-franchise lands unless you are the Highest Grossing and 3rd Highest Grossing Film of All Time. And even then that's the smartest move to do with the main goal with the land. I doubt we'd ever get another thing like Frontierland where there's several IPs/different characters living side by side.

I do really love your latter idea though, I can see a Nightmare Before Christmas mini-land featuring the iconic spiral hill with a dark ride, I can see something with another villain (I wanna say Scar would be the most likely because the Elephant Graveyard would look nice next to NBC-area) and Davy Jones clicks well with me also. He's a villain the general public still talks about (thanks to his AMAZING VFX) and would be stunning with a good AA. While that'd be two Pirates attractions in one park, I feel both would seek out different goals.

Plus? He just looks cool, a peg leg AND a crab arm? Sickkkkkk.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I think a villains land shouldn’t be limited to animation
And I know people around here are saying “ oh but it doesn’t line up with a story” but imo if you include nightmare it makes it a lot more simple. Bc I see a villains land with nightmare being able to have a story as simple at this:

Jack wonders what magic kingdom/walt Disney world is like not at halloween
Jack enters WDW during normal season
What’sthis.Mp4
Jack desides he wants a “kingdom” of his own and enlists his spooky friends who usually only come out at Halloween (INCLUDING VILLIANS) to make it.
Invites guests to see his “kingdom” he’s made.
Done. Simple as that.

 

[Sneakman]

Scar would be the most likely because the Elephant Graveyard would look nice next to NBC-area)

I feel like a roller coaster is the best way to have a villains ride that doesn’t ward off people due to fear. With roller coaster people would at least imo understand : “oh this is SUPPOSED to be thrilling”. maleficent is best candidate imo, as feel like a revival of the “dragon coaster” from beastly kingdomme with malefacent and her dragon form would be cool to guests. Either that or a coaster themed to the headless horseman chase scene from ichabod would be best for a “villains coaster”.

 

[Sneakman]

While that'd be two Pirates attractions in one park, I feel both would seek out different goals.

Yeah. In my mind if Davy jones happened at MK, this would happen to the og: small mk cave scene is changed out to a scene of the fort under attack/abridged version of og Disneyland ending not found in MK/something in the living pirate world. Some iconic imagery from the 67 skeleton caves would make it into Davg Jones ride. That way, in my mind, the og mk classic would be through the pirate world of the living, while the new theoretical shadow kingdom one would be through the pirate world of the dead/occult.

 

[UniversalIsMid98]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Villain Land gets scrapped for budgetary reasons despite massive fanfare, so for the moment it’s unlikely that Villain Land will see the light of day

 

[MouseEarsMom33]

I believe Disney knows it could be a valuable land. I think it depends on EPIC Universe success. If EPIC becomes a strong competitor against MK and Universal continues to add and brings more competition for WDW, I could see Villains Land either being added to MK or becoming part of a 5th gate and expanded.

If Universal moves to building a 4th gate (excluding water parks), I don't see Disney sitting by and letting them match them in number of parks. I think Disney would be forced to build a 5th gate and Maleficent's castle would become the focal point of the park.

 

[wdwfan22]

If a Villains area happens it won't be at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[FigmentJedi]

I don't think a villains land belongs in Magic Kingdom but that's maybe a discussion.

Any villains land that Disney does need not to be scary. I don't exactly want to see Descandant's Isle of the lost replicated but it's at least a blue print for an area with multiple villains living together with places like the Facilier's Shop, Hades Cave, Usula's Fish and Chips, Queen of Hearts Salon, Frollo's Creperie, Gaston's Duels Without Rules, etc.

The ideal template for "What should the combined Disney Villain Legion of Doom headquarters look like?" has been sitting around since 2002.

 

[Trauma]

Disney knew about Dark Universe long before the reveal and long before they teased a villain land at D23.

Disney can easily compete with Universal they just have to want to

Tiana’s was suppose to be an all out effort by Disney, and it’s average at best.

So either they don’t “want to” compete or they just can’t.

Disney needs to find its Magic and quick, because Universal is going to be moving the industry forward.

 

[eddie104]

Eddie, calm down. It's not a lie. It's an opinion. Mine. I'm sorry you disagree with it but it's not a "flat out lie." And there's absolutely no need to accuse me of that. Thank you.

Sorry I just don’t like when blatant false info is put out as facts.

Disney needs to find its Magic and quick, because Universal is going to be moving the industry forward.

This is oversimplification of what’s happening in the Orlando market with Universal.

 

[Stripes]

I think any major US additions will be much more IP specific, a land based on Moana, a land based on Tangled, etc. Generic lands based on concepts like Fantasy, Frontier, Villains, etc are a thing of Disney past.

They’ve green lit the Tropical Americas land for DAK.

 

[networkpro]

I feel like a roller coaster is the best way to have a villains ride that doesn’t ward off people due to fear. With roller coaster people would at least imo understand : “oh this is SUPPOSED to be thrilling”. maleficent is best candidate imo, as feel like a revival of the “dragon coaster” from beastly kingdomme with malefacent and her dragon form would be cool to guests. Either that or a coaster themed to the headless horseman chase scene from ichabod would be best for a “villains coaster”.

Yet another rollercoaster suggestion, meh.

 

[Sneakman]

Yet another rollercoaster suggestion, meh.

It’s not that I think that a rollercoaster would be the PEAK of a villain’s attraction. I just think it’d be the one where it’d be the path of least resistance from parents. Because as much as we want to go all in on the spookiness, we know what happened last time with alien encounter.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Ehhh. None of them moved the needle. Attractions that genuinely moved the needle when they opened, Disney has a large and long history of that. Captain EO. Star tours. Indiana Jones adventure. Going back further pirates of the Caribbean. Haunted Mansion. Big thunder mountain railroad. The Matterhorn. These are attractions that genuinely moved the needle in the theme park industry. They either created a standard or they elevated it to a new level. Galaxy's edge, Tron, cosmic rewind, and Ratatouille have not genuinely done that.

Yes they had huge budgets, but those budgets have still underperformed. With the possible exception of cosmic rewind. Which I do think is a very fun and good attraction. I don't think it's the Star tours or Indiana Jones adventure of its day.

Rise, Guardians, Flight of passage don’t “move the needle”? Seriously?

 

[Fox&Hound]

I think internally the Zootopia IP has greatly shifted the plans.

Can you elaborate on this at all? You mean they want Zootopia in MK instead of villains? Is it getting positive guest reaction or just because it is already developed and built so they can save on cost its being considered?

 

[Disone]

Rise, Guardians, Flight of passage don’t “move the needle”? Seriously?

Rise.... There is a lot going on there.

I could even possibly get on board with flight of passage. More on that in a bit but no not guardians. It's a good coaster. It's a really fun coaster and attraction. But no I don't think it's moving the needle on coasters or theme park attractions as a whole.

I'm lumping rise into Galaxy's edge. Rise by itself is an excellent attraction (That is not being maintained as excellent ) and should have opened with Galaxy's edge. Galaxy's edge overall has one excellent attraction. I guess the best way I could put that is I think rise ze is a better attraction than radiator Springs. But I think carsland is a better and more complete land, needle mover, than Galaxy's edge.

And fly to passage, it's been open for a long time now but you got me on that one. That's pretty awesome. I failed to think of that one when I wrote that post. That one definitely moved the needle.

 

[easyrowrdw]

no not guardians. It's a good coaster. It's a really fun coaster and attraction. But no I don't think it's moving the needle on coasters or theme park attractions as a whole.

The difference between what I read here and what I hear from friends and family about Guardians is staggering.