"What's Next?" presentation December 7th

[JEANYLASER]

I hope a new attraction will take over the old Wonder of Life and a new sponsor as well!

 

[bubbles1812]

Hogwarts would have dwarfed the main castle in sheer size and theming alone. Disney does want or need a potter swatter,what they need to do is play to their strengths, great family rides with world class theming, Cars land will be built, it will be ground broke before an announcement is made. It will take forever to build though, that's just Disney, I want Uni to keep building, keep improving, because if Disney doesn't react then Uni will become a better alternative. As for avatar if it gets built I will eat a hat, Mickey ears and all

Exactly how I feel! Play to their strengths, which I have been saying for ages now haha

Ahh. Ok. I see what you meant. I was just confused because at least from a height perspective, Hogwarts literally couldn't have been taller than the castle. And I guess I should have clarified about what I meant by Potter swotter... I do agree they need to play to their strengths and create great family rides in an immersive environment. While they don't need to create a ride of the same intensity as say FJ or Transformers, but they do need more than say what it in NFE. I think Avatar could have been an answer to what Uni is doing if the amount of money needed to be spent was given but sadly it's not to be. Carsland I hope truly will be great. Interesting you say ground will be broken before an announcement is made. When do you predict that might happen?

 

[flynnibus]

Rumor has it that Rowling wanted there to be a fifth gate, she thought Harry Potter franchise said could carry one all on it's own and Disney shot it down because they didn't want to build a fifth gate. Apparently she also wanted it in the MK with a complete replica of Hogwarts as seen in the movies and Disney told her there was no room and it would be bigger than Cinderella's Castle and she didn't want it in any of the other parks...

cite?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

cite?

Don't get your hopes up.

 

[flynnibus]

Don't get your hopes up.

It's a lawyer question... don't ask a question I don't already know the answer to...

 

[flynnibus]

Not to mention they can't make it bigger because of height restrictions from the FAA

Things can be built bigger - they just need to be marked with lights.. that's what Disney was trying to avoid with the castle.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

There is some serious misunderstanding in here regarding FAA regulation. A building can be as tall as a person wants it be, assuming it can support itself. Buildings over a certain height must be equipped with aircraft warning lights, which is why Cindy Castle is the height it is. There is no rule that a building can only be so tall. Otherwise there would be no skyscrapers, which are certainly taller than the castle. Hell, even the wand structure on Spaceship Earth was taller than the castle.

 

[bubbles1812]

Things can be built bigger - they just need to be marked with lights.. that's what Disney was trying to avoid with the castle.

Ahh. I see. I'm sorry I misunderstood. My bad.

 

[danv3]

I just thought of it. Here's what they're going to announce.

DVC Benches.

Here's how it works. So, you buy in to points for an allotted amount of "butt time" at
a bench in the parks. You book it, and it's tied to your nextgen chip. So, during
your points time, you may sit on the bench. If someone tries to sit on it whose
nextgen tag doesn't match, they do the "Tough to be a Bug" thing, and a bunch
of little pointy things poke out until the person gets up.

Gonna be a big seller!

Any idea whether you'll be able to book your home bench 11 months in advance? I have a feeling there's going to be serious demand for a two-seater in Liberty Square at 2:45 on June 28, 2014 and I want to be prepared. I can't push it back b/c we're planning to visit Rapunzel's Restrooms at 3:16.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Things can be built bigger - they just need to be marked with lights.. that's what Disney was trying to avoid with the castle.

Oops! Beat me to it. That's what I get for typing something out and not posting it for 5 minutes lol.

 

[Atomicmickey]

Any idea whether you'll be able to book your home bench 11 months in advance? I have a feeling there's going to be serious demand for a two-seater in Liberty Square at 2:45 on June 28, 2014 and I want to be prepared. I can't push it back b/c we're planning to visit Rapunzel's Restrooms at 3:16.

Sir, Rapunzel's Thrones are already booked for that time. Could we place your party at Belle's Biffies, instead?
We have an opening at 3:18 for three.

 

[John]

Funny thing is that between the unvarifiable money they have lost since HP opened and the money they will/need to spend to compete with HP now, is pale in comparison if they would have just given Rowling what she wanted to begin with. It would have left UNI reeling and left as OTowns little sister forever.

This one mistake has changed the entire landscape of the themepark buisness in FL FOREVER. It put SW back in the game. In the game? It has been and always will be about money. If SW can just improve on attendence it will be a success. With HP, it gave guest an alternative. Something other then the mouse. You get people out from under the haze of the pixiedust... there will be an awakening of sorts. As with SW....LegoLand will be another attraction to chip away at the castle.

Atleast in FL Disney is at a crossroad, why do you think Burbank has entered the decision making here? They are dangerously close to really loseing thier shirts here. The hard part isnt making it to the top.....the hard part is staying there. Will WDW suddenly get over taken as the #1 top dog? Nope....but to make it feel the pinch it dosnt have to happen. As I have said many times this whole #1 thing has lead Disney to have an arrogant attitude, IMO it is still playing out with Cameron and whatever holdup is going on with CL.

I turly believe that TDO felt that FLE was the answer it needed. Maybe not a PotterSwatter but enough to satisfy thier own egos....or arrogance....or satisfy the Disney faithful. Now that they realize that FLE isnt what they had hoped there is whispers of in-fighting....a shake up....basically pointing fingers. People getting really nervous. There was a time that the mouse could do no wrong....print money as if they were the FED....ooops sorry about the political reference.

Will this mean something bigger and better for WDW...I sure hope so. Disney litterally can not afford not to spend big money....if they continue status quo it will get uglier as we speak. UNI will not let its perverbial foot of the pedal, it has Disney gasping a bit......I seriously think Disney isnt sure what they should do next. Plans? They have tons of plans.....plans have come and gone. They have/had plans for DHS, DTD and DHS for years.
Their number are falling, which could mean profits will fall....which means jobs will be lost.

Lets here it for the boy wizard!.....yeaaaaaaaa

 

[AndyMagic]

Which makes their decision to collaborate with James Cameron very strange given his reputation regarding those three things. If they couldn't deal with Rowling I felt their partnership with Cameron was almost doomed from the start but maybe I'll be proven wrong.

THIS! The day it was announced I was so puzzled. After failing to make a deal work with someone who is rightfully protective of her brand and demands creative control they go and partner with someone who is even more protective of his brand, demands even more creative control and is also known for escalating, out-of-control costs. They went from being frightened of a spider to fully embracing a cobra.

 

[GeorgiaPinesRJB]

THIS! The day it was announced I was so puzzled. After failing to make a deal work with someone who is rightfully protective of her brand and demands creative control they go and partner with someone who is even more protective of his brand, demands even more creative control and is also known for escalating, out-of-control costs. They went from being frightened of a spider to fully embracing a cobra.

Well I still think it was a publicity stunt to scare Uni. It makes sense. But we shall see. Like I said before, whether or not it comes to fruition, something needs to happen with AK.

 

[FrankLapidus]

Well I still think it was a publicity stunt to scare Uni. It makes sense. But we shall see. Like I said before, whether or not it comes to fruition, something needs to happen with AK.

I don't think it was a publicity stunt but I think the process of negotiation between Disney and Cameron was rushed and has so far proven to be a bit of a disaster because the two sides can't find a way to work together; in hindsight they should have figured that out before any contracts were signed. Either way I can't see it scaring Universal even if it does happen, not with Phase 2 of Harry Potter on the way and more investment in Universal promised.

 

[GeorgiaPinesRJB]

I don't think it was a publicity stunt but I think the process of negotiation between Disney and Cameron was rushed and has so far proven to be a bit of a disaster because the two sides can't find a way to work together; in hindsight they should have figured that out before any contracts were signed. Either way I can't see it scaring Universal even if it does happen, not with Phase 2 of Harry Potter on the way and more investment in Universal promised.

Unless Potter 2.0 was a response to the Avatar announcement? There are a lot of unknown variables that'll we'll never figure out. Regardless, I stand by the idea that rising tide and with competition, we all win.

 

[John]

Well I still think it was a publicity stunt to scare Uni. It makes sense. But we shall see. Like I said before, whether or not it comes to fruition, something needs to happen with AK.

scare UNI?....surely you jest? They were so scared they threw Transformers attraction into the mix and from what we hear....other attractions are in the pipe line....do you think this is a reaction to fear?

 

[GeorgiaPinesRJB]

scare UNI?....surely you jest? They were so scared they threw Transformers attraction into the mix and from what we hear....other attractions are in the pipe line....do you think this is a reaction to fear?

Reaction to want to have healthy competition, sure. Why not?

 

[FrankLapidus]

Unless Potter 2.0 was a response to the Avatar announcement? There are a lot of unknown variables that'll we'll never figure out. Regardless, I stand by the idea that rising tide and with competition, we all win.

I'm no insider but I'm sure that Universal always intended to add more Potter, especially after the initial phase's success at IOA. Perhaps they've quickened development and construction to capitalise on that success but they'd have been stupid not to get as much as they possibly can out of the franchise. I agree with the last part but now we need Disney to respond to their competition with some serious action rather than conjecture. Cars Land will be a big step in the right direction (if it is done as well as it was at DCA) but with WDW's recent track record I worry how long it will be before it is open and how much Universal will add in that timeframe. Even after that there is still work to be done at Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney while there would still be room for some more improvement at DHS so Disney is going to be playing catch-up for a while if they continue to bicker while Universal continue to build.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Unless Potter 2.0 was a response to the Avatar announcement? There are a lot of unknown variables that'll we'll never figure out. Regardless, I stand by the idea that rising tide and with competition, we all win.

Potter 2.0 was always planned and not an answer or response to Avatar...