Why Disneyland’s $1 billion Star Wars land isn’t a bust despite flat attendance - OCR/SCNG

[el_super]

Star Wars Lands are not war torn.

This is just... I mean really? A movie called Star Wars doesn't involve war? I mean if you want to argue semantics, the burned out buildings of Tatooine were probably just neglected and vandalized by smugglers and pirates rather than the empire so that makes it ok since it wasn't a war?

 

[SoCalMort]

Where it fails, however is in the execution of that new location. Instead of being an open-ended jumping-off point for a new series of adventures, it's locked into an overly serious and overly specific backstory and timeline that limits its potential for exploration, interpretation, and storylines. It takes something that should be fun and open to interpretation, and turns it into a deathly serious chore to get all of the facts right. Instead of living your own adventure in the Star Wars universe, you're merely an extra in the background of someone else's story...

This.

 

[Mac Tonight]

The earliest one that gets quoted frequently was a 1958 review published in The National:

As in the Disney movies, the whole world, the universe, and all man’s striving for dominion over self and nature, have been reduced to a sickening blend of cheap formulas packaged to sell. Romance, Adventure, Fantasy, Science are ballyhooed and marketed: life is bright-colored, clean, cute, titivating, safe, mediocre, inoffensive to the lowest common denominator, and somehow poignantly inhuman​

It's a theme that gets repeated for decades: That Disney presents a "fake" version of the existing reality. That its watered down experiences made for mass consumption, not for deep exploration of ideas.



What do you think are some of the flaws of New Orleans Square?

I'm honestly not sure what to make of that quote. It reads like the ramblings of an embittered old man who led a very sheltered life and was forbidden from having any fun of any kind. I feel bad for him.

Yes, obviously Disney is "fake". It's meant to be an escape from reality. That's precisely why so many people love it. Once you step through the gates, you leave your worries behind. You're not in the real world anymore, and that's the point.

What do you think are some of the flaws of New Orleans Square?
Personally, I don't have any problems with NOS. I'm not offended by it's "fake" representation of the real New Orleans. Instead, I appreciate it for the music, the smells, the attractions, and the quiet bench area between HM and the restaurant.

 

[el_super]

No. It will be because they were more concerned making it hyper real than fun. And Chapek. Doesn’t the Rey and Chewie staring at a ship show tell you all you need to know?

Making things hyper-real is exactly what WDI should be doing.

 

[el_super]

I'm honestly not sure what to make of that quote. It reads like the ramblings of an embittered old man who led a very sheltered life and was forbidden from having any fun of any kind. I feel bad for him.

You should... thats actually the point. Disney fans should be able to look past those critical critiques and find enjoyment in the fake reality that Disney presents. Which is why it seems so strange to see a semblance of that same argument in the "Batuu isn't real enough Star Wars" arguments.

Personally, I don't have any problems with NOS. I'm not offended by it's "fake" representation of the real New Orleans.

But you are offended at the fake representation of Star Wars. This is less and less a critical analysis and more just a rant about how you subjectively dont like Batuu.

It's fine if you dont like it, but that doesn't make it a failure.

 

[DanielBB8]

This is just... I mean really? A movie called Star Wars doesn't involve war? I mean if you want to argue semantics, the burned out buildings of Tatooine were probably just neglected and vandalized by smugglers and pirates rather than the empire so that makes it ok since it wasn't a war?

What semantic argument? Star Wars is really about space battles. That's why there's the remarkable battles in space that everyone enjoys. The planets are back drops to where espionage happens. Tatooine is a desolate planet where the cast offs of society go. There's no war there. The Empire tolerates the planets. The Empire takes planets and there's no need to invade them. Besides, the Stormtroopers rarely hit their targets. Star Wars is also the battle between the Sith and the Jedi. After every Jedi is killed, there's no more protection. The land is taken. There's no Kosovo or Lebanon in Star Wars.

 

[mickEblu]

Making things hyper-real is exactly what WDI should be doing.

Riiiiiight

 

[Sharon&Susan]

What semantic argument? Star Wars is really about space battles. That's why there's the remarkable battles in space that everyone enjoys. The planets are back drops to where espionage happens. Tatooine is a desolate planet where the cast offs of society go. There's no war there. The Empire tolerates the planets. The Empire takes planets and there's no need to invade them. Besides, the Stormtroopers rarely hit their targets. Star Wars is also the battle between the Sith and the Jedi. After every Jedi is killed, there's no more protection. The land is taken. There's no Kosovo or Lebanon in Star Wars.

 

[SSG]

I think that's it! The kid would just sit there watching it and drinking a beer. Then I'd find myself sitting there watching it too.

It is kind of cool when he drives over giant stumps and turns them into instant mulch.

I regularly watch a youtube genre of videos where people build a controlled fire over a stump and burn it out of the ground. It's oddly satisfying to see the stump get smaller and smaller

 

[mickEblu]

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hahah. Battles would have been more accurate. Those are still just natural or desolate settings. Not an occupied war torn place.

 

[DanielBB8]

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NOT WAR TORN. The Empire arrives, the rebels scatter. Happens all the time. The Rebels would have left Endor if they lost, but didn't it and it was just a quick battle and not many Ewoks died. Trees grow back.

 

[mickEblu]

It's fine if you dont like it, but that doesn't make it a failure.

if it’s proof of failure you want I’ll point you to last years stagnant attendance and “ahora” posts if you’d like.

 

[Mac Tonight]

You should... thats actually the point. Disney fans should be able to look past those critical critiques and find enjoyment in the fake reality that Disney presents. Which is why it seems so strange to see a semblance of that same argument in the "Batuu isn't real enough Star Wars" arguments.



But you are offended at the fake representation of Star Wars. This is less and less a critical analysis and more just a rant about how you subjectively dont like Batuu.

It's fine if you dont like it, but that doesn't make it a failure.

Disney fans should be able to look past those critical critiques and find enjoyment in the fake reality that Disney presents.
This is a dangerous statement to hide behind because it makes the presumptive point that Disney fans:
a) can't be critical of anything Disney creates without being critical of Disneyland as a whole
and
b) should blindly accept every single thing that comes out of WDI with a big stupid grin on our faces.

...you are offended at the fake representation of Star Wars
No, I'm not. I'm "offended" by the poor representation of Star Wars. The lack of iconic original characters. The lack of musical atmosphere. The generic, uninspiring landscape that doesn't evoke anything of familiarity to the franchise. Thank goodness they have the few ships and walk-around characters they do have to give it that slight bit of recognition. Otherwise it feels like the Kirkland Signature version of Star Wars.

...but that doesn't make it a failure.
You're right. My subjective opinion doesn't make it a "failure". But it resulting in a 0% attendance increase and the reality that Disney PR was forced to create the "visit... ahora" marketing campaign doesn't exactly present it as a smashing success.

 

[mickEblu]

Tbh when the land was in development I was happy to hear that it would be an “original” land as I thought approach would work better in Disneyland. The failure I think is not that we don’t have the original planets as a setting for the land but the fact that they didn’t include all of the elements that made Star Wars so iconic. Jedi v Sith, lightsaber duels, the Force, the music, very few of the iconic characters etc. This and of course the fact that they didn’t prioritize making it a fun/ pleasant theme park land.

 

[SSG]

Tbh when the land was in development I was happy to hear that it would be an “original” land as I thought approach would work better in Disneyland. The failure I think is not that we don’t have the original planets as a setting for the land but the fact that they didn’t include all of the elements that made Star Wars so iconic. Jedi v Sith, lightsaber duels, the Force, the music, very few of the iconic characters etc. This and of course the fact that they didn’t prioritize making it a fun/ pleasant theme park land.

This I agree with. For me, the setting of Batuu itself isn't a problem. Star Wars takes place on numerous planets of different types over nine movies--urban, forest, desert, ice, under water, etc. And the Imagineers discussing the concept said they wanted GE to be all one thing and not have Hoth Land followed by Bespin on your way to Tatooine. And I get that, given the examples of Pandora, Cars Land and Potter land at Uni. So creating a new planet is fine.

The lack of characters we're connected to is the problem. No Luke, Leia, Han or Vader. No Yoda unless you buy a $200 lightsaber. Only the new characters except for the 200 year old Chewie. While I thought there were some good elements in the ST (along with some very not good parts), to base the billion dollar Star Wars area completely on that is crazy.

 

[el_super]

NOT WAR TORN.

So youre suggesting that in a franchise so defined by war that its in the title, they just not show it and pretend it didn't happen?

if it’s proof of failure you want I’ll point you to last years stagnant attendance and “ahora” posts if you’d like.

I can point to the increased revenue and the continued success in Florida as proof that it wasn't.

 

[el_super]

No, I'm not. I'm "offended" by the poor representation of Star Wars.

That's all there is to this. This isn't critical analysis, this is just the ramblings of someone that doesnt want to accept something that isn't their version of Star Wars.

You're right. My subjective opinion doesn't make it a "failure". But it resulting in a 0% attendance increase and the reality that Disney PR was forced to create the "visit... ahora" marketing campaign doesn't exactly present it as a smashing success.

Thank goodness attendance is a useless metric and is pretty irrelevant in this discussion. Need I remind you that the whole premise of this thread is that Disney made so much more money with Star Wars land that the attendance figures were not an accurate gauge of success?

Maybe you should read the OP again.

 

[Mac Tonight]

So youre suggesting that in a franchise so defined by war that its in the title, they just not show it and pretend it didn't happen?




I can point to the increased revenue and the continued success in Florida as proof that it wasn't.

I can point to the increased revenue and the continued success in Florida as proof that it wasn't.
Of course Florida's is still "successful"... it's actually open.

 

[mickEblu]

So youre suggesting that in a franchise so defined by war that its in the title, they just not show it and pretend it didn't happen?

See Star Tours. The formula is there.

 

[Mac Tonight]

That's all there is to this. This isn't critical analysis, this is just the ramblings of someone that doesnt want to accept something that isn't their version of Star Wars.




Thank goodness attendance is a useless metric and is pretty irrelevant in this discussion. Need I remind you that the whole premise of this thread is that Disney made so much more money with Star Wars land that the attendance figures were not an accurate gauge of success?

Maybe you should read the OP again.

Maybe you should read the OP again.
I did. And it reads like a puff piece based on Disney's internal data that we're supposed to believe... because Bob Iger said so.
Of course he's gonna find any way to spin his legacy project into a success. Decreased attendance was part of the larger plan... riiiiight.

But don't worry, I'll no longer subject you to any more of my ramblings. I'm pleased that you're thrilled with Star Wars Land. And Disney is too.