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Why Disneyland’s $1 billion Star Wars land isn’t a bust despite flat attendance - OCR/SCNG
- Thread starter Darkbeer1
- Start date
waltography
Well-Known Member
I see, so that's why we ended up with these useless credits on our data pad.From the article below, near the end:
...But giving guests a more active role is far from an exact science.
In 2014, Disneyland for instance introduced the live-action role-playing game the Legends of Frontierland. For several weeks, visitors were allowed to essentially battle for control of a fictional town set within the park’s vision of the Old West. Players could complete various tasks in the hopes of amassing little wooden tokens, “bits,” which could be used to buy land or bribe others. The team with the most land would win.
Today, Trowbridge describes Legends of Frontierland as a “spectacular failure.” The game’s economy system quickly proved troublesome. It lacked rules, and therefore players made their own. Trowbridge said guests were stealing latex gloves from food stands and blowing them up to create makeshift chickens in the hopes of selling them for bits.
“Guests were actually like, ‘Hey! Who wants to buy my chicken?’” Trowbridge says. “It was amazing to watch how much our guests wanted to play — that part was clear. But we also realized an in-game economy is a very tricky thing to manage. As an experiment, it was incredibly successful. As a prototype of ‘could we build this thing’ it was completely unsustainable.”
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is so ambitious Disneyland fans may not be ready for it
Here’s a familiar and effective design trick often used at theme parks: Corral guests under or through a passageway that forces the crowd to narrow before a grand reveal.www.latimes.com
I still think they shouldn't have abandoned it - I mean, it's pretty clear where the holes were in the game mechanics (lacking clear rules for the economy, precisely defining interactions between actors and players), but the aesthetics the game produced (fellowship, narrative, etc.) would've done wonders for the land.Then again, they had ROTR to deal with, so probably not their biggest priority.
But the timeline! The horror!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Good point. The young guys who run my barbershop love that Mandelorian thing. It seems to resonate with young men more than the recent Star Wars movies did.
This isn't rocket science. They don't need to install a full Vegas floor show here, they just need to do something. Star Wars Land opened with practically no entertainment, no bands, no actors, no music, no anything. It was just... dead. With a whole lot of bored CM's standing around talking to each other about scheduling woes and parties in Fullerton.
Fullerton isn't a nearby planet, it's a nearby college town with apparently good parties.
They don't need to build Fantasmic 3.0 for this land, they just need to staff the same number of entertainment CM's that they used to do for New Orleans Square. Again, it's not rocket science, it's just basic Disneyland operations.
And a character no one knows or cares about like Vi Moradi, Presented by Clairol ColorSilk is not it. Bob Chapek and his budget cuts screwed this up massively.
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George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
The Disney Star Wars movies are about a magic undefeatable 90 pound girl and her LGBT Millennial alien friends. Guys typically can't get into them, especially if they have any taste, since they're crappy movies anyway. Mandalorian is more masculine and cool, which is how SW is supposed to be. It's a space western for boys, not purple haired feminists.
smooch
Well-Known Member
I didn't realize they shut down the show in Tomorrowland, what a massive bummer. I remember getting picked with my brothers to participate when we were like 8 or something and I remember being so incredibly happy and having a blast. When we would go through automatic doors I would pretend I was using the force to open it, I loved Star Wars as a kid, my brothers and I borrowed a family friend's camcorder and he helped us record our own versions of the OT as they were coming out when we were little. Funnily enough, for my senior year of HS I took Sci-Fi for my English class and the final project was to get a group and make your own version of a movie we watched in class or an adaptation of a book we read and my friends and I chose Episode IV to make and it was genuinely the most fun assignment I've had at any level of school. Anyways back on topic... I can't imagine the thought process of them trying to remove some Star Wars from other lands in the park when their Star Wars Land lacks so much of what was already around. Why isn't there a bounty hunter walking around? Heck take a Boba Fett costume and repaint it different colors and BAM! Brand new bounty hunter that isn't breaking their timeline! They need to add lightsaber duel shows and honestly even the Jedi Training Academy somewhere would be an okay first addition of that, obviously it wouldn't be as impressive but we would have something. I can't wait til they eventually remove the timeline nonsense and we start to hopefully see additions that are fun and not focused on being canon.
smooch
Well-Known Member
Since I'm extremely bored and still in quarantine I've been rewatching all the Star Wars movies in order including Rogue One and Solo, I am watching TFA right now. It is sad going from the OT to the ST, TFA is a fun enough movie but it doesn't really do much new and the trilogy only goes downhill from here. I also just finished playing Jedi Fallen Order earlier tonight and I honestly believe Mandalorian and Fallen Order are the two best pieces of Star Wars content to come from Disney (I have only seen the first season of Clone Wars so I can't speak on it really but I have enjoyed it a lot so far and hear great things about it) which is so sad. Supplemental things like a TV show and video game shouldn't be the crown jewels of Star Wars, the movies should. It's especially ridiculous a video game and TV show are better Star Wars content than an entire theme park land dedicated to it! Hopefully the Kenobi series will be good as well. I'm curious to see what Disney eventually does for the next movies, I know they are going to make movies not related to the Skywalker Saga and I know they have plenty of material to choose from that could turn out great but I can imagine they'll come up with their own original idea that falls flat. I would love a trilogy based on the Old Republic, it could turn out very very interesting if done properly. Heck, the only thing I want to see in a Star Wars movie on screen is a lightsaber being built, I was so upset we saw Rey just appear with her new lightsaber, she is a scavenger it would've been cool to see her deconstruct her staff and use the parts to make her lightsaber. Anyways that was my tangent, it just amazes me how Disney has dropped the ball on 90% of Star Wars content they've created and the 10% they did well was "supplemental" stuff like a TV show and video game.
SoCalMort
Well-Known Member
Thank the Maker that Disney fans aren't like that.....
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Why does every cosplayer pose like this? No action figure ever comes in this pose. It is like a leftover Karate Kid pose.Good point. The young guys who run my barbershop love that Mandelorian thing. It seems to resonate with young men more than the recent Star Wars movies did.
This isn't rocket science. They don't need to install a full Vegas floor show here, they just need to do something. Star Wars Land opened with practically no entertainment, no bands, no actors, no music, no anything. It was just... dead. With a whole lot of bored CM's standing around talking to each other about scheduling woes and parties in Fullerton.
Fullerton isn't a nearby planet, it's a nearby college town with apparently good parties.
They don't need to build Fantasmic 3.0 for this land, they just need to staff the same number of entertainment CM's that they used to do for New Orleans Square. Again, it's not rocket science, it's just basic Disneyland operations.
And a character no one knows or cares about like Vi Moradi, Presented by Clairol ColorSilk is not it. Bob Chapek and his budget cuts screwed this up massively.
SplashGhost
Well-Known Member
Disney doesn't spend 1 billion dollars on something for the parks unless they want to massively increase attendance and profits. Some people will bend over backwards trying to explain why Galaxy's Edge wasn't a flop.
It seems that most people don't have enough of an emotional connection to the Sequel Trilogy to care about visiting a land based off of it. Also, the land itself feels cold, hostile, and it doesn't feel like it fits in Disneyland at all. What hurts it even more is that Smuggler's Run is outright terrible.
I haven't been on Rise of the Resistance yet since I had no desire to deal with the Boarding Pass mess, but at least that seems to be good. It still isn't enough to justify spending 1 billion dollars on the land.
Also, with the seemingly never ending pandemic, it might be years before Disneyland reaches even 2019 levels of attendance, much less the attendance they got during really busy years like 2015. I know that is outside Disney's control, but it is something that will only hurt Galaxy's Edge even more.
It seems that most people don't have enough of an emotional connection to the Sequel Trilogy to care about visiting a land based off of it. Also, the land itself feels cold, hostile, and it doesn't feel like it fits in Disneyland at all. What hurts it even more is that Smuggler's Run is outright terrible.
I haven't been on Rise of the Resistance yet since I had no desire to deal with the Boarding Pass mess, but at least that seems to be good. It still isn't enough to justify spending 1 billion dollars on the land.
Also, with the seemingly never ending pandemic, it might be years before Disneyland reaches even 2019 levels of attendance, much less the attendance they got during really busy years like 2015. I know that is outside Disney's control, but it is something that will only hurt Galaxy's Edge even more.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
There are some crazy rumors out there right now. Lucas coming back? Redoing the sequels? Disney doesn't admit to mistakes very often but this would be the biggest coming clean of all time. Next to DCA 1.0 of course.
smooch
Well-Known Member
I have honestly no faith in this happening but it would be crazy to see that happen, if not just for the fact that would mean we'd get another 3 movies. It would be crazy to see how they justify it, would they announce that those 3 movies are actually just Legends and have been removed from canon? Do they become banned movies?! Just kidding about that last one, and it would be a big admission of screwing up but I don't see modern Disney doing that. Didn't you see The Imagineering Story? Everything Disney does now is perfect and we should praise them for it!
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I'm not coming back. I'm building a museum.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
Supposedly with the introduction of the Veil of the Force? in one of the animated shows, they'd be able to retcon this as a possible future that could easily be taken away. People point to the mirrors in ROTR where Rey faces an evil version of herself through this Veil of the Force. The movies would take on a legend status and boom start over. Rumors like this are a dime a dozen but one of the people saying this has been right in the past on stuff. The cancelling of the Star Wars celebration both this year and next says to me they are planning a new future especially since KK's contract expires next year and it's obvious they are moving on without her.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
But what about your 4 demands on coming back?
1. Make your sequel trilogy.
2. Full creative power until I say otherwise.
3. KK hits the road.
4. The original trilogy will never be changed ever.
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Disney sees no reason to change anything in GE. When the are open, are they taking reservations to buy $200 lightsabers and $100 RC droids? Yes! Are they taking reservations to drink $17 fancy drinks? Yes! Are people buying the merch? Yes. So GE is a success in their eyes. No reason to change. The rides are loss leaders to them. They have long lines so people must like them.
As I've said in the past, we complain about the parks and what management does, but instantly renew our passes and ride the attractions we complain about regardless. We swear off going the parks in public forums but privately we are there ever week. Put your money where your mouth is and don't renew that AP and stay away for years if your so unhappy. Or even make a instantgram petition calling it racist and Disney will change.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
Covid 19 changed things but someone here hinted at a meeting that was to happen to decide what direction to go with Galaxy's Edge due to the tepid response. I'll have to see if I can find that post...
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Why would Covid change anything outside of ride capacity and how many they let into upcharge merchandise opportunities?
I can't wait to hear people call the land racist because there isn't enough droids walking around. Disney would probably fall for it.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I think it's because the person Disney chooses for this stuff are choreographers who usually work with the girls in the parades; Ladies Maids doing the Waltz around Cinderella, or flouncy swans swirling around Belle, or go-go girls doing the Pony around Buzz Lightyear, etc.
Then suddenly they've got this made up female character who is supposed to be "tough" and "self confident", so the parade choreographer thinks that ineffective fight pose is what it looks like.
It only serves to make cringey and dumb Vi Moradi, Presented by Clairol ColorSilk look even cringier and dumber.
