Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt

[lebeau]

If I posted this rumor as my idea I would totally agree with you that is where it belongs. This particular rumor started on another site by someone with a bit of a track record who claims it came from inside sources. Then known members of this board Lee, 74, Articos, etc confirmed they are hearing at least some of the same things. Plans change all of the time so who knows if any of this will actually get done, but its well beyond armchair imagineering at this point.

The topic is. But the majority of the posts aren't.

We're at 27 pages not to mention discussions going on in at least 2 other threads. And most of the talk is about "what I would do" or "what they should do". Which is fine up to a point. But the majority of the discussion is really just spitballing and the real news and rumors are kind of buried. That's where my crankiness comes in.

 

[PhotoDave219]

If I posted this rumor as my idea I would totally agree with you that is where it belongs. This particular rumor started on another site by someone with a bit of a track record who claims it came from inside sources. Then known members of this board Lee, 74, Articos, etc confirmed they are hearing at least some of the same things. Plans change all of the time so who knows if any of this will actually get done, but its well beyond armchair imagineering at this point.

Yeah, thats what I'm hammering down: There are discussions about a potential SW/CL expansion with nothing approved or budgeted for at all.

 

[PeterAlt]

Yeah, thats what I'm hammering down: There are discussions about a potential SW/CL expansion with nothing approved or budgeted for at all.

They should just give John Lasseter a blank check and entrust him to build as he sees fit.

 

[CinematicFusion]

The topic is. But the majority of the posts aren't.

We're at 27 pages not to mention discussions going on in at least 2 other threads. And most of the talk is about "what I would do" or "what they should do". Which is fine up to a point. But the majority of the discussion is really just spitballing and the real news and rumors are kind of buried. That's where my crankiness comes in.

That is what this site is about, you here a potential rumor, get excited because D3 in August is coming and people want to know what if anything we be presented. That's why people come to these boards. Excited about the possibilities of something amazing. Can't hold the excitement and start speculating what's going to happen! Those turn into imaginative ideas...which is great.

It's like Christmas Day, or your birthday. You start to speculate what is inside the box...kind of hard to police someone's excitement and imagination.

 

[ToTBellHop]

They should just give John Lasseter a blank check and entrust him to build as he sees fit.

I'm not so sure about that. Good ideas and RSR is amazing, but it cost SIGNIFICANTLY more than it should have.

 

[WDW95]

I disagree. Out of all the parks in WDW, DHS is the park in need of the most help. It's not us fans just looking for something wrong with the park. There are needs to be addressed.

First off, DHS only has 6 ride-able attractions. Actually, 5 1/2, since the Backlot tour has been cut down over the years. And out of those rides, there are really only 2 (GMR and Backlot) that the whole family can enjoy. (TSMM has 3D and that affects some people) Yet to be fair, there are some great shows. I think BatB and Indy are some of the best. However, having such a small amount of rides creates long lines (see TSMM) and congestion.

On top of this, you have a rival movie theme park down the highway building expansion after expansion, e-ticket after e-ticket, while TDO simply sits back and lets the competition get closer. It would be a waste potential when you purchase one of the greatest, most popular franchises of all time in Star Wars, and do nothing new with it. And when you have a popular family addition at your disposal in Carsland (or a version of it) and other valuable Pixar films to base attractions around and do nothing with it, then I don't know what to say.

DHS is not DCA 1.0, but it's the closest thing to it in terms of wasted potential and thematic ineptitude.

Yes I see your points but I was just saying that in my opinion, Disney does not have to build huge expensive new lands to attract new guests to the park. There are plenty of unused corners of the park that could benefit from a new attraction. Work on exploiting and finishing by adding more thematic elements to what there already is in the park rather than adding new.

Toy Story Mania and Expedition Everest of just examples of how a single, high quality e-ticket ride on its own can bring in new guests. Is it really smart for them to built all new lands with new rides all at once or rather build great e-tickets every couple of years and retain guest interests over time. DCA needed it because it was always planned to build a new land there since inception. I am wondering after Diagon Alley opens at USF, what would be next? Are they going to continue with building new rides every year or will there be a long break in construction like there was from nearly the past decade?

Also, not every attraction in the park has to be a ride. Epcot has only 9 "ride-able rides" and DAK has 7 with more planned for Pandora. USF has 9 currently with 2 more on the way.

I think, combined with the other auxiliary attractions such as the stage shows and exhibits, if Disney added one other family thrill ride, a family-style darkride, and maybe an outdoor flat ride then the park would provide a well balanced experience for guests.

Also the main problem I see with Star Wars Land and Cars Land is what relation do they play to the theme of the park? While we may want rides and new additions now, I would rather not have such a permanent addition that will compromise any chances of DHS regaining a solid theme. Cars and Star Wars Land are going to be there for a very long time. IOA's theme is purposefully designed to accommodate full-on IP-themed lands. Cars Land at DCA fits in because it is about the CA desert's and cars culture. Even at USF they are smartly disguising Diagon Alley with standard London sets, similar to the NY, Hollywood, San Francisco themed areas of the park and how movies studios typically had street sets from around the world. What does outer space and the desert have to do with Hollywood and movie-making? We already have a Star Wars ride, why extend it even further? We already have a perfect location for a Cars ride, why extend it further? Please keep some context within the park people.

 

[GLaDOS]

I have yet to find anything that says that she would even consider it.

http://www.today.com/id/49177003/ns...iders-return-harry-potter-world/#.Ub3Y55zhcwA

 

[lebeau]

That is what this site is about, you here a potential rumor, get excited because D3 in August is coming and people want to know what if anything we be presented. That's why people come to these boards. Excited about the possibilities of something amazing. Can't hold the excitement and start speculating what's going to happen! Those turn into imaginative ideas...which is great.

It's like Christmas Day, or your birthday. You start to speculate what is inside the box...kind of hard to police someone's excitement and imagination.

That's what this site is about for you. For me, it's about sharing actual information from trusted sources. Some specualtion is expected. It's a matter of degrees. When the legit news gets buried under pages of "They should do this" and "Will they do that", it gets annoying.

I agree you can't police it. I'm just asking people to reign themselves in. The reality is, the people who know what's going on won't or can't spill yet. Nothing is official. And yet a lot of people around here are acting like they are breaking ground.

If on X-Mas Day someone had told me they heard a rumor I might be getting a present in 2018, I'd be ed.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The argument against Disney buying other peoples IP is bogus as even Walt himself used other people's creations to his advantage.

Snow White
Pinocchio
Cinderella
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
Sleeping Beauty
Jungle Book
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Winnie the Pooh

More recently:
The Little Mermaid
Chicken Little
Tarzan
Hercules
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Pocahontas
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin

The difference between those and purchases like Pixar and Marvel is that they were not just about acquiring the stories but also the people (Pixar almost exclusively for the people as Disney essentially owned the films they distributed).

 

[spacemt354]

Yes I see your points but I was just saying that in my opinion, Disney does not have to build huge expensive new lands to attract new guests to the park. There are plenty of unused corners of the park that could benefit from a new attraction.

This part is true. SoA is relatively unused space except for the Osborne Lights. It was meant to be a part of the Backlot Tour attraction, however if that attraction gets repurposed or demolished, then SoA can be incopraorated in a new addition.

I am wondering after Diagon Alley opens at USF, what would be next? Are they going to continue with building new rides every year or will there be a long break in construction like there was from nearly the past decade?

Not to jump on the Universal bandwagon, but I don't think they are gonna stop building, especially if they get another giant attendance boost from HP 2.0.

Also, not every attraction in the park has to be a ride. Epcot has only 9 "ride-able rides" and DAK has 7 with more planned for Pandora. USF has 9 currently with 2 more on the way.

I think, combined with the other auxiliary attractions such as the stage shows and exhibits, if Disney added one other family thrill ride, a family-style darkride, and maybe an outdoor flat ride then the park would provide a well balanced experience for guests.

No, not every attraction in the park is a ride, but DHS is in need of rides. DHS has 6 (5 1/2 to me) which is the lowest of any park and if it wasn't for ToT and RnRC, it wouldn't be worth the outlandish price of admission for me. I'm not saying it has to equate to MK in terms of rides, but there needs to be more offered to counter the 100+ min waits for TSMM. The only reason there is such lines for that ride is because there are minimal family rides in the park. From what I've read though, your hopes for DHS might come true. According to what has been said (again this could all change) but apparently these DHS expansion plans could bring a new Star Wars E-ticket (your family thrill ride), a Cars dark ride ( your family-style dark ride) and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (your outdoor flat ride)

Also the main problem I see with Star Wars Land and Cars Land is what relation do they play to the theme of the park? While we may want rides and new additions now, I would rather not have such a permanent addition that will compromise any chances of DHS regaining a solid theme.

The only hope for a more cohesive park is making cohesive "lands" that revolve around Disney brands. Have the front half of the park resemble the old Hollywood theme (Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd) then have the back half of the park branch off into Lucasfilm Studios, Animation Courtyard, PIxar Studios, and Muppets Courtyard. Does it make perfect sense? No, but it's the best I can think of.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

The topic is. But the majority of the posts aren't.

We're at 27 pages not to mention discussions going on in at least 2 other threads. And most of the talk is about "what I would do" or "what they should do". Which is fine up to a point. But the majority of the discussion is really just spitballing and the real news and rumors are kind of buried. That's where my crankiness comes in.

I would say a good rule of thumb is if you want to know what's really solid at any point, you could do worse than just scanning thread titles and reading maybe the first page or two of each thread. If it's legit, it's going to be in there.


If my memory is any guide (and that's highly debatable any day of the week!), any worthwhile piece of information...be it an actual announcement from Disney, or a very specific bread crumb dropped into the lap of a well-connected source (I'm thinking the way Lee broke details of the Dwarfs mine train a while back)...pretty reliably becomes the headline of its own thread, even if it starts out buried somewhere else. I'm sure there's some counter-example that's occurred over the years, but generally Page 27 of any thread is where boredom and speculation have long since outlived any trickle of new info.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

So, based on everything so far (although subject to change)...

BEING KEPT:
The Great Movie Ride
The Hollywood Brown Derby
The American Idol Experience
Star Tours: The Adventure Continues...
Hollywood & Vine
Disney Junior Play 'N Dine at Hollywood & Vine
Tune-In Lounge
50s Prime Time Café
Min and Bill's Dockside Diner
ABC Commissary
Toy Story Midway Mania!
Hey Howdy Hey Take Away
The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
The Magic of Disney Animation
Disney Junior - Live on Stage!
Beauty & The Beast-Live on Stage
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Fantasmic!
Starring Rolls Café
Toluca Legs Turkey Co.
Anaheim Produce
Rosie's All-American Café
Catalina Eddie's
Fairfax Fare
Hollywood Scoops

BEING REMOVED:
Sorcerer's Hat
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
Backlot Express
Oasis Canteen
MuppetVision 3D
Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
Studio Backlot Tour
Pizza Planet Arcade
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Studio Catering Co.
High Octane Refreshments
Backlot Canteen
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Streets of America

NEW:
Cars Dark Ride
Star Wars E-Ticket
Muppet Attraction
Backlot Express Replacement
Pizza Planet Arcade Replacement
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano Replacement
Studio Catering Co. Replacement
Backlot Canteen Replacement
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant Replacement



Anything in the wrong place/missed out?

...are VotLM and B&TB-LoS still going as well?

I thought there were going to add a Starbucks to all four parks.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I thought there were going to add a Starbucks to all four parks.

Take that list with a grain of salt. Nothing has been decided on.

 

[lebeau]

Yeah, thats what I'm hammering down: There are discussions about a potential SW/CL expansion with nothing approved or budgeted for at all.

Exactly.

The title of this thread is "Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt" as though that is a sure thing. Newsflash: It isn't. Seems likely that it will be based on the rumors. But for all we know, nothing will ever come of it.

We've got pages of people asking what attractions are being replaced. And those questions are getting answered even though the plans are nowhere close to final. There are lists of what is coming and going. The cart is so far before the horse, the horse can't even see the cart anymore.

 

[wdisney9000]

The topic is. But the majority of the posts aren't.

We're at 27 pages not to mention discussions going on in at least 2 other threads. And most of the talk is about "what I would do" or "what they should do". Which is fine up to a point. But the majority of the discussion is really just spitballing and the real news and rumors are kind of buried. That's where my crankiness comes in.

Amen, brother. I am not against "spitballing", but there is that point where you just get tired of reading page after page of a thread looking for actual news. I love that people have such passion for Disney and want to input their ideas and I am thrilled to be part of this site, it just occasionally feels that the "what I would do" or "what they should do" completely takes over a thread.

 

[RunOrlando]

Thank you very much for this info. I can't say I'm surprised about Disney expanding on Star Wars. It sounds like an Iger type of deal - undervalue actual Disney creations (like Lion King) despite their proven, ongoing appeal, and make use of the unnecessary acquisitions. And yet look at the Muppets - bought with a lot of fanfare, but not much of a return on the dollars spent, if any. As for Lucasfilm - frankly, I think the Star Wars expansion you describe will definitely help DHS's attendance numbers, at least initially - but the heat is still at Universal Orlando. That Hogwarts Express attraction has me foaming at the mouth to ride it, and I didn't even like the Potter books all that much. As for Pandora - that does zip for me. I can't believe the Disney suits still think that's going to be any kind of boost to DAK. How I wish TDO and Disney would TRY to come up with an ORIGINAL attraction that doesn't have any ties to movies or whatever - but I suppose those days of innovation are over at Disney. And that is so sad...

Disney released "The Muppets" in 2011. it made $88 million at the box office and only cost $45 million to make. Not a bad haul before adding in the DVD sales.

I don't think anyone here can say for certain that Disney hasn't tried to come up with an idea for a ride for Lion King. Maybe they feel the show is enough representation.

I thought about your comment about how most attractions are based on movies. At first I thought that constituted older rides from when the park first opened like Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise...etc. Then I thought about AK which has quite a few attractions that aren't based on movies, ie Everest & Dinosaur. I just thought of Soarin' as I was typing the next paragraph.

I personally don't mind if Disney bases it's attractions solely on movies, so long as the attractions are fun. Tower of Terror by any other name.....

 

[RunOrlando]

Exactly.

The title of this thread is "Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt" as though that is a sure thing. Newsflash: It isn't. Seems likely that it will be based on the rumors. But for all we know, nothing will ever come of it.

We've got pages of people asking what attractions are being replaced. And those questions are getting answered even though the plans are nowhere close to final. There are lists of what is coming and going. The cart is so far before the horse, the horse can't even see the cart anymore.

They're replacing the horse & cart ride??!?!
Outrage!!!

jk

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

At least the sources I know say the hat is finally going away.

 

[CDavid]

At least the sources I know say the hat is finally going away.

Can they start construction there please? That way if plans change the hat will already be gone.

 

[ToTBellHop]

At least the sources I know say the hat is finally going away.

Indeed. And it's about time.