Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt

[lebeau]

Or that they rested on their laurels for far too long, Universal came along and snatched a large and growing demographic and now DW is playing catch-up for this group.

If they build a big thrill park in the future, I stand corrected. I don't see it happening.

 

[Crazydisneyfanluke]

This just happened.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I love WDW and Disneyland, and I'd visit them over Universal 99% of the time - but I still think Universal is an absolutely amazing park. It has areas of real magic - and not just Harry Potter - and it looks freaking amazing. That Port of Entry gave me goosebumps when I first entered it. The New Fantasyland doesn't do that for me. I really hoped it would, but it didn't.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

True. I think HP is the exception. I have said several times before (forgive me if you have read a similar post from me) that Harry Potter developed a huge, devoted fan base that was being severely underserved. They were starving for new HP merch and experiences. I can't think of any other IP that has such a large under-served fanbase.

I look at Everest...that was a major E-ticket and that didn't really boost DAK attendance all that much. Yes it did boost it...but now HP numbers by any means. Also, it's still not keeping people in the parks until closing.

Look at the recent major "non-IP" attractions...

Mission:Space. Huge talk about that one...even astronauts were saying how realistic it was. That doesn't do anything for the park.
Expedition Everest: To add what I said above...huge money went into it (visually stunning!), a lot of marketing (even Discovery Channel shows dedicated to the making of it), etc.
Soarin': This is one that keeps dragging the people to (but is it solely drawing people to Epcot? Possibly...or is it because of lack of "good" attractions at Epcot?)
Lights, Motors, Action!: Fun show but wears thin after a single viewing.

As you can see...these are nice additions to the resort, they are not talking people out of going to other places. Soarin' is the only possible exception.

 

[lebeau]

Because you're not just appealing to this demo. You're appealing to this demo who also have parents and younger siblings. More thrill rides at DHS gives these families a wider enjoyment spectrum and keeps them on the properties for longer. I'm not talking about building a park for 19 year olds who come alone. I'm talking about 12 - 17 year olds whose parents are footing the bill for the 7 days who also have an 8 year sibling. That's a large demographic that Universal is currently scooping up. Right now you've got mom and dad, 16 year old Billy and 8 year old Wendy and they're trying to come up with a week long family vacation in Orlando. Billy's getting bored after 2 days so they're only spending a couple days at DW and a couple days at Uni. Giving DHS more thrill rides keeps these families at DW for the whole 7 days.

Disney is willing to let Universal have those families. They have made a strategic choice (based I assume on volumes of research) that they are better served not pursuing that demo.

 

[lebeau]

Too early to call for a Patty Melt joke?

I hope we never forget that it all started with corn.

 

[EsmeraldaLeGitanNotreDame]

I think people are refering to a couple of new additions, especially in Fantayland that focus to much on the children, Enchanted Tales with Belle where adults can sit and watch thier children perform for Belle, the queueless queue for Dumbo where parents can sit and watch thier kids play while waiting to ride Dumbo, the Casey Jr water play area where parents can sit and watch thier children play in the water, no to mention the prolifaration of M&G's which are primarily aimed at kids interacting with the characters while thier parents watch.

I assume people who bring children are focusing on making sure the child has a good time. Parent is so broad to me. I mean, not all the age ranges of parents would enjoy the same thing anyway. They could use some more thrill rides, but what could they add for adults anyway?

I think they should have more dancing areas.

 

[JenniferS]

I think people are refering to a couple of new additions, especially in Fantayland that focus to much on the children, Enchanted Tales with Belle where adults can sit and watch thier children perform for Belle, the queueless queue for Dumbo where parents can sit and watch thier kids play while waiting to ride Dumbo, the Casey Jr water play area where parents can sit and watch thier children play in the water, no to mention the prolifaration of M&G's which are primarily aimed at kids interacting with the characters while thier parents watch.

For what it's worth, I HATED the queueless Dumbo. Never again.
It was cold. It was noisy. It was impossible to keep my eye on my niece. Kids were crying when it was time to leave because the pager buzzed. There was only one spinner running that November evening, so the wait was interminable. After half an hour, we handed in our pager and just left.
Great fun for the kids. Not so much for most of the adults.

 

[lebeau]

I look at Everest...that was a major E-ticket and that didn't really boost DAK attendance all that much. Yes it did boost it...but now HP numbers by any means. Also, it's still not keeping people in the parks until closing.

Look at the recent major "non-IP" attractions...

Mission:Space. Huge talk about that one...even astronauts were saying how realistic it was. That doesn't do anything for the park.
Expedition Everest: To add what I said above...huge money went into it (visually stunning!), a lot of marketing (even Discovery Channel shows dedicated to the making of it), etc.
Soarin': This is one that keeps dragging the people to (but is it solely drawing people to Epcot? Possibly...or is it because of lack of "good" attractions at Epcot?)
Lights, Motors, Action!: Fun show but wears thin after a single viewing.

As you can see...these are nice additions to the resort, they are not talking people out of going to other places. Soarin' is the only possible exception.

But all of them lack in execution to some degree. I don't think slapping on an IP would have made any of those attractions a bigger draw.

 

[EsmeraldaLeGitanNotreDame]

This is not a foot race where there is a final winner, it's a race without end, you have to continously work to maintain your lead. Disney is leading on overall attendance and due to the physical size of the resort probably always will, but Uni is stepping up thier game and starting to draw guests away from WDW for at least part of thier vacations. This will end up hurting Disney (and probably already is) unless they continue to improve thier product.

True. I think Uni could be an equal competitor to Disney if they wanted to. They just look so far from it to me.

 

[hull327]

Disney is willing to let Universal have those families. They have made a strategic choice (based I assume on volumes of research) that they are better served not pursuing that demo.

That may be true but it's certainly a tenuous proposition. In 2011 Universal saw a 29% increase in annual attendance to Disney's 1% that same year. Islands of Adventure had a 1.7 million visitor uptick to DW's 363k. Last year Uni was up 2.5% to DW's combined 2.2%. Is Universal going to sink DW? Absolutely not. Is it stealing a significant number of visitors that could/would be going to DW? I would say yes.

 

[BryceM]

Too early to call for a Patty Melt joke?

Once the user starts using the word "junky", then it's time.

 

[George]

I'm sorry, but I would question any survey that would put LOTR and Star Wars in even the same league of popularity. They aren't even close.

Can you walk into any home store and see LOTR decor? Do toy stores still carry LOTR or Hobbit toys? And that's even with LOTR/Hobbit movies currently being released!!!!

As a super nerd, I must say you're missing a key point. Full disclosure, I love LoTR and SW. I loved SW when I was 8 and the movie came out. I saw it 44 times, first run over the the course of 60 weeks and only quit spending all my money on it when the nearest drive through to our house finally quit showing it. I then spent all my money on toys. I fell in love with LoTR when I was 13 or 14 and it became my favorite book series. I re-read it once a decade and dearly loved the movies. However, it is a bit more adult, nuanced, and slower paced so I never wanted Gandalf underwear, 12 different plastic Aragorns, or Liv Tyler wall paper (OK, I'm lying about that, but my wife may see this post). I think HP, SW, LoTR really stand out as 3 ips that lend themselves to theme park lands, have large followings, and, if done correctly, the lands will draw people for decades. And they'd all move a crapload of merchandise......And we'd all eat at all the related eateries......And they'd all sell a crapload of theme park tickets (crapload is an official accounting term for "a lot"). Tangential side note: A good way to annoy your wife is to take the ring out of Lord of the Rings Risk, put it on a chain, and hide it under your shirt. Whenever she starts talking, go nuts with a terrible Gollum impersonation saying "My precious" over and over, or so I've been told.

 

[George]

Does it ever bother you when people don't have a nice large clean piece of paper for characters to sign? I know, it's random. Some people at Disney are way unprepared. I think some characters should just refuse, if it falls into the character's personality to say no. lol I guess that's mean of me.

I always expose the upper expanse of my buttocks. White and pale so any signature really stands out. However, many CMs and guests seem to think this is "inappropriate" whatever that means.

 

[George]

True. I think HP is the exception. I have said several times before (forgive me if you have read a similar post from me) that Harry Potter developed a huge, devoted fan base that was being severely underserved. They were starving for new HP merch and experiences. I can't think of any other IP that has such a large under-served fanbase.

This is an interesting theory. I'll have to think about it. Do you have a post where you explain how they were under served?

 

[EsmeraldaLeGitanNotreDame]

no comment. 0.0

 

[hull327]

I always expose the upper expanse of my buttocks. White and pale so any signature really stands out. However, many CMs and guests seem to think this is "inappropriate" whatever that means.

Ahh...the old "19th hole" signature.

 

[JenniferS]

I always expose the upper expanse of my buttocks. White and pale so any signature really stands out. However, many CMs and guests seem to think this is "inappropriate" whatever that means.

You and Hatter - my two most favourite inappropriate posters.
You guys say what I am sometimes thinking.

 

[EsmeraldaLeGitanNotreDame]

Au revoir!

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think everyone is losing sight of the fact that Universal was considered a "thrill" park for years. The fact that this was where the big rides could be found, had no real impact on Disney. Disney never was, and hopefully, never will be a thrill park. The thought that there are those whiny teens that basically force there parent to spend days at Uni so they won't be bored, make me two things. One it makes me laugh and Two it makes me sad. I can only relate to myself and when my girls were teens if they had put out a vibe that I needed to make them happy constantly, it would have been funny. When they were paying for it, we would go where they wanted, If I was was paying, we will be where I want to be...thank you very much! It makes me sad because I know that in today's world it does happen that way.

OK, so flash to now...all of a sudden people are being drawn from Disney to Uni (IOA) in numbers that were way larger then they had ever been. Was it because Uni had the thrill rides? How could it be, they always had the thrill rides. Why would all of a sudden it becomes different. OK, it's because Uni is a very good student. They are now able to do Disney better than Disney can. Why? Because Disney has abandoned the core values that made it what attracted everyone to it. Their CM's attitudes fell through the floor in recent years. They're not evil, but they do not add, with rare exceptions, to the Magic anymore. They are no longer engaging people. They will smile politely and answer your questions, but, they will not attempt to ask for questions. They are too busy talking to one another, feeling sorry for themselves because they feel they are underpaid and do only the absolute minimum. Attractions...value engineer everything. Cut corners, take good attractions and make them mediocre by taking out anything that represents a challenge to operate. By contrast, Uni has created some incredible shows and rides and submersive experience that Disney can only look back at as being what they once were able to do.

In short, they have won many people over because they can now offer what Disney, for the longest time, were the only ones able to deliver. Uni was a quick learner...they have given families a reason to visit and it isn't the thrill rides. Those that were searching out thrill rides had already been going. No, now they can and do offer well themed, complete, detailed and entertaining attractions that rival anything that Disney Co. ever created. We can live in denial for as long as we like, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.