Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt

HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
Captain Neo said:
Avatar land is based on the highest grossing movie of all time and will be anchored by an e-ticket. Big difference from Beuna vista street that was created solely so that DCA could have a decent entry area.
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Fair point but in the grand scheme of things Buena Vista Street is far superior to them having kept Sunshine Plaza which was close to happening and they are now more or less claiming they would have done if they could do it over again. That is also why removing the Hat is so critical to the DHS re-do. I hope and pray that the Hat demolition budget has been approved so they don't have any idiotic last minute changes of heart and we are stuck with that thing for another 10+ years.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
Don't shoot the messenger but....

Hearing a great deal about how it has been determined that Buena Vista Street at DCA isn't really financially justifying it's existence and that placemaking is now "out" on future theme park projects.

That's no doubt going to have an impact on how this park's future development pans out.
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What a short-sighted mindset that is.

By their reasoning, Cinderella Castle ought to be torn down because it doesn't financially justify its costs.


And there I was, thinking I visit Disney Parks to feast my eyes on castles and themed streets, the very reason I'm there spending money in restaurants and shops.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
Don't shoot the messenger but....

Hearing a great deal about how it has been determined that Buena Vista Street at DCA isn't really financially justifying it's existence and that placemaking is now "out" on future theme park projects.

That's no doubt going to have an impact on how this park's future development pans out.
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And people thought there had actually been significant change inside the company. We're right back where we were when that park was being designed.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
That's the baffling thing, innit?

DCA is a $1.5 billion lesson that Disney parks are about theme and placemaking. With five dollar worth of candy I can teach a chimp this simple fact, but apparantly one and a half billion can't teach Disney management.
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Disney's takeaway is that theme parks are about big name brands that move merchandise. Cars Land is not a success because of how it is a beautiful homage to Route 66 that barely utilizes the characters and could dump them in a heartbeat without issue. To Disney it is a success because it is based on a massive merchandise franchise and that is all people want. Why else do they think they can chop it up for Florida?
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
Disney's takeaway is that theme parks are about big name brands that move merchandise. Cars Land is not a success because of how it is a beautiful homage to Route 66 that barely utilizes the characters and could dump them in a heartbeat without issue. To Disney it is a success because it is based on a massive merchandise franchise and that is all people want. Why else do they think they can chop it up for Florida?
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^
This
 
JeffH

JeffH

Active Member
It's all so silly...no need to destruct to construct when a simple redesign of the parking lot would free up so much space...plenty of space for Star Wars expansion, Muppets Expansion, move Pizza Planet to Pixar Place and put Carsland behind Pixar Place adding Fillmore’s (catastrophe) Canyon Tours so not to trash that piece of excitement that kept Backstage Tours open. In this scenario only Backstage Tours would close (and be converted into Pizza Planet). And moving employee parking would free up the main parking lot for additional guests that Star Wars Land and Cars Land would bring in.
dhs%20parking.jpg
 
B

Bolna

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
Don't shoot the messenger but....

Hearing a great deal about how it has been determined that Buena Vista Street at DCA isn't really financially justifying it's existence and that placemaking is now "out" on future theme park projects.

That's no doubt going to have an impact on how this park's future development pans out.
Click to expand...

If placemaking is now out - doesn't this make those parks just "parks" and no longer "theme parks"? Isn't it the placemaking that transports the theme?
 
ScoutN

ScoutN

OV 104
Premium Member
RoyWalley said:
Exactly - We were just there in June and the place was packed. I don't understand why people like to start rumors and then other people believe it.
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Really I was there Memorial week and it was hardly anyone there. People in my family have been there over the past couple weeks as well as friends and said it is uncharacteristically empty.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Bolna said:
If placemaking is now out - doesn't this make those parks just "parks" and no longer "theme parks"? Isn't it the placemaking that transports the theme?
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For awhile now Disney has been embracing themed decor over themed experience. The term "theming" gets tossed around so much by so many that it has lost a lot of meaning, thus the Value Resorts are "themed" or Disney Speings is "themed" because it has a ridiculous backstory. The theme now is the overlaying of franchise. Thus rides and shops and restaurants can quickly and easily be reskinned for the latest hot property (ie. Disneyland's proposed TRON coaster now being a Star Wars coaster).

Buena Vista Street is a mess of ideas that never was going to work because it lacked clarity. Its a contemporary World of Disney mall dressed up like late-1920s/early-1930 Los Angeles lying to everybody about Walt Disney's history.
 
Captain Chaos

Captain Chaos

Well-Known Member
Bolna said:
If placemaking is now out - doesn't this make those parks just "parks" and no longer "theme parks"? Isn't it the placemaking that transports the theme?
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It makes them closer to Six Flags... So Universal is closer to what Disney was than Disney now is, and Disney is getting closer to Six Flags (a park dusters like to say Universal is like)... oh the irony...
 
Magenta Panther

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
HMF said:
So wait, Buena Vista Street is not financially justified but Avatar is? I know that it is supposedly the highest grossing film of all time but in terms of substance and culturally it's impact has been rather lackluster especially to warrant an entire land in a theme park.
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Quoted for truth. I can't believe even the bozos running Disney can whine about Buena Vista Street and yet still plan to invest in attractions based on a flash-in-the-pan piece of cinematic eye candy that has nothing to with Disney and will never convincingly fit into AK. Forget that "highest-grossing movie of all time" BS. Box office, just like special effects, can be surpassed. Some other blockbuster will come along and top Avatar, duh. Avatar's box office is no reason to believe that film will have staying power.

As for Buena Vista Street, it has a value that Disney badly needed: it resurrected the idea that Disney can be creative and build cool immersive environments. Buena Vista Street has more than paid for itself in terms of guest goodwill IMO. Nuts to the suits.
 
IWant2GoNow

IWant2GoNow

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
Don't shoot the messenger but....

Hearing a great deal about how it has been determined that Buena Vista Street at DCA isn't really financially justifying it's existence and that placemaking is now "out" on future theme park projects.

That's no doubt going to have an impact on how this park's future development pans out.
Click to expand...

*kshhh* That's one small step for management... *kshhhh* One... giant leap towards Six Flags. *kshhh*
 
P

pheneix

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Captain Neo said:
Not surprising I guess removing the hat is probably out of the question. I honestly don't think the problem is Disney management but the imagineering costs. WDI is a big problem as they are the ones ballooning costs.
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I've been hesitant to draw a lightning rod to the topic of the hat but......

I have seen no plans to remove it since this business involving DHS 2.0 was introduced to me.

HMF said:
So wait, Buena Vista Street is not financially justified but Avatar is? I know that it is supposedly the highest grossing film of all time but in terms of substance and culturally it's impact has been rather lackluster especially to warrant an entire land in a theme park.
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Oh they have no problem unloading lots of money on theming as long as it is part of a project that is intended to grow a theme park. The about-face on BVS style place-making projects is because after a year of studying DCA 2.0 from different angles, it was determined that the work they did up front turned out to be quite meaningless (from a financial perspective) and all of those food and retail locations up front would have posted the same revenue increases off of higher attendance as they have anyway.

Also, Carthay Circle's cash receipts are a train wreck. Epically.

Welcome to 21st century Disney folks. It's only going downhill from here.
 

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