World of Disney Refurbishment

[retr0gate]

With the grand opening of the "new" World of Disney in Disney Springs, I still am completely baffled at the thought process behind this remodeling. I get how it may not have aged the best, even appearing a bit tacky but it still was arguably one of the most uniquely "Disney" stores, in Disney Springs/Downtown Disney at least. That being said, I do like the look of the new store but knowing what was there before the remodel just leaves me unsatisfied. I don't understand the thought process of removing practically every Disney element or prop from a store literally called "World of Disney." There are situations obviously where certain theming works, other times it does not. In this case, I believe the new theme is an animation studio dedicated to some of the older films, and I believe that couldve been a unique concept had it been a new standalone shop. However, World of Disney's original "theme" was exactly that- Disney itself and that's why the building itself was full of these giant props and colorful decorations. This remodel is more of a downgrade if anything and leaves the guest wanting more with such a minimalistic design. What are other peoples thoughts on this?

 

[larryz]

There's no ROI on outsized decor.

 

[WDW_Jon]

Not thought about it too much but I’m not a fan... Wasn’t overly impressed with what was on offer either to be honest, much preferred mouse gear and others this week whilst here

 

[yaksplat]

When i was there in august, i thought it was too rigid. The playful existence of characters was gone and it was just beams, steel plates and brick. I love it in terms of an architectural piece, but it doesn't make sense as the world of Disney. It's just bland.

 

[Prince-1]

I like it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Not exactly the best-titled thread for it, but the big ol' thread discussing this is here:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...-to-world-of-disney-at-disney-springs.936698/

 

[KDM31091]

Meh, it's okay. It looks nice and all, but it also looks relatively generic. Doesn't have the old school Disney charm and whimsy. Kind of reminds me of how I prefer the older style mall Disney Stores vs the newer. The old one is more charming, comfortable, character filled. The new one more boxy, less whimsical.

At the end of the day they want to move the most merchandise and evidently they think this new design will help them do that. It is less "cluttered".

 

[kjb101791]

I agree, it does look nice, but it lost its Disney feel. It looks like a Starbucks or something. Tossing random things up into the ceiling seems to not be en vogue anymore (TGIFridays, etc). I think it's most likely me not keeping up with the times, but a more whimsical feel to the store would have been a good element to keep.

 

[mf1972]

looking at the pics, it looks kind of bland. doesn’t have the disney look to it. we’re going there next month, so we’ll get a better look at it

 

[Disstevefan1]

Its very nice, but not very Disney. It does look more like it fits into the Disney Mal... , er, I mean, Disney Springs.

I am guessing the retail part of the Disney Company gets their own money to update their retail locations, but If could have taken the chunk of money used for this renovation, I would have applied it to the Florida parks, but that's just me..

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I went back in May of 2017. I liked the new look and I also liked moving more freely and not feeling so cramped in there.

 

[geekza]

Now we know who hired all of the retail space designers that Sears have let go. It's fine, I guess, but definitely has a "shopping mall location" aesthetic to it. I just wish that, with all of the effort to acknowledge the animators, that they still offered things like authentic animation art. I know that there aren't any new cels being produced, for obvious reasons, but there are still tons of drawings made and it would be a great way to obtain unique items related to the films.

 

[Horizons '83]

There is a thread or 2 dedicated to this topic on the News and Rumors portion of the forums on this very topic:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/world-of-disney-expansion.899103/page-10

 

[DisneyFreak]

I'm fine with the design. The old store had gotten so confusing to where you couldn't find anything. It had also become exceedingly crowded and hard to maneuver and it was no longer a pleasant experience to bother going into.

 

[larryz]

I'm fine with the design. The old store had gotten so confusing to where you couldn't find anything. It had also become exceedingly crowded and hard to maneuver and it was no longer a pleasant experience to bother going into.

And now it's about as pleasant as shopping in a Banana Republic.

 

[Jon81uk]

When i was there in august, i thought it was too rigid. The playful existence of characters was gone and it was just beams, steel plates and brick. I love it in terms of an architectural piece, but it doesn't make sense as the world of Disney. It's just bland.

Look up the more recent photos and videos, there is a lot more colour and life now all the projections and displays are in place.
Back in August it was bare as it wasn't finished.

 

[DisneyFreak]

And now it's about as pleasant as shopping in a Banana Republic.

They sell Disney merchandise at Banana Republic?

 

[larryz]

They sell Disney merchandise at Banana Republic?

Nope. Exactly my point, though.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

From what I have heard from people who have been there it is really plain and boring but the real problem is the merchandise selection wich I am told is less than half of what they used to carry, as someone else mentioned my friend also agreed Mouse Gears now has a better selection than World of Disney and since the place is called WOrld of Disney thats not good.