The $2.1 Billion Disney Theme Park Gamble
Judging by the huge crowds which have gathered at Tokyo Disney Resort since its new Fantasy Springs land opened last week you would have thought that it was guaranteed to have a happy ending. In fact it could become one of the most expensive mistakes ever made in a Disney park.
www.forbes.com
Genuinely the worst article I’ve ever read on the parks.
I appreciate his love for DisneySea and its non-ip dependent attention to detail, but that’s where the praise stops.
Here are some lovely quotes:
“In California Adventure there is little logic for (Turtle Talk’s) location in an area themed to animation. But in DisneySea it sits inside a full-size steam liner complete with rigging and a riveted hull on the outside… The ship is where you find the lavish Roosevelt Lounge and it also makes an ideal setting for Turtle Talk's screen, which supposedly gives on to an undersea environment.”
“There's not even any pretence of immersion in Fantasy Springs and the retelling is not even done an innovative way. Perhaps the best example of how to do that is found in the Dreamworks world at Motiongate in Dubai where Shrek's Merry Fairy Tale Journey retells the events from the first movie in a way unlike any other ride.“
“The stylized decor and primary colors found throughout Fantasy Springs perfectly suit the fairytales in the land but look at odds with the rest of DisneySea. Gone is the uniqueness found elsewhere in the park and so is its ethos of immersion and ultra-realism. It pales in comparison to other new parks like Warner Bros. World and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi which are both indoors allowing for even more elaborate detailing as it isn't exposed to the elements.”
Firstly, Turtle Talk is in a well themed environment but doesn’t even remotely fit in the world of DisneySea, but she’s claiming it’s a perfect immersive fit because it’s related to the ocean? It’s in an immersive area, but it’s detracting from that immersion.
Secondly, I’m not sure if you’ve ever watched a video of Shrek’s Dubai Ride, but it looks atrociously mediocre at best. It’s laughable that draws praise while Fantasy Springs draws a diss.
Thirdly, I agree that Fantasy Springs is at odds with the rest of DisneySea (if you ignore Ariel’s land) and so I get where she’s coming from, HOWEVER, using the fact that it’s OUTDOORS as a slight and saying it pales in comparison to SEA WORLD Abu Dhabi is genuinely the most laughable thing I’ve ever read.
I reread that quote a half dozen times because I legitimately couldn’t believe my eyes. It seems like a parody or clear troll.
I don’t think she’s coming from a bad place, quite the opposite, but I don’t think she gets why a place like DisneySea is good (he gets it’s not IP, but beyond that, she doesn’t get it).
Her examples of things done right elsewhere are laughably misguided at best, but truly I think it just comes down to a blatant misunderstanding of what makes parks great, which is a shame because parts of her article do show a genuine love and appreciation for the product.
It’s hard now with parks like Epcot and DisneySea because I think a lot of people can identify they like something about them, but they’re just not quite sure what. It’s an external struggle as seen here, but also an internal one (often guided by out of touch C-suite).
Anyway, waiting for the obvious “he’s right, you’re wrong” comment, but I do think it’s an interesting discussion jump-off point for representations of Disney in media and general understanding of what makes the parks great.
I’ll leave you with another great quote.
“Frozen seems mundane in comparison and is particularly incongruous in DisneySea as the movie is famous for snow, not water. To make a real splash, DisneySea could have taken guests inside an actual snow dome, which are common in the Middle East, and immersed them in the story in a way which has never been done before. Disney has developed a wonderfully-accurate animatronic of Frozen's Olaf the snowman so it seems a crying shame that it has never been seen moving in its natural environment.”
Genuinely, what in the actual Donald Duck.
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