Y'all should ...

[themonkeyisthesultan]

I haven't been around very long (and the search feature seems a little wonky) so I haven't seen any proposed plans for Mysterious Island at DAK. I'll see if I can find them so I can have a more informed opinion on the matter.

I'd really see a Kingdom Hearts land as a way to repurpose old Beastly Kingdom plans. They could sir of put a new coat of paint on them, add a brand name to them, have a more organic way of adding the classic characters to a fantasy theme and have it be more visually distinct from Potter than other fantasy themes would be.

 

[Beholder]

Perhaps that's the problem with all of this "find the right franchise/property" approach Disney does now days. Instead of finding the next big thing, how about CREATING the next big thing. And by the time Disney desides (American Idol) to put in something, the "time to strike" is past. Stop relying on trends and revisit what got you where you are. Innovate, imagine, let WDI do what they do best. And give them the money to do it. It'd be nice to actually be surprised by something completely unexpected and new. But, I'm not a shareholder, so what I think is moot.

 

[Beholder]

Has Kingdom Hearts ever come up as a possibility for a land at DAK? I know it isn't exactly what happens in the games, but it seems like it would be a good way to connect Disney to fantasy creatures by making it more about Disney characters entering Squarsoft-type
worlds than the other way around

Plus, the steampunk setting would make it different from other fantasy settings (and is
getting more and more popular). It's a popular
franchise (I see people in Kingdom Hearts shirts
all the time and see them in related costumes at
Halloween parties).

I don't know much about Kingdom Hearts, but I love the visuals of Steampunk. Not sure how that would come off in AK, but in TL, it'd be pretty great. I guess the whole Jules Verne, Lost World, MI, could go into AK, with elements of Steampunk. If that were the case, then it's got my vote.

 

[MKCP 1985]

It is so hard to differentiate news and rumors from armchair imagineering in this thread.

 

[Viget]

Yeah, The Lorax did quite well. And Taylor Swift and Zac Efron are supposed to be back for the sequel.

FWIW, I thought it was pretty good. Don't get all the negative reviews, and I really liked the songs. Does it have the same gravitas as the book? Of course not. But let's face it, in today's world, if you get too preachy about the environment, a certain political faction will slam you, so it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that they were going to have to tone down the environmentalist rhetoric. But I think the kids still get the message in the end. I know my 3 year old did.

What I really liked about the film and thought was quite clever, was the humanization of the Once-ler. I always remembered reading the book and wondering, "how could a guy come to that?" I felt like I wanted to know more about that character, and the film provided a pretty good backstory for him.

While I *love* the old-school cartoon version of HtGSC (take that for acronyms!), the live-action version was gawdawful in my opinion. Too much Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey, not enough Dr. Seuss whimsicality. Heck, I even think Horton was better.

But yeah, I can see the competition aspect for UOR. Certainly Grinch will move more mechandise, but the question is, will the little kids get fired up about it, or scared by it? Personally, I think Lorax would be a better choice (especially if they add a little edutainment to it!).

 

[The Duck]

I can tell you that the iron man ride is based on extremis and that the comiccon display is basically how the queue will look when you enter. Ironman can now control additional armor he will now be in armor # 47 and the guest will be in the other armor. From what I was told ride system will be similar to manta coaster at sea world in the fact that you stand up, not that it's a coaster.

What are the odds that they'll try to get Robert Downey Jr. to make a cameo/video appearance?

 

[M.rudolf]

What are the odds that they'll try to get Robert Downey Jr. to make a cameo/video appearance?

Pretty high, I'm wondering if there will be additional avengers.

 

[stevehousse]

Construction is movin along on avatar just not yet. We will start to see more at the beginning ofthe year. Lion king is still closing down as is the character meet n greet area. Those date for removal are set already. I would believe at this time they would be finalizing the attraction list and whatnot but progress is being made even If its as slow as a snail!

 

[danlb_2000]

Construction is movin along on avatar just not yet. We will start to see more at the beginning ofthe year. Lion king is still closing down as is the character meet n greet area. Those date for removal are set already. I would believe at this time they would be finalizing the attraction list and whatnot but progress is being made even If its as slow as a snail!

What is your source for this info?

 

[cheezbat]

Pretty high, I'm wondering if there will be additional avengers.

While I liked the movies, using the actors from the film series sets the ride up for the need to be changed out down the road to keep it relevant.

(I guess Universal should make a Batman ride based off of Christopher Nolan's films and use Christian Bale as Batman in that case.)

While its great to use films and actors to lure people to an attraction, it doesn't stand the test of time as well as if it's just based on the source material. Consider how The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman would be had they decided to base the ride off the Sam Raimi films and used Toby As Spidey. As of this year it'd be outdated now that Andrew Garfield is playing the character.

 

[djlaosc]

While I liked the movies, using the actors from the film series sets the ride up for the need to be changed out down the road to keep it relevant.

(I guess Universal should make a Batman ride based off of Christopher Nolan's films and use Christian Bale as Batman in that case.)

While its great to use films and actors to lure people to an attraction, it doesn't stand the test of time as well as if it's just based on the source material. Consider how The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman would be had they decided to base the ride off the Sam Raimi films and used Toby As Spidey. As of this year it'd be outdated now that Andrew Garfield is playing the character.

Not using actors is the way that MSHI at IOA has always been - cartoon Bruce Banner/Hulk in the queue, and as you said, cartoon Spidey in TAAoS, probably for the reasons that you have said, and possibly because the IOA lands could be said to all be based on literature, and the literature for Marvel superheroes are comic strips!

Unfortunately, Universal don't have the DC rights, but, if they did, I bet they would do the same as they have done for Marvel.

 

[cheezbat]

Not using actors is the way that MSHI at IOA has always been - cartoon Bruce Banner/Hulk in the queue, and as you said, cartoon Spidey in TAAoS, probably for the reasons that you have said, and possibly because the IOA lands could be said to all be based on literature, and the literature for Marvel superheroes are comic strips!

Unfortunately, Universal don't have the DC rights, but, if they did, I bet they would do the same as they have done for Marvel.

They don't have the rights, but from what some insiders have said, if they really wanted to, they could work out a deal that would give them the rights as well as keep Six Flags happy.

 

[The Duck]

While I liked the movies, using the actors from the film series sets the ride up for the need to be changed out down the road to keep it relevant.

(I guess Universal should make a Batman ride based off of Christopher Nolan's films and use Christian Bale as Batman in that case.)

While its great to use films and actors to lure people to an attraction, it doesn't stand the test of time as well as if it's just based on the source material. Consider how The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman would be had they decided to base the ride off the Sam Raimi films and used Toby As Spidey. As of this year it'd be outdated now that Andrew Garfield is playing the character.

I still don't think it would be a problem. If they get Robert Downey Jr. to make a short video for the attraction, 10 years from now they'll just have to make a new video. An inexpensive way to keep it fresh.

 

[tomman710]

Construction is movin along on avatar just not yet. We will start to see more at the beginning ofthe year. Lion king is still closing down as is the character meet n greet area. Those date for removal are set already. I would believe at this time they would be finalizing the attraction list and whatnot but progress is being made even If its as slow as a snail!

How can construction be moving along if they haven't even decided what they are going to build?

 

[M.rudolf]

I still don't think it would be a problem. If they get Robert Downey Jr. to make a short video for the attraction, 10 years from now they'll just have to make a new video. An inexpensive way to keep it fresh.

The funny thing is 5/10 years ago who would have thought Downey would be allowed in DL let alone headlining an attraction

 

[stevehousse]

Not physical construction but finalizing plans is what I should have said. So technically they are still constructing the land but in design phase.

 

[doctornick]

Not physical construction but finalizing plans is what I should have said. So technically they are still constructing the land but in design phase.

I thought there was some indication that they were at least clearing the land and thus preparing for construction. And, no, I don't mean relocating the M&Gs and FOTLK but the land further south (use for parking now, I think) where they had test balloons up a month or two ago.

 

[themonkeyisthesultan]

I thought there was some indication that they were at least clearing the land and thus preparing for construction. And, no, I don't mean relocating the M&Gs and FOTLK but the land further south (use for parking now, I think) where they had test balloons up a month or two ago.

They don't need to clear the land, it's just an empty field where some people park. They could tell people not to park there one day and start construction the next. The big job will be clearing out Camp Minnie-Mickey.

 

[WDW1974]

The funny thing is 5/10 years ago who would have thought Downey would be allowed in DL let alone headlining an attraction

I share an interesting personal footnote with him, but have no intention of placing it online!

BTW, again, I just started reading on the last two pages, so did I miss anything (I swear Lee absolutely sucks as a personal assistant. Today, he got my coffee with three splenda instead of four ... may have to replace him!)

 

[WDW1974]

Not physical construction but finalizing plans is what I should have said. So technically they are still constructing the land but in design phase.

That doesn't say a whole lot to me.

I do know what's going on a bit ... and things are progressing ... but at the literal snail's pace and money and Cameron's availability are pushing things further out. Someone from Flower Street told me that with every passing quarter, it seems that it means another year before we see anything.

There's no way SDL should be open or the Studios should be well into their makeover before we see this, but that's how things are looking.