Festival of the Lion King to close in January

[Cyrano]

Moving this from TPAS until this has been officially announced.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Moving this from TPAS until this has been officially announced.

Will you move it back over to the other board when it's ultimately announced by Disney? I wonder how much time it will take for them to do that. Hopefully it will be more than 3 days before January 19th.

 

[patsal]

I don't care about Avatar Land one way or the other, but if they're going to get rid of any show in AK, it should be Nemo and not the Lion King.

LK is excellent and always worth seeing. Nemo OTOH is easily the worst show I have ever seen at any Disney park going back to the 1970s. It's so, so bad! Even sitting in air-conditioning does nothing to redeem it. Terrible! I will never waste my time there again.

Wow, harsh on poor Nemo, which IMHO is way better than the shell of a show Beauty and The Beast has become as well Little Mermiad.

 

[themadtinkerer]

hmmm I don't think they will get rid of the show altogether seeing as to how it was popular enough for them to put it in Hong Kong Disneyland.

However I join those that don't get this Avatarland decision... AK used to be one of the parks I liked! With the conservation theme and animals! But I don't get what they are trying to do?? I mean Dinoland is on a parking lot? You can still see the parking lines on the ground!! Faded but still there!

DH saw the show for the very first time and he LOVED it. He put it up there with fantasmic! And we thought it would be something we can keep bringing our kids back to and tell them how mommy and daddy were here for our honeymoon!

Fingers crossed that they will keep it!

 

[pwdebbie]

Of all the live shows at WDW, FOTLK is the only show dh and I have seen repeatedly. All the others were one-shot shows. FOTLK we see several times on each trip; three times on our last trip. It is a quality production with high energy and amazing choreography. We plan to be back at WDW in April 2013 and we will be very disappointed not to see the show. I am hoping that this rumor is not completely true. I don't mind them moving it, but they shouldn't move it until the new location is prepared. And I am another one among many that is very disappointed about the Avatar land plans. It's just creepy in a weird way, not in a fun way.

 

[Reddog1134]

hmmm I don't think they will get rid of the show altogether seeing as to how it was popular enough for them to put it in Hong Kong Disneyland.

However I join those that don't get this Avatarland decision... AK used to be one of the parks I liked! With the conservation theme and animals! But I don't get what they are trying to do?? I mean Dinoland is on a parking lot? You can still see the parking lines on the ground!! Faded but still there!

DH saw the show for the very first time and he LOVED it. He put it up there with fantasmic! And we thought it would be something we can keep bringing our kids back to and tell them how mommy and daddy were here for our honeymoon!

Fingers crossed that they will keep it!

Dinoland isn't actually built on a parking lot. It's themed to be a parking lot carnival. The backstory is someone found dinosaur bones near a mom and pop shop (Chester and Hesters). People from all over came to see them so Chester and Hester started putting carnival rides and games in their parking lot to make money.

 

[Mad Hattered]

It's themed to be a parking lot carnival.

Well then I have to say that is some of Disney's most detailed themeing because it does look exactly like a parking lot carnival. Just one that cost a lot of money to go to.

 

[Reddog1134]

Well then I have to say that is some of Disney's most detailed themeing because it does look exactly like a parking lot carnival. Just one that cost a lot of money to go to.

Thus, the reason for most peoples dislike of the area.

 

[jcemom]

I think the Dinoland theme is very well done. Unfortunately, it's so well done that many people seem to think it really IS a cheap carnival built on an old parking lot.

 

[retlt72]

We saw it twice, it's one of the best if not the best live action show in WDW, I hope it remains, we will be there in February and I hope it's still there so we can see it again!

 

[Mad Hattered]

See it before January 19th....or so I hear.

 

[DCTooTall]

I'm pretty sure your in the majority here I just don't understand what compelled them to do this 1. It's definitely NOT a children's movie 2. It hasn't stood "the test of time" for ex. star wars has been around for like 20-30 years, it has a strong fan base and probably will for quite a while, whereas avatar has been around for 4 years and has nowhere near the fan base of star wars. 3. AND THEIR TAKING MY LION KING AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!! I know their rebuilding it but who knows how long that will take

FWIW, Disney and Lucas started working on Star Tours in 1985 (with some reports of discussions back in 1984). That was only about 7 years after the first movie came out, and not too long after the 3rd was released. There was definitely no guarantee at that time the Star Wars would have anywhere near the staying power that it has had.

Just putting that out there since people seem to be under the mistaken impression that Star Wars was a Classic when Disney got into bed with Lucas, which is definitely was not.

I'm just going to throw this out there. If people don't like it, they can feel free to throw it right back. Is the "conservation" and "love your planet" thing not already the theme of Rafiki's Planet Watch? I mean, my goodness, that is where Conservation Station is. Why not put this Avatar thing there? It has been my experience that that is the least crowded area of the park when I am there, anyway, so you would be less likely to upset people. Plus, with having to take the train to get there, you would be able to work with the how it blends in to the surrounding area a bit easier and it wouldn't be like you are walking along and BAM you are in Pandora. I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this and that there is a reason they aren't putting it out there, but does anyone know why?

There are several very good reasons why the new area couldn't be by the Conservation station.....

1. They'd be creating one hell of a bottleneck getting to/from a new park area that they would be hyping like crazy. The Crowd flow just wouldn't be doable. (Imagine Sticking both Big Thunder and Splash Mountain on Tom Sawyer Island, and then having to take the rafts to even get over there for your fast pass and/or get into line.)

2. The Conservation Station is pretty much Backstage. It's located close to the animal holding pens, which are where the animals sleep and are taken care of. Because of the major issues involved with caring for the animals, They'd not only be restricted in the amount a noise that could be generated by the attractions and area around there due to fear of upsetting the animals... But they'd also be required to close it down early just like the Conservation Station and Safari when the animals start getting brought in for the night, which would severly limit the amount of usable time they'd get for the new area.

3. And honestly... It's not just the Conservation Station that has a very strong conservation message in the parks. Kali River Rapids has a strong message about clearcutting forests. The Safari had one about poaching and animal conservation (which has been diluted over the years). The Entire park was founded on the idea of living in harmony with the environment, and that message was embedded in a lot of the original attractions.

I agree. In my opinion, if you are absolutely insistent on having a land based on a movie franchise (which certainly seems dangerously close to copying something Universal did - but doesn't seem to be getting done as well), why not pick out a film franchise that has shown itself to actually be successful. In fact, you already have a partnership with George Lucas. Why not a Star Wars land? Star Wars the Weekend is extremely successful, as are all of those Star Wars conventions. And how many people love Star Wars and still dress up as characters from the movies at Comic Con? I don't even like Star Wars and I am able to see the promise that this idea holds. Avatar has me much less convinced.

The problems with Star Wars are that 1. It wouldn't fit in the AK, which is where they are trying to Inject some much needed love... and 2. It's a pretty good bet that Lucas would have demands that make the idea of expanding the Star Wars presence within the parks unpalatable to Disney, either through monetary demands, or thru control/input demands.

The Star Tours attraction's history with Disney goes back to the early/mid 80's... a time when Lucas didn't have nearly the leverage with the Star Wars properties that he would have today. It's one thing to negotiate for a small temporary celebration like Star Wars Weekends... or extra Walk-around Characters or Meet and Greets. [Items which can be easily removed or changed if needed].... and a totally different thing to negotiate a contract involving a major capital expenditure to expand the permanent presence within the parks. I even heard rumors that one of the major hurdles that delayed Star Tours v2 for so long was getting an acceptable deal with Lucas to update the attraction. (The original Star Tours had been in operation almost 25yrs...DL Opened in 1986 and closed in 2010)

Why not build the new theater first then move it? They haven't even broken ground on Avatarland or even released any detail on what it might be.

Someone raised the question earlier in this thread on if the Floats could be easily relocated into an existing structure, or if the theater was built around them.

Also, keep in mind, as of right now, This is just a Rumor. Even still... The rumor still has over 4months before the rumored closure.

It's not like FoTLK has a really elaborate theater. As others mentioned, Throw down a concrete pad, put in some basic bleachers, and build a basic structure around it. It wouldn't take a ton of construction time to do that.... so for all we know, the plan could be to start laying the concrete foundation for the new theater in December once they are ready to open the FLE at the MK, and the new theater would be ready for occupation by the FoTLK show by February..... just a month or so after the existing location closed.

What really bugs me about "Avatarland" is the possibility of it being called "AVATARLAND". It's ridiculous. If they call it "Pandora", then maybe I won't be so angry about the whole thing.

I also think it was stupid to call DCA's area "CARSland". It should have been called "Radiator Springs".

Disney has NEVER used or hinted at the name "AvatarLand". All Disney announced was a partnership with Cameron to build a new land utilizing the Avatar IP. It was the fan community (and maybe media?) who started referring to the expansion as 'AvatarLand'.

IMHO, I think that some people who have only heard of it referred too as Avatarland via blog sites and forum posts automatically are getting a negative impression of the expansion, in part because it sounds horrible, and also tends to almost imply it'll be a crappy land about a so-so movie. It's because of this, and the potential the property has, that I've tried to refer to it as Pandora in most of my posts on the subject. Pandora I think would better reflect what I feel the smart direction of the land development would be, and not only sounds better, but also avoids the instant "Avatarland? Is that based off that overhyped movie from a couple years ago?" bias that some people would have. (Think about it.... Would you Rather Ride "Splash Mountain"? Or "Song of the South Mountain"?)

However I join those that don't get this Avatarland decision... AK used to be one of the parks I liked! With the conservation theme and animals! But I don't get what they are trying to do?? I mean Dinoland is on a parking lot? You can still see the parking lines on the ground!! Faded but still there!

As Others mentioned, The whole parking lot thing at Dinoland is intentional theming.... complete with the cheap carny rides and vibe.

I personally have to admit, it's amazing attention to Detail that Disney put into it.... but It's also a not was originally envisioned for Dinoland before the budget cuts.




Oh! And here's something else most people don't seem to consider when basing their opinions on the impact of the new Pandora section of the park.... With the expansion, and increased attraction counts... They'll FINALLY have something else within AK that can draw people in and keep them entertained beyond Everest..... Which means they'll FINALLY be able to potentially take Everest down for an extended refurb without causing a serious negative impact the to park's attendance..... which means Betty may FINALLY have an ability to escape the disco!

 

[SpectroMan71]

This was the worst WDW news I'd heard in a long time this morning. At least have the decency to have a new theatre up and running before you close the old one - not only for the guests, but the loyal cast members who would be out of a job otherwise.

I had a trip planned for January and would seriously cancel if I thought this show was going to be prematurely closed.

 

[nightshaderose]

Oh! And here's something else most people don't seem to consider when basing their opinions on the impact of the new Pandora section of the park.... With the expansion, and increased attraction counts... They'll FINALLY have something else within AK that can draw people in and keep them entertained beyond Everest..... Which means they'll FINALLY be able to potentially take Everest down for an extended refurb without causing a serious negative impact the to park's attendance..... which means Betty may FINALLY have an ability to escape the disco!

This!!!! I've never been thrilled about the Avatar thing, but if it allows for Yeti repair, I'm all for it. Also, Disney Research has been making some announcements lately that bode well for the development of Pandora. I posted a thread about one of them a few days ago: New Technology for AvatarLand?
They've figured out how to use plants (and plant-shaped-things) as multi-touch interfaces. Nobody's said for sure that it will be used in Pandora, but can you just imagine the possibilities?

 

[donalduck]

Money

This is such sad news! I love Festival of The Lion King!! What does Avatar have to do with Disney anyway??

 

[Tigger1]

I am not going to Avatar land until my FOTLK is back. Maybe if all do this it will come back sooner.

 

[Tabologist]

This is my #1 favorite show of all the parks - I was looking forward to seeing it again someday. Too bad. Guess I'll have to try to catch it on Broadway

 

[debbiedoo]

. Such a great show Will be greatly missed. And no I can't make it to the east coast by January.

 

[livinlife25]

I know I'm in the minority, but I think Avatar land would be really neat to see. I loved the movie. It was so beautiful and detailed and could fit with Disney I think

 

[jade1]

I know I'm in the minority, but I think Avatar land would be really neat to see. I loved the movie. It was so beautiful and detailed and could fit with Disney I think

Hmm...kinda like....FOTLK?