This is 3 rants I was working on, let me just plop them here instead of starting another thread.
We just had confirmation of a Marvel area coming to California Adventure. There are also rumors of Guardians of the Galaxy coming to Epcot. So I have to ask; does Disney have a vision for the parks? Do they have a unified vision of what they want each park to be or are they just trying to capitalize on IPs by just putting them in where they can?
Hollywood Studios has lost every attraction that connected it to the studios theme. California Adventure is only connected by visuals and with the addition of Marvel that visual will become more blurred (Especially since most Marvel stories take place around NY, I don’t think the land is gonna be based on the West Coast Avengers or Runaways). Soon in the future we are expected to hear changes come to Epcot. Epcot a park that was supposed to celebrate culture and creativity. Our progress and our past. The innovations of our imagination and our impact on the planet. Yet rumors seem to be making it about Princess and thrills.
I know Iger said he wanted to make the most use of Disney’s IPs but I wonder if this method is the best way to do so or even if they fit in the parks (they are going in) all. Attractions need to be organic and feel natural. If they don’t fit in their surrounding it doesn’t take away from the ride, it takes away from the park. So far they have done well so far by creating cohesive lands, such as Star Wars and Avatar. This GoT announcements is not that; it is just an attraction with a unique visual style that is going to be plopped into the middle of park. Even when the Marvel land is built it will likely be more earth base so this attraction could still stick out.
Additional I think the majority of Disney’s successful attractions have been original concepts. Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Expedition Everest. While IPs can make great attraction there is a challenge to doing them.That is trying to include the things the audience wants to see into the ride but you are limited by the ride and technology. With a original IPs you don’t have this hurdle. Even though Universal gets plenty of hate for their use of screen they are one of the best ways to achieve this. Screens allow for the easy inclusion of those action sequences and actors (believable ones, I’m looking at you Ellen animatronic) that the guests want to see.
So I hope before any more announcements are made Disney sits down in the optometrist chair and makes sure they are seeing the bigger picture of the parks.
