Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout

[rteetz]

The problem with Iger is that he doesn't have the passion for what he is doing. It was Walt's passions that drove Disney for so long and they are missing that driver right now. I think the last real passion project we have seen from Disney was Animal Kingdom. Iger only came in to be a steward and keep things going and he did what he could for the company, which was business acquisitions. But he is not a man with dreams and passion for what he runs. What Disney or any company really needs to grow is a leader with passion. There must also always be a Roy, though. If a passion person does lead again there needs to be that person that can reign them in and keep things running.

Much like Eisner and Wells too. After wells was gone Eisner went down hill.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I do get some element of disappointment or even frustration if one is unhappy with a direction they feel a company is going in. But truly, these boards are THE BEST example ever of how you / any company can NEVER make EVERYONE happy!!

 

[rteetz]

I do get some element of disappointment or even frustration if one is unhappy with a direction they feel a company is going in. But truly, these boards are THE BEST example ever of how you / any company can NEVER make EVERYONE happy!!

I think there are more unhappy people these days compared to the days pre 2012 let's say. MyMagic+ made people upset, then frozen in Norway made more people upset, and now this...

Guardians should get its own brand new ride just like frozen should've but no they continue to just retro fit existing attractions.

 

[LSLS]

I do get some element of disappointment or even frustration if one is unhappy with a direction they feel a company is going in. But truly, these boards are THE BEST example ever of how you / any company can NEVER make EVERYONE happy!!

True, but everything I have seen has shown attendance is down in both Anaheim and orlando. If thay is the case it is far beyond that idea. You are tipping over to the side of more unhappy than not.

 

[rungoofy]

I do get some element of disappointment or even frustration if one is unhappy with a direction they feel a company is going in. But truly, these boards are THE BEST example ever of how you / any company can NEVER make EVERYONE happy!!

So true...

This one is really simple, folks. Disney has a cash cow in the Marvel properties. Having that intellectual property (IP) in the theme parks will draw in people who otherwise might not visit Disneyland. (The same concept is true of Star Wars Land which could be seen by the swarms of people who attended Star Wars Weekends).

Don't forget that Disney has committed to invest at least $1 Billion on Disneyland Resort (DLR) by 2024 to extend their entertainment tax exemption through 2045. If they invest $1.5 Billion in that time, the tax exemption stretches to 2060.

So, Marvel will be coming to California Adventure. It is speculated that it will take over all of Hollywood Land. You will lose such classics as "Mike and Sulley to the Rescue", "Turtle Talk with Crush", "Disney Junior on Stage" and "Frozen - Live at the Hyperion" (yes, sarcasm). That's about 12 acres of prime DCA real estate that includes tower of terror (when we were there over Easter, quite obviously the least populated area of any park). There's also another 4 acre parking lot right behind the tower.

Regardless, with this being the general area that will encompass the Marvel area, there are only two choices for what to do with the headline attraction that currently sits within it: tear it down or re-purpose it. My gut tells me that they are making the right decision.

 

[Josh Hendy]

I think that heavy investment in "IP" almost requires theme parks to turn into fairly random constellations of isolated, unrelated small lands and attractions.

If you want to build a theme park with strong theming ... meaning a coherent look and feel (architecture, landscaping, music, costumes, etc.) ... then you can go ahead and imagine great, original rides which match (and enhance) the theme. Thus you have Space Mountain and the People Mover in Tomorrowland, Pirates and Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, and so on.

As soon as you start leveraging IP, you end up inserting more or less jarring juxtapositions onto your themed lands.

Universal's Rip Ride Rockit was a jarring overlay of their "New York City backlot" theme and it was arguably an IP-based insertion since the main point of the ride is to play pop songs to the riders and then sell them a music video afterward.

Hogwarts is stupendous, but in order to squeeze it into IOA they had to build it so that when you enter Jurassic Park, you literally see Harry Potter's castle beautifully framed under the "Jurassic Park" archway.

So they can get away with a lot of theme-breaking. And have got away. But how far can they go? The unifying mood of a themed land is intangible. it's just a feeling you get from the architecture, landscaping, water features, background music and so on. And it's more than just your emotions, it's in the age, tastes and expectations of the guests who are drawn to a particular area of a particular park. If the various attractions and mini-lands are jarringly unrelated then what's the difference between your "theme park" and any old amusement park? Or the fun fair that sets up in your local shopping center parking lot.

Epcot now has a pretty nice Frozen overlay. But Epcot already tends to attract older, more intellectually-oriented people ... not to mention foodies and party animals. A princess ride doesn't fit in with what they mostly go to Epcot to see, and the rest of Epcot certainly doesn't have any big excitement for the little kids who are most impressed with a Frozen boat ride. If they add a comic-book movie based thrill ride to Energy Adventure then that (and Test Track) will please the teen and 20-something thrill seekers for about 45 minutes. Then what? Ride on Spaceship Earth and watch the France and China movies a couple of times?

If they keep on mashing up their theme parks based on nothing but box office hits of the year and projected toy sales then they'll end up with nothing but a hash ... and their buses will be packed all day with people criss-crossing WDW looking for the thrill "of the moment".

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

I have never seen Guardians of the Galaxy, nor been to Disneyland (it's on my bucket list), but this is just an odd decision. ToT is one of the most popular attractions and to give it a refurb with a movie that yes...it was popular and got good reviews, but it's not like this is Spider-Man or The Avengers. If it was The Avengers, I don't think I would hate it as much, but Guardians I don't think has the staying power that the other Marvel franchises have. This is just so odd. Granted, it does look cool...but let's just hope it doesn't come anywhere near DHS.

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

I think that heavy investment in "IP" almost requires theme parks to turn into fairly random constellations of isolated, unrelated small lands and attractions.

If you want to build a theme park with strong theming ... meaning a coherent look and feel (architecture, landscaping, music, costumes, etc.) ... then you can go ahead and imagine great, original rides which match (and enhance) the theme. Thus you have Space Mountain and the People Mover in Tomorrowland, Pirates and Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, and so on.

As soon as you start leveraging IP, you end up inserting more or less jarring juxtapositions onto your themed lands.

Universal's Rip Ride Rockit was a jarring overlay of their "New York City backlot" theme and it was arguably an IP-based insertion since the main point of the ride is to play pop songs to the riders and then sell them a music video afterward.

Hogwarts is stupendous, but in order to squeeze it into IOA they had to build it so that when you enter Jurassic Park, you literally see Harry Potter's castle beautifully framed under the "Jurassic Park" archway.

So they can get away with a lot of theme-breaking. And have got away. But how far can they go? The unifying mood of a themed land is intangible. it's just a feeling you get from the architecture, landscaping, water features, background music and so on. And it's more than just your emotions, it's in the age, tastes and expectations of the guests who are drawn to a particular area of a particular park. If the various attractions and mini-lands are jarringly unrelated then what's the difference between your "theme park" and any old amusement park? Or the fun fair that sets up in your local shopping center parking lot.

Epcot now has a pretty nice Frozen overlay. But Epcot already tends to attract older, more intellectually-oriented people ... not to mention foodies and party animals. A princess ride doesn't fit in with what they mostly go to Epcot to see, and the rest of Epcot certainly doesn't have any big excitement for the little kids who are most impressed with a Frozen boat ride. If they add a comic-book movie based thrill ride to Energy Adventure then that (and Test Track) will please the teen and 20-something thrill seekers for about 45 minutes. Then what? Ride on Spaceship Earth and watch the France and China movies a couple of times?

If they keep on mashing up their theme parks based on nothing but box office hits of the year and projected toy sales then they'll end up with nothing but a hash ... and their buses will be packed all day with people criss-crossing WDW looking for the thrill "of the moment".

I completely agree, yes these themed lands are cool, but will they be in 10 years? Harry Potter is different, it's a world wide phenomenon. But Guardians of the Galaxy...come on. Disney needs to start creating original concepts, instead of just movie stuff. The imagineers are INCREDIBLE, they need to tell them to create a new PotC or Haunted Mansion, something original. You're completely right, it's becoming a mash up and getting really awkward. Granted, it still looks really cool. Just a shame to see such a beloved ride get turned into a movie spinoff ride.

 

[Taylor Nicole]

but........ its just Test Track with Disney IP overlaid really. At the American parks the last time they tried ride tech that was new was surely Everest.... or 7DMT. At least they were new tech even if they weren't too excitingly different.

RSR and TT are completely different, have you been on both?

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

True, but everything I have seen has shown attendance is down in both Anaheim and orlando. If thay is the case it is far beyond that idea. You are tipping over to the side of more unhappy than not.

I just cannot imagine how one can think that this tiny little period of time -- mostly rumored decreased attendance for a short period, not confirmed -- is enough data of any sort to draw any conclusions.

Thankfully, decent companies base decisions on far more than this.

I think that sometimes people conflate their own personal distaste for something and a tiny bit of corroborating anecdotal evidence, with PROOF that the thing they dislike is a widespread problem.

It's staggering the number of doomsday predictions that have appeared on this board that have NEVER come to pass... At least not yet!!!

 

[rungoofy]

RSR and TT are completely different, have you been on both?

I have. They are the same ride system and same basic ride format. Move along a slow pace inside for awhile and then head outside for some speed.

 

[Taylor Nicole]

I have. They are the same ride system and same basic ride format. Move along a slow pace inside for awhile and then head outside for some speed.

Not the same format like Indy and Dinosaur. And RSR is just so much better and more well done than TT.

 

[derekleigh]

I think it's hilariously ambitious of them to announce it CLOSING in early 2017 to reopen by SUMMER 2017. I'll believe it happens that quick when I see it. Couldn't retheme Maelstrom (which is WAY less complicated) in a short period of time.

I'm thinking it will be summer of 2018. A 6 month rurnaround for a re theme on a complex ride structure is wishful thinking on their part! Guess we will just have to wait and see.

I truly hope they don't do this to DHS's version.

 

[umichigan10]

Also what stupid suit named this? "Mission breakout"? Honestly I could have a think tank with some of my buddies and come up with such a better name than that. Easily. In like 2 minutes

 

[JACKNAG]

Eisner had his Disney decade, gave us MGM, Animal kingdom, soaring, mission space,
Iger gave us Fantasy-land expansion, Marvel, Vacation club properties out of our ears, and 10 day hopper increases from from $280.00 to now $500.00

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I've said this before and I'll say it again...Disney fans are THE most difficult fans. Nothing ever satisfies. We want new rides - but NEW, not overlays. And those new rides - we want them built fast! And, they had better be UH-MAZING with the latest technology and ride system!!! But don't forget you have to build it in like six months, because I don't want to see walls everywhere and I want to be able to ride it on my next trip. And should Disney decide to do an overlay, well, it will NEVER measure up. But, Disney should be adding something new EVERY year. And on and on it goes. I'm not wholesale defending Disney, but HAVE MERCY we are a PITA fan-base!!!

So many threads just devolve into what TO ME feels more like generalized Disney bashing than anything else.

 

[LittleDreamer]

So I'm trying to lay this one out in my mind

You enter into the Collector's Museum. The preshow may be cut; if not it will be the Collector welcoming you and hoping you enjoy your stay. You board the elevator and raise to the first stop, here if the preshow remains the collector will inform you that your stay is going to be a permanent one. Raise to the second level. Here you meet the Guardians. "We are going to break us out of here hold on. Starlord: "We are going dislodge the cages then Rocket is going to alter the stations gravity to get us down safely." We see an explosion above the GoT and our cages and the riders drop. Starlord: "Rocket! We're falling!" Rocket: "Don't worry I got it" The elevators shoot up. Starlord: "Thats the wrong way...." Jokey arguing track as the elevator goes up and down. It looks like the door open at the top, the yellow stripey part in the middle of the building (left side seems closed the right seems open). It would break the space theme but still a great view. Elevator comes to a stop at the bottom. Starlord: "Thanks for hanging on, now lets get out of here." Exit

Also what stupid suit named this? "Mission breakout"? Honestly I could have a think tank with some of my buddies and come up with such a better name than that. Easily. In like 2 minutes

I'm trying to come up with a name but having some trouble that would make sense for a wide audience. Escape from Knowhere. Collectors Fall. Exhibit Down for Maintance.

 

[Planogirl]

Was it really revolutionary? It's a 3D game. It's a step up from buzz at MK, and didn't universal have men in black before TSMM which is pretty much the same thing? It is well designed but I don't find it revolutionary.

MIB is much like Buzz but fancier. The screens at TSMM could be seen as different maybe....

 

[rteetz]

MIB is much like Buzz but fancier. The screens at TSMM could be seen as different maybe....

Okay. Adding screens to a buzz type ride doesn't seem revolutionary to me. Maybe if they made the ride track less and the ride vehicles interacted with how you did in the game or something.

 

[Planogirl]

I do get some element of disappointment or even frustration if one is unhappy with a direction they feel a company is going in. But truly, these boards are THE BEST example ever of how you / any company can NEVER make EVERYONE happy!!

Oh please! I was one of the biggest rah-rah people anywhere on this forum at one time. It is possible to be unhappy about things without being labeled someone that can never be made happy.