Elena is in Disney World, but Moana isn't -- why?

[Tinkerbell8956]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but we have two Disney Store locations in my city, and they both have dolls. The Barbie style, plush, toddler etc etc.

Disney did the same thing with Moana they did with Frozen initially. They completely underestimated the demand for merchandise. I just purchased the new Moana backpack, lunch kit and water bottle for my daughter at our store. They sold out online last week in less than a day. Not sure if they've been replenished yet. The store manager told me I was smart to buy the Moana backpack now, as everything Moana sells quickly!

I saw the Moana backpack online when I was at work. I planned to buy it when I got home...it was already sold out! My daughter is almost 4, she and all of her friends are completely obsessed with Moana. My daughter gets home and throws off her shoes because "Moana doesn't wear shoes!" I really don't think the issue is that Moana is not popular. I'm really hoping that She has a meet and greet somewhere by the end of September.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

“If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, then you’re a princess.”

This is one of my kids' favorite lines in the movie. My kids are Moana fanatics and either the movie or soundtrack are on constantly in my house. Not just my 3 year old, but my 10 year old daughter and 8 year old son are super fans too. I think the movie appeals to both boys and girls as well. I would love to see a dual meet and greet with both Moana and Maui (I know that's wishful thinking, especially Maui - " I know it's a lot, the hair, the bod!")
Even having Moana added in at the 'Ohana character breakfast at the Poly would be nice.

 

[shruley]

Elena is just flippin popular I think. She's one of the more difficult Fastpass to get, and it's not because of Cinderella. I don't know what it is. My 4 year old LOVES Elena, even though we don't get Disney Channel (just Netflix, etc. and Elena's not on there yet). But she loves Elena stuff anywhere she sees it, and Elena is her top meet and greet. I kept asking her lots of different combinations of people trying to prioritize (Would you rather see Minnie or Elena, Tink or Elena, Ariel or Elena?) and she picks Elena over EVERYONE. Even Ariel and Belle and Sophia, even when she has been very recently obsessed and watched non-stop ALL of those other princesses.

 

[freediverdude]

Moana has come and gone in the theaters and home video sales fall off drastically after the third week of release, and merchandise sales (which were better than expected) have dropped off considerably (unlike Frozen and Star Wars). By all accounts, WDW is working on giving her a proper presence in the parks, but Moana is now just another legacy IP.

Along similar lines, Elena is probably being paid for by a cross-promotional budget from Disney/ABC Television. As with most of these characters, once her show is off the air, you might never see her again.

I agree that in 6 months to a year (or whenever the next movie comes out), Moana will be another legacy character, which is why I warned that putting such a huge emphasis on her in HEA is going to make that show seem outdated very quickly, unless they're planning on updating the fireworks show yearly now or something. As far as a meet and greet, I wonder if they should set up a building with several Disney Channel and latest movie meet and greets going at a time, rotating those out as shows come and go.

 

[Tk0021]

We are going in September and we were really excited to hear the rumor that Moana might be appearing in Adventureland when it first appeared on the forums. My two girls watched Mona everyday and sang the songs from the movie nonstop. We are going to a MNSSHP during our trip and they both wanted to be Moana. Fast forward to now and they stopped watching Moana and they really don't care to met her anymore. Maybe Moana just lost her steam.

 

[Karin1984]

Maybe we can conclude they are both popular

 

[linzbear]

I agree that in 6 months to a year (or whenever the next movie comes out), Moana will be another legacy character, which is why I warned that putting such a huge emphasis on her in HEA is going to make that show seem outdated very quickly, unless they're planning on updating the fireworks show yearly now or something. As far as a meet and greet, I wonder if they should set up a building with several Disney Channel and latest movie meet and greets going at a time, rotating those out as shows come and go.

There's a pretty big section of HEA dedicated to Hunchback. I'm not sure why having a section dedicated to Moana would make it feel outdated.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

As Australian's visiting Disney in July, we are skipping seeing Cinderella because she is paired up with Elena. We don't know who she is. She hasn't made any impression here and the kids have no interest. They are soooo disappointed that Moana wont be there. Whilst I know that only 22% of visitors to WDW are from the overseas, I would have thought Moana would have global appeal whereas Elena's would be limited to the USA.

 

[MrsDuck]

I think it's connected to popularity from the show. Moana was a great movie but Elena is on TV regularly... exposure!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I thought Sark from Tron should get a meet and greet but...nope

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

My daughter is HUGE into princesses. She loves Moana but has no interest whatsoever in Elena. She told me that princesses don't really seem like real princesses when they are only on a TV show. They have to be in a movie for them to be a princess. That's my DD7's logic on the whole thing. Elena is NOT a princess, but Moana is. She felt the same way about Sofia, she's not a REAL princess, and basically views her as being a knock-off (even though she has had movies, they're not big theater movies, and even though she knows she's a Disney character). It will be difficult explaining to her that Princess Moana will not be there, but someone who, in her eyes, is NOT a princess (Elena) is, since Disney World is supposed to be the home of all Princesses. I know she will still have a blast, but I really hope Disney brings Moana back.

 

[Ambehnke]

My daughter is HUGE into princesses. She loves Moana but has no interest whatsoever in Elena. She told me that princesses don't really seem like real princesses when they are only on a TV show. They have to be in a movie for them to be a princess. That's my DD7's logic on the whole thing. Elena is NOT a princess, but Moana is. She felt the same way about Sofia, she's not a REAL princess, and basically views her as being a knock-off (even though she has had movies, they're not big theater movies, and even though she knows she's a Disney character). It will be difficult explaining to her that Princess Moana will not be there, but someone who, in her eyes, is NOT a princess (Elena) is, since Disney World is supposed to be the home of all Princesses. I know she will still have a blast, but I really hope Disney brings Moana back.

That has me thinking... is Moana the only princess without a M&G? We are going in August and are super bummed we haven't heard any more rumors of her showing up in adventureland.

 

[bettybooplove]

Is Disney really so picky about casting that they will only choose a woman who is a Pacific Islander for the role of Moana?

Princess Tiana is a brown/dark woman and I've seen a couple of Tianas in the parks who looked pretty light.

I don't think it has to do with picking the perfect Asian cast member. Disney pushes what sells and draws in the crowds. Clearly Elena is giving them what they want.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Well, going through the Princesses....All of these have meet and greets: Pocahontas, Elsa, Anna, Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Mulan, Tiana, Merida, Sofia, and Elena. I'm not sure if Aurora is still meeting in France or anywhere else, but she can still be found at Akershus, CRT, and the Perfectly Princess Tea Party. I think that is all of the Princesses... except for Moana. Granted, she might not yet be considered a "Princess" by Disney, I don't know, but she should still have a place there, especially given how new and popular she is.

I think Disney puts perhaps a bit too much focus on some of the original princesses: Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, and Ariel. They should absolutely have a place there, I wish it wasn't essentially the same characters at CRT and Akershus (with the exception of swapping Cinderella for Belle) and that they'd incorporate some of the newer Princesses into more things. I know my daughter will be happy to meet all of the princesses, but the older ones just don't have the same appeal as Elsa, Anna, Moana, Merida, and Rapunzel. I would bet a lot of money that the Perfectly Princess Tea Party would be harder to get than the combined difficulty of Be Our Guest dinner, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and a Flight of Passage fast pass IF they put Elsa there. It just baffles me that they seem to have missed out on great marketing opportunities concerning the new princesses.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I can't believe that Mona (sp) has already lost her appeal the movie just made it to Netflix this week and I can't be the only one seeing it for the first time

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I can't believe that Mona (sp) has already lost her appeal the movie just made it to Netflix this week and I can't be the only one seeing it for the first time

You're not the only one just seeing her. My daughter just saw the movie about a month ago for the first time. She loves Moana as much as Frozen, perhaps even a little more since Moana is newer. I really don't believe she's lost her appeal. I think Disney is miscalculating the size of Moana's fan base.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I would bet a lot of money that the Perfectly Princess Tea Party would be harder to get than the combined difficulty of Be Our Guest dinner, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and a Flight of Passage fast pass IF they put Elsa there. It just baffles me that they seem to have missed out on great marketing opportunities concerning the new princesses.

Having Elsa only available at Epcot is actually a smart marketing move for WDW because 1. It gets people in the door at Epcot and 2. You have to pay park admission to meet her.

A high demand ADR outside the park wouldn't have as nearly as much financial benefit for WDW as having her exclusively in Epcot.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I really don't believe she's lost her appeal. I think Disney is miscalculating the size of Moana's fan base.

I agree with you that I don't think she has lost her appeal. But I think they are aware of her fan base since they included a Moana segment in the new HEA show. Baby Groot and Starlord replaced her at HS because they are the next movie to promote in that rotating space. As mentioned by others in earlier posts, appearances in that HS space come from movie promo budgets not park budgets.
Different buckets.

It may not be in time for everyone's next trip but I truly believe Moana will have a M&G again eventually once WDW gets casting and budget sorted out. I'm hoping this is by early September A girl can dream! I have a little wannabe Moana here at home and I'm hoping she'll meet her hero!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Having Elsa only available at Epcot is actually a smart marketing move for WDW because 1. It gets people in the door at Epcot and 2. You have to pay park admission to meet her.

A high demand ADR outside the park wouldn't have as nearly as much financial benefit for WDW as having her exclusively in Epcot.

I personally think there are more than enough people that would still go to Epcot even if Elsa was available elsewhere too. Soarin, Test Track, and Frozen Ever After are still 3 of the most popular rides in all of Disney World and The World Showcase is a huge attraction as well. I really doubt having an extra-fee event with Elsa outside the parks would have a noticeable impact on Epcot admissions... And if she were available at PP tea party or a character meal or some other paid for event, Disney would also be able to rake in the profits from that as well.

 

[mamamelody2]

I can't believe that Mona (sp) has already lost her appeal the movie just made it to Netflix this week and I can't be the only one seeing it for the first time

Just watched it yesterday with DH and my kids. We all liked it. My kids are 11, 14, and 17. If they were younger, we would have taken them to see it in the theater.
Elena I know nothing about and I'm fine keeping it that way. Again, if my kids were younger, I'm sure I'd know about her.