Just back, CM's told us a secret that's gonna be HUGE

[alaskanabbott]

Apparently Disney owns the rights to Marvel Comics, and now that US is doing so well with HP, Disney has taken back the rights to MArvel...they are adding a major section to Hollywood Studios with several coasters based on Mavel comic charactors, and US will have to rename/re-invent any rides they have. This is suppose to begin in 2013 and be finished by 2015....this may have already been discussed on here, but just thought I'd let everyone know what we heard.

 

[Figment632]

No truth to this at all. Disney can't use Marvel in WDW legally.

 

[alaskanabbott]

No truth to this at all. Disney can't use Marvel in WDW legally.

HMMM two CM's at HS told us otherwise, I'm not sure why they would feel the need to lie to us? They seemed pretty excited about it, and had a lot of details about the project.

ETA- a quick google of Disney and Marvel confirms this from 2009 New York Times Article, among others

 

[doconeill]

No truth to this at all. Disney can't use Marvel in WDW legally.

I believe more specifically, Disney can't use the Marvel characters that Universal has licensed...there are many others. But all the good ones are taken.

And I agree...its a CM that just thinks because Disney now owns Marvel then it MUST be happening...because Disney would pay $4 billion just to get the property rights to add a small section to a park, right?

 

[Figment632]

You were lied to or the CMwas misinformed. Never listen to anything a CM tells ifyou did you would think there would be monorail expansion a fifth park and River Counrty would be reopening.

 

[alaskanabbott]

You were lied to or the CMwas misinformed. Never listen to anything a CM tells ifyou did you would think there would be monorail expansion a fifth park and River Counrty would be reopening.

Ok so that just made me laugh! I have been googling, and I can't seem to find a real yes or no, it looks like WDW will eventually have something Marvel going on, but the who, what, when just can't be found. Iron Man seems to be the favorite answer. I'm not terribly interested in the comic aspect myself except that maybe WDW would get some more coasters, and that would be AWESOME!

 

[Figment632]

Im telling you they can't use Marvel east I
Of the Mississippi. They can in DL or foreign parks but not in WDW. There will be no Marvel in WDW for 10-15 years.

 

[ASteelersMidget]

Im telling you they can't use Marvel east I
Of the Mississippi. They can in DL or foreign parks but not in WDW. There will be no Marvel in WDW for 10-15 years.

Wasn't it that Disney couldn't use any marvel names already being used by US east of the Mississippi? Not any Marvel?

 

[Figment632]

Wasn't it that Disney couldn't use any marvel names already being used by US east of the Mississippi? Not any Marvel?

No Marvel attractions are being planned for WDW and to tell you the truth I'm nit sure if your right or me.

Marvel will be DL third Gate IMO.

 

[ASteelersMidget]

No Marvel attractions are being planned for WDW and to tell you the truth I'm nit sure if your right or me.

Marvel will be DL third Gate IMO.

I'm not saying there will or won't be marvel at WDW, I'm just trying to verify exactly what the terms of the agreement were.

also technically, east of the Mississippi is the whole world. You keep going east and you just get back to the Mississippi.

 

[Figment632]

I'm not saying there will or won't be marvel at WDW, I'm just trying to verify exactly what the terms of the agreement were.

also technically, east of the Mississippi is the whole world. You keep going east and you just get back to the Mississippi.

Ok I'll word it this way no Marvel in WDW until it's gone from UNI

 

[doconeill]

As usual, there have been no official announcements of the terms that Universal licensed the Marvel properties under. Most everything is speculative.

While hunting around a bit, I found in reports of the announcement of the Marvel theme park in Dubai (which probably won't get built anyways), that there were Marvel rides at Universal Hollywood and Universal Japan - but I can't find any such thing. And it was multiple news reports.

From my visit to IOA in December, they use characters in various locations, not just the rides, which could make the choice of characters available fairly small. For instance, Captain America is used for a diner, and a M&G character. As is Wolverine and Storm. I don't recall seeing Iron Man anywhere but I could be mistaken. But even with the Avengers-linked movies, Disney may not be able to use much there.

What I CAN tell you is that Disney lawyers have looked over those licensing terms VERY closely, and were satisfied with the contents enough that they still bought Marvel. If they have a way to use the Marvel characters in WDW, they will.

 

[Figment632]

As usual, there have been no official announcements of the terms that Universal licensed the Marvel properties under. Most everything is speculative.

While hunting around a bit, I found in reports of the announcement of the Marvel theme park in Dubai (which probably won't get built anyways), that there were Marvel rides at Universal Hollywood and Universal Japan - but I can't find any such thing. And it was multiple news reports.

From my visit to IOA in December, they use characters in various locations, not just the rides, which could make the choice of characters available fairly small. For instance, Captain America is used for a diner, and a M&G character. As is Wolverine and Storm. I don't recall seeing Iron Man anywhere but I could be mistaken. But even with the Avengers-linked movies, Disney may not be able to use much ther

What I CAN tell you is that Disney lawyers have looked over those licensing terms VERY closely, and were satisfied with the contents enough that they still bought Marvel. If they have a way to use the Marvel characters in WDW, they will.

Disney buying Marvel hardly had anything to do with the parks but to make money off of Merch and offer young boys somethin that they couldn't before with their brand.

 

[doconeill]

Disney buying Marvel hardly had anything to do with the parks but to make money off of Merch and offer young boys somethin that they couldn't before with their brand.

Like I said in my earlier post, they didn't pay $4B just to add a few rides to a park. But if there is some way they CAN integrate them into the parks, they will. $4B is a lot of money not to take advantage of it every way you can.

 

[Figment632]

Like I said in my earlier post, they didn't pay $4B just to add a few rides to a park. But if there is some way they CAN integrate them into the parks, they will. $4B is a lot of money not to take advantage of it every way you can.

I agree ad they will be in WDW one day (hopefully not EC or MK) but not until they are out of UNI. Again they can be in DL niww if they want.

 

[SparkyTheGiraffe]

You were lied to or the CMwas misinformed. Never listen to anything a CM tells ifyou did you would think there would be monorail expansion a fifth park and River Counrty would be reopening.

Yup. I was just reading a thread about a World Showcase castmember who said there will be a new country, an Aladdin ride in Morocco, more new rides in WS and more eateries coming with th FE.

 

[DC7800]

I believe more specifically, Disney can't use the Marvel characters that Universal has licensed...there are many others. But all the good ones are taken.

And I agree...its a CM that just thinks because Disney now owns Marvel then it MUST be happening...because Disney would pay $4 billion just to get the property rights to add a small section to a park, right?

As I understand the agreement, and I'm very far from knowledgeable on such matters, Disney actually could open a Marvel character attraction in Walt Disney World tomorrow, but it would have to be based upon a character which Universal either isn't using, or else is using in only an incidental way (probably something like a character found only in attraction signs or murals or similar; Walk around characters may be incidental if they aren't used in promotional materials (or something like that - again, I'm not an expert at all!). The attraction could also not even be labeled a Marvel attraction, only the characters name could be used (Universal retaining use of the Marvel name). Disney could not have a Marvel land, for instance, but possibly could build an attraction called Machine Man, again, assuming Machine Man isn't used by Universal or else used only incidentally. Disney would also be restricted in how it could market the Marvel character attraction within X miles of Universal.

The agreement is posted on the SEC website (found by members of another discussion board), but I don't know for certain I've found the complete agreement. I had always assumed Disney could always open a Marvel restaurant or retail presence in Downtown Disney (Universal having theme-park rights), but having read the document(s) on the SEC, I'm not sure anymore (the agreement spells out restrictions on a Marvel retail project). Regardless, such a move would make excellent free advertising - for Islands of Adventure, and it's solely my opinion, but it seems like a Marvel based attraction in WDW at this point could be a legal confrontation waiting to happen.

 

[quikah]

No Marvel attractions are being planned for WDW and to tell you the truth I'm nit sure if your right or me.

Marvel will be DL third Gate IMO.

Where will they be able to fit a 3rd gate at DL?

 

[nytimez]

As I understand the agreement, and I'm very far from knowledgeable on such matters, Disney actually could open a Marvel character attraction in Walt Disney World tomorrow, but it would have to be based upon a character which Universal either isn't using, or else is using in only an incidental way (probably something like a character found only in attraction signs or murals or similar; Walk around characters may be incidental if they aren't used in promotional materials (or something like that - again, I'm not an expert at all!). The attraction could also not even be labeled a Marvel attraction, only the characters name could be used (Universal retaining use of the Marvel name). Disney could not have a Marvel land, for instance, but possibly could build an attraction called Machine Man, again, assuming Machine Man isn't used by Universal or else used only incidentally. Disney would also be restricted in how it could market the Marvel character attraction within X miles of Universal.

The agreement is posted on the SEC website (found by members of another discussion board), but I don't know for certain I've found the complete agreement. I had always assumed Disney could always open a Marvel restaurant or retail presence in Downtown Disney (Universal having theme-park rights), but having read the document(s) on the SEC, I'm not sure anymore (the agreement spells out restrictions on a Marvel retail project). Regardless, such a move would make excellent free advertising - for Islands of Adventure, and it's solely my opinion, but it seems like a Marvel based attraction in WDW at this point could be a legal confrontation waiting to happen.

Right -- the walk-around characters and such are sort of a gray area to those of us on the outside... it's never really been publicly defined whether or not Disney can use them.

So while it seems pretty clear that Disney can't use Spider-Man and Hulk in any theme park east of the Mississippi, and pretty clear that they can use, say, Thor, it's unclear whether or not they can use Captain America and other guys who are present at US/IOA but don't have a specific dedicated attraction.

At this point, it's unclear how aggressively Disney is pushing for a Marvel presence at WDW. Iger is on record as saying there "will be Marvel characters in the theme parks," but he wasn't very specific.

If I'm Universal, I'm not giving them an inch on this. And Disney will probably test them on this, maybe push them a little (and maybe behind the scenes they already are).

 

[Figment632]

Where will they be able to fit a 3rd gate at DL?

They own land diagonal to the current ones that used to be a farm. It could fit a park larger than DCA.