Major expansion plans for Universal!

[tjkraz]

Again, what is innovative about WOC?

It is wildly successful (which should be a note to Disney about quality vs. cheap), it looks really great but what are the innovations?

Just like WWoHP, it builds on prior innovations while taking things in a new direction.

Take WWoHP for a moment. There's nothing radically new about creating a themed environment. Disney has been creating stylized shops and restaurants for over 50 years now.

Forbidden Journey itself is a leap forward, but it still leverages many technologies that have been seen before. Themed queues are nothing new. Much of the ride is reminiscent of Spider-Man which is over 10 years old. Its specific use of the Kuka robotics system is unique, but the system itself is available in other parks. Legoland CA has had a Kuka implementation for several years and Disney opened Sum of All Thrills a year before WWoHP.

All of the pieces were brought together in a unique fashion but you can clearly see how it leverages what has come before.

The same can be said for World of Color. It isn't just a copy of the Bellagio water show in Vegas. WoC combines many different shapes and sizes of highly maneuverable water jets, lasers, music, video and other elements in a manner which has never been done before. That's enough to make it innovative.

Again you two are crazy and putting words in my mouth I never said anything bad about WOC I agreed with you so what are you talking about? All I said is it's a show not an attraction.

It is not a RIDE but it certainly qualifies as an attraction.

Those semantics aside, the statement you keep making in this thread is that Disney is no longer an innovator. I pointed to multiple examples from the past several years including World of Color. What I don't understand is why you feel it's appropriate to arbitrarily dismiss WoC. No WoC isn't a RIDE but it most certainly is an ATTRACTION which draws guests into the park gates. The quality of WoC is worthy of inclusion in any discussion of Disney's recent theme park innovations.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

There was once an incredible water show in Las Vegas. It now looks like a cheap piece of junk because Disney out did it in an incredible way.

Disney fused dozens of entertainment methods together and created something incredible that nobody else had done before. Hence inventing something new.

Kind of like how people wore corrosion resistance metals in all sorts of fanshionable jewelries for thousdands of years. Turns out in a short hundred year period people figured out how to use the same metals to reflect radiation, conduct electricity and reduce pollution. All novel ideas using basic elements that nobody presented in truly useful ways for thousands of years. This is called innovation.

While I have no doubt that a great many untried and new ideas were used in the 'nuts and bolts' making of this, which qualifies it as innovative I guess, what is new in what we see?

The greatest effects of Illuminations, Fantasmic and the Bellagio Fountains, all updated to the times put together in one, big, huge, tremendous, stupendous, super duper, phenomenal show.

No one misunderstand me, please. I watched the entire show on video and can only imagine how much more SPECTACULAR it must be in person. But still the innovative factor maybe is being confused with quality (and given Disney's track record, this is understandable). But from what I saw it was mostly an amalgamation of the best quality Disney (and Las Vegas) had already introduced.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact EVERYTHING is right about this. It is a truly Disneyesque attraction worthy of kudos and exclamation points. But innovative, I'm not so sure.

 

[skiingfast]

While I have no doubt that a great many untried and new ideas were used in the 'nuts and bolts' making of this, which qualifies it as innovative I guess, what is new in what we see?


But innovative, I'm not so sure.

There were these things called wheels that were attached to boxes forming carts. The put the cart on tracks. The put a steam engine on the cart to turn wheels. Walt Disney wanted one around an amusement park.

None of these existed together yet they all were innovative to put them together. Please tell me how none of those world changing events were not innovative.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

There were these things called wheels that were attached to boxes forming carts. The put the cart on tracks. The put a steam engine on the cart to turn wheels. Walt Disney wanted one around an amusement park.

None of these existed together yet they all were innovative to put them together. Please tell me how none of those world changing events were not innovative.

LOL! I love condescension.

OK, we'll use your definition.

I think WOC looks TERRIFIC so sue me for breaking it down and seeing that it all looks somewhat familiar to me piece by piece. You don't see it? Well ... Maybe I'm wrong.

tjkraz, if it's true that FJ is just next gen, then Uni gets kudos for pursuing the best options available to them without reinventing skiingfast's wheel.

It seems true innovation is getting hard to find.

 

[tjkraz]

I think WOC looks TERRIFIC so sue me for breaking it down and seeing that it all looks somewhat familiar to me piece by piece. You don't see it? Well ... Maybe I'm wrong.

tjkraz, if it's true that FJ is just next gen, then Uni gets kudos for pursuing the best options available to them without reinventing skiingfast's wheel.

But that's what both WoC and FJ have in common--neither is really a radically new concept. Both are just taking older concepts to the next level.

If you really want to talk about groundbreaking, I would cite things like It's a Small World, Body Wars, Soarin, Spider-Man, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, and so on. Those were more of the pioneers in their respective areas.

If you want to take that as a sign that neither WoC nor FJ are innovators, then I guess I would have to agree with that. Neither is an entirely new concept--they both build on what came before. But I'm sure that both attractions include new technology and enhancements to the core systems which have been utilized before.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

But that's what both WoC and FJ have in common--neither is really a radically new concept. Both are just taking older concepts to the next level.

If you really want to talk about groundbreaking, I would cite things like It's a Small World, Body Wars, Soarin, Spider-Man, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, and so on. Those were more of the pioneers in their respective areas.

If you want to take that as a sign that neither WoC nor FJ are innovators, then I guess I would have to agree with that. Neither is an entirely new concept--they both build on what came before. But I'm sure that both attractions include new technology and enhancements to the core systems which have been utilized before.

See, we're really not disagreeing that much when we get the semantics ironed out.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Ok - I have read most of this thread.. and other than an opinion that the success of WWoHP will prompt a flurry of expansion at UoSO, I don't see anything here concrete other than said posting..

Did I miss something somewhere? I'll admit I skimmed.

 

[rie'smom]

The gamble is --will Potter stand the test of time? Or fade away once something new and better comes along.

Anyway-Universal is flexing it's muscle, but will always be hampered by lack of space--i.e. LAND.

Size doesn't matter it's knowing how to use what you have that counts.

 

[ChrisFL]

Size doesn't matter it's knowing how to use what you have that counts.

remember, this is a family site!

 

[rie'smom]

remember, this is a family site!

I meant the acreage!

 

[DCTooTall]

I meant the acreage!

But if you have HUGE tracts of land, You really don't have to be very skilled at effective usage to still meet your goals.

 

[Figment632]

Ok - I have read most of this thread.. and other than an opinion that the success of WWoHP will prompt a flurry of expansion at UoSO, I don't see anything here concrete other than said posting..

Did I miss something somewhere? I'll admit I skimmed.

This comes from Martin at WDWmagic that makes it concrete. He is an insider that has literally never been wrong about WDW.

 

[ChrisFL]

This comes from Martin at WDWmagic that makes it concrete. He is an insider that has literally never been wrong about WDW.

While I haven't read Martin's post on this specifically, for those who aren't familiar with him...I agree that he does seem to have the most viable information around.

If he says it's happening, there's a very good chance it is.

 

[rie'smom]

But if you have HUGE tracts of land, You really don't have to be very skilled at effective usage to still meet your goals.