New Park

[Disney Khaleesi]

I honestly don't want them to build a new park. Disney World will never be "complete" but I think they're fine with what they have now. They'd be taking a huge gamble building a new one. I'm so against change I'd probably never even visit it.

 

[SoarinSC]

Would totally be jazzed for a Star Wars fifth gate, but would rather they spend the time and money on a Future World refurb...give the old lady some love. The Soarin upgrade is a nice start.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Next new Disney park to be announced will be in Brazil, not Orlando.

GOOD!!!!! (if you know what I mean)

 

[Brad Bishop]

I think a Star Wars Land and a Cars Land would go well inside HS. If you look at HS from above they could move that one (main) entrance for parking out to the other side of the canal and have plenty of room.

I really wish Avenue of the Americas was something more (or gone) - it's just so weird. It'd be fine if it were a working set that you could go through when they weren't filming but it's just a dead area. Backlot Tour is kind of blah, too. I bet that would have been far more interesting when it was a real Backlot Tour.

For Epcot: Future World needs some help. Imagination, Sealab 2021, and Universe of Energy could use refresh. Captain EO could just go away and no one would miss it.

Even without sponsorship, they really ought to add in some more countries to World Showcase. The last one was, what, 25-30 years ago. It's mostly just restaurants, anyway. Put in a few countries, add a boat ride or two (Rhine in Germany - you already have plans - just finish it) and call it a day.

Outside of that, I think that they could use a 5th gate. It's pretty much consistently busy down there where adding a 5th gate would basically be printing money. Maybe a boardwalk theme (something like DCA but for the East Coast) or something of that manner.

 

[NYDisGuy]

Star Wars has enough potential to become a 5th gate, which is why I think the execs haven't made a decision on what to do with it yet. If they set up an ability to travel to different planets (lands), meet the "locals", have the dining fare of the different areas and created rides specific to said planets??? I would never leave. I always thought Lord of the Rings would have been a good idea for a park but Star Wars is on it's own level.

 

[AmyB2006]

Chance of a new park in ten years is zero.
Hopefully they will fix their two broken parks though (Epcot Futureworld and DHS) by then. Seems like AK is getting some attention so hopefully the other 2 are next.

I agree. They don't need another new park. They need to update and maintain (better) the ones they have.

 

[AmyB2006]

They need to quit dabbling in other countries and improve things here at home instead. Who are they, the federal government?

 

[momof2n2]

I have no desire to see a new park, but I'd be delighted for them to revive the first 4. Last checked, some sections are on life-support.

 

[puffkin]

I agree....they don't need a 5th gate. They have plenty of options to expand/improve the parks they have, especially DHS and Epcot Future World. Harry Potter could have easily supported its own park....but for a lot of reasons it was made as a land in both Universal Parks so I wouldn't hold out hope for a Star Wars Park. I absolutely see it coming as a land in DHS though.

I also think we are about done seeing resorts built at Disney World. I do think the capacity would be there for another water park, especially if they could figure out something really new and innovative to do with it. It will be interesting to see what the next big "announcement" will be now that FLE and the FP+ roll out are virtually done.

 

[pbruce706]

The idea of a Star Wars themed park would be amazing, the idea of a Star Wars themed land would be amazing. The idea of an Avatar themed land... well... I don't get that one really, although I guess if their plan was to expand AK, Avatar kind of fits the overall theme?

I think from a corporate perspective Disney is growing the resorts to increase revenue and until the parks begin to hurt that influx of guest revenue, they'll continue with what they have.

Fantasyland revamp was a bit of a Band-Aid, and there is a lot they can do with their current square footage as has already been stated. I'm sure there is a file in some VP's drawer with future plans that include all of these and some others, but it won't be given serious consideration until the growth dictates it.

 

[sparkylauren]

With the recent acquisitions of both Marvel and Star Wars I think that the possibilities are virtually endless for a new park, but I would much rather the attention be spent in the other parks like most of you have said.

Universal having their Marvel section is a major setback to that universe but does Universal have any control over what Disney does in their parks with characters that they aren't utilizing? A Marvel land and extended Star Wars land at DHS would be amazing, both fandoms have a large and obsessed fanbase.

With the popularity of the villain events I think it would be awesome for Disney to maybe to a mirror of fantasyland and make it a land all about the villains. Dark fantasyland.

Add new countries to the world showcase, we know that there's room! Future world has buildings that are sitting vacant! Give those areas a make over and reopen them!

A fifth Star Wars gate would be fun (I'm a HUGE fan), but I would much rather see the time/money being spent on places that need a huge make over. I would rather have four AWESOME theme parks than five cool ones.

 

[SoarinSC]

Universal having their Marvel section is a major setback to that universe but does Universal have any control over what Disney does in their parks with characters that they aren't utilizing?

I've wondered about this too...is the contract specific in what characters are useable by Universal? Does it apply to movie versions of the same characters?

 

[handicap18]

I've wondered about this too...is the contract specific in what characters are useable by Universal? Does it apply to movie versions of the same characters?

Universal owns the theme park rights to about 8 of the core Marvel superheroes within a 250 mile radius of Orlando. Marvel gave Universal these rights when they opened Islands of Adventure in renewable in perpetuity as long as they paid a reasonable licensing fee every year. That agreement is still in effect and, unless Disney pays Universal a significant sum, it’s not going to change.

 

[heartse]

Next new Disney park to be announced will be in Brazil, not Orlando.

GOOD!!!!! (if you know what I mean)

The way I understand it, the Brazilian tour groups come here first for shopping, and throw in a trip to Disney while they are at it. So, opening a park there would not alleviate the problem so much. But, once can dream, right?

I would rather them spend some major cash showing some love to EPCOT and DHS. There's so much that can be done to expand those, and it would take pressure off MK to boot ! It's a WIN WIN WIN situation!

 

[SoarinSC]

Universal owns the theme park rights to about 8 of the core Marvel superheroes within a 250 mile radius of Orlando. Marvel gave Universal these rights when they opened Islands of Adventure in renewable in perpetuity as long as they paid a reasonable licensing fee every year. That agreement is still in effect and, unless Disney pays Universal a significant sum, it’s not going to change.

I'm just curious if there's wiggle room in the language to allow Disney to differentiate comicbook versions of those characters from movie versions. Universal would obviously argue that the contract implies any and all variations of the characters.

 

[KeroKero]

While a new park would be amazing; especially if it is a Star Wars or Marvel theme; I would much rather they focus on making the existing parks the best they can be. HS has so much wasted space (buildings where nothing is happening), and Future World in Epcot would be so much better than it already is if the attractions actually kept up with current technologies and moving toward the future.

 

[jeffbear]

I'm just curious if there's wiggle room in the language to allow Disney to differentiate comicbook versions of those characters from movie versions. Universal would obviously argue that the contract implies any and all variations of the characters.

Yeah ... it would be nice, but what I understand from the Marvel blogs is that as long as Universal keeps their existing attractions in continuous use (in other words only closes them for repairs or renovation), they retain the rights to those characters for use in theme park attractions. So Spiderman, Hulk, etc are off the board and that alone makes a Marvel-themed park unlikely. Also, I think Marvel also has no rights to movie OR theme park attractions associated with X-Men ... and that's a big blow to the idea as well.

You might could cobble together a Land in a larger Park for the other Marvel characters to whom Marvel/Disney do have control. Maybe a Stars Wars/Marvel/Something Else kind of Park. I think that might actually work pretty well.

 

[jeffbear]

While a new park would be amazing; especially if it is a Star Wars or Marvel theme; I would much rather they focus on making the existing parks the best they can be. HS has so much wasted space (buildings where nothing is happening), and Future World in Epcot would be so much better than it already is if the attractions actually kept up with current technologies and moving toward the future.

I agree.

I think Disney could expand the Star Wars and Pixar presence at Studios and really ramp that Park up into a major player. There's certainly the sapce there to make some changes.

And if you simply moved some of the Pixar stuff from the MK to Studios it would open up some space for changes in the big daddy Park as well. I'd sure love to see Mystic Manor in there.

 

[chartle]

I'm just curious if there's wiggle room in the language to allow Disney to differentiate comicbook versions of those characters from movie versions. Universal would obviously argue that the contract implies any and all variations of the characters.

Two issues:

1. I'm sure if there was any wiggle room Disney would have found it and or knew about it way before the purchase.
   
2. When Universal bought the rights, Marvel was barely keeping the lights on so they were not in a good bargaining position and gave Universal anything they wanted.

 

[chartle]

You might could cobble together a Land in a larger Park for the other Marvel characters to whom Marvel/Disney do have control. Maybe a Stars Wars/Marvel/Something Else kind of Park. I think that might actually work pretty well.

But would the average park goer know who these "B list" characters are?