News Round Up 2016

Who did I bet the beer with on the seats.....pm me your address. I lost.
@Maineiak is who you're looking for:

It may the construction technique. The rock facade, is likely going in after the bench is mounted.

I think I'd disagree. I count only 7 rows with the rock facade vs. 10+ without. Additionally, the facade seats appear to be more tiered, allowing for potentially a better straight-line water view whereas the seats in the back are not staggered on as great of an incline.

I think you're looking at close to the finished product. Two different seating areas/categories.

Just my thoughts.

I'll bet you a beer
 

We've had this discussion a couple of times before. In my opinion the internet has killed the concept behind Epcot. Back in the day the stuff that Future World offered was exciting, new and it was just something that you didn't have access to on a regular basis. Nowadays, smartphones and the internet allow us to have access to all that information and more in a matter of seconds. Not to mention that technology is always evolving, which has resulted in the same problem Tomorrowland has experienced countless times: even if they updated Future World on a regular basis, it would still feel dated in a matter of a couple of years.

On the other hand, World Showcase used to be a very unique and exotic experience, the closest you could get to actually visiting those countries. Nowadays the generations that are growing with stuff like virtual reality and whose attention span is much shorter find World Showcase boring and uninteresting. Disneyfying World Showcase may sound outrageous to those of us who still find beauty in those things, but in reality that's just the way in which you can capture the new generations' attention. I personally don't think it's that big of a deal, but that's just an opinion. And I may get many ''well, my kids still enjoy World Showcase'' type of responses, but let's be honest, WS is more of an adult attraction nowadays.

Just to clarify, I'm not excusing them for abandoning the Epcot concept. The park should've never reached its current state. It's just a difficult concept to work with given its nature.

I agree, to a point. I would love to see Future World move towards a more mobile/dynamic model within some pavilions, and I don't really know what that looks like or how difficult it would be (or not be) to pull off. Ideally I think there should be areas to set up latest and greatest demonstrations that guests could interact with. One example that comes to mind is an area with 3D printers where guests can participate in an experience for a small cost, select an item to be printed, and then receive the item as a souvenir.(Obviously there are other parameters in play: time to print very simple to more complex items, CMs to monitor stations, etc) but no matter how many times I access information on 3D printing on the internet, I still want to see it, touch it, and print something! I think MANY things fall into this category. So yes, the internet may allow us to access information at our fingertips, but I don't think that removes all opportunities for EPCOT to display cutting edge ideas. All guests would be able to observe, and a short video explaining the technology should be available for all exhibits. In my mind I see the best of the best exhibits from museums and state fairs, car shows and medical conferences. It would be Nerd Heaven!!
 
I agree, to a point. I would love to see Future World move towards a more mobile/dynamic model within some pavilions, and I don't really know what that looks like or how difficult it would be (or not be) to pull off. Ideally I think there should be areas to set up latest and greatest demonstrations that guests could interact with. One example that comes to mind is an area with 3D printers where guests can participate in an experience for a small cost, select an item to be printed, and then receive the item as a souvenir.(Obviously there are other parameters in play: time to print very simple to more complex items, CMs to monitor stations, etc) but no matter how many times I access information on 3D printing on the internet, I still want to see it, touch it, and print something! I think MANY things fall into this category. So yes, the internet may allow us to access information at our fingertips, but I don't think that removes all opportunities for EPCOT to display cutting edge ideas. All guests would be able to observe, and a short video explaining the technology should be available for all exhibits. In my mind I see the best of the best exhibits from museums and state fairs, car shows and medical conferences. It would be Nerd Heaven!!

I do think a lot of new technologies could be showcased and be available for guest usage, but then again, technology changes so fast... some people have 3D printers of their own these days. Virtual reality is no longer a thing from the future. It's here now, relatively affordable and functional.

Most of the stuff Epcot has is just so accessible nowadays. It's difficult to keep up with an ever-changing technological industry. I do agree that a lot could be done to engage the people with such technologies, though.
 
It is unfortunate that there is so much in question with TWDC: ESPN, Shanghai's domino effect on the Parks & Resorts, and future of the CEO. However, the studio business segment is dominating at the moment. I thought last year was going the best year for the Studios Entertainment business segment with releases like Cinderella, Inside Out, Avengers: Age of Ultron and last but not least Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, I feel like this year may trump that and it is because there is more pound for pound material. Zootopia may be almost an equivalent to Inside Out.

Captain America: Civil War, from early reviews sounds like it may be the best Marvel movie in the MCU. Domestically, Captain America: Civil War may not make as much money as Avengers: Age of Ultron, but I feel like it is going to be a way better movie. However, $459MM can possibly be beaten by Captain America: Civil War. I mean Iron Man 3 made $409MM, so anything is possible.

Oh, I haven't got to The Jungle Book. I feel like critics will loves this movie, audiences will love this movie, and visually it may be the best that Jon Favreau has ever done. This movie will for sure be better then Cinderella both as a movie and in the box office. Domestically, I am guessing between $250MM - $300MM, probably $270MM. Internationally, this movie has so much appeal and it is the Asian market that I feel like it will appeal too.

Obviously, there is nothing that is going to match Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One will make a ton of money, but nowhere near $930MM domestically. I am thinking more in the $550MM range. Doctor Strange will be on the same level as Ant-Man.

I am kind of rambling on, but overall the Studio Entertainment is doing very good and a strong footprint for the company.

2016 TWDC Box Office Predictions (Domestic)
1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - $560MM
2. Captain America: Civil War - $430MM
3. Finding Dory - $360MM
4. Zootopia - $315MM ($220MM Original)
5. The Jungle Book - $270MM
6. Moana - $230MM
7. Alice Through The Looking Glass - $210MM
8. Doctor Strange - $170MM
9. Pete's Dragon - $140MM

The are obviously other movies distributed by TWDC like BFG, Disney nature, The Finest Hours, etc. However, in terms of the main movies those are my predictions updated for Zootopia. Overall, this is going to be an even better year then the best year the studio has ever had.
 
I'm not a fan of the live action remakes at all. But of the ones that have been announced, this is the first one I am actually interested in.

I'm OK with the idea, though usually won't go to see them in the theater. The Cinderella one for instance was a well done movie, but really added little that wasn't already in the original. (Except for this - in the animated film - I always thought it odd that Lady Tremaine didn't just try and USE the fact that Cinderella was the girl the prince was interested in. Lady Tremaine isn't evil exactly, just extremely self-serving. I always thought that if her step-daughter suddenly fell into the good graces of the prince she would've instantly switched gears with her and used that to gain entry into royalty. The live-action movie addresses this. But I digress)

The Jungle Book is not really all that good a movie in it's original incarnation. I honestly wouldn't probably bother to see it, but our daughter seems interested in it. But particularly like Beauty and the Beast - it can't possibly be a better than the original movie. But it'll probably make a half billion dollars, so what do I know.
 















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