PhilharMagic Media Event

[DisneyKidds]

According to Screamscape.................................

PhilharMagic - (4/7/03) A good source tells me that Disney has set October 9th as the date for the PhilharMagic Media Event.

Since the attraction was announced long ago, could this be an opening event?

 

[Safari Steve]

Whenever a major attraction opens, WDW hosts a media event. You've seen pictures recently of the radio station booths lined up along the sidewalk near the Hyperion theatre at DCA, the same type of folding tables near the Haunted Mansion when HM Holiday was unveiled, and the tables that line the promenade between Refreshment Port and Canada during Flower and Garden and Food and Wine. Local media from all over the country, as well as many international networks/stations come to cover such events.

 

[Bob O]

Wasnt this supposed to have been a new show that was too open this summer????
Is this another example of disney being unable to open attractions on time??? ala test track and possible Mission space
As compared to Shrek/Jimmy Neutron opening on time as planned.

 

[All Aboard]

October? Wow! Why in the world has this project become 20 months long? And, 20 months is just the time between when Lion King closed and the rumored media event. I'm assuming that development of the CG film was ongoing before the Legend shuttered.

The Universal v. Disney discussion has grown a bit too big here these days, I know. But, the point is that Universal shut down Hitchcock in January of this year, ripped out most of the interior, is building a 4D theater (with in theater effects) and opening the new attraction in June. Six months versus twenty months is a MAJOR difference.

I asked it in the other thread, and perhaps no one really knows. But, what the heck gives on this one?

 

[HB2K]

The Universal v. Disney discussion has grown a bit too big here these days, I know. But, the point is that Universal shut down Hitchcock in January of this year, ripped out most of the interior, is building a 4D theater (with in theater effects) and opening the new attraction in June. Six months versus twenty months is a MAJOR difference.

I asked it in the other thread, and perhaps no one really knows. But, what the heck gives on this one?

Could it be the number of Imagineers who have defected to Universal? I don't honestly know...just a guess.

I'm still waiting on AV's take. I remember reading a post of his which asked this same question....if my memory serves right, I think he said something to the effect of "I've hear rumors of troubles with Philharmagic and it's odd because Disney should be able to crank those 4D things out no sweat".

AV?

 

[Safari Steve]

Do a search of my posts... November 03 has been the scheduled opening for at least a year. October is still earlier than November on the calendar, right?

 

[yesdisneyfool]

Originally posted by Safari Steve
Do a search of my posts... November 03 has been the scheduled opening for at least a year. October is still earlier than November on the calendar, right?

Sorry. The search function has been disabled by the administrator.
Seems like the Search is turned off.

 

[KidDurango]

With Philharmagic you were completely gutting and reworking a building that is 30+ years old on the second floor of a building that is buried under tons of dirt. The engineering requirements are much greater. In addition, Universal's buildings were built as soundstage type buildings with minimal interior walls to work around, and easier to remove sets, so demolition was much more difficult at Disney.
Finally, Philharmagic is a much wider screen than has ever been done, and will use more cameras to project the images which makes making a seemless 3-d image immensly more difficult.
This will be an awesome attraction when it is done, it will be worth the wait.

 

[Another Voice]

Sorry for the delay – other duties have taken precedence over posting here…

As the rumors go – a longer project equals a cheaper project. WDI is a shadow of what it used to be; it simply lacks the staff to produce major projects any more. For new attractions a small core of employees is filled out by hiring contractors to come in and do the work. Hiring contractors cost money, so Disney hires as few of them as little time as possible. Fewer CGI animators, fewer designers, fewer construction workers means a slower development effort. Tight budgeting and staffing works wonder when a project proceeds exactly as planned, but a single hiccup and all Iraq breaks loose.

The attraction itself has gone through several budget cuts as well. Most of the in theater effects have been cut - accroding to the rumors - leaving just basic water sprayers and fans. The motion floor, as in 'Honey I Shrunk the Audience' is gone. The buidling itself was built thirty years ago as a theater. It had a substantial equipment basis for all the old figures; it was reused as the performance pit for 'Lion King'. Putting in a movie is a very simply procedure.

There are also whispering about some budget games as well. They say that 'Mickey Movie' was supposed to premier at Hong Kong Disneyland. And so it was assumed that they would be picking up the costs of development. Then the guy that headed the film division at WDI was anointed as head over all of WDI and suddenly his pet project found itself slated for all four Disney resort complexes. It wouldn't be too hard to see some financial gymnastics going over who pays for what when. October 1st is the start of Disney's fiscal year, so an opening just after that date seems to support those whispers.

 

[HB2K]

Thanks for the reply AV!

Sounds like Disney has really crippled it's R&D as well as it's ability to churn out even the most simple rides, never mind anything on the level of TOT.

 

[tonyk]

A side question: what was there before THe Lion King? (BTW we are anxiously awaiting the Philharmagic attraction).

 

[raidermatt]

Maybe its a fine point, but going by KidDurango's and Steve's posts, the necessary changes were not unexpected.

Regardless, that still doesn't mean that Disney could not have put more resources on the project to get it open sooner, without increasing the overall cost of the project.

There's also the rumor about how Rasulo feels about spacing new attractions. If that is true, it follows that the opening date of Phil would be influenced by when M:S was expected to open. (I'm assuming they would delay Phil for M:S, and not the other way around...a safe bet I think)

 

[YoHo]

I thought that the Ready Creek Improvment District existed so they didn't have to deal with building codes. Not that shey shouldn't meet them of course, but still.

 

[IASW Rider]

TonyK - the theater was originally designed to house The Mickey Mouse Revue (I miss that attraction!). The Revue played there from 1971 - 1980, and then it closed and moved to TDL. I believe that a 3-D movie moved into the Fantasyland theater after that (Magic something-or-another?), and then the film moved to Epcot (where HISTA is, now) to make way for Legend of the Lion King in the early 1990's.

 

[TigerLaw]

So if the media event will be early october, when can we expect soft openings to occur!?! (I have a late sept. trip so I would have to think soft openings for at least a couple weeks before opening right?) also, the media opening event is not the same as actual opening day usually correct?

thanks for the help!

 

[daber]

The 3D movie that replaced The Mickey Mouse Review was Magic Journeys which moved from EPCOT Imagination to the MK so they could install Captain EO into EPCOT.

 

[YoHo]

I'm 90% sure Magic Journeys was being shown at the same time as Capt. EO in Epcot.