Whats Wrong with Disney?

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Understood. I realize it's not an ideal place for those with young children (your son's age) but give it time. Give it a few years and I think you will see more attention given to younger kids at Universal. I know that Gringotts has a 42" requirement so they purposely went after a different demographic with this one.

The new Kong attraction they are working on will have no height requirement (although it's yet to be seen how kid-friendly it will be) They are getting ready to totally reimagine the Kid Zone over next to ET to make it more relevant and updated. There are also rumors of a new family-friendly coaster over in the Jurassic Park area.

Give it some time and things will probably work out for you. If you are a Potter nerd then you HAVE to see the areas.

We are still scheming, haha. We are bringing my folks (68yo) down as well, but they are huge HP nerds as well. So we are shipping them off to US one morning first thing, while we take lil' dude to MK. What we think could work is if they enjoy their time doing all the Harry stuff, MiB and come back to WDW area by mid-afternoon, at which point we can tag out as they hang with lil' dude and we can sprint over to Harry.

 

[Mad Hattered]

We are still scheming, haha. We are bringing my folks (68yo) down as well, but they are huge HP nerds as well. So we are shipping them off to US one morning first thing, while we take lil' dude to MK. What we think could work is if they enjoy their time doing all the Harry stuff, MiB and come back to WDW area by mid-afternoon, at which point we can tag out as they hang with lil' dude and we can sprint over to Harry.

I think that sounds like a good plan! Have you been to the original WWoHP at Islands of Adventure or would this all be new to you?

Edited to add a similar example of what you are thinking of doing:

In 2012 my parents and the entire family celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at WDW. It was also my wife's BD during the trip. I had a letter sent to her at our Disney hotel that was postmarked at the Owl post in WWoHP stating that she had been accepted at Hogwarts and she was to pack immediately and report to school. I had it set up for my parents to eat dinner at Chef Mickey's with the grandchildren while my brother, SIL, DW and I all went to spend the night at Royal Pacific onsite at Universal and hit the parks the next day. I even wrote her invitation in caligraphy because I am fancy like that.

 

[Planogirl]

Can someone remind me the last time WDW themed something as well?

Stay away "haters"! More room for us!!!

(see how stupid that phrase looks?)

I never could stand that phrase which is why I teasingly use it now.

I love that picture and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that dragon breathe fire. I have loved dragons ever since I can remember and that one is amazing!

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I think that sounds like a good plan! Have you been to the original WWoHP at Islands of Adventure or would this all be new to you?

Last time at US was 2004. So no WWoHP, but experienced The Mummy which is the greatest ride of my lifetime, psychological roller coaster trumps really high drop anytime. However I know BTTF, Jaws, Earthquake and many more are gone from that trip, so I'd be really excited to see what they've done with the place.

 

[agavegirl1]

I wish I figure out how to juxtapose the concept art with the real thing for Diagon Alley. It totally lives up to the hype.

 

[Mad Hattered]

I wish I figure out how to juxtapose the concept art with the real thing for Diagon Alley. It totally lives up to the hype.

It actually looks better than the concept art to me.

 

[Mad Hattered]

I never could stand that phrase which is why I teasingly use it now.

I love that picture and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that dragon breathe fire. I have loved dragons ever since I can remember and that one is amazing!

Oh, I know!! I agree.

And everyone knows that fire-breathing dragons are only cool during parades (when it's working.)

 

[Mad Hattered]

We are still scheming, haha. We are bringing my folks (68yo) down as well, but they are huge HP nerds as well. So we are shipping them off to US one morning first thing, while we take lil' dude to MK. What we think could work is if they enjoy their time doing all the Harry stuff, MiB and come back to WDW area by mid-afternoon, at which point we can tag out as they hang with lil' dude and we can sprint over to Harry.

It appears the parks are open until 8pm during your visit. Keep that in mind when making plans. They may end up extending hours though based on the popularity of Potter.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

It appears the parks are open until 8pm during your visit. Keep that in mind when making plans. They may end up extending hours though based on the popularity of Potter.

Good to know, thanks. Even if we get there at 4, we should still have time to do all of WWoHP and a quick Mummy ride. Then we will have City Walk at our disposal and a driver.....after 3 days of WDW with my 3yo and my folks, that sounds like exactly what I need.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Good to know, thanks. Even if we get there at 4, we should still have time to do all of WWoHP and a quick Mummy ride. Then we will have City Walk at our disposal and a driver.....after 3 days of WDW with my 3yo and my folks, that sounds like exactly what I need.

Sounds awesome!

Citywalk just underwent a big renovation, too. There are several new additions that I'm looking forward to. Personally, we can't wait to hit up Cowfish when we are there in September.

http://orlandounited.com/2013/12/universal-announces-citywalk-expansion-plans-for-2014/

http://www.thecowfish.com/

 

[DOOM1001]

Last time at US was 2004. So no WWoHP, but experienced The Mummy which is the greatest ride of my lifetime, psychological roller coaster trumps really high drop anytime. However I know BTTF, Jaws, Earthquake and many more are gone from that trip, so I'd be really excited to see what they've done with the place.

Earthquake is basically still there,just refurbished with a new name,Disaster.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Earthquake is basically still there,just refurbished with a new name,Disaster.

And it's actually cooler than it used to be IMHO. We need more cowbell!!

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Earthquake is basically still there,just refurbished with a new name,Disaster.

And it's actually cooler than it used to be IMHO. We need more cowbell!!

Damn you US kids for making me yearn for that park too :Old Man Shakes Fist :

 

[Mad Hattered]

Damn you US kids for making me yearn for that park too :Old Man Shakes Fist :

We are only here to help. And I am far from a "kid". I just like theme parks, regardless of who owns them.

 

[ks13]

Some of this may have been mentioned before but I think Disney is actually taking note of universal lately, and possible realizing they have to do something which is why it seems star wars land is getting sped up. A lot of people mention HP expansion but overlook that is only one peice of the puzzle. There is billions ear marked for the future of Universal including expansion. Rumors have Jurrasic park being added onto, Kong is possibly coming back, kid zone is likely getting an update, new hotels, a golf course, city walk 2.0, etc. Compare that to avatar land, i wanna yawn while i type it. So while universal is never going to take down disney they are slowly chipping away at them.

 

[Reddog1134]

Some of this may have been mentioned before but I think Disney is actually taking note of universal lately, and possible realizing they have to do something which is why it seems star wars land is getting sped up.

The rumors I've read are actually the opposite. Star Wars Land is being delayed.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-spirited-seventh-heaven.884731/page-277#post-6172520

 

[sonofanarchy]

Some of this may have been mentioned before but I think Disney is actually taking note of universal lately, and possible realizing they have to do something which is why it seems star wars land is getting sped up. A lot of people mention HP expansion but overlook that is only one peice of the puzzle. There is billions ear marked for the future of Universal including expansion. Rumors have Jurrasic park being added onto, Kong is possibly coming back, kid zone is likely getting an update, new hotels, a golf course, city walk 2.0, etc. Compare that to avatar land, i wanna yawn while i type it. So while universal is never going to take down disney they are slowly chipping away at them.

Kong and Jurassic Park aren't possibilities. They are already happening. The other rumor I heard from speaking with several Universal employees is Kid Zone being rethemed to Bikini Bottom. If that happens, Disney can say bye-bye to the 3-9 year old crowd for at least a couple of days.

 

[JimmyV]

The rumors I've read are actually the opposite. Star Wars Land is being delayed.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-spirited-seventh-heaven.884731/page-277#post-6172520

Leaving the rumor mill aside for the moment, I personally, (and that means absolutely nothing), think that a big investment in SW is a bad idea for the reasons stated in that other thread. The original movies are over 30 years old. The newer movies were awful. The demographic that is "into" SW is older and ageing out of what WDW wants. There is a certain "let's dress up in costumes" fanboi, ComicCon element to the whole SW phenomenon, and while that plays very, very well for a month each year, I doubt that Disney wants to turn a park into that type of atmosphere 24/7/365. Based on this board alone, it is clear that there are many people who salivate over everything SW, and a whole lot of people who couldn't care less about it and don't consider it "true Disney". I don't think anything so polarizing is a good place to plop down money intended to counter the HP phenomenon. What would make for a better plan of attack at DHS? Easy. A large investment in Pixar. Get back to Disney being Disney and give the people Monsters, Inc., Cars, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Nemo and punctuate that with other animated features such as Frozen, and you would have something for every age group with direct ties to what people love most about Disney.

Going back to the original question posed in this thread.....THAT is what is wrong with Disney. It's unwillingness and inability to capitalize on current projects in a meaningful way that will survive the test of time. Nemo is represented in a silly ride that leads to the Living Seas. Little Mermaid is represented in a 1970's style ride-through attraction with worse animatronic technology than Pirates. Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E and Ratatouille are represented by.......nothing. Yet Dumbo, Cinderalla, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, and countless other "timeless" (and in some instances, unwatchably bad) movies are represented in attractions that have survived decades. What is wrong with Disney is its unwillingness to come to terms with the fact that the movies it has pumped out since 1990 are classics, can stand the test of time, and warrant more treatment in the parks than mere meet and greets. And it all boils down to an unwillingness to spend any money on these projects beyond a couple of costumes for face characters to wear.

 

[Seeker615]

Leaving the rumor mill aside for the moment, I personally, (and that means absolutely nothing), think that a big investment in SW is a bad idea for the reasons stated in that other thread. The original movies are over 30 years old. The newer movies were awful. The demographic that is "into" SW is older and ageing out of what WDW wants. There is a certain "let's dress up in costumes" fanboi, ComicCon element to the whole SW phenomenon, and while that plays very, very well for a month each year, I doubt that Disney wants to turn a park into that type of atmosphere 24/7/365. Based on this board alone, it is clear that there are many people who salivate over everything SW, and a whole lot of people who couldn't care less about it and don't consider it "true Disney". I don't think anything so polarizing is a good place to plop down money intended to counter the HP phenomenon. What would make for a better plan of attack at DHS? Easy. A large investment in Pixar. Get back to Disney being Disney and give the people Monsters, Inc., Cars, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Nemo and punctuate that with other animated features such as Frozen, and you would have something for every age group with direct ties to what people love most about Disney.

Going back to the original question posed in this thread.....THAT is what is wrong with Disney. It's unwillingness and inability to capitalize on current projects in a meaningful way that will survive the test of time. Nemo is represented in a silly ride that leads to the Living Seas. Little Mermaid is represented in a 1970's style ride-through attraction with worse animatronic technology than Pirates. Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E and Ratatouille are represented by.......nothing. Yet Dumbo, Cinderalla, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, and countless other "timeless" (and in some instances, unwatchably bad) movies are represented in attractions that have survived decades. What is wrong with Disney is its unwillingness to come to terms with the fact that the movies it has pumped out since 1990 are classics, can stand the test of time, and warrant more treatment in the parks than mere meet and greets. And it all boils down to an unwillingness to spend any money on these projects beyond a couple of costumes for face characters to wear.

I agree with you. There are so many great concepts in their more recent movies. How about an awesome Monster's Inc. ride for example? Copy the Carsland concept from DL and the little boys will have something that will make them want to go to Disney. They need more "boy type" attractions. Instead of Avatar turn the area into maybe something Jungle book themed or even Lion King themed. I loved the idea of a mythical creatures area! That would have been awesome to see. I think having unicorns and dragons would have been amazing!

 

[tjevans]

Leaving the rumor mill aside for the moment, I personally, (and that means absolutely nothing), think that a big investment in SW is a bad idea for the reasons stated in that other thread. The original movies are over 30 years old. The newer movies were awful. The demographic that is "into" SW is older and ageing out of what WDW wants. There is a certain "let's dress up in costumes" fanboi, ComicCon element to the whole SW phenomenon, and while that plays very, very well for a month each year, I doubt that Disney wants to turn a park into that type of atmosphere 24/7/365. Based on this board alone, it is clear that there are many people who salivate over everything SW, and a whole lot of people who couldn't care less about it and don't consider it "true Disney". I don't think anything so polarizing is a good place to plop down money intended to counter the HP phenomenon. What would make for a better plan of attack at DHS? Easy. A large investment in Pixar. Get back to Disney being Disney and give the people Monsters, Inc., Cars, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Nemo and punctuate that with other animated features such as Frozen, and you would have something for every age group with direct ties to what people love most about Disney.

And to me, those movies you mentioned are not real Disney. I just don't like the look of computer animation compared to hand-drawn, and computer animation isn't Disney to me.

I think you couldn't be more wrong about Star Wars. I agree there's a segment of the population that doesn't like Star Wars, hasn't seen the movies, tv shows, read the novels, etc.. There's also a segment (me) for which the same can be said about Harry Potter. Name any entertainment franchise, and that is true.

But Star Wars is a huge part of our culture and it will be for quite some time. I mean, there have been touring museum exhibits just about Star Wars.

You mention the prequels not being good. That's true to those of us who saw the original trilogy in the theaters. But to the next generation, they grew up with Episodes I-III, and that is Star Wars to them. The complaints come mostly from us old fogies. The Clone Wars cartoon series just ended last year (or so) and it was HUGE. Star Wars Rebels, another animated series, will start airing within the next year. Disney plans for, other than the "main" Star Wars movies that JJ Abrams is directing, there to be one new Star Wars movie set in the new "expanded universe" every year. Couple with that the pre-existing expanded-universe games, novels, comics, etc. (now called "Star Wars Legends")

Disney has, for years, been missing out on a huge market: boys around the ages of 8 to 14. They have girls locked down with the princesses, but Disney's efforts into park tie-ins for boys have been paltry at best, mainly aimed at pirates. My son is just on the older side of that age range, and Star Wars is huge for him and his friends (and he got exposed to it through them, not through me).

You think Harry Potter fans are devoted? They have nothing on Star Wars fans. Taking a part of a park (Hollywood Studios) that is, in many opinions, struggling for identity and revitalizing it with attractions for which there is already a built-in loyal fan base is a terrific idea. I have heard people say that they don't like the idea of taking so much of Hollywood Studios and devoting it to Star Wars. Well, what are they taking away based on the rumors? American Idol (a show that is about to be cancelled; maybe one more season on tv); Indiana Jones (when was the last time that show was even halfway full), an empty theater next to American Idol, Lights Motors Action (does this even have any fans?), and part of the backlot tour that is a pale shadow of its once self. In short, they won't be taking much away (in terms of excitement and loyalty).

By doing that, Disney is taking many people like me who view Hollywood Studios as a half-day at best (TSMM and ST are the only attractions I like in that park) and reinvigorating their attitude toward the studios.