Disneyland Resort (DL, DLR, DCA) Discussion Thread

[COASTER FREAK 11]

I've heard people suggest that and I don't totally agree. I think Star Tours will continue to have a presence in the park. Whether they do as you suggest (Iron Man Ride), and build a brand new Star Tours ride in the new land. Or they move it out and put something entirely new in its old location. I think Star Tours will survive.

 

Hell, they could also just leave it right where it is. They don.t need to move it. I just am guessing they will.

[Hilltopper39]

I've heard people suggest that and I don't totally agree. I think Star Tours will continue to have a presence in the park. Whether they do as you suggest (Iron Man Ride), and build a brand new Star Tours ride in the new land. Or they move it out and put something entirely new in its old location. I think Star Tours will survive.

 

Hell, they could also just leave it right where it is. They don.t need to move it. I just am guessing they will.

 

I'm interested to see if they move the Star Tours ride in Flroida as well. Seems like in that park it would make no sense to have that attraction stand alone and have an entire StarWars land eselwhere in park. My guess is the new Studios Star Wars section is either going behind star tours and expand the park where the current entrance road/toll booths are or it'll get moved to the other side ofthe park in the new section.

[cfc]

The people who are nit-picky enough to be bothered by Tomorrowland not being adjacent to Star Wars Land should realize that Tomorrowland = the future and StarWars = a long time ago.

 

Not that it matters, but if you are that detail oriented, look at the details!

 

Yes, I agree that Star Wars is more "fantasy" than "science fiction."

[DBJ]

Love the area map, gives a great perspective.

 

While I agree that Iron Man would make sense in the Star Tours Spot, in order to keep all the Star Wars stuff together, I would imagine that the Iron Man HK attraction is more than likely to be an anchor attraction for the rumored future Marvel Land at DCA.

 

I also like that Star Wars land is not being placed into Tomorrowland, it really needs the space afforded by going beyond the berm. Still hoping that some of the ideas of adding another attraction to Tomorrowland are still in the cards, like the Jet Pack flat ride.

[Shut It Down]

What kind of ride concepts do you think we're looking at here for the two new rides. The amount of land this is taking up, I'm betting one of them will be some kind of track based ride, or at least I'm hoping. Whatever they are, Disney is going to pull out something insane!!!

[tororific]

I'm really looking forward to this land -- 14 acres is a substantial chunk of land and it looks like it will be very well themed.

I do wonder if it had a better possible location in the subs/autopia/ carousel of progress area, as a continuation of tomorrowland - that would seem to make a little more thematic sense (although truthfully, Disneyland is full on conceptual non sequiturs, so who cares). And I'm not sure there are 14 acres of land in that area.

 

I don't think moving Star Tours is as easy as feasible as some people are making it sound?

[laqueefa]

The people who are nit-picky enough to be bothered by Tomorrowland not being adjacent to Star Wars Land should realize that Tomorrowland = the future and StarWars = a long time ago.

 

Not that it matters, but if you are that detail oriented, look at the details!

 

Yes, I agree that Star Wars is more "fantasy" than "science fiction."

 

I'm with you on this, but being somewhat detail oriented I have to disagree with putting an Iron Man attraction in place of Star Tours. Tony Stark and his Iron Man story does not take place in the future. I would hope that after the Star Wars land is open and established they would start to stream line plans for the long awaited Tomorrow Land make over. Remember Inner Space? That was pretty futuristic. Maybe make a time travel simulator? Something futuristic, please!

[IndoorSurvivalist]

I read that article from LA Times and some of it sounds pretty plausible.

 

If Star Wars land does go in place of Thunder Ranch, I think the majority of it will be outside the train tracks, meaning it would displace what appears to be the horse stable area. This is kinda sad because I think one of the oldest structures, from what I remember, is right in that area. I think it's a house that was moved form somewhere? I don't remember the whole story. Anyways if that is the case, then it looks like they would be able to take out the tree house in Toon Town to make a pathway into Star Wars land from Toon Town, so that you could make a loop through Fantaysland, Toon Town, Star Wars, and Frontierland.

 

Turning Star Tours into the Iron Man ride also seems highly plausible. Though depending on where Star Wars land going in Florida, I could see Star Tours staying there.

 

OK i just saw COASTER FREAK 11 pretty much already posted this, but I think the Star Wars area will stay within the larger box he drew, and not extend into the area on the left or the top.

[Jew]

As someone who isn't a Star Wars nerd, I just hope they avoid the Potter method of storytelling where you will only truly get everything if you know the story going in. I have no doubt the scenic and whatever rides come will be amazing.

 

As a side note, I would really love to see a unique land built again in the states, but I don't see that happening anytime soon because there is so much more money to be made in bringing an existing brand to life rather than trying to build a new brand.

[Hilltopper39]

As a side note, I would really love to see a unique land built again in the states, but I don't see that happening anytime soon because there is so much more money to be made in bringing an existing brand to life rather than trying to build a new brand.

 

This may sound like a dumb statement but I have a feeling that Pandora, even though it's completly based on an existing brand, is going to feel like more of a unique land than just an extension of that brand. Even though Avatar was one of the highest grossing movies of all time I don't think as many people are attached to that franchise like they are to Star Wars or Harry Potter so they might not obsess over the details as much and just enjoy the land for what it is, if that makes any sense. Also the attractions (boat ride and Banshee simuator) don't sound like you'll need as much knowledge of the backstory to enjoy the attraction like it sounds like you do for the Harry Potter stuff.

[DJeXeL]

As someone who isn't a Star Wars nerd, I just hope they avoid the Potter method of storytelling where you will only truly get everything if you know the story going in. I have no doubt the scenic and whatever rides come will be amazing.

 

As a side note, I would really love to see a unique land built again in the states, but I don't see that happening anytime soon because there is so much more money to be made in bringing an existing brand to life rather than trying to build a new brand.

 

I agree with this. Not a Star Wars fan but have no doubt it will look amazing once finished.

[DirkFunk]

As someone who isn't a Star Wars nerd, I just hope they avoid the Potter method of storytelling where you will only truly get everything if you know the story going in. I have no doubt the scenic and whatever rides come will be amazing.

 

As a side note, I would really love to see a unique land built again in the states, but I don't see that happening anytime soon because there is so much more money to be made in bringing an existing brand to life rather than trying to build a new brand.

 

If they don't do that kind of fan service, it'll take a beating and probably rightfully so.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

As someone who isn't a Star Wars nerd, I just hope they avoid the Potter method of storytelling where you will only truly get everything if you know the story going in. I have no doubt the scenic and whatever rides come will be amazing.

 

This is a great reason why I think this will do well. Yes, they are creating a Star Wars land, but they are also creating a Space Land, I believe they will do a great job of being relatable to the non-fans because everyone has a general understand of space and the concept of aliens. This land is just an alien world with space ships and wacky things going on. The only thing that would need explaining is the Force; which they may not even touch. In Harry Potter everything has to be explained, so there's a lot lost on the casual non-fan.

[Wingwright]

As someone who isn't a Star Wars nerd, I just hope they avoid the Potter method of storytelling where you will only truly get everything if you know the story going in. I have no doubt the scenic and whatever rides come will be amazing.

 

This is a great reason why I think this will do well. Yes, they are creating a Star Wars land, but they are also creating a Space Land, I believe they will do a great job of being relatable to the non-fans because everyone has a general understand of space and the concept of aliens. This land is just an alien world with space ships and wacky things going on. The only thing that would need explaining is the Force; which they may not even touch. In Harry Potter everything has to be explained, so there's a lot lost on the casual non-fan.

 

I disagree - I don't think the Force needs explaining either. There are Jedi with magic powers, good and bad. They are extremely easy to identify and understand. If people can understand the concept of aliens, they can understand the concept of Blue or Green wizards = good, Red evil looking wizards = bad.

 

This is going to be a massive hit for everyone. Any fan-service or easter eggs will be done in a way that avoids impacting the non-fans ability to enjoy themselves completely.

[DirkFunk]

As someone who isn't a Star Wars nerd, I just hope they avoid the Potter method of storytelling where you will only truly get everything if you know the story going in. I have no doubt the scenic and whatever rides come will be amazing.

 

This is a great reason why I think this will do well. Yes, they are creating a Star Wars land, but they are also creating a Space Land, I believe they will do a great job of being relatable to the non-fans because everyone has a general understand of space and the concept of aliens. This land is just an alien world with space ships and wacky things going on. The only thing that would need explaining is the Force; which they may not even touch. In Harry Potter everything has to be explained, so there's a lot lost on the casual non-fan.

 

C'mon. They're obviously going to do stuff with the Force and Jedis. They're suggesting aliens will run storefronts. Already, Jedi Academy features characters I know nothing about and Star Tours 2 is full of characters and references to the films that will be much better embraced by people who saw them than didn't. The overwhelming majority of people seem to be enjoying the Harry Potter stuff and I'm sure it'll be the same with Star Wars. But this isn't gonna be a generic "space land" with Star Wars stuff. C'mon.

[robbalvey]

^ I think what they are getting at is that Harry Potter Land takes it to an extreme "There cannot be Coca-Cola products served here because they aren't in the books!" "Everything in these lands must... MUST fall in line *exactly* with the stories I've written and nobody can go out of character!" thus creating this area that unless you have read the books and/or seen the films, you're kind of lost. I know I am when I visit the Harry Potter lands and it's one of the main reasons none of it resonates with me. I walk in and I get made fun of for being a "muggle" and I don't even know what the hell that is! And when I tell the characters in the land "what's a muggle?" instead of explaining it to me, they make fun of me even more! And that's when I go "This is stupid" and I walk out! lol

 

On the other hand, Disney seems to do a much better job with taking it's properties seriously, but not going to an extreme. For example, I've never seen the last two Star Wars movies (Ep 1 was just so bad I couldn't be bothered with the other two), but when I go on Star Tours and see things that aren't what I recognize, I chalk it up to being "space stuff," some of which is even briefly explained while on the ride, and at no point do I need to feel like I know what any of it is to enjoy the attraction.

 

I think Disney will do a much better job of bridging the gap between the fan and non-fan more than Universal does with their Potter lands, mostly due to the fact that they own the license and they aren't held by some crazy woman as to what they can and can't do to explain the property.

Edited August 18, 2015 by robbalvey

[cfc]

As long as the new Star Wars land looks great and features some excellent attractions, I don't think anyone is going to be bothered because they don't know the "story" behind it.

[thedlr]

As long as there are no references to midi-chlorians...

[COASTER FREAK 11]

^I'm pretty sure they are reviving Body Wars but themeing it to the search for midi-chlorians.

[DirkFunk]

^ I think what they are getting at is that Harry Potter Land takes it to an extreme "There cannot be Coca-Cola products served here because they aren't in the books!" "Everything in these lands must... MUST fall in line *exactly* with the stories I've written and nobody can go out of character!" thus creating this area that unless you have read the books and/or seen the films, you're kind of lost. I know I am when I visit the Harry Potter lands and it's one of the main reasons none of it resonates with me. I walk in and I get made fun of for being a "muggle" and I don't even know what the hell that is! And when I tell the characters in the land "what's a muggle?" instead of explaining it to me, they make fun of me even more! And that's when I go "This is stupid" and I walk out! lol

 

On the other hand, Disney seems to do a much better job with taking it's properties seriously, but not going to an extreme. For example, I've never seen the last two Star Wars movies (Ep 1 was just so bad I couldn't be bothered with the other two), but when I go on Star Tours and see things that aren't what I recognize, I chalk it up to being "space stuff," some of which is even briefly explained while on the ride, and at no point do I need to feel like I know what any of it is to enjoy the attraction.

 

I think Disney will do a much better job of bridging the gap between the fan and non-fan more than Universal does with their Potter lands, mostly due to the fact that they own the license and they aren't held by some crazy woman as to what they can and can't do to explain the property.

 

I feel the same way about Harry Potter. I never read the book and saw two movies, but I still grasp enough of it that it makes sense to me. No difference in "magic stuff" vs. "space stuff" in that sense to me. Putting the new land on a specific planet and having aliens work the gift shops tells me that those who see the movies will get a lot more out of it than those who don't. Everything I got out of the announcement, blue sky as it might be, indicates that they're going for something with that Potter level of depth and not just Tomorrowland with occasional Star Wars symbolism. This stuff all literally takes place in a different universe, after all.

 

As long as the new Star Wars land looks great and features some excellent attractions, I don't think anyone is going to be bothered because they don't know the "story" behind it.

 

That's my attitude.

[robbalvey]

I feel the same way about Harry Potter. I never read the book and saw two movies, but I still grasp enough of it that it makes sense to me. No difference in "magic stuff" vs. "space stuff" in that sense to me. Putting the new land on a specific planet and having aliens work the gift shops tells me that those who see the movies will get a lot more out of it than those who don't. Everything I got out of the announcement, blue sky as it might be, indicates that they're going for something with that Potter level of depth and not just Tomorrowland with occasional Star Wars symbolism. This stuff all literally takes place in a different universe, after all.

We'll see what they do with an entire immersive land. But to me, Star Tours vs. Harry Potter Land plays out more like this...

 

Star Tours = "You're in this made-up spaceport going on these made-up transport shuttles that have nothing to do with the movies and were mdae up by ride people to make a good attraction, and while we will reference movie stuff during your flight we will also be explaining to you what's going on along the way."

 

HPL = "You're smack in the middle of one of the books with lore all around you that is *exactly* the way it was in the books and about as deep as it possibly can be. If you don't know the stories or any of these references... f**k you."

 

I'm not a "fan" of either property, but I'm open to both and willing to get drawn into it. I've just always felt that going into the Harry Potter lands they make an effort to cater to the fans, and an effort to turn off non-fans. To the point where I was in a shop once looking for something and I was genuinely asking "I know nothing about this stuff, but I'm looking for something for someone who does" and I was just ridiculed for not knowing what certain things were by both members of the cast that were in the store that I ended up leaving without buying anything. They weren't allowed to break character and just tell me "Oh, this is from the first movie, if they like this kind of stuff, this would be cool to get them."

 

I just have a feeling that Disney won't take it to quite that extreme.

Edited August 18, 2015 by robbalvey

[Nrthwnd]

^ I don't see why they can't still stay in character, and still just tell you what movie it's from, etc.

 

Not exactly the same thing, but currently, I am 'acting' as The Barker for a pre-show Village Fair

we run before the production of Oliver! starts. I greet people as they come into the seating area,

and let them know what's where, etc. And if they 'happen' to ask me something totally off-script,

(like bathrooms, getting food and drink) there's no problem in my staying in character and

answering what they want to know. Easy! And I'm still The Barker, and they usually thank me for

letting them know.

 

I do suppose "going totally off-script" (i.e. in helping you, Robb) isn't what they're supposed to do,

at HPL. That's too bad. I am sure they would get a lot more non-Potter fans on board, if they

could just be allowed to do that.

[laqueefa]

As long as there are no references to midi-chlorians...

 

THIS.

 

Also, I would have the same reaction Robb would, and I know the Potter series pretty well. I get it, they're trying to immerse you in the world of Harry Potter but if someone insults me in a fake world, I'm going to have a very REAL reaction.

 

[CedarFlags]

My biggest question is...

 

What happens to all of this work if the new movies suck?

[Garet]

My biggest question is...

 

What happens to all of this work if the new movies suck?

 

Well, there's still a massive fan-base that would visit these lands in a heartbeat even after the phantom menace/prequel trilogy so I don't think anything would change. These lands were probably drawn up a long-time ago so I'm pretty sure the focus is on the original movies to please the current fans with bits from the new movies here and there for potential new fans.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Garet