According to someone posting on Twitter and called Dre the Walt Disney Company Board has rejected "the initial model and proposed concept of Star Wars land at the most recent stage of development". And Dre adds that it is good news "because the comments of the Board were mainly "unimpressive for what it needs to be". He also says that "as a theme park fan you have to admire a core group of investors who are unwilling to settle for mediocrity and second-rate concepts". But according to Dre this, of course, brings a bad news and it is that "it puts the adjusted timetable ( they basically have to restart from scratch ) out of the window of the D23 Expo" which is coming soon.
What to think about all this? First, of course it's either true or not, so it's a fifty - fifty as usual and if there is no Star Wars land announced at D23 Expo in ten days from now, then we'll know that what Dre is saying is probably right. In the meantime let's give him the benefit of the doubt. But if it's true then the WDC Board deserves our thanks, not only if they think that the Star Wars land concept they've seen is not good enough and can be improved but also because, from the start, the idea to create a Star Wars land inside Disneyland was not necessarily the right one. Specially if they need to destroy Toon Town to have enough land available which will put a Star Wars land right in the back of Fantasyland and It's a Small World on one side and Frontierland and Big Thunder on the other. We know that WDI Imagineeers can do miracles and i don't doubt they would find a way to have an acceptable transition between these three lands, but the truth is what we all know from the start, i.e that the best way to do it would be to create a third theme park which would include Star Wars and Marvel lands. As a matter of fact there is enough material in Star Wars mythology to have a whole park dedicated to Star Wars. When we see what Universal succeeded to do with Harry Potter, thinking that Disney - one of the wealthiest corporation in the world - can't do at least the same for Star Wars means they're is something going wrong somewhere, and i can tell you that it's not at WDI.
Hopefully we should know where is the truth in all this during the Disney Parks presentation at D23Expo so we'll talk again about this soon!
Picture: copyright Disney
8 comments:
The news is over a year old. A few weeks ago the Board of Directors approved the Budget for DHS and they wouldn't do that without having the project ready. Iger himself stated last year that they want to incorporate Episode VII Characters. Since it takes a few years to build a Star Wars Land, the new land wouldn't be based on the new Episodes. So they had to wait until they got more informations about the upcoming trilogy.
Well, glad to hear about this!
The real problem is not concepts, it is budget, which the Board has to approve, correct?
Yes, the Board must approve the budget, but it approve a budget FOR a concept. In two words, i presume that if they think that the concept is not good enough then they won't approve the budget for it ...if there is a logic somewhere.
I've heard similar news a year ago so I'm not sure how valid this article is in terms of timeline but if true, this is definitely good news. Disney can no longer settle for mediocrity to face the juggernaut that is Harry Potter. New Fantasyland, while charming in it's own right, did little to curve masses from spending time away from their park. And with DHS in the sorry state as it is (pending the expansion) Disney needs follow suit with Universal's model: Go big or go home. No more "upgrades, refurbishments, or changes" to their older attractions. It's time for something BIG and NEW.
Though we are all aware of the impact the DCA expansion had, it shouldn't had happened if Disney didn't settle for mediocrity from the first place with that park.
I cannot believe that Disney would ever create a Star Wars park. To build a park based on one Intellectual Property is a very dangerous thing to do. What happens in 10 years when they hype has faded? Or if they don't continue the films? All of the other parks have a diverse mix of IPs that they can rely on in order to draw crowds and remain relevant, and when IPs do become old or stale then they are switched out for new ones.
Actually, this news a little late. I heard the same commentary on the Disney Dish with Jim Hill and len testa. I think it was maybe 2 or 3 episodes back on the podcast.
As others have said the news is old. DHS will have nearly 2 billion dollars being pumped in for the park wide renovation and infrastructure adjustments.
Currently we are in the projects Phase One, work already began with the removal of the Hat, mass closings, and Flex Theater construction. After D23 the construction walls will go up for I believe the Pixar based additions. Essentially they will be opening this stuff up in phases so they can still bring in guests and make money. Actual Star Wars work will begin after a good bit of the Pixar stuff opens. It's all based on crowd control and meant to align with the release of the new films. I'm speculating that Star Wars will most likely start to open in late 2017-Spring 2018. Pixar stuff will begin to open either late 2016-Summer 2017.
FYI; Pixar stuff is a part of Phase One. The pixar additions will likely include a retheme of Honey I Shrunk The Kids to Bugs Life, a third theater for Midway Mania, a Toy Story miniland (the one supposed to go in Shanghai will apparently be moved to Florida). This will be built primarily back in Pixar Place and the Backlot area and will include Pizza Planet being moved. The fact most of the attraction pieces are already constructed will allow for the overall transformation to be quick and open so they can really begin work on Star Wars...though it is possible the Jedi Training Academy could be constructed soon as well.
This is what I've heard from different rumors, and in part a little of my own speculation.
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