It seems that Fantasyland redo is really on hold kind of...

http://jimhillmedia.com/Editor_In_Chief/b/jim_hill/archive/2010/07/20/monday-mouse-watch-are-wdw-s-plans-for-fantasyland-forest-being-revised.aspx

I remember reading this rumor a while back and basically thinking that there was no way that WDW would publicly announce it on their social media blog when in fact, the whole plan had ALREADY been stopped at current construction, which is only the new Dumbo, the Little Mermaid, and the Beauty and the Beast restaurant.


Of course, this is related to Harry Potter and the MoneyPrinting World of Butterbeer and Merchandise......which begs the question, what in the heck would fit at MK Fantasyland and draw in the crowds as well.

Difficulty: No MARVEL.

 

I really think that Disney has started pandering to the consumers they THINK they want. ; Let's face it, if Uncle Walt had that attitude there would've been no Disneyland. ; Disneyland was something completely new that ran counter to how American families vacationed or enjoyed their time together. ; It was his belief it was his duty to teach America how to be entertained his way.

Flash forward quite a few decades and now the Stockholders are telling Disney they want guaranteed hits so they now design entertainment based on how people say they want to be entertained. The difference between coming up with new ways to have fun and designing stuff based on customer complaints and input is that when the customer has input they are describing things that will change with time. ; New inventions of fun last a lot longer.

That may be why attractions such as Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and such are still holding strong and attractions that have occupied the space currently held by Monster's Inc Laugh Floor and Stitches Great Escape are constantly changing.

I applaud people who try to design something entertaining (movie, TV Show, theme park attraction) without the need to do using consumer focus groups

 

Funny you mention Stitch there because I think they still use the ExtraTERRORestial Encounter as an example of "What happens when we venture into new territory" over in Burbank. ;

Never mind that most people don't go to MK to be scared. ; If they wanted thrills they'll go to Six Flags More Metal Detectors or Cedar Point/Knotts Berry Farm.

 

And I think people forget that Walt even produced some duds himself. ; The attraction that comes to mind is the UFO's that rode around on air like an airhockey puck.

But, the funny thing is that if ExtraTERRORestial Encounter had been unveiled at Disney's Hollywood Studios now, it would probably not have been hated as much. ; I think it was before it's time and in the WRONG location

 

There's also something to be said of the changes going on in society itself...our younger generation is vastly different than the older ones were at their age, for better or worse (I perceive worse, but that's my opinion!). ; An excellent analysis of that was on BBC a few nights ago - a show called "James May's Toy Stories" in which Mr. May, an educated and literate Brit host, goes back to toys of the past and attempts to use them in 'full scale' today just to see what can and cannot be achieved (ie: full sized house made of Legos, 2-mile-long slot car track). ; In this episode he was working with 'Meccano', a turn-of-the-century British toy invention that was like a much more advanced Erector set (Meccano predated Erector by 10 years) - lots of beams, gears, bolts and nuts, etc. and a requirement to use skill and patience while at the same time learning basics of mechanics, engineering, and architecture. ; In endeavoring to build a full-sized pedestrian bridge, Mr. May had to visit the current Meccano factory for large amounts of parts - the company was bought out by a French company and is located there. ; While discussing Meccano with the company executive, May pointed out critically that the new products seem to bear no resemblance to the original product - the new kits are essentially pre-assembled units that slap together to form singular objects...and simplistic ones at that - car, robot, etc. ; Whereas the original Meccano was a series of steel plates with innumerable holes and piles of bolts and beams, that the user could assemble just about any way they dreamed up. ; The response from the company exec was that they had to rethink the products today because the kids wanted things that did more and were simpler to put together so they could start playing with them right away. ; Which was a very politically correct way of saying kids today have shorter attention spans, far less creativity, and significantly less skill and aptitude in most areas, not including computers.

So, roundabout way of bringing it back to Disney - what to do with Fantasyland? ; The rides Walt created weren't about presenting only the flashiest, most-action-oriented, fastest, short-attention span diversions...they were immersive, interactive, educational, and were about taking the rider on a journey through a story, a tale, an era, or a dream. ; The attention to detail we all love so much about Disney was designed for people that took time to notice it and appreciate it. ; Those types of things simply don't bring in the young crowd anymore. ; Harry Potter proves you can still bring kids into a tale or story in an immersive way, though sadly the stories are more simplistic, the immersion still must involve visual stimulation and some form of fast moving diversionary action, and not a small dose of derivative inspiration (the Harry Potter stories seemed to borrow quite a bit from everything from Tolkien to fairy tales, while Harry Potter land seems to have templated a big slice of Magic Kingdom and changed the names around (a main street leading to a big castle with rides around, a RR encircling the land, various themed foods and stores, etc). ; And even then, will it last for 50 years, or will they need to constantly upgrade the rides to the latest short-attention-span flashing lasers and vomit-inducing motion ride with 3D visuals and tons of noise to keep the kiddies sufficiently distracted?

Disney's quandary is how to entertain in Walt's style with a new generation that wants something entirely different. ; Of course, we know too often they have fallen back on Profiteering, milking whatever little merchandising push they can from whatever franchise they can dig up that's hot, even going so far as ruining some of Walt's original conceptual areas meant for mind expansion and education (squawking Kim Possible phones spoiling the immersive international atmosphere in World Showcase, as but one example). ; And we all know there's scant time to take in details and really enjoy living out your own personal fantasies and dreams without an interruption over the PA of the next Family Funtastic Noisemaking Event that will be coming in 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, IT'S HERE!...and noisy music-filled parades and shows throughout the day. ; Fantasyland essentially can no longer be what it was, so I suppose the only thing left to do with it would be to pack in more rides that are faster, and noisier, and more technology laden, and just leave out the deep theming that will be overlooked and over the heads of most visitors, or the educational slant or literary connections that are essentially anachronisms out of touch with our connected on-the-go society.

Wow...what a rant! ; What am I, Archie Bunker? ;

 

Actually that was refreshing Justin.

And I think Justin may have hit upon an idea.


Use the land and retheme to The Shire. ; I'm sure a ride could be developed, and New Line Cinema isn't attached to any theme park property.... ;