Disney World-esque Park in Arizona?

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=/amp/amp.abc15.com/2083145342/dreamport-villages-developer-proposes-4b-amusement-park-over-1500-acres-in-casa-grande.html&ved=0ahUKEwiN26_nqqPSAhUBp5QKHaBsCwUQFghXMAU&usg=AFQjCNFMuF2Uzyoe2HTikGoFO_jMcLk13g&sig2=5vkz-xi2iudrktxiNIBtpA

I found the above link on a Google Search. Sounds pretty early days to me, and I think rather unlikely, but time will tell.

Thanks. It would be nice if Arizona could get some kind of theme park.

I don't think we need anymore Magic Kingdom style parks. If it was something like Aulani I'd be down

Here is a story from local media: Developers looking to build the 'next Disney World' in Casa Grande

The Block Sports Company, based in Florida, is looking to develop a 1,500-acre “destination resort” near Casa Grande, which it compares to Walt Disney World.

...Amenities to be built include an indoor recreational facility, water parks, a wildlife animal exhibit, restaurants and an amusement park. Another portion of the project would be reserved for commercial and residential purposes as well as the future construction of a school.

Left unreported is where the four billion dollars would be coming from, and what the developers want from the community, save for planning and zoning approval. Googling around and "Block Sports" appears to be associated with a go-kart track in Orlando, with 37 Facebook likes, and a very basic website with no company information.

The article above says that the land in question is owned by Casa Grande Mountain Ranch Limited Partnership, but there's no information on who's in that partnership or what its relation to Block Sports might be.

Until I see more information about financing, ownership, or an experienced themed entertainment design company attached to the project, I'm not taking this one seriously at all.

If I'm in the community, I'd be wondering if someone's trying to drive up the price of surrounding property, hoping to make a flip by luring speculators to overpay on the hope that a "Disney World" next door would make that land even more valuable in the next few years. That's the SOP for stories like this.

It all sounds a lot like DreamVision's Dreamscape Mountain, that died a quit death.
https://youtu.be/8bv0puiOP2Q

Rule of thumb with this type of project: If it is not under construction, it is not happening. Until significant construction occurs, it's best to take the project with a boulder of salt.

Arizona has bad weather. It needs to be an indoor park like at Dubai, but more localized like Las Vegas Circus Circus Adventuredome. Unlike Dubai, it shouldn't be an IP wasteland. It needs to start small and expand when there's demand. It definitely needs a kiddie portion. It should not mimic Six Flags for it narrowly segments to teenagers. Have some VR and dark rides not unlike LEGOLAND's Ninjago. I agree with others that suggest a water park should be adjacent. It should also have a retail mall for those that don't care for theme parks.

Ok, thanks for the information. As an Arizona resident, I couldn't imagine siting on a roller coaster that's been in 110 degree heat for hours.

As a part-time leisure concept developer (main activity = architecture), the first request I always make is : "please, show me the real feasibility study".
Same with all the so called 'giga' Paramount parks (where Paramount co. is NOT involved at all, apart from lending their name, if one of those ghost projects would ever see the daylight)
- Korea: DUST or MUD + billboard tumbled down (Burried)
- Spain (Murcia): more DUST + a first stone inaugurated by dumb politicians (Burried)
- UK (Swanscombe): a lot of political theatre with imaginary capital, in a former industrial swamp (Almost Burried ?... except for classic real estate development)

It stuck me, how similar the publicitary artwork (irrealistic overblown collage technique..) is between all those projects, and the Arizona one. Or, like from the former Nigeria projects (Burried already a long time ago)

They all have the same things in common :
- Megalomania, with no sound feasibility (or no feasibility study at all)
- Massive embellishment 'theming' poured over standard off the shelf hard rides. (When listening to the enterpreneur's wishlist chit chat)
- Blowing up the scale and perspective of marketing visuals (ALL visuals, if really built, would not even fit in a 'standard sized Disney park' >> FAKING with visuals)
- Flirting (bribing ?) with stupid local politicians
- Never a word about "in depth story telling theme research" (because there is none, ever... I see this at the blink of an eye, as I did several theme concept research studies, and my starting point is invariably a research into the storyline content of the theme, before anything else...)

Cheers

As a long time resident, these rumors pop up every 5 years or so, & have always proven to be baseless. I agree with the previous poster that said it's probably a rumour started by someone who owns land in the area looking to inflate land they own nearby & sell. Considering the temperature in summer regularly gets over 120 degrees, it would have to be indoors or have a massive misting system. A water park would kinda make sense, but considering how windy it gets & the surrounding empty desert, dust would be a nearly insurmountable problem. Seriously, the dust storms we get here during the summer monsoon season are ridiculous. I desperately wish this were true, but it really makes little sense.

Also.....EVERYONE says that they are making a Disney-esque park, even if they only have a handful of off the shelf carnival rides. Disney is the high water mark of the industry and few other companies have the funding to get anywhere close to what Disney does.

The problem here is that Disney = characters and IP.

No one else has the depth of IP that Disney owns and is ignoring, much less what they are actually using in their park.

Truth be told, Disney's worst attraction would probably be the main attraction at nearly every other amusement park.