Disney's Hollywood Studios expansion update: Cars Land parked

September 11, 2013, 1:18 PM · We've been tracking this one ever since Disney didn't include a Parks and Resorts presentation on the D23 schedule last month. But we've now heard from enough insider sources that we can confirm for you that Disney has spiked its plans to recreate Cars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Radiator Springs Racers
Looks like you'll need to keep coming to California for this view.

Disney's used its D23 Expo to announce new attractions projects in the past, but all we got this year were teases for Avatar and "Project Orange Harvest," which is the development name for the Star Wars land that's still under development for Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Project Harvest
Teasing Project Orange Harvest at D23

One of my initial sources who told me last summer about Disney's plans for both Star Wars and Cars Land at DHS warned that if Cars Land ever slipped behind Star Wars on the development schedule, that would be an ominous sign for Lightning McQueen and the gang. Disney liked the idea of bringing Cars Land to Florida not just because it was a proven hit across the country at California Adventure, but also because the plans were finished and could be easily and quickly duplicated in Florida.

Until, someone decided that the they couldn't be.

Of course, if Disney really wanted a second Cars Land, it could throw enough money at the project to make it happen, come heck or high water. But Disney, like any company, has to prioritize its expenses. And, apparently, it's decided that it would rather go big on Project Harvest than expand the budget simply to recreate Radiator Springs Racers and Flo V-8's Cafe in Lake Buena Vista.

So we've removed those from the list of upcoming attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you want to see a Cars Land in a Disney theme park in the United States, you'll continue to need to book a trip to Anaheim.

Replies (50)

September 11, 2013 at 1:26 PM · Robert-
Missed headline opportunity: Steve McQueen chokes, stalls out, on the exhaust fumes of the Millennium Falcon.
September 11, 2013 at 1:36 PM · Just so you know, it's not "Project Harvest" — it's "Orange Harvest" that was stenciled on the crates, as a sly nod to "Return of the Jedi," which was filmed under the name "Blue Harvest: Terror Beyond Your Wildest Imagination" so as not to attract attention from fans. I think it's brilliant, and was quite funny for the D23 display, but if it is their actual code name, I'm certain it would be "Project Orange Harvest" rather than "Project Harvest."
September 11, 2013 at 1:45 PM · I had "Project Orange Harvest" in my original story, since that's what was on the crates, but the last insider I talked with dropped the "Orange," so I did, too, when I wrote this post since those words were on my mind. But, I agree, Project Orange Harvest is the better name, so I'll use that going forward unless I hear otherwise from multiple people inside Imagineering.
September 11, 2013 at 1:55 PM · Cars Land would be an instant hit, still not sure about Star Wars, but I'm sure Disney will do it right. No spinners... please!
September 11, 2013 at 1:48 PM · Tom, I assume you meant "Lightning"? We will have no disrespect for Steve McQueen here, who clearly could have done the Kessel Run faster than Han Solo, if given the chance to fly the Falcon. ;^)
September 11, 2013 at 2:00 PM · Good! Cars Land should remain a West Coast exclusive. I'd rather see them bring a rethemed Crush's Coaster from DLP to Orlando with a revamped animation/Pixar land.

This is a good sign they'll be putting all their muscle behind Star Wars.. Ahem, orange harvest...

September 11, 2013 at 2:12 PM · At least this will mean more tourists in Anaheim. That resort is still too dependent on locals.
September 11, 2013 at 2:16 PM · In my opinion, this is good news! There is already a Cars Land in Anaheim for those who wish to visit it. This means we'll get a more elaborate Star Wars land much faster in Orlando. Even George Lucas couldn't kill the Star Wars brand with his terrible prequels, so I think it's safe to assume that Star Wars will be around for a long, long time. This will help Disney get the Star Wars attractions up and running closer to the time that the new movies will start hitting theaters. On top of this, "Cars" was one Pixar film that mainly appealed to children, and Star Wars appeals to both adults and children alike.
September 11, 2013 at 2:22 PM · Given Disney's current park development strategy, Project Harvest is likely to be interactive queues and a couple of new restaurants. I have no confidence in Disney to delivery anything meaningful anymore.
September 11, 2013 at 2:40 PM · I bet USF likes this news. Disney cancels a sure hit to gamble on Star Wars and Avatar.
September 11, 2013 at 2:43 PM · Um ... Star Wars is a "gamble?"
September 11, 2013 at 2:47 PM · Star Wars is definitely not a gamble. There is already a prominent SW presence in Florida, so why not make it an even larger aspect of WDW? As long as the expansion's done right like Carsland was, it should be a slam dunk/ home run, etc etc etc.
September 11, 2013 at 2:52 PM · What a disappointment. Radiator Springs Racers is my favorite ride ever! Now I will have to cross the entire country if I want to ride it for a second time.
September 11, 2013 at 3:06 PM · This may be due to being a Disneyland local, but every time a new attraction is added to Walt Disney World that is simply a clone I feel less and less inclined to visit. Cars Land would have done nothing to entice me to finally make a trip to Florida, and given that the California version is finally starting to lose popularity I'm not so sure it would have been an overwhelming hit in Florida. Star Wars, on the other hand, is one of the very few properties capable of competing with Universal's Harry Potter and I think it will result in a record attendance boost for Disney's Hollywood Studios if not all of Walt Disney World.

Avatar, on the other hand, sounds like a significant risk as if the sequels don't get great reception it will likely fall flat.

September 11, 2013 at 3:19 PM · I saw this coming from a mile away. It always felt shoe-horned into Hollywood Studios.

On a personal note, even though I almost never get out to Disneyland, I like when they have unique offerings at each park. Yes I would really like to ride Radiator Springs Racers, but I also am a fan who knows a lot about it, and therefore am more likely to spend the money to go to DCA if there are unique offerings. From a business perspective this just makes more sense to me. If Disneyland was identical to Disney World I would have no reason to go there, and that means no additional money for Disney.

September 11, 2013 at 3:25 PM · Great news! I am glad Cars Land will remain exclusive to DLR. This "news" makes my upcoming SoCal trip even more special!!

I wonder, though, if the once rumored Monsters Inc coaster (now headed to DCA) is back on the table for expanding DHS' Pixar Place? After Star Wars and Avatar, of course! Get the really important stuff going first!

September 11, 2013 at 3:46 PM · I have a feeling that Disney is now headed into Universal's direction of their attractions.
September 11, 2013 at 3:50 PM · I don't think Avatar is a risk at all. Even if the movies completely fail (which I doubt), the source material is strong enough to create great attractions, which is what people will care about when visiting a theme park.

I can't see PAYING guest rejecting new attractions because of the reception of the films.

Knowing how detailed & meticulous James Cameron is, you know this won't be some sub par collection of C ticket rides.

Regardless of what one thinks of the actual movie, one of the strong selling points (like Star Wars, harry potter, even cars land) is that it's a fictional world, so that alone allows these prospective lands plenty of opportunities to "wow" visitors.

September 11, 2013 at 4:06 PM · I refuse to waste my time in Avatar Land. I think the decision to keep Cars Land exclusive to DLR is a good one. DLR needs to stand above the rest of the parks as the Grandam of the parks. Also what is the draw to visit DLR if everything in it is at WDW. Keep things unique to both DLR and WDW so people will wish to go to both.
September 11, 2013 at 4:19 PM · If cars land is shelved then some one needs to go to imagineering building at studios and destroy the huge model of it for where it's going at studios and destroy sign for 2018
September 11, 2013 at 5:26 PM · Pats himself on the back for not falling in line and assuming Cars Land was a sure thing at DHS even though no official source ever confirmed it.

As it should be. I was never a fan of this idea of bringing Carland East. I could care less about it affecting Disneyland Resort and it's exclusiveness to the land, as I really don't think it would make that much of an actual impact to attendance out West to have the concept on both coasts. I say if you can save on the R&D and cut your construction time significantly, which is something Disney seems to have issues with these days, then by all means, fast track a fully fleshed out and functioning attraction somewhere else.

What I do care about, is that Disney is going all in on building Star Wars Land without another large scale Land such as Cars Land cannibalizing any of the budget. I REALLY hope they don't somehow manage to under whelm once the plans for all of the attractions finally come to light. This land is a dream come true for millions of fans around the world, spanning several generations. I'm seriously considering having extra fingers temporarily attached to my hands so I can keep as many digits crossed as possible hoping this turns out to be a mind blowing experience for all fans of the franchise. I really feel this, more so than Avatar (which I'm all in favor of coming to AK) is Disney's first real chance to cut loose and blow the doors off and show people what WDI is really made of, and create an immersive experience that rivals, if not surpasses what Universal has done with the Potter franchise.

September 11, 2013 at 6:06 PM · I'm really happy to hear this news. There's only so much money to go around, and I can't help but have the feeling that if Disney tried to do Avatar Land, Cars Land East AND Star Wars Land, they would all be less than what we expect from Disney. I'd absolutely hate to see them do a half-assed job with the new lands because of financial concerns.

Not to mention DHS is small, and even though they might be able to cannibalize some storage or parking areas to expand the park, it won't make a big enough impact to include both CLE and SWL. I'd much rather they put all their considerable dollars into SWL to make it something that will last for generations and really be a spectacle, much like Harry Potter is at Universal.

It's expensive to take a trip to Orlando or Anaheim for those from outside the regions, so Disney seems to have made an excellent decision by allowing Cars Land to remain exclusive at California Adventure.

This gives vacationers a better reason to go to DLR one year, and WDW the next.

September 11, 2013 at 6:48 PM · You might laugh, but when I read this today I felt that same kind of relief I'd feel whenever my sister would break up with a guy that was bad for her: THANK GOODNESS that Disney isn't going to clone Cars Land in Florida. That was such a terrible idea...and one that was being driven by the idiot executives in TDO who just liked the idea of doing something as cheaply as possible, since "the plans were already drawn up for California". Let Cars Land be unique to California. If they want to clone it in Paris or Tokyo or Shanghai, fine...but the Florida and California parks need different attractions.

I also kind of think the Cars area at the Art of Animation Resort in Florida is already the Orlando "Cars Land". It would have felt weird to have Radiator Springs there...but then have it in the park too.

Hopefully, they will go all-out with Star Wars at DHS and that Disneyland in California will only get a small amount of Star Wars in Tomorrowland. Someday, a third gate in California can get its own big Star Wars land down the line in what would be a Marvel/Star Wars kind of thrill park.

As for Avatar, I think people will have to eat their words when Disney is finished. Count me amongst those who think the Avatar movie was overrated...but I also have to admit it was gorgeous to look at. The movie had a base camp setup on an alien world...and then the characters went into the jungle of that world and experienced all the unique flora and fauna of another planet. This would be INCREDIBLE at DAK...and it actually does fit with the them of the park. For years, I've wanted to see an "alien zoo" in Tomorrowland showing what life could look like on other planets (I imagined it as either a new dark ride or a retheming of the subs ride at Disneyland to be subs in an alien ocean)...and I think Avatar allows Disney to create something like this at DAK. It's going to be really spectacular.

I don't care for the Cars movies (I think they are dumb, but I have two boys and they love watching those flicks) but boy did I have fun at Cars Land. I just loved standing there and taking in all the visuals and I loved eating in Flo's Cafe and watching the cars race around the track. I literally could have spent all day sitting at a table there, just soaking up the environment and people (and cars!) watching.

If Disney does the same level of detail with Avatar at DAK then it will be mind-blowing. I know a lot of people don't seem to understand that, but there's never been a place you could go where you would really "encounter" life forms from other planets that made you feel like you were in an alien jungle...just like there was never a place to go to that made you feel like you were inside a cartoon cars world. I'm really looking forward to what James Cameron and Disney come up with...and I am thrilled that Cameron is so notoriously picky and difficult to please because that means that Disney will not be able to go cheap with Avatar.

September 11, 2013 at 6:51 PM · Awesome News!
September 11, 2013 at 8:51 PM · "I'm really looking forward to what James Cameron and Disney come up with...and I am thrilled that Cameron is so notoriously picky and difficult to please because that means that Disney will not be able to go cheap with Avatar."
This. One of the things that Universal gets right is an insistence that the original artistic vision for an attraction gets final say. Imagine WWoHP with Coke machines at the Hog's Head. They aren't there because J.K.Rowling would have none of it, and rightly so. It's the little things that make all the difference. Given this, I would be more concerned that Star Wars may flop than Avatar. Cameron would quit before he'd let a bad theme park land happen. Star Wars, on the other hand, is a gigantic universe of material with an unclear artistic leadership at the moment. My guess is that SWL will be good if Ep. 7 is good, but those are both huge ifs. (I am a huge Star Wars fan and thought Avatar was merely ok, btw)
September 11, 2013 at 10:45 PM · Oh, and more thing... (puts on his mock turtleneck), just because Disney isn't doing Cars Land, don't assume that Star Wars land will be the only expansion at DHS. Star Wars has taken over the number one spot, but I'm hearing the plan still is to do two projects at the park. Eventually. No word, though, on what the second project might be.

Which means, start lobbying for your favorites!

September 11, 2013 at 10:47 PM · Well, Cars Land seemed like a great Family friendly addition for Hollywood Studios. Sad we will not get a Radiator Springs Racers. Maybe they will do something cool with Star Wars (besides the current ride) that will still be a family friendly attraction. Hollywood Studios has a tendency to be the only Disney Park with more attractions that not everyone in the family will want to ride or can ride together. It is the closest to a thrill park that Disney has. It could use an attraction that balances being new and exciting with also being fun for an entire family. Radiator Springs would have been that. Maybe they can get something that meets those check marks with Star Wars. Maybe.
September 11, 2013 at 11:48 PM · So it's still pretty safe to assume that Lights, Motors, Action and the Studio Backlot Tour are still on their way out, although it won't be because of Cars.

September 12, 2013 at 2:01 AM · This is great news. Every Disney park should have at least 1 unique land and 1 unique e ticket imo. Its nice to know that little CA adventure gets to stand up with the best that Disney Parks has to offer with their unique carsland!
September 12, 2013 at 3:58 AM · Disney imaginering promised the Test Track clone would work this time and wouldn't be as expensive as it's Orlando original but what I've heard it doesn't. Also the upkeep of all the big AA's is an uphill struggle so I'm not amazed this nice ride of Pixars lesser franchises is kicked to the curb.
What I'm wondering about is how would a star Wars land fit in a park with no lands an a theme that is all over the place? Also I don't have a lot of hope for it's rides seeing what Disney did with it's initial license. One of the worst things they could do is build the Ewok village. It was the equivalent of Jar Jar Binks from the original trilogy and guess what they build it (sort of). Yes from anything they could choose from these horrible stupid teddy bears that got their own thinking horrible movie got to be in it. Well done Disney... NOT!
Taking the parades, cross overs, dance offs and other offensive stuff Disney did with the franchise it's not looking good at all for the fans of the movies. If this is not done on the scale of Harry Potter and not made for the fans like the boy wizard this could be the most expensive stinker only topped by Avatar.
Anyway, Disney is going exclusively sci-fi for it's parks with a tomorrowland that is lacking future all the way. Lets see what they are going to surprise us with.
I'm afraid the Star Wars land is going to look like this. The E-ticket ride is going to be a podrace because it's the only way they can create huge fake mountains they love to do so much at Disney and it'll have the same elements as the Cars ride. Add a Dombo spinner with X-wings and T-fighters and many huge shops and huge restaurants and Disney will have a mess that wont appeal any Star Wars fan.
September 12, 2013 at 5:57 AM · Nice to see O T is completely impartial in his speculation of Disney's forthcoming star wars land. It should be recognised that Disney has pioneered themed lands and whilst Harry Potter has been a phenomenon, it has simply stepped up what Disney has been doing for years. Potterland has created a sensationally themed land with a castle and a fantastic e.ticket ride, and rebadged a couple of roller coasters with minimal theming.

My thought for a star wars e ticket is 'Escape from the death star', an indoor ride using the trackless technology where the guests are escaping the death star with Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie. Possible rooms include the detention centre, trash compactor, the canteen (where you see some Penn's alla aribiatta) and a final confrontation with the dark lord of the sith himself Jeff Vader (see YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw) before Obi-wan intervenes and you escape onto the Millennium Falcon.

Disney doing a star wars land well isn't a foregone conclusion, but I'm pretty confident it will be something special.

September 12, 2013 at 6:37 AM · While Disney continues to drag its feet in regards to building new attractions at the park and do so at a snail's pace (REALLY? 3 years to build a kiddie coaster??), Universal will reap the benefits of opening new attractions.

If and when Disney does finally wake up, they may end up playing catch up to the parks down the street who didn't hem and haw when it came to creating new experiences for its guests.

And no matter how you spin it, My Magic+ is just a way to make more money off of guests while offering them basically nothing new.

September 12, 2013 at 8:27 AM · Disney makes mistakes just look at Mission Space, and Body Wars. Those were thought to be Home run attractions.

I was excited to ride the new Star Tours, and rode it a month after it opened and on a busy day. It had a 15 minute wait. The Toy Story ride had all the buzz and 90 minute wait.

Disney took a proven hit from DCA (Soaring) and put it in Epcot and its the most popular attraction in the park.

Better to go with something proven.

September 12, 2013 at 9:05 AM · Good article. It's interesting to note that while Disney is waffling on capital improvements to its Orlando parks, Universal up the street is accelerating its capital expenditures:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-universal-to-add-thousands-of-hotel-rooms-20130911,0,7922928.story

Should Uni build thousands more hotel rooms, as this article suggests, one does wonder how much longer Disney waits before kicking up its refurbishment efforts a notch or two. That Seven Dwarves Mine ride is taking an awfully long time to build.

- Brian

September 12, 2013 at 10:32 AM · @Grant Crawford I haven't mentioned Harry Potter so why do you defend Disney by trashing a very successful attraction?

I guess you are right with your E-ticket ride prediction. Unlike universal that takes the story of the franchises it got and expend on it (look at T2-3D, Despicable me, Shrek, Harry Potter and more) Disney will give you a 4 minute rehash of the movie in most of it's rides. That is where they do their worst job. Where they do amazing work is there original work like Haunted Mansion, Pirates, It's a small world and lately the Mystic Mansion. They are all above and beyond Cars Land of any stuff they put out movie related. I wish Disney would play that card much more because they never, ever will beat Universal on taking movie ip's to the parks (until they prove me wrong and lets hope it's Star Wars).

September 12, 2013 at 12:00 PM · wow I love how people are hating on Avatar and disrespecting it at every turn. It is the "next" trilogy. Think Star Wars, think The Lord of the Rings, Avatar is on that level. It fits completely into Animal Kingdom's environmental conservation basis, and it will be the only thing to "compete" with the WWOHP at Universal which is dominant. Sure I've heard CarsLand is great, and I know they will do a StarWarsLand very good as well, but with Avatar Land comes the chance to really take us into a different world. With James Cameron working with Disney on this and with the sights set on challenging Universal this is the only real shot Disney has. It is the 2nd highest grossing movie EVER, domestic and world wide, how you people can just simply ignore that is mind blowing.
September 12, 2013 at 3:37 PM · ^ If Avatar is the second highest grossing film ever made, what is first? I must have missed it during its theatrical run and would love to catch it on DVD....
September 12, 2013 at 4:19 PM · Adjusted for inflation, that title belongs to Gone With the Wind, so I'm fairly certain you didn't catch it in theaters.
September 12, 2013 at 5:04 PM · I am a fan of both Disney and Universal in Orlando. Having grown up there in the 80's I have seen a lot of change. Universal used to be orange groves and Epcot had just opened. Since Disney has bought out the universe (ABC, ESPN, Lucasfilm) I find it hard to believe how long they let failed attractions hang on. EPCOT takes center stage with Journey into Imaginations, Captain EO, and Universe of Energy. What really kills me is the old Odyssey restaurant that connects Future World to Mexico. It has been shut down for years and looks horrible. We all know the money is there, but maybe Universal's growth will drive Disney to change. Seven Dwarfs mine ride construction is beyond efficient. Avatar to take 3 years? Give us all a break. Universal has similar attractions that need to be updated starting with T2, time for a new franchise. Fear factor and all the kiddie land areas need to be updated. They are all dead zones, literally for HHH.
September 12, 2013 at 6:59 PM · If you want to go by the adjusted inflation rate, then the gauge just gets more and more inaccurate due to the variety of inflation rates around the world, as well as the re-releases of many older films before there was a video/DVD/Blu Ray after market. That's why the adjusted for inflation number is largely ignored, as it should be.

Anyway, if you adjust for inflation using just the domestic box office results, Avatar is still not #2, so I am guessing the anonymous poster was not referring to the AFI results - he or she just made a mistake. No biggie. Just trying to have a little fun with it. (BTW, I agree in principle with what the anonymous poster wrote except the part about "the only real shot Disney has" - yeah, whatever - also, Avatar is not going to be a trilogy as THREE MORE movies are in the works).

For the numbers that matter, Avatar is the highest grossing film of all time, both domestically and internationally. By a LARGE margin. Furthermore, Avatar is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time. It won the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture and Best Director and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning Oscars for art direction, visual effects, and cinematography. Contrary to the "Glass is Half Empty" members of the Disney fan boy & girl community, someone, somewhere, thought the film was pretty darn good.

Incidentally, though, if you do care about the AFI number, Snow White is still in the top ten all time. Nice.

September 12, 2013 at 6:32 PM · I sure hope you're wrong about the trilogy part. If Cameron wants to stay at the head of his game, he'd stop after 3 movies. I can't think of a single good 4th movie.
September 12, 2013 at 6:59 PM · Yep, the rumors are true. There will be three sequels! But I will say, if there is one thing we have learned over time it is to never doubt James Cameron. ;)
September 12, 2013 at 8:36 PM · @ O T. I mean no disrespect to WWOHP, I think it is a sensational area. The themeing is brilliant, and the ride is one of the best in the world. I do feel that the other rides have let it down a little and could have been themed better. Universal hit a home run with the area and it has singlehandedly turned the parks around. To say the forbidden journey has extended out from the films/books is a bit rich though, you fly on brooms and escape dementors and dragons, more or less straight of the stories, there hasn't been much true creativity in the story line (nor does there need to be).

Disney has been slow to counter WWOHP, but I think writing them off the way you do is disrespectful to the company that for so many years has set the standard for theme parks, and without whose guidance and competition WWOHP would never have existed.

I eagerly await star wars land and avatarland. As an intellectual property I find avatar doesn't offer as much as star wars or harry potter, but we will wait and see.

September 12, 2013 at 9:20 PM · Cars land should stay at Disneyland resort. Walt disney world has enough stuff as of right now. Stars wars should be at DHS.
September 13, 2013 at 8:50 AM · I still have my fingers crossed for the Great Muppet Movie Ride.
September 13, 2013 at 9:39 AM · I am really irked by those who think Carsland should be exclusive to DL.

How nice for you that you can afford to go to both. We live on the East Coast, and thus WDW is a easier and more economical destination. Additionally, there is much more to do at WDW, so we get more in one vacation. There are A LOT of people in the same boat. My kid LOVES Cars and would love to go to Carsland. Very disappointing that there will not be one in WDW. I am very unhappy with this project being shelved.

I am happy about Star Wars and hope Disney does not cheap out on this. I still hate Avatar and the idea of an Avatarland. I would rather see that money spent on pretty much anything else. At the very least, take the money for that and put more into Star Wars.

September 13, 2013 at 1:30 PM · ^^^^^

To the post above. I understand your frustration about Crasland remaining in DLR, but I do think DLR should have exclusive attractions / lands.

The debate can easily be made about all those people who live on the west coast who cannot afford to travel to Orlando. These guest also miss out on a huge amount of attractions, & the amount of exclusive attractions in WDW far outweigh the # in DLR.

That's just the nature of the theme park industry.

September 13, 2013 at 5:24 PM · I like that Cars land will stay in California. I wish Disney would bring some of the cool rides from their international parks instead. I can make it to CA and FL pretty easy but Hong Kong and Japan not so much. I like some enticements to hit both coasts.
September 14, 2013 at 10:08 AM · Star Wars will not be a 'gamble' at all. Just look at how many people show up for SW Weekends. If they build a proper SW land or even create a whole SW theme park, fans like myself will totally freak out. If they can re-create the Cantina and other key locations, I will literally be in tears just walking into it.
September 15, 2013 at 10:52 PM · I've been going to Disney World every year since it opened in '71 (sometimes twice a year). its a shame to see those guys starting to slow down on producing new "ride" attractions in favor of more tame "meet and greet" themes and semi lame revamps. lets face Disney fans, the Magic Kingdom IS always going to be a must see/revisit classic, BUT, IT NEEDED THE FANTASYLAND FACELIFT and fact is technically, the only new rides it got were the Little Mermaid and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Barnstormer and Dumbo were really already there). I keep hearing the word "budget" thrown around. while they're revamping rides with different scenery (test track, living seas) the thrill stayed the same as the year it opened, Test Track got some neon lights and glow in the dark paint effects and the Living Seas got a new theme with a Nemo look ...with nothing really new in the past few years except for Soarin' (a movie screen with your seat lifted up in the middle)and Mission Space takin over for Horizons. Disney scrapped the Monsters Inc roller coaster for the Studios and some other projects and now I understand Avatarland is giving AK a much needed bump ..... but going back to the word I keep hearing "budget", why is Disney spending the "budget" money on ventures like the "Springs" project at Downtown Disney... where is the thrill for the kids or grown ups for that matter. the Springs" project will be nothing more but places to shop and eat AND WITH THE NEW PARKING GARAGE, YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT TOO !! Not taking anything away from the 36 year old Star Wars franchise, Disney shoulda/coulda done both..Cars and Star Wars... Bottomline, I think Disney's arrogance and thirst for wanting more and more money by "budgeting" to build places to spend your money instead of breaking ground for the thrill attractions is not only the wrong way to market the empire, but it slaps the face of the very ones that have made the empire..... i'm just sayin'

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