Disney's Society of Explorers and Adventurers is fairly prevalent in most Disney resorts around the globe except for Disney World where SEA is referenced in a few (5 or so) attractions and restaurants. With the impending Villains Land expansion coming to the Magic Kingdom in the next few years, do any of you see any opportunities for the SEA storyline to expand into any current or proposed Disney World attractions?
When you say villains and SEA in the same post, my mind goes immediately to Harrison Hightower. Joe Rohde's doppelgänger deserves representation somewhere at WDW, even though I would not wish a retheme of Tower of Terror to do it.
@Robert: it would be perfect kismet if he were
to show up in some fashion at AK no?
To be honest, I've never cared for SEA. It's never been implemented in a way that makes a whole lot of sense. Maybe a ride with SEA as a bit more of a driving force, now we're talking. . .but that won't come with the Villains land at all.
I really don't expect to see anything related to SEA in the upcoming Villains Land, but I can see it as an underlying thread throughout Disney World where references to it are very limited compared to other Disney Resorts.
@fattyackin - Maybe the Indiana Jones re-theme of Dinosaur?
@Tim: that’s precisely what I was saying. Maybe they could develop a story of a cursed treasure or some sort of site that was desecrated or pillaged by an overzealous or greedy developer (somebody like Mr. Harrison Hightower for example) and have Indy there to reckon with the curse. Hell, maybe create a relative of Hightower who ran afoul of Jock Lindsey while trying to help Indy out? The fact that Jock Lindsey is already a member of SEA and has little to no backstory aside from being Indy’s pilot is honestly a blank canvas for connecting these ideas IMO.
I just don't see SEA as a viable IP in the parks. I mean, they went with an obscure animated movie with a cancelled TV project to retheme one of their most popular castle-park attractions (TBA), and they're going back to the Cars well to retheme one of Walt's original IP lands. So if those rethemes couldn't spur WDI to develop SEA-based concepts into the US parks, I don't know what would.
The SEA IP is so incredibly niche in the US market, and only really known to those of us who are theme park nerds or were fortunate enough to have spent any time at the Adventurer's Club. While Disney has found ways to sprinkle SEA in here and there in the US, it's mostly as a wink and a nod to the very small group of folks who care about stuff like this. Generally, the US Disney parks are going to feature bankable, well-known IPs, and both Iger and D'Amaro have confirmed this multiple times. For as cool as it would be for WDI to dive in and create unique in-park stories and mythologies within the SEA IP, it's just no going to move the needle with most WDW.
I would love that personally, but I think it’d be a tough putt for WDI to finally build a Villains Land after all this time, and then shoehorn in some heretofore unknown villains. I think people really want to see the classic murderers row of all the most famous villains from Disney Animation represented here. And to be honest, WDI has an embarrassment of riches available for this IP.
I think there might be a good opportunity to insert some SEA mythology into the upcoming Indiana Jones rebuild of Dinosaur at AK, especially considering that the tie-in bar Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bay already connects the 2 IP’s.