Pixar re-theming of DHS
Walt Disney World: It's coming...
From Alex Clark
Posted September 27, 2008 at 9:50 PM
Pixar Place is about to get expanded bigtime with a Monsters, Inc door roller coaster, a Cars 2 stunt show replacing Lights, Motors, Action; A Bug's Life Play Area replacing Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; a possible Incredibles attraction using robot arm technology replacing the backlot tour,and a possible Wall-E attraction replacing Walt Disney: One Man's Dream and Journey into Narnia. How do you all feel about this?
From James Rao
Posted September 27, 2008 at 10:25 PM
As long as they move ONE MAN'S DREAM to Main Street, USA, then I am good with all the proposed changes.
If that all comes to pass, I like it. The Pixar movies are some of the greatest and most popular animated movies of all time, and all the attractions at Disney Parks (and the cruise line) have been huge successes as well. Walt Disney Pictures owes a lot of its recent success to Pixar, and since Hollywood Studios is devoted to being up to date on new movies, it makes sense that Pixar would take over the park....but its nice to have the Lucas movies and ToT and RnR still...The one thing I dont agree with though is the Cars 2 stunt show...they should leave LMA the way it is
From Tim W
Posted September 28, 2008 at 6:35 AM
yes the stunt show should be left alone. i'm looking forward to pixar place though. It's like world showcase in epcot. It will kinda seem like two parks put together, the original and pixar. There has still been pixar movies without a ride even...ratatouille, incredibles, walle, cars, and i mean even toy story and monsters inc just got ones based around their movies. Theyve been focussing too much on nemo. And with pixar continually growing, the land will grow more and more every couple years. so it does really seem like that its becoming Disney studios and pixar studios just smushed together to create one big hollywood entertainment park. And it is a smart idea since pixar has never had a miss.
Where did you here about this? They only just rethemed the park there not going retheme it again. If any thing they are going to expand Pixar Place and place another major or minor attraction their. But not the whole park. The current rumor from what I here is to close Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and replace it with Disneylands or Tokyo Indiana Jones ride. Its the same thing when George Lucas let us have access to Star Wars and Indiana Jones and they thought they were going to make a whole park about his movies.
From Raul Araoz
Posted September 28, 2008 at 12:44 PM
The various Disney and theme park sites have discussed these changes. The Monsters Inc coaster is coming, probably for the 40th anniversary in 2011. Star Tours 2 is coming for late 2010. Disney wants to change both Honey attractions at WDW since most young kids don't know about those films. The DHS one is rumored to become A Bug's Life themed. While the Indy ride is indeed rumored, Disney could have easily put it there years ago. So, who knows when it is coming. The Backlot Tour just put in the auto-narration so it is probably not going anywhere soon, but the rumor is to level that entire area since you could put two to three attractions in that space. The current rumor is for a version of the Carsland to go there but nothing is set. I wish the old Journey to the Center of the Earth idea that Disney had would go there instead. I have not heard anything about Narnia or the Walt Disney attraction closing. Though, I agree it should go to Main Street, but as a ride. I would love an ending scene with an animatronic version of the partners statue. I actual can't believe that there is no animatronic Walt Disney yet. I think Disney himself would have loved it. Back to topic. I am not a fan of the Pixarification of the Disney parks. I actual think there is enough of them for the time being. I would prefer Disney put some more rides on the Little Mermaid to Tarzan period of films or some more rides on big films like Independence Day or Willy Wonka.
From Tim W
Posted September 28, 2008 at 3:57 PM
i think pixar rides should only be in dhs. not every park. and one mans dream would be cool with animatronics. i love pixar, but everything pixar would get annoying. I think it deserves a good chunk of land however at DHS. I mean its the land where the most can be done. The backlot tour wont leave for at least another 10 years or so now, unfortuneatly. cuting it down has been a huge mistake and it isn't as good as before.
From dylan k
Posted September 28, 2008 at 5:55 PM
As long as One mans dream is saved and maybe relocated to main street and made larger featuring more concept art, the new plan sounds great! Also I just dont see where there going to get the room to build this Monsters Inc. coaster.
From Tim W
Posted September 28, 2008 at 6:15 PM
there is a planned location, next to toy story mania
I would like to see One Man's Dream brought to Magic Kingdom next to Tony's Town Square Resturant. It fits better there anyway.
While I might be wrong, much of this sounds like wild rumors. I find it hard to believe the backlot tour will go anywhere soon (though its not as great as it used to be) since the attraction holds the iconic Catastrophe Canyon and the PT Boat Simulation/Preshow. Maybe its not as important to others, but it just seems like one of the icons of DHS.
Still some of the rumors like the Monsters Inc Roller Coaster Sounds great!
From Rob P
Posted October 10, 2008 at 1:35 AM
I'm with James,Dylan and Anthony. Whatever they decide to do they must preserve " One Man's Dream" at all costs.
I like the idea of moving it to Main Street USA if it has to be moved at all.
Since they turned things like the movie theatre into a retail outlet Main Street has lost some of it's appeal. OMD would breathe some life into that area.
As much as I love the Pixar movies I do thing there is too much Pixar-based attractions at WDW. I think it should really have been confined to DHS. Pixar Place should be great, but any Pixar expansion outside of that area would seem a bit pointless and would dilute the concept of Pixar Place.
As has been mentioned DHS could soon be two parks, normal DHS and Pixar Place. Hopefully if Pixar Place is expanded then we can see more unique attractions at DHS, not based on Pixar. One Mans Dream has to be kept in one way or another, whether in its current location or over at MK on Main Street as it is a homage to the man who created everything we now take for granted in the theme park world.
From Bob Rex
Posted October 10, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Since there is a Bugs Life attraction at AK, why not keep the BL stuff there. I'd like to see Lights - Motion change, for one thing I find the music annoying as hell, and it really isn't related to any Disney movie. The backlot tour is getting old, esp. in its truncated form, so maybe that should be replaced. Maybe a few different Pixar things would be good.
From Tim W
Posted October 10, 2008 at 12:53 PM
DHS, pixar place, and music could actually all be one park but three separate.
I never understood why they didn't just change it from "Disney-MGM" to "Disney-Pixar".
From Gareth H
Posted October 11, 2008 at 1:38 PM
I'm pretty sure anything new would be on hold for the forseeable future anyway. Not much in the way of $$$$$ to invest in new rides just yet.
Sure the imageneers can go ahead and create what they like, they are on a salary anyway, so make them earn there wage, but as far as building goes, that many new attractions would cost millions upon millions, and yes, Disney as an (Evil, JK) corporation has it, but its not spare.
OK you may ask, but what about Harry Potter at Universal, or Manta at Seaworld. Well... That moneys already been paid out and its too late to cancel it now as the contractors, designers and laborors would still need to be paid....regardless if it gets built of not...
And then if Disney does invest the $$$ then it may be scaled back to see how the economy recovers...
From Tim W
Posted October 11, 2008 at 6:32 PM
it was never called disney pixar studios, because it implies that it should be completely based on pixar. imagine a dhs without fantasmic, tot, rockin rollerocaster, the great movie ride, star tours, etc...It wouldn't be the same.
The guy over at Blue Sky Disney says that all of the WDW projects have been put on hold due to the economy. That Pixar makeover might not be coming as soon as you think!
True, Tim, but Disney-MGM was not just MGM. Indiana Jones is a Paramount franchise, but by attaining the rights it has now found a home at the park. Star Wars came from 20th Century Fox. The Twilight Zone was on CBS and UPN. I'm sure there are more examples I can't think of. The reason for the name was more of a partnership than anything.
Joshua, you have to remember that Disney didn't go through Paramount or Fox to get Indiana Jones and Star Wars but through George Lucas himself.
I think that changing the name to "Hollywood" was brilliant because Hollywood isn't just movies anymore like in the past but has a little bit of everything. Disney still can put any attraction that they think is great but doesn't fit into any specific park or area. For example TOT, LMA, Coaster, Mania, Star Tours, and Indina Jones.
So conceivably the imagineers can have a brilliant idea for a ride but doesnt fit anywhere in the other areas they can still have the option of throwing it into DHS and have an excuse why and over one will still thinks it will fit there.
From Tim W
Posted October 13, 2008 at 5:03 AM
I also think it was completely brillaint. It expresses an overall feeling of entertainment and fun. but to shorten it up a bit, maybe they shouldev just called it Disneywood? I don't know, it is ahrder to say but i like the name much better than mgm when mgm had nothing to do with the overall theme of the park.
From Raul Araoz
Posted October 13, 2008 at 8:54 AM
Once Imagineers get rid of the last remaining Soundstages, the plan is to shorten the name of the park to just Disney's Hollywood. Remember that when when the park opened in 1989, the Disney name was not synonymous with big movies. Eisner quickly, and cheaply, got rights to the MGM name to add prestige and relevance to the idea of a Disney movie park. The park came out before The Little Mermaid, Miramax, Pixar and Jerry Bruckheimer. Disney films were held in low esteem. Eisner had just launched the Touchstone label and was trying to build up Disney's film division. Today, Disney films have never been more popular and the MGM name is useless. Disney-Pixar wasn't chosen to not define the park in such singular terms.
From Tim W
Posted October 13, 2008 at 10:05 AM
rly whered you hear that? I like having studios in the name. it sounds better than just disney's hollywood. plus theyd have to change the entire logo again on all merhcadise and signs. I would hope it wouldn't be for another 20 years if they decide to change the name again.
From Raul Araoz
Posted October 13, 2008 at 11:26 AM
The name change story was in Jim Hill Media.
Click here for story
Fair enough - "Disney-Pixar" just sounds like a prestigious name for a park, especially when Pixar has done so much for them. DHS is such a lame name. Disney's Studios would have even been better than Disney's Hollywood Studios.
From Tim W
Posted October 13, 2008 at 11:48 AM
i disagree. Disney studios is just way too plain. It also resembles too much of universal studios. I like the idea that hollywood is their middle name. haha. And thanks raul. Interesting article. I like the name and don't want it to change though. I think its the best name that they chose out of the other proposals, but certainly not idea wise. i think there couldev been something better. Like showbiz studios or stardum studios. Idk. but i like the name for now.....
There is a really big attraction at DHS that was one of the reasons to add "Hollywood" into its name and its called The Hollywood Tower Hotel aka the Tower of Terror!
From Tim W
Posted October 14, 2008 at 12:28 PM
true. It does reflect tot. As i said i enjoy the name. Sure its not the most clever but it is the best name in my opinion
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