Mouse Extra

Personally, I will file this under the “I will believe it when I see it” file, but it is an interesting coincidence anyway. It seems several places in the Backlot area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios are undergoing some fairly extensive renovations in the coming weeks. Both the Backlot Tour and the nearby Studio Catering Co will be closed from the middle of February until Easter time for refurbishment. Disney followed that announcement with the statement that the Honey I Shrunk the Audience Playground is also being closed. And according to some, the refurbishments will be much longer than 6 weeks. Read: permanently closed.

It does seem strange that Disney will close all three places at once. They are all around the same area. Let’s face facts. They are some of the least popular spots in the park. Honey I Shrunk the Kids no longer has the appeal to kids that it used to. And, frankly, the Backlot Tour has been slowly dying for years now.

WDW News Today has a laundry list of possible replacements. A WDW version of Radiator Springs Racers, the oft-rumored Monsters Inc coaster, a Bugs’ Life Playground and a Ratatouille eatery are among the popular proposals. All make some sense considering any major changes in this area would likely be in an effort to increase the size of Pixar Studios.

I, for one, think there will be a day in the not too distant future where Disney will announce the closing of the Backlot Tour (and perhaps the other places mentioned) and replace it with an attraction or two based on Pixar movies. It’s quite possible we could see some of the proposed changes. It would take little effort, for example, to change the playground from Honey I Shrunk the Kids to a Bug’s Life. Ditto for the eatery. But I doubt the Backlot Tour is going down for the count now. Not with the extensive Fantasyland work and the Star Tours 2.0 on the menu. We may need to wait a year or so. I sense the next D23 convention would be a good place to start.

Today’s article is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra.

I wanted to make you aware of Tuesday’s updates to the Orlando Sentinel’s Theme Park Rangers blog.  There are a couple of stories that deserve mention.

First is this story about Disney World’s most glaring recent screw-up, the limited show times for Fantasmic!  and the new way we must all view the accompanying dinner package.

Previously (years ago), we had walked in a separate entrance, and we only needed to be there a half hour early. One of the reasons we had done the dinner package was to cut down our wait time; we were with two small children who by that time of night can’t keep up their good spirits with an hourlong wait. So that was disappointing. However, we heard others on the way out saying they had gotten there 90 minutes early, so we did cut some wait time. Still, it’s good to know that even if you buy the dinner package, there will be a fairly substantial wait involved.

We talked about this on Mouse Extra a couple of months ago, and quite frankly the author here has gone easy on Disney for this awful decision.  I want to join Matt Hochberg of Studios Central in calling for everyone to write in or better yet if you are at the parks stop into Guest Services and express your anger and disappointment with Disney officials for limiting Fantasmic!  This is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular shows and they have turned it into a logistical disaster for paying customers who deserve better.

As for the other story, we get a look at the new Characters in Flight hot air balloon taking to the skies over at Downtown Disney.  While I am not at all a big fan of the name they chose, I do think the graphics on the balloon are rather nice.

Here is a ridiculously funny photo released earlier this week from Walt Disney World.  It is CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain trying out Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Sorry Yankee fans, I couldn’t find out who scored better.  (Don’t laugh.  These guys are pitchers and who has the better aim is important.)

photo copyright Disney 2009

Cleary Joba Chamberlain, right, is acting like a ham.  But doesn’t Sabathia have a smile on his face that says something like “I should have gotten in the single-riders line!”  Yes, this may be the one time Sabathia would rather be hanging out with Alex Rodriguez. 

When I first saw this photo, I thought it was a mistake.  That didn’t look to me at first to be CC Sabathia.  He is a huge guy, but Joba is just as big in this photo.

Have you seen the new big fig’s for this year’s Star Wars Weekends?  Star Wars.com has images of all four in this year’s lineup as well as the story concerning availability and pricing.

Mickey Luke, Minnie Leia, Goofy Chewie, and Donald in Carbonite are each being made available in an edition size of 600 each, and will be released around the second week in June. 500 of each will be available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with the remaining 100 of each being sent to Disneyland.

This is a great tradition that Disney Merchandising has been doing for a few years now.  Disney and Star Wars collectors alike wait in anticipation for these to be released.  In all fairness, this year’s crop is not my favorite.  However personally, I think that Mickey as Luke Skywalker learning the ways of the force with Yoda on his back is one of the best yet.

copyright Lucasfilm and Disney

Take a look at the rest and tell us what you think of these.  Are you of the same opinion that I am?  I mean, these are good, but they are just nearly not as cool as say Jedi Mickey and his lightsaber.  But hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.

Like I said yesterday, I did not bring myself to see Disney World’s newest addition, the American Idol Experience, on my recently concluded trip to the Mouse.  But I did have a chance to “experience” the other major change at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the newly slashed show times for Fantasmic!.  And as I am sure you could have predicted, it was a total disaster.

Considering the potential for a mess, our party decided to book a Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose’s.  We had a good meal, good service, and were enjoying ourselves until our waiter at the end of our meal told us we should think about heading over to the theater as soon as we were finished…it was over 2 hours until show time!?!  Now that may be good advice, but the party included my 4 year old niece and 7 year old nephew.  I couldn’t imagine either one of them sitting on a bleacher for 2 hours even if Mickey Mouse himself was sitting next to them the entire time.

As we arrived 45 minutes early, they were already turning people away and telling them only limited standing room remained.  But they gave us a seat thanks only to the dinner package.  Folks, I can not emphasize enough how important this package is now if you don’t want to sit on a bleacher looking at a blank stage for over an hour.

I can only imagine how many people, who did not have the benefit of a well informed waiter or are not avid readers of various Disney related websites, did not get to see the show on their one and only shot to do so on their vacation.  How many guests made their way over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios specifically for Fantasmic only to be turned away at the entrance to the theater?  And this was a particularly slow week for attendance.  This problem will only get worse.

I hope all of those who did miss out registered their complaints with Guest Services.  This decision to cut costs by cutting down to only two showings per week what may be the most popular show on property was one of the worst Disney World officials have made in recent memory.  I understand the need to cut costs, but how about 4 times a week?  Why go from every night to only twice?

Thanks to this decision there really is no reason anymore to stay into the night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  It is now nothing more than a half-day park.  Get there early, hit the e-tickets, and you’ll be done by early afternoon.  Is that what Disney hoped to accomplish?

Kevin Yee at MiceAge.com has an interesting column this morning that discusses Disney’s economic future and how the current recession may hurt plans for expansion and new attractions.  Amid the normal clang of Mr. Yee’s usual anti-Disney nonsense, there is a good point to be made here.

image courtesy of WDW News Today

In my opinion, the most powerful tool for luring people to the park is new attractions.  Build a crazy-sized yeti inside an enormous mountain rollercoaster and people will come to see it.  Disney’s Orlando competitors are doing just that.  But in 2009, which appears to be shaping up as a rough economic year, Disney has little to offer but the American Idol Experience.  While Disney seems very excited by this attraction, I share Mr. Yee’s questions…

And Disney? Well, for 2009 Disney has the American Idol Experience. Not exactly on par with the monster coasters of the local competitors. There is significant chatter from fans that the American Idol juggernaut will peak soon, if it hasn’t already, so the entire concept is questionable. Will this type of attraction even fly? Will enough tourists take such a big bite out of their day to participate? Will people really warm up to a gigantic and oversized karaoke experience, or could the notion of being judged perhaps lead to almost everyone getting cold feet?

As I have said in the past, I am the absolute wrong person to ask when it comes to this new American Idol Experience.  Personally, I find the television show absolutely unwatchable and nearly nauseating.  But no matter how popular this show might be, I just can’t see a reproduced version of it as being something that can capture the imagination of guests who come to a Disney park like a Disney e-ticket ride can.

Mr. Yee is correct.  If Disney really wanted to do some recession busting they would blow people away with an incredible e-ticket.  Unfortunately it is too late now to make an impact on 2009.