Mouse Extra

Bob Iger was recently quoted on CNN Money as saying the following:

“And not everything has to be a franchise. I was recently asked whether “Ratatouille” was a franchise. I said no: “Ratatouille” is an extremely good animated film and will be a classic unto itself, but it is not a franchise. You are not going to see “Ratatouille” attractions in parks. When you look at “Toy Story,” we’re making our third film, we’re opening two Toy Story Mania attractions at parks this summer, we have a very strong consumer products line, we have a “Toy Story” musical opening on the cruise line, we have a game in development - that’s a franchise.”

Of course, this nips in the bud the many rumors of a Ratatouille “wild mouse” coaster in Disney Hollywood Studios, a clone of the Crush Coaster from the Paris park. Which is too bad, since I think a wild ride through the sewers of Paris as a rat might have been fun. I feel Ratatouille is one of the better Pixar films.

But the real problem is the reasoning behind this. I can certainly live without a Ratatouille coaster, but i don’t want all future attractions restricted to those of a franchise. Does everything have to be based on the Princesses or Toy Story? Yes, I know Expedition Everest is not a “franchise” based attraction, not a pirate to be found anywhere. But that seems to be the exception to the rule these days. I hope this is not a sign of the end of original attractions like the Haunted Mansion or Soarin’ being imagineered. Lets hope not!

WDW News Today had a rumor yesterday that seems to go a bit contrary to many assumptions expressed in recent years.  (Why they are working on St. Patty’s Day is beyond me!!)  It concerns the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway and what may become of it in the not so distant future.

…Sources have been telling me that before Walt Disney World celebrates it’s 40th Anniversary in 2011, the attraction will undergo a huge refurbishment to add electric cars and new scenery. To quote our source:

“The idea behind this refurbishment would be to make our speedway similar to the Autopia attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, while also including scenery that tells the story of our Tomorrowland.” (ex. Stitch, Wall-E, Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters Inc. character and theming references)

This is one of those attraction that you can just tell from looking at it that it is due for a fairly expansive refurbishment.  Considering the impact Pixar has had on the parks in recent years, many people just assumed that the film “Cars” would be somehow involved in the future of the Speedway.  It made perfectly good sense to me.  We added Buzz Lightyear and then “Monsters Inc.”, so why not add Cars?

Well, I can’t say for sure, but it seems to me that the answer lies in the film itself.  Both “Monsters Inc.” and the Buzz Lightyear character have a futuristic feel to them, if only somewhat loosely.  “Cars” has no such feel whatsoever.  Imagineers would really have to stretch their imaginations to sell that one on the public.

Jim Hill Media’s guest writer Robert Bish discussed yesterday what he feels is the gathering roller coaster war that is heading towards Orlando, Florida.  With Sea World beginning construction on a major new coaster and Universal looking to add one within the “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”, attention turns to Disney.  What will they do in response?

This is where an old rumor ties in to the changing landscape of Orlando’s theme parks.  The report says that Disney World may respond with the type of major refurbishment to Space Mountain that we have heard for some time now.

Where once this Magic Kingdom thrill ride was just supposed to receive some new cars and retheming during its upcoming redo … Now that this Space Mountain’s revamp is sure to be compared to what Universal plans to do with to Dueling Dragons (i.e. Fold all sorts of new story elements & effects into this IOA thrill ride so that this attraction will then themed around the Triwizard Tournament from “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) … The Imagineers are now supposedly thinking about throwing a whole lot more money at this 33-year-old indoor coaster …

So is this the right way to compact gate busting attractions at the other theme parks?  It depends on how much you think Sea World and Universal can hurt the turnstiles at Disney World.  But on a purely personal level, I think the answer to that question is no.

First of all, now matter how good a refurb is done on Space Mountain people will always pine for the classic attraction.  A facelift type project, like the one at Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion, is one thing.  But totally changing the feel of Space Mountain will bring the inevitable cries of the purists and rightly so.  Space Mountain is already a great ride that brings big crowds decades after it was built.  Fix it up, update the lighting and sound, make the cars better and more comfortable, and you’ll have many ecstatic fans.

But if Disney really wants to combat the other parks they need something fresh and new, not the destruction of something that is already a huge hit.  Don’t waste your time changing an attraction that is already successful into something that may potentially not be as successful or loyally loved.  Instead, invest in a new e-ticket with the marketing power and wide appeal of Expedition Everest, Soarin, or Test Track.  Add a new land to the Animal Kingdom or, build a coaster to the new Pixar section at the Studios.  That will grab the people’s attention.

This morning’s posting over at Jim Hill Media deals with the problems associated with the shrinking popularity of Disney’s pirates franchise.  Apparently the Pirates and Princesses Party is still struggling and Disney is cutting some costs to make it more profitable.  But perhaps the most disappointing is the red light given to the often rumored Tortuga restaurant project.

“So why didn’t the ‘Tortuga’ project go forward?,” you ask. Well, in addition to the problems associated with the “Pirates & Princess Party” and those declining “Pirates of the Caribbean” merchandise sales … There was the matter of what it would cost to change the Adventureland Veranda from a quick service facility to a full service restaurant.

Then when you factor in that the Magic Kingdom doesn’t really need a brand-new full service restaurant right now (Why For? Well, while places like Liberty Tree Tavern and the Crystal Palace are typically running at 90 - 95% occupancy at lunch & dinner these days, there are still in-park facilities like Tony’s Town Square that will have empty tables at various times of the day. So why should WDW officials spend the money necessary to add a brand-new dining facility to the Magic Kingdom when that theme park isn’t really making full use of the restaurants that it already has?) … It just didn’t make sense to spend the money now that would be necessary to turn the Adventureland Veranda into a “Pirates of the Caribbean” -themed dining experience.

There are a couple of things I find interesting in this analysis.  First, is the cost of converting a quick service into a full service restaurant so high that Disney would find the investment too much to handle?  That seems to be a bit of a stretch to me.  While kitchen equipment and renovations may be difficult, it is only a drop of what Disney puts into many other projects built from the ground up.  This sounds like a rationalization to me.

Second, I also have to question the conclusion that the Magic Kingdom does not need a new full service restaurant.  The 90-95% capacity seen at the Crystal Palace and the Liberty Tree is rather high, and certainly does not mean another would not be attended.  Many people don’t go to these places because they know how crowded it can be at lunch and dinner times.  Also, one is a buffet and the other family style, so a regular order-off-the-menu place would be a welcome addition.  And let’s be honest, Tony’s Town Square has empty tables because it isn’t all that great.

The reason for this ship being scuttled is much more obvious then that.  It seems the popularity of the entire Pirates franchise took a shot to the hull that left it crippled and sinking, and it was called “At World’s End”.  The film may have done well at the box office, but it failed to generate the cross generational appeal Disney was banking on.  The wit-filled swashbuckling that made adults laugh and kids run to find the nearest household object that could be imagined into a sword was replaced with a convoluted and way too dark storyline that anyone under 16 struggled to follow, and some of us more than twice that age did too.  Now Disney is left with a franchise that needs to be rebuilt before it can sail again.

Thanks to the great folks at Broke Hoedown for giving us this story from Nintendo World Report that offers some details into the “Disney Magic Connection”.  This is the handheld device, used on a Nintendo DS, which we talked about late last week.  It gives real-time information about the parks, and is apparently under testing right now at the Magic Kingdom.

Thanks to this report, we now have some confirmation about what is on the current system under testing…

The foremost feature of Disney’s Magic Connection is a fully interactive park map. The system can tell precisely where you are in the park and offer routes to various attractions, restaurants, character greeting areas, and other facilities. The park is constantly communicating with the DS, and can relay attraction wait times to the DS. It can also alert guests when they are nearby attractions they have placed on their “wish list”. Selecting a specific attraction will bring up a short description of it, including height restrictions (if applicable), operating status, and the current Fast Pass distribution time (for rides using Disney’s Fast Pass system).

We also discussed the possibility of this system being used to pass the time while waiting on line for attractions by offering games to play.  It seems that is exactly the case.  Check out this fascinating concept…

These games, which are connected to various attractions and areas of the park, are locked initially. Guests can unlock the games by visiting the specific attractions. When first setting the system up, the DS asks for the names and approximate ages of everybody in your party. This information is used to tailor the games to the specific person playing them, hopefully making sure they are easy enough for children and challenging enough for adults. Currently there are five games for Fantasyland, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

This certainly does seem to be an interesting possibility.  But I just can’t say for sure that this would interest me.  For one thing, I can’t imagine wanting to carry around the system when I am someone always looking to lug the least amount of stuff possible.  I also tend to avoid big lines as often as I can, so the game function would mean very little to me.  However, I do understand that folks touring during the peak times may truly benefit from this.

But as I have said before, this is all about the money.  It is a great idea, but it is going to come at a cost.  What that cost is will define whether or not this will be in wide use when made available.  Until that price is released, I just can not get excited about it.

Its almost the holiday season at Walt Disney World. The parks will be decorated for Christmas in short order. Santas from around the World will be gracing the World Showcase pavillons. The Osborn Family Lights will soon be dazzling Studio guests. And starting November 12th the “hard” ticket event Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be packing them in at the Magic Kingdom. Tickets for this event are about $50 for adults and slightly less for kids. The question is, of course, is it worth it?

I must say yes. There are a number of holiday shows going on around the park. These include Celebrate the Season, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and a special version of Wishes. The big highlight is probably the holiday parade which runs twice. Another highlight is the imagineers have created a snowfall to set the mood down Main Street. There are also character dances and, of course, you can meet Santa Claus. An important note about the shows is that many of them play during the day starting in the middle of December just as the crowds really intensify and lines for attractions become virtually unbearable.

You also get holiday treats like hot chochlate, apple slices, and cookies. For real meals, there are unfortunately limited choices. Cosmic Ray’s and the Pecos Bill Cafe are open as are the sit-down Tony’s Townsquare and Liberty Tree Tavern. My suggestion would be to either eat at a Magic Kigdom resort just before the event as crowds can get tough or try Cosmic Ray’s.

For sure the event can get crowded. The number of tickets sold is about 20,000 and most nights sell out well in advance. Tickets go on sale around 6 months before the events begin. The party closes at midnight (give or take) but the crowds begin to thin after the holiday version of Wishes which starts at 9:30. It really drops after the second parade which sets off at 10:45. You want to be around after 11 o’clock as many of attractions are virtually empty. I would do the Mountains during the first parade. Just before and immediately after the second parade do many of the attractions that ordinarily get very busy. We enjoyed Big Thunder 4 times in a row without getting off as it was virtualy empty which is true for much of the park after 11 o’clock. During the early portion of the evening enjoy the shows you want to see. I would watch the second parade as it is much less crowded.

The event is not by any means cheap. Furthermore, the decorations are out for everyone to enjoy all day. Other events like the Osborn Lights are included in your park ticket. Plus, if you’re at the park for the few weeks prior to December 25th, most of the shows play during the day as well, except the fireworks and parade. Still, I think its well worth your time and money, and a fun way to kick off the holiday season.

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