Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:45:48 GMT

The Australian concept sounds great! it would work well with the already existing lagoon.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:46:33 GMT

silly silly silly

If Disney Co really really wanted another pavillion in World Showcase, they would send in some guys with hammers and a year later - poof - there's a building. They don't need Australia's permission to fill a dark ride with kangaroos. The vaunted Disney Co surveys obviously show that a new country in World Showcase is not going to bump attendance - or a new country would be there - five years ago.

What Disney Co does want is $$$ from foreign countries/companies/backers. If Lionsgate or anyone else comes to Disney Co and says, "pardon me, but we can offer the support of government X plus a guaranteed $Y million over Z years," Disney Co will be more than happy to talk to them as long as the X,Y, and Z fall into acceptable limits. Eisner's bonuses proved there's enough $$$ floating around that the company could use for some pretty amazing things - if they really wanted to. The standard Company line, and Roy's main legacy, is that "there's no money for that." I guess that's why it takes 4-5 weeks to put the Nightmare cutouts in the Mansion each year - they only can afford one Imagineer and one carpenter for installation. Give me five Jungle Cruise skippers and two of the HSM Live cheerleaders - I'll have the Mansion switched out in 4 days -plenty of time left over to fly to Florida and build an Aussie Pavillion.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 03:45:29 GMT

I say go for it, let someone else pay for it, take the time negotiating and then benefit fromt he added pavilions. While they are at it Disney could convince them that those pavilions in order to succeed need an actual attraction

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:52:24 GMT

I'd prefer they build a Disny park in Australia! I hate that, being in Australia, I only get to visit Disneyland every few years!

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:52:19 GMT

I think that any thing they can do to get new countries in the World Showcase would be great. As long as the detail is there they should move forward. I also don't see why they couldn't do this themselves.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:38:29 GMT

Interesting article. In light of some of the recent developments that have been announced by Disney, I think the time and atmosphere may just be right for such a venture. Disney (Iger), seems to be looking for ways of making improvements that will grow their properties without actually costing them any significant investment. We've seen this with the Four Seasons deal, Tutto Italia, Ying and Yak restaurant, Dinosaur themed restaurant at DTD, Western Way expansion. Perhaps this isn't a bad idea. Maybe they could cut a deal with Lionsgate to work with Imagineering for one pavillion, and see how it goes. Of course, they would have to work with Imagineering to build this. But, if it were successful, maybe it could be expanded.

I have to wonder though, just what they (Lionsgate) would expect to get out of building a new pavillion. Would they want to put in a tourism/vacation planning desk for that country? I mean, are any of the pavillions generating any kind of recognizable revenue, outside of the trinkets they sell? Is there any real money to be made by a company hosting a country at Epcot?

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:07:07 GMT

Wait, Alfredo's closed? When did this happen? That was my family's favorite restaurant in the park. Now I have to inform them all that it's gone.

Sign.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:40:51 GMT

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE more countries in Epcot! Shopping and sight-seeing those little spots are such a kick for me, and I still haven't seen everything in TWO trips to Epcot! Austrailia is an especial favorite, too; they oughta strike while the iron is hot. But I think they should avoid having a third party handle all this; Disney does best when Disney organizes everything itself.

I would rather see Aussie as an Epcot attraction than an Animal Kingdom one, though. I made one trip to Animal Kingdom and it was NOT fun. The place is too darn small! There's no room to walk, no real way to see the animals when its so unbelievably crowded. Adding more to that shrinky-dink little park would make it unbearable.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:13:32 GMT

One thing I've never understood about Disney and Epcot is that, unlike the other parks, Disney seems unwiling to add anything new unless a sponsor is covering the lion's share of the costs. Elsewhere, if Disney has an attraction they think will impact the attendance, they justify it on that basis. Sure, they seek as much sponsorship money as they can--but the green light isn't dependent on it.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:29:51 GMT

What they ought to do is put the Australia pavilion in DAK, between Dinoland and Forbidden Mountain, to tie in to the Nemo show.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:22:08 GMT

Screw putting in Australialand at DAK, I want a friggin' Beastly Kingdom! Why is that such an impossible request?

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:10:01 GMT

Jim, you appear critical of Disney for rejecting ideas if their own staff didn't think of it first. However, it is common for creative companies to automatically reject unsolicited suggestions, lest they be sued later for "stealing" ideas (as often happens in the movie industry).

I don't know whether Disney adheres to that policy, but I'll bet their legal department recommends it.

I would also like to see more countries added to Epcot. As my kids have grown older, it has become our favorite park. It would be nice to explore something new next time we visit.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:31:34 GMT

doceagle said:

"One thing I've never understood about Disney and Epcot is that, unlike the other parks, Disney seems unwiling to add anything new unless a sponsor is covering the lion's share of the costs. Elsewhere, if Disney has an attraction they think will impact the attendance, they justify it on that basis. Sure, they seek as much sponsorship money as they can--but the green light isn't dependent on it."

Yeah, I don't really get that either, but it's always bugged me too.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:20:23 GMT

Okay okay.... pavillions, countries, lands, blah blah blah. Did anyone else notice, in the satalite photo of Epcot, what appears to be a monorail expansion to the west? Look carefully near The Land and you'll see two yellow lines that connect to the main monorail line and head off towards... Animal Kingdom? Maybe?!

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:41:57 GMT

I am such a dork! I just can't get enough of that VERY interesting Epcot Master Plan.

It's fairly new, but not too recent. Please note the planed area (red highlighted) to the south of The Land which is where they put Soarin'. That tells us this picture was taken before Soarin' was built in Florida. Also of interest is the Wonders of Life pavilion. Why is it not marked in red? Hasn't that area been marked for future redevlopment for a while now?

What could they possibly want to do with that area out by the parking lot?! It's HUGE. More parking probably...

Looks like they have plans for six more countries to be added. Lastly, it appears there are plans to add/update something on either side of the American pavillion.

COOL!!!

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 01:34:54 GMT

I hope that if this does go through, the concept of Australia isn't stereotyped into the Sydney opera house. While it's a cool building, it's a building. A modern building. Not only would it clash with the aesthetic of the older architecture throughout World Showcase, but it's just not all that Australia is about. There's so much more to it than that one symbol. I would hope Disney would be smart enough to showcase Australia through something more tied into Australia's deep history and not an iconic building that was built in the 70s!

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:54:55 GMT

Exactly, Desperad07. The World Showcase countries are supposed to "transport" the guests to another place, to give them a real sense of walking around in that country. Somehow, just standing outside a big building--even one as architecturally cool as the Sydney Opera House--just doesn't cut it.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:58:42 GMT

-- Any proposal for a pavilion for a country with no easily identifiable national cuisine (e.g. Australia or Russia) starts with one strike against it. Reality isn't important here, just the perceptions of the US public. But I suppose people would love it if it included an Outback Steakhouse :rolleyes:, which would at least take some of the pressure off LeCellier.

-- I'd love to see an Australia-themed addition to AK, which would not include the obligation to build an Australian restaurant.

-- Jim said on the WDWToday podcast that Lionsgate misspelled "Sydney" in their proposal. That's no way to do business. I'd toss such a proposal straight into the trash.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Down Under Disney Style

Jim Hill — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 03:15:04 GMT

I also hope that Disney doesn't use the Opera House or Uluru as the theme buildings or structures. That stupid Opera House isn't really Australian...it just lives there. There is so much more to Australia than it.

And we do have cuisine that is Australian...it includes Steak that is COOKED and not rare as well as mostly food that is NOT deep fried or Turkey leg based. It also includes the Pavlova, Lamingtons and Meat Pies...and I mean real meat pies...not the runny muck I found in the 'meat pie' being sold in the US. The best Australian restaurant would be a Bakery!!! That DOESN'T make funnel cakes or any other foul deep fried pastry.

As for a Disney Park in Australia. That will never happen. It very nearly did many years ago and was going to be set up in Queensland...but the stupid state government said NO!!!! The moron essentially doomed Australia to NEVER have a Disney Park. This is why we now have Movie World, Sea World and Dream World instead...bleah. The final nail in coffin was the creation of Hong Kong Disneyland which is so close that we will never ever get a Disney park

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