Although I'm not a fan of HSM, I think that this is a very smart and fun idea.

Not something I'd be interested in going to but I gotta admit the idea has potential if cultivated properly.  Otherwise that show building is just a pathetic waste of empty space along I-4.  Plus after seeing the crowds for the pep rallies at DHS I gotta believe it could work.  Now if Disney threw in some Hanna Montana stuff and really worked the theme, (maybe having the guests take school buses to the show?) I could see this working for the 2+ more years the fad probably has left.

Frankly, I'm not so sure about all this. Why does any company (but especially Disney) have to bleed every dime from every project?

Isn't it this kind of thing that ultimately hurts the company? Don't people simply come to see it as over-hype and get turned off in the process?

Instead of creating unique and timeless classics that can capture audiences for generations, Disney simply jumps on the latest trend (beanies, pins, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and all things HSM for example) and rides it out for as long as it can -- even if the company and its shareholders lose tons of money when the bottom falls out.

This doesn't mean that a HSM cafeteria dining experience and showplace won't be good ... I hope it will be, but I'm skeptical.

Besides, have you been to Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us or any mass market retailer? There's no shortage of HSM items available for the Tweens, everything from clothes to dolls, toys, games and electronics.

Then factor in that there's not a children's theater group who hasn't done or isn't looking at doing some local production of HSM.

In addition, the company's decided to make HSM3 a theatrical release ... and some parents will probably squawk at having to shell out bigger bucks at the multiplex -- than they would for a free showing on The Disney Channel or the $15 or $20 to purchase the extended footage DVD production.

I already think there's a bit of an erosion at the box office for U.S. studios because more and more people are wondering whether they should spend $40 or more to take a small family to the multiplex or wait 5 or 6 months for a DVD or Blu-Ray to hit the store shelves to buy or NetFlix and Blockbuster to rent.

HSM3 better be the best sequel since "Godfather II" or "Toy Story 2" if Disney doesn't want to alienate fans -- but with the glut of stuff in the pipeline already, I'd be surprised if there already hasn't been a little erosion of HSM's marketability. A lot of people were a bit disappointed in HSM2 and many people thought HSM was more engaging.

I do not like the idea but i think it might work.  Parents did not have a problem spending big money on a Hanna Montana 3d movie or hundreds or concert tickets.  I do not see them having a problem spending a few bucks on food and entertainment

Since the building would be leased by Disney, it technically would be a piece of Disney property, so I don't see it being a big deal to bus people over there.  I really like the idea of using school buses- if not real school busses, then busses that sort of look like them...

Yesterday I was at Downtown Disney at WDW, and a mom was telling her kids, "I can't believe that you're spending your money on 'High School Musical' stuff".  Obviously, kids are still crazy about the franchise (I'm not even a kid anymore, and I'm still crazy about the franchise).  If this show does happen, though, it'd be great if it could start in the summer...I mean, then the HSM3 songs would have to be incorporated later, so it may not be worth it, but the longer it's open, the more money they'd make.  Who knows how long the HSM franchise will be popular for?  Milk it while you can!

The tween market is a fickle place...so getting what you can from HSM while you can makes sense from a marketing standpoint. Will HSM be looked back on fondly in 20 years like Grease? who knows, so might as well make the money off it while you can.

As I said in an earlier post about this subject:

Milk it, milk it, milk it.  Milk it 'til it runs dry.  

Then bury it until all the fans of today are old enough and have their own buying power to look at as nostalgia and will pay big bucks to introduce their kids to the franchise.  

As for me, I will gladly give up my seat and remove myself so those who do enjoy it can do so.

(blackcauldron85, I just finished reading to the end of your post - if I read it earlier I could have just said 'ditto'!)

This is positively ludicrus. I can't say how much I hate this idea. It feels cheap and sleazy. It feels like something Universal would do, not Disney. I am a very big fan of the HSM franchise... but this feels stupid.

If it's going to die out, then let it. There's no need for creepy stunts like this. Just keep selling t-shirts and things until it's over.

Seems like a neat idea.  Money the Mouse makes from HSM is money that can be used to reinvest in all the things the rest of us love.

I wouldn't be caught dead there, of course.  =)

Too bad Xanadu was torn down. Imagine the possibilities. And how about Mystery Fun House? Is that anything anymore? Oh -- and here's one: convert the Bay Colony Plaza in Ocoee into Zack & Cody's Suite Life Suites!

Trust me, I'm not making fun, just having fun. Anything can happen in the wacky world of "worlds" that is Central Florida.

I think it sounds like fun.  My 3 daughters would love it.

Disney buses people off property only when they are coraled into another Disney ship or if they are going home. If they bused them to the theater, they would be coraled for that evening, but then people might look behind them and see the big, gigantic outlet mall sitting there. Do you really think Disney wants to let people know about this? If someone is only familier with Orlando as a Disney resort, and always uses the Magical Express, they could easily not know this place existed, even if it is just a mile outside of the park. Don't see this being approved.

It sounds like a money-maker, so why not. I'm just wondering why they can't hurry up and finish the work on the Backlot theatre/stage at DHS and do this there. From what I hear, they are adding A/C and enclosing the building. Is it perhaps too small a venue for this? Are there no other buildings on-property that could house something like this?

Great article Jim!

I'm not a fan of HSM either. But I do love this idea. Seems ideal for Disney: Very little upfront investment, very little risk... and SO MUCH potential for cash. I hope they do it!

It sounds like a fun concept. Why not give it a try. Especially as someone posted previously, using school busses to bus guests. My 13 year old daughter would like it.

Excellent !  

Instead of school busses, have the customers ride a zip line across Interstate 4 !

Go team !

I can't imagine anything I'd rather do less.

While I can't stand HSM... I'd probably go check this out ONCE.

I think it's a brilliant idea. And I'm glad to hear that they are looking at this as a temporary thing.

Go Disney!

I dunno... this one sounds crazy enough that it just might work. And when HSM-mania finally dies (which can't come soon enought for me), they could always change the show into something else - the Hannah Montana Concert Experience, for example (with a Hannah body double, of course).  

As far as jables' comment: I doubt it'd be much of an issue for these reasons:

(1) There's a Disney outlet in the mall - Disney probably wouldn't mind if folks spent a few bucks there.  Heck, they'd probably encourage it!

(2) Most of the teennyboopers' parents wallets will be drained by the cost of the show and the gift shop (and you KNOW there'll be a gift shop!), so they won't have much financial incentive to go to the mall in any case.

(3) Disney could ensure nobody's gonna stray by insisting that everyone go over by bus from DTD. "You wanna explore the mall, folks? Miss your bus and it's a LONG walk or a cab ride back to WDW! Bwahahahaha!"  :)

Don't forget that a large number of customers could come from outside of the WDW hotels; the guests in the on- and off-property hotels, guests at Universal, and the large population in driving range would all be targets for a short-run show.

Funny how they are so realistic about the short shelf-life of the HSM franchise, but are so DUMB about how quickly the "Pirates" craze is fading (see the story about the "Pirates & Princesses" party floppola) and are already planning "National Treasure" endless spin-offs.

This is a good move if they can pull it off quick, cheap, and temporarily. But maybe they need to built a facillity on-property anyhow...one that can be "re-themed" for the latest craze every 3-5 years? After all, these things DO have a very short shelf-life, and it isn't even about how good or bad the actual subject matter is. It's about kids and generations---THIS year's batch of tweens finds a product they like--say Miley Cyrus or whatever---but when they get OLDER, even by a year or three, they don't want to be associated with the next group's "kid's stuff" object of affection. These fads are quick--made quicker by the burn-out experienced by merch-buying parents dwindling pocketbooks and massive media exposure creating overkill.

Disney should build a permanent show facillity of their own ON-property that could be adapted for new trends--just as they once promised to change the "software" on "Star Tours" to keep it fresh as a justification for the then-huge investment in hardware when the original was built at Disneyland.