Except for it being a cash cow for DHS I agree with those who don't know why this Fox contest is even in the DISNEY Empire. You can't avoid the hype and ratings of the show, although I have never seen an episode of it myself. I quickly take that back-- I did see a YouTube clip of William Hung. Not my taste but I hope it is succesful.

I do have to agree with Skipperwest's comment from yesterday. I am far more interested in "20,000 Leauges- Nemo" or "Pirates 4" than the AIE experience you shared with us today.

A.I. is something that does not belong at Disney in any essence of the word...it is Disney groping for the teen and related market demographic to cash in on a craze that is already dying on network television.  You would think they would have learned the problems in that area when the Eisner Regime did a similar spin with the dance craze of the 80's and built Videopolis on prime real estate that better offered itself for themed land expansion...yet eventually became the Fantasyland Theatre...which has been dark save for a profit grabbing "Princess" marketing experience that really gives young girls false images to achieve in life as they grow into women.  (Sorry, personal grievance on that one. ;)  )

so, 20K is being brought back to life!  Recently, the 11' NAUTILUS that hung in One Man's Dream in Florida was removed (this was the model built by Tom Scherman and Rich Allsmiller to film the NAUTILUS surfacing footage that eventually was used in the pilot film of the DISCOVERY BAY  CHRONICLES), and, even more recently than that, the hero film model of the NAUTILUS thath ad been on display in LIVING SEAS at EPCOT before it became that Clown Fish Aquarium (which has the best of the 'Finding Nemo' Projection based rides, in a humbled opinion)...the Hero model that was painstakingly restored by master model craftsmen and then displayed only to cast members in the Epcot Cast building...has been packed back to the West Coast and Disney Studios in the last few weeks...

And, the big announcement was made today at far too many websites to list about Disney fast-tracking the 20,000 LEAGUES: NEMO prequel....which seems to be a "hoped for" launch of a new adventure series for the studio to capitalize on...it is strongly hoped they do, at least, retain the Harper Goff designed NAUTILUS for this new film...and, that the audience reaction is strong and the franchise takes off...it could stand to mean that America will finally see a MYSTERIOUS ISLAND theed area built here...and, we can only hope, a DisneySea themed park to support it....

At the very least, this is the best chance for the NAUTILUS to finally be rediscovered by a new generation and for WDI to try and bring her home to a berth she so richly deserves in our country....

(Sorry to hijack this thing...but, this story hasgotten more media buzz and internet attention than anything American Idol will ever produce...it has been green lit and fast tracked into production....)

Skipper- As cool as the 20K news is, AI will ALWAYS produce far more press than any live action Disney film. AI is a monster. Whether it belongs in a Disney park is certainly open for debate, but to say that 20K is bigger news is just laughable.

I like the interactive element, and it seems like it's always been a mandate of DHS to make the guests "feel like a star," so it's a decent concept in that regard.  But I hope the Imagineers have already started thinking about what they're going to replace this attraction with in a few years when American Idol ceases to be such a media powerhouse.

The show is already starting its 8th season and though the ratings are still strong, how much longer do you expect that to last--5 years?  10?  I'm sure it's got more life left in it than "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" did when that attraction was built, but the clock is already ticking.

Anyway, it sounds like they did a nice job with what could be a tricky concept to execute, so kudos to Disney on that one.  I just wish they'd focus their energy and money on creating something with a little more permanence.

I personally would much rather see Who Wants to Be a Millionaire than AI -- and much much much much rather participate in the former than the latter.

Especially since it's just singing.

Laugh all you want - The Disney Park empire was largely built on the back of the success of the original 20,00 LEAGUES Disney film.  And, 20K is the type of adventure element that Walt would have created in his parks, not some "one-trick pony" marketed at a moment in time and a current trend in a "see me" generation which will have as much lasting power as a slab of butter in the Florida sun.  

The ethos behind a Disney attraction/adventure/show is that - above all - it is timeless and can be enjoyed over and over again by all members of the family, it has a great story to tell and to experience, it is UNIQUE TO DISNEY, it maintains the quality of the Disney name...of Which A.I. isn't even a part of.  AI features six shows a day, maybe eighteen people total, with one person winning a prize at the day's end?  No story - it is a rehash of one of the most "generation see me" shows on television, most of the experieince is non-active on the part of the audience...it is sit and watch and laugh at the comments and cringe at the bad singers...even join in making fun of them (a wonderful trait to be exemplified by Disney), the story is greed and being the over all winner (when you get under the surface venner of being "the BEST singer of the day"...which is still an ego stroke for  person and not something that holds the ethics of  Disney FAMILY experience)....this is something so downright oriented to capitalize on something it is sickening. But, Disney (in this marketing sense) is a machine, and, machines cannot be taught...they must learn it themselves.

Yet, 20K offers the probability of a realm of adventures and experiences that are ageless and universal in their telling....and, if the film is a success, then, we stand to get an equivalancy of Tokyo DisneySea and the realm of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND built here in America.  That is the product which 20K can bring about...and that is no laughing matter.

TDS is the most amazing thee park in the world.  It's design and style was what set the bar for Universal's Islands Of Adventure (built my many of the same design team when their project Tokyo DisneySea) with Disney was completed and they had to pick up another contract elsewhere (Islands of Adventure).  TDS is a park that has been part of the Disney Park heitage with it's foundation in the amazing Discovery Bay Project as far back as the early 1970's.  This is the chance (if the film succeeds) for Disney to build a park that will top an other park in our country...

A park of that nature would pretty much dwindle numbers going over to Universal for IOA and the studio park there.  And, if Disney were to go back to the plans that existed for the Port Disney Project at Long Beach (which included aquatic research stations and aquariums on a scale ten times larger than Living Seas) and extended the marine life center from Living Seas at EPCOT across to the DisneySea America version, the Busch SeaWorld franchise would have competition, just as Disney gave exacting competition to the Busch Africa Park in Tampa when Animal Kingdom opened.

That's a lot more than a flash in the pan like A.I.E. has to offer in the large scope of things, wouldn't you think?

Now, given, yes, A.I.E. is a proven draw...based upon a specific generation interest in a television show that is already starting to lose numbers in the Nielsen Ratiings and market retentention figures.  The legs A.I. has to stand on are growing weaker and do not have much further to walk.

But, if Disney is successful with the 20k:NEMO film and opens a franchise of adventures of dicovery and exploration - a steam-punk series of daring do...another line of marketable elements and park placements that is equal to what Pirates of The Caribbean managed to do, to that which Prince of Persia is hoping to do, and, to that which The Lone Ranger is hoping to do...it makes 20K a very significant trump card held in Disney's hands.

So, while you may find the idea of 20K laughable overt hat of AI, I can assure you that, if 20K:NEMO does prove itself a winner, then, Captain Nemo will be having the last laugh.

Regardless of whether I would personally go to see this attraction or not (probably not, since I have virtually no interest in the show), I think it sets up a bit of a Catch-22 beyond what you're outlined here.  Because while part of the appeal of the TV show is getting to see some genuine talent and voting and rooting for your favorite aspiring star, another thing which some fans of the show apparently enjoy is seeing the totally tone-deaf contestants take to the stage and then watching the judges, Simon in particular, tell them just how bad they are.  And there's the conundrum: when your contestants are actually guests in your theme park, you can't really afford to get nasty with them.  A few to many snarks like "Were you singing, or did Winnie the Pooh fall out of the honey tree and land on Eeyore?" and the attraction quickly gets an unappealing reputation as "Disney's Meanest Show."  But I think there's a pretty easy way to get some of the nastier digs into the attraction without risking hurt guest feelings: add another cast member.  This cast member's job would be to play a contestant whose vocal stylings make William Hung sound musically gifted.  Someone who will make the reasonably good guests who are competing sound that much better and the less talented singers sound good by comparison.  Someone who is so utterly convinced that he or she is a born star that the audience won't mind seeing him or her get taken down a peg or two.  The judges can lay in with their jokes, the cast member contestant reacts by getting huffy rather than hurt, and the show goes on with the audience having received a taste of the meaner side of "Idol" without anyone really getting hurt.

Skipperwest-

I agree with you about much of your agrument FOR 20K. I love the book, the film and think it SHOULD be a big part of the Disney Parks. I just find it laughable to to suggest that the mainstream media will cover 20K remakes/prequels/sequels/revisioninngs over AI.

Is AI on the downward spiral? Yes. But it's still able to command far more attention than any other series on TV right now. The only series that comes even close to the media attention is Dancing with the Stars.

Wow, Imagineering managed to copy an existing TV set and add a queue?

That's brilliant!

Priesman - It doesn't surprise me at all that mainstream media turns attention to an adventure film such as 20K over AI.  AI is a television show that is fading and bears the brunt of many jokes in the media world.  By theway, far superior (and drawing more attention than AI) - LOST, 24, CSI, ER, BOSTOL LEGAL (God love it and the time it was on), PRISON BREAK...it depends upon the market you wish to attract.  24, Dancing With Stars are not real television - they are "See Me Generation" entertainments that are cheap to produce and have no real substance to their programming.  

MEdia attention will turn to something that is any hint of a blockbuster on the horizon and observe it as the story and substance within such a project is far more rewarding in the long run than the simple artifical reality shows and games that are flash in the pans and then gone.

AI is nothing in the scope of matters - it is a specific generation market (primarily teens to mid-20's) who are looking to have thier egos escalated by being the next plastic stamped approved singer for the media market to exploit...much like Disney has jumped on AI as the next plastic stamped experience for their media market to exploit.

20K is something far beyond a PR stamp out carbon copy of an entertainer.  It's a story with meat and drive...and, the biggest adventure tale that set the bar for adventure movies to follow.  For Disney to go back and return to the award winning foundation of their live action adventures in such a big way is a major event....a cloning of a egotistical and mean little television show isn't.

MalDRagon - you hit a nose there with the evaluation of seeing the responses as being eventually envisioned as being "mean" - and, that type of thing sends the wrong response to the audience and people who see it....yes, a lot of people watching the actual television show do get a laugh from the judging responses and the sadness of people who can't perform..but, in truth, that is a laugh derived from cruelty...which is something that the foundational ethos behind the Walt Disney Company did not do in their public entertainments.   And, I think that the overall public will respond to that.  The "see me generation", however, will flock to this thing in droves when it first opens, I fear...wasting their admission prices and park time in hopes of doing this one attraction....staying for all the shows and following it through the day....diminishing their overall Disney World experiences a hundred fold, and, if with a family, optionally destroying the enjoyment of the entire group for that given day.  A Disney park is a series of adventures and experiences undertaken by the guest...not just one given element or thing....no one element or item is greater than any of the rest...and, this one show stands to be something that can endanger the concept of what a visit and day (or days) at WDW (or any Disney park that installs this horror factory of AI) should be.

   God, I wish I had the time and energy to devote to this as some of you do, but I work at a job where I don't sit at a computer all day Ha!

Anyway, I agree with Skipperwest for the most part. A I is not DISNEY "magic" something like "20,000..." is. DISNEY needs to recapture the magic and compete with its rivals by marketing its "magic". A I is not it.

I love how all of you are obviously the target audience that Disney is trying to attract with this so your opinions on something you've yet to see or experience are so important.  By all means, go on trashing something new and different to you sight unseen.  It really makes the company care when you start complaining about them trashing classic rides.

By the way, I'm confused by the "unique to Disney" argument.  You're either saying that there are AI attractions elsewhere (which there are not) or you're saying that Hollywood Studios shouldn't have attractions from concepts not originated from Disney.  I'm sure it's probably the latter but that just makes me think of Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Rock n' Roller Coaster, Muppetvision, about 80% of the Great Movie Ride...  Need I go on?

Tuckenie, I'm 31, media-savvy, and a music-lover.  In what way am I not part of the target audience?  How is it trashing AI to say I'd much rather participate in WWTBAM than AI?

AI certainly isn't for me but then I don't expect that every single attraction at WDW will suit my tastes.  If nothing else, hopefully it will draw people away from the attractions that I do like.

As for those whole AI vs. 20K Leagues debate, I don't see the relevance.  Just about everything that happens in the movie industry today is deemed newsworthy--particularly when it involves a familiar title and a big-name director.  

Theme park attractions are rarely newsworthy.  "Transformers" made nearly a billion dollars at the box office in 2007 and I don't hear anyone in the mainstream media talking about the attractions announced by Universal.  The Toy Story films have turned into multi-billion dollar franchises and I didn't see the Hollywood Reporter or Entertainment Tonight devoting any time to Toy Story Mania.  

Tuckweinie...I can see the point you are trying to get at, but, that is like comparing apples with oranges.  The installs you mention, STAR TOURS, INDIANA JONES, MUPPET VISION, GREAT MOVIE, ROCK'N'ROLLER, and, you could even include the TWILIGHT ZONE TOWER OF TERROR - do have external sources for their inspiration.  HOWEVER....they are uniquely Disney in the way their stories are told, and, that their stories are unfolded in a manner that is unique to the Disney Theme park enterprise.  This is a story-telling process that has been evolving since Walt established WED (before WDI) to bring about his vision of a themed entertainment environment in which his stories would be uniquely presented to the public experiencing them.  

The immersive reality adventure which is the core of Disney attractions is relevant in the style of story telling in all of the attractions you mentioned. (BTW - ROCK & ROLLER is unique to Disney, they licensed Aerosmith as the relevant rock group for the story of a band travelling from the recording studio to the concert hall at high speed through the Hollywood region...the same basic story that was overlaid on the disaster known as "Hollywood Superstar Limo" when DCA first opened - which was you are a VIP arriving in Hollywood and taken to your premeire....in fact, if R&RC did option to end the storyline of a major recording group needing to get to a concert it could easily overlay the story of your being a VIP and having to rush to your premeire....)

Each of the stories you mention, STAR TOURS, INDY, even TOWER - could have been done solely on the Disney name.  The public association with the product...a product that follows the guidelines for Disney film entertainment...made it easier for Disney to license the characters and themes for shared profit revenue with the parent company...and, that also allowed a shared income to build a multi-million dollar attraction.

The same exists for Great Movie - when the Studio park in Florida was being built, it was in association with MGM - and, the placement of MGM product in the park was part of the Great Movie adventure...not to mention an overview of Hollywood in the golden age as a whole...but, the immersive story and porduction is totally Disney in the telling.

As for MUPPETS - at the time the original 4D show was created, Disney was in their first round of buying the Henson Company and it was a showcase for what the combined efforts of Disney & Henson could produce in a theme park setting.  Effectively, had the intitial merger gone through (prior to Henson's death), the Muppets would have been then, as they are now, Disney properties.

When you take attractions that are predominantly shows (such as WWTBAM and AI) from eisting television game shows and all you have to do is recreate the studio setting...and have a limited number of guests playing and most guests who go to those venues watching, you really fall far outside the mark of interactive adventure immersion that Disney has as the foundation for their attractions.  Only a handful of people get to really "interact" in the game setting each day...with the majority of the guests being an audience that vicariously exists within each days performance schedule.  Amplify that by the number of people who are vying to get into the AI competition and spend their entire day at a Disney Park doing just that...(which is their choice to use their admission in that way)...you result in the overall Disney Park experience that same guest was given to experience being missed.  

And, repeat showability with something such as AI falls into the same problem as WWTBAM did...after a few viewings, it gets old.  The audience will grow tired and go elsewhere, and, the quick and easy fix for a market draw income that the corporate envisioned fades away...whereas the strong story based attractions (those you mentioned and others) have continual repeat ridablity and draw.  Which is another part of the foundation behind the concepts traditionally put forward by WDI for implementation in the Disney Theme Park empire.

And to TJKRAZ ... I don't know about where you live in the country, but, every time Disney opens up a new attraction (in California, at least, and, I pretty much imagine the same in Florida)  there is at least one major televised hour of that event...

As For Hollywood Reporter And Entertainment Tonight - those shows are the "paparazzi fillers" of the industry...and should be taken as lower level gossip shows designed to give the general public a flash of spectacle that the "me generation" so dearly loves.  They have no real standing in the industry...for which you must turn to the many Theme Park related publications as well as the tried and true oak tree of the Entertainment industry at large, Variety.

Skipperwest, you're still missing the point Priesman and tjkraz tried to make completely.

How much money has 20K made Disney in the last decade?

Now, how much money has American Idol made Fox (or the record labels, or both - take your pick)?

I'll give you a hint: the second number is at least an order of magnitude bigger than the first.  A few theme park attractions and DVD sales don't compare at ALL  to the ad revenue, text messaging fees, and CD and download sales American Idol generates.  They're right - even though it won't have the longevity of a classic Jules Verne story (published 30 years before Walt Disney was even born), American Idol IS bigger news than 20K.

Of course, given that you apparently think it's funny to change Tuckenie's user name to "Tuckweinie," I've got a feeling I won't win an argument with you anyway.

I'm just glad that Disney has the Disney Hollywood Studio theme park to put all of these mediocre attractions into, rather than dumping them into The Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. Not that the other two parks are entirely free of such nonsense either, but at least I know that I can visit those parks and still enjoy myself while completely foregoing the Studio park altogether. It would seem to me that the Studio park is still very much stuck in the Michael Eisner mindset, despite the fact that he's been out the door for awhile now.

Actually, I think I made a typo - wasn't deliberate and my apologies to Tuck for that...the "w" and the "e" are next to each other on the keyboard and my keyboard is notoriously old and sticks.

Spider - my point is not if a product makes money, my point is the fact that Disney is jumping do far outside their own foundation and boundaries to capitalize and garner a quick fix income that they will stoop to some of the lowest mass marketed television nonsense available.  

20K is bigger news.  When you look at the mass market and the adventure film base yearly outlook, 20K is far bigger than any dang game show designed to feed egos and have people laugh at those who have less talent than they think they do.  The Action-Adventure film market is a serious matter when it comes to studios and the related press they stand to garner.  Disney, especially, as they are trying to find a plug for their gaping error of dropping the Narnia Chronicles when they did.  

2010 looks to be a strong year for Disney, and, having another adventure film to capitalize upon is a very press worthy advantage for them.  PRINCE OF PERSIA is due out in 2010, and, even though 20K:NEMO has been announced as greenlit for 2010, IMDB also carries it as a 2011 release...which makes more since as then Disney would be rolling out major film adventures all the way through 2012 (PIRATES 4...with this year (2009) being the slow draw on the trigger outside of the latter part of the year's animation. (LONE RANGER has yet to have a year placed on it for release as far as I can find.)

This is all very newsworthy for Disney, not only in the sense of blockbuster momentum on the silver screen, but, in properties to be developed for implementation in their theme parks...which will offer another major monetary draw over several generations...and, I haven't even gone near the home DVD market for these titles, either.

Does 20K still make money for Disney?  Absolutely.  The sale of the collectibles from the 50th Anniversary of the film supported that concept strongly enough for the company to keep looking at the franchise.  MYSTERIOUS ISLAND in TOKYO DISNEYSEA is the focal point of that park and has many of the most amazing and popular attractions based on Vernian exploits and themed to Captain Nemo...attractions that have large numbers of repeat guest visitation and popularity draw.  And, if the 20K:CAPTAIN NEMO film does well, it is the ground breaking foundation for a new franchise of adventure films that will stand to profit not just returns from film, but, from theme parks as well...not to consider that the chances of getting a park in America equivalent to Tokyo DisneySea may well ride on the success of this new film as well...

A.I. is a flash in the pan experience.  It will flare, then go.  Same as WWTBAM did.  The history of the quick fix is something that the Disney Corporate Machine is notorious for.  The concept of long range planning avoids them...and, it's the long range that must be studied and observed for real return draw figures.  But, the Corporate is a machine...and, machines cannot be taught anything by anyone trying to make a statement...machines must learn their lessons on their own.  Sad, yes.  But, a reality that does give hope for a future.

20K has had a strong audience retention since it first was released in 1954.  Each generation that comes to it anew has always been excited and kept the film (20K) alive and moving forward.  It is this same constant fan base that showed the company that investing in this prequel is a worthy attempt to pursue.  And, the marketing probabilities are quite obvious to the company...all one has to do is research sales on Ebay of 20K collectibles to see that there is a regular demand and ready spending demographic to support developing and distributing them.  

Consider also the fascination with Steampunk and adventure films by a major cross-section demographic...not only in America but around the world as well.  This is another major market factor that will keep 20K a bigger news item and monetary earner than AI ever will be.  And, it is a demographic that appeals to all ages in a family, not just a specific generation that is hooked on "Teen Idols" and "Being Famous" (or, laughing at people) does.

The point I have been pursuing is that this isn't about the money.  It is about the long term success of the project and what those returns will be...not only in monetary factors, but, in family enjoyment, theme park placement, and more, to the Disney Company.  And, that is more newsworthy than a panel of televised plastic judges who dictate and mandate what popular music is and control the very art of what should be a creative medium of countless experiences...not what "THEY" (Simon, Randy, Paula, and the new gal) tell us entertainers and singers have to be.  

Spider - you write: "A few theme park attractions and DVD sales don't compare at ALL  to the ad revenue, text messaging fees, and CD and download sales American Idol generates.  "

On a short term base, perhaps not.  But, give it this...the film is a success...then you have marketing and collectibles and franchise development and ad placement and promotional plaements to consider...and look at the product sale level for phone rings and skins for POTC alone...(just one example) - then there would be the given contests that Disney would sponsor around the film as well...

And, if the success does lead to a theme park install (or, an entire theme park install) in America the logical positioning would be on the Florida Disney World property.  This would generate countless income from God knows how many families visiting and spending their hard earned pennies not just at the park in question, but, at the entire resort...then you have attraction specific/park specific themed souvenirs....the financial curve is seriously higher for the family demographic consumer than one set market of the 12-22 year old span.

Skipperwest, I love your spirit! I wish there were more free thinkers like you inside the Disney Company instead of all the marketing types consulting their demographics to find out what's currently hot and should be exploited. I agree with you that long term vision is what is sorely needed at Disney these days. I was hoping that would be the trend after Eisner was out the door, but I'm not so sure that Bob Iger has much to offer either in regard to getting Disney back to being a creative leader, not a follower.

For the record, I didn't notice the "Tuckweine" gaff until it was pointed out and I find rather funny so it's all good.

Skipperwest, I have to commend you for the amount of time you've spent talking about all this.  It's obvious you've thought this through a lot and my guess would be that you're not a small fan of the Jules Verne story.  I wasn't really commenting on the discussion comparing the two (AI and 20K) but rather on comments about the AI attraction itself.  For the record, at the moment I'd have to say that the AI attraction opening still trumps the 20K news, mostly because as a movie geek I know that a director being announced for a movie means very little.  No script has been written, nobody has been cast and there have been no "green lights".  The movie is being developed and while a target release as been listed it could still be long time before anything is on the screen.  Now I could be wrong and the movie could come out next year and be the most amazing thing ever and in that case I would totally agree that this news is bigger.  But for right now it means a director signed a contract and we might see something one day, maybe.

The AI attraction meanwhile is about to open and therefore it wins by way of currently existing.  Now I totally agree that the AIE is probably going to be a flash in the pan attraction that lasts maybe five years.  I for one only plan on seeing it once or twice.  However I don't particularly care and I'm happy it exists and that is for the following reasons:

1. It's employing entertainment CM's who work very hard and otherwise would have been laid off by short-sighted managers trying to save a buck.

2. It makes use of a space that has been empty for far too long.

3. That space was created for a show that puts people in television shows that was also a flash in the pan idea.

4. It'll attract people to Hollywood Studios and away from Universal.

5. It doesn't star Hannah Montana.

6. It'll have the HSM effect of attrating people away from rides I want to go on.

7. It's a "win-win" attraction.  Disney will make back every dime it spends on it.  AI fans will enjoy it.  AI will make some money and publicity off it.  Non-AI fans can easily ignore it.  

Nobody seems to think it'll be a classic but not every attraction has to be.  It'll be replaced by another flash in the pan thing in 7-15 years and it'll have just as many people nostalgic for it as those who remember Superstar TV.  Disney has a loooooooong history of this sort of thing dating all the way back to 1955.  Sometimes you gotta have these attractions just to keep things interesting.

Now if they would just let Star Wars Weekend's Idols perform in costume...

Tuck - good points, but, in all kindness, I still think it is something that just don't belong at Disney...Universal would have been a better fit! ;)

Speaking of Universal Florida, they already have their pullers happening with that new roller coaster out of the studio park and over the CityWalk plaza, not to mention the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that is opening in 2010 - which is going to floor attendance numbers at WDW, American Idol or not.

As for the 20K:NEMO film - actually, the script has been pitched and sold - Bill Marsilii.  And, there is supposedly a casting announcement to be made in the next couple of weeks.  And, the film was greenlit last week...seriously.  The writer made a formal announcement on a 20K Yahoo group and there is chatter all over the thing on several 20K Forums as well. ;)  As for me, nah, I'm not a bit addicted to the 20K/Verne/Rivet Head scene at all. My avatar lies, I tell you, it lies! ;)  So, you see, the 20K:NEMO thing is actually a BIG Thing.

Personally, I would hve pulled those dang buildings down and tried to open up more space for human traffic flow into the back areas of the studio park...especially with the Pixar Place Street now being a happening event....

Or, a really good SciFi museum exhibt with models and artifacts from famous scifi films.

Or, extend the Lucas franchise across and implement the Jedi Academy there...there's a lot that could have been done.

I'll add one more factor, though, to plus the AIE show there...It also doesn't have the Jonas Brothers.

As for employing the CM's from entertainment who deserve better...don't even get me started on the loss of the Adventurers Club and other venues.....heheheh....