First, an apology: In the introduction that I wrote to Jim Korkis’ debut column this past Tuesday, I mentioned that Jim had written several books. Among them “Cartoon Confidential,” “Encyclopedia of Cartoon Superstars,” “How to Create Animation,” and “The Animation Art Buyer’s Guide.” What I neglected to mention was that Korkis actually had a co-author on each of these literary projects, the equally talented and esteemed John Cawley. Soooo … my sincerest apologies to Mr. Cawley for this unintended slight on my part.
That completes the groveling portion of today’s program. Okay. Moving on now … Brian K. writes in to ask:
Dear Jim,
Thanks again for all of the wonderful stories about the goings-on in the House of Mouse. It’s always a pleasure to visit your site.
My question concerns the Alien Encounter attraction at WDW. I just read over at wdwmagic.com that AE is being closed in April, 2004 to allow for a complete overhaul that would include inserting Stitch into a new storyline. Is this true? I always enjoyed the AE attraction, as it had all of the Disney attention to detail, while exploring territory not usually found in a Disney theme park, namely a truly scary experience. Any scoop on this?
Thanks!
Brian K.
Dear Brian:
Thanks for the kind words regarding JHM. As for the “Stitch” themed redo of WDW’s “Alien Encounter,” my sources at Walt Disney Imagineering tell that this project really is a go. WDW Guest Relations is reportedly tired of dealing with the constant customer complaints about how terrifying “AE” is to children. So the Imagineers are hoping — once they load this much lighter, funnier, kid friendlier show into the old “Mission to Mars” theaters — that these complaints will stop.
To back up what the nice folks over at www.wdwmagic.com have been saying, I too have heard that WDW’s “Alien Encounter” will be closing sometime in the Spring of 2004. The current (extremely tentative, mind you) timetable calls for three to four month long rehab. The revamped attraction will have a soft opening sometime in the late summer. August at the earliest … September at the latest. With the all-new “Alien Encounter with Stitch” having its official grand opening as part of WDW’s annual October birthday bash/press event.
I know, I know. Some of you thrill monkeys out there will be sad to hear that this scare-filled sensory thriller is actually going away. But Disney’s in the process of turning WDW’s Tomorrowland into a more family friendly environment. Building on the success of “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin,” so to speak.
So look for “Alien Encounter” to get “Stitch”-esized sometime in 2004. And WDW’s “Carousel of Progress?” Well, that’s still being eyed as the possible site for an all-new enclosed version of that old Disneyland favorite, “The Flying Saucers.” And — if the clone of the Hong Kong version of Space Mountain that’s going into Anaheim is met with lots of guest enthusiasm — you can bet that WDW’s version may go under the knife as well in the not-so-distant future (2006 or thereabouts).
Beyond that … if you’re even remotely nostalgic about this version of “Alien Encounter,” now might be a really good time to rack up a few more visits to the Tomorrowland Convention Center. Better yet, if you’d like to make a killing on eBay in a few years, now might be a good time to drop by the Magic Kingdom’s “Merchant of Venus” shop and/or “Once Upon a Toy” at WDW’s Downtown Disney and pick up a few “Alien Encounter” toys. I mean, who knows what this stuff will be going for in 2014 … long after Chairman Clench, Dr. Femus and the rest of XS Tech crew have beamed back to their home world?
Next, VikM — on the JimHillMedia.com discussion boards — asked:
Where/when did the Glen Keane interview, that was mentioned in (your “Is Disney Feature Animation Ripe for Another Revolution”) article, appear?
Thank you,
VikM
Dear VikM,
The info that I cited for this week’s article (I.E. how Keane had been quoted in a recent interview as saying that he’d never seen a film that was as seriously micro-managed as “Treasure Planet” was) actually came from the December 13, 2002 issue of “Entertainment Weekly” magazine. To be specific, the “Man Who Drew Too Much” article by Steve Daly.
In this piece, which details much of the fall-out that happened at Walt Disney Feature Animation when “Treasure Planet” under-performed at the box office last November, Keane is quoted as saying that the production of this particular animated film was marked by ”the most belt-tightening, bottom-line-oriented, paranoiac kind of penny watching” he’s ever seen by management at Walt Disney Studios.
You can read the whole article (which I highly recommend, by the way) by going to the “Entertainment Weekly” website. Though — if I remember correctly — the only way you can get access to the ew.com archives is if you are a subscriber to the magazine.
Hope that answers your question, VikM.
Next, Wayne G. writes in to ask:
Dear Jim:
Love the site. Thanks for all your wonderful investigations.
I’ve always been curious about … Epcot. Who or what decided who got an attraction (in World Showcase)? France has an attraction but Italy doesn’t … I’ve (also) read that Spain wants a killer attraction (for its proposed pavilion for Epcot). Why? Who benefits? Spanish tourism? I’ve always been curious to know these types of things.
Sincerely,
Wayne G.
Dear Wayne,
Thanks for the kind words regarding JHM as well as the articles that I do for the site. Now, regarding your questions concerning attractions at World Showcase area: whether or not any rides get built for the pavilions in Epcot’s international area largely depends on whether or not the hosting nation is willing to foot the bill for an attraction.
Take for example, Germany and Italy. Both of those World Showcase pavilions were supposed to have featured elaborate boat rides as part of their opening day assortment of attractions. Italy was to have taken Epcot visitors on a romantic gondola ride through a miniature version of Venice. While — over at the German pavilion — tourists were supposed to have boarded a scenic launch for a simulated cruise down the Rhine.
But — as EPCOT Center’s construction costs began to soar in the late 1970s / early 1980s — corners inevitably got cut. So — while World Showcase’s Italy did end up with a gondola or two tied up in front of the pavilion in World Showcase Lagoon — they’re strictly there for decorative purposes. Those boats aren’t going anywhere.
Whereas Epcot’s German pavilion … well, there was always this understanding (at least in the early-to-mod-1980s) between the Imagineers and the sponsors of this World Showcase pavilion that they’d eventually get around to building a Rhine River ride. The Mouse seemed so confident that this project would actually eventually go forward that it actually allowed author Richard Beard to write about the proposed Rhine Boat ride in his 1982 book, “Walt Disney’s EPCOT: Creating the New World of Tomorrow” (Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publisher).
Here’s an excerpt from Beard’s book that describes this proposed World Showcase addition:
“The future River Ride promises to be as enjoyable as it is informative. An early concept has visitors boarding a ‘cruise boat’ for a simulated ride down the Rhine and other rivers, the ride offering a visual impression in miniature of the cultural heritage of Germany’s past and the highlights of its present. Among the detailed models envisioned are scenes in the Black Forest, the Oktoberfest, Heidelberg, the industrial Ruhr Valley … The possibilities are limited only by the planners’ imagination.”
Or — to be a bit more truthful here — on the amount of money that the sponsoring country is willing to spend. Once EPCOT Center opened in October 1982 and proved to be a bit of a disappointment with the public, the German companies who had covered most of the construction costs for this World Showcase pavilion lost all enthusiasm for expanding this Epcot attraction beyond its original footprint. So that “future River Ride” that Beard wrote about was never meant to be.
Ah well …
Anyway, Wayne, you asked why the sponsors of Epcot’s proposed Spain pavilion were insisting that this WDW addition has a “killer attraction.” Well, perhaps those Spanish businessmen have heard what happened in Norway the year after that country’s World Showcase pavilion opened in May 1988. The Norwegian Tourism Board claimed that it saw a 500% increase in tourism from the United States as thousands of Americans journeyed across the Atlantic just to check out that nation’s fjords.
The Norwegians believe it’s the travelogue that WDW guests are forced to watch in the post show area of that pavilion’s “Maelstrom” ride that compelled so many Americans to come check out their country. Which is why the Spanish want a thrill ride to be a prominent feature of their World Showcase pavilion. Which not-so-coincidentally would also feature a film that showcased Spain’s beautiful scenery.
The Spanish sponsors of this proposed Epcot addition are — of course — hoping that lightning will strike twice. And that — once this new World Showcase pavilion is open — Spain will see a similar surge in American tourism.
You want to know the real irony here, Wayne? Norway’s “Maelstrom” would probably have been twice as popular as it already is if the Imagineers had been allowed to build the finale sequence for this World Showcase attraction as they originally envisioned it.
How would the “Maelstrom” would have been different if WDI had been allowed to go forward with the ride’s original finale? Well, you know where you float past that large model of an oil rig in a simulated storm in the North Sea? Well, picture what it would have been like if you were thrown in the middle of a real-as-it-could-possibly-be simulation of a storm at sea.
I’m serious, people. WDW guests — before they boarded those faux Viking longboats — would each have been issued a yellow rain slicker and hat. That way, when you entered the North Sea section of the ride, you would have stayed somewhat dry as heavy rain poured down from above and waves washed over the sides of the boat.
It would have been pretty cool (not to mention refreshing — particularly on one of those brutally hot summer days in Orlando). But sadly, once the Imagineers broached their idea for “Maelstrom”‘s original finale to EPCOT Center’s operations staff, their real-storm-at-sea concept quickly got nixed. Just the projected cost of continually bailing out the longboats proved to be prohibitive. Not to mention the cost of dry cleaning all those rain slickers daily.
Which is how this World Showcase attraction ended up with its somewhat limp finale. Which is really too bad. Me personally, I’ve always wondered what the “Maelstrom” would have been like it actually hard some “strom” left in it.
Finally, TerryToon writes to ask:
Jim:
I really enjoyed Tuesday’s story about your tour of WDW’s Magic Kingdom with Jim Korkis. Do you think you guys will be schmoozing your way around that theme park again anytime soon? If so, can I sign up to take part in a tour like that?
TerryToon
Well, Jim Korkis and I HAVE been (rather informally, mind you) talking about him possibly doing some tours of the WDW theme parks as part of his new duties here at JimHillMedia.com. But — as of right this second — we’re not actually ready to formally announce that Korkis will be giving Disney World tours in the not-so-distant future.
So TerryToon … let’s just consider the above paragraph a very broad hint of things yet to come. But sure! If I happen to be in town while Jim is leading a JHM group through the park, I’d love to tag along and periodically throw in my two cents.
Speaking of tours (nice segue, don’t you think?), I am pleased to announce that — due to the overwhelmingly positive reaction to March’s beta test of the JimHillMedia.com tours of Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure — on Saturday, June 7th and Sunday, June 8th Chuck Oberleitner and I will be holding a second set of JHM tours.
The tentative schedule is:
Saturday June 7th
10 AM to 12 PM — Disneyland Tour
2 PM to 4 PM — Disneyland Tour
Sunday June 8th
10 AM to 12 PM — Disneyland Tour
2 PM to 4 PM — Disney’s California Adventure Tour
This time around, we’re going to be touching on a lot of material that wasn’t covered during the initial sets of tours. As in: How much did it actually cost the Walt Disney Company to build various attractions in the park? (We’ve got the hard numbers!) Entire lands that never made it off WDI’s drawing boards (I.E. Mythia, Big City U.S.A., World Holiday Land, etc.). Stuff that you’d never ever get to hear on the official Disneyland tour. Plus … Who knows? This time around, you might get a surprise cameo appearance by the Fabulous Disney Babe. (AKA my ex-wife Michelle Smith. Who’s also giving some semi-serious thought to doing some theme park tours for JimHillMedia.com readers in the not-so-distant future.)
Plus Chuck (a guy who’s always looking to work the angles) wants to try out yet another idea: “Lunch with Jim.” A lunchtime Q&A session with yours truly that would be held on Saturday, June 7th from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (Me personally? I’m not entirely sure that this “Lunch with Jim” project is such a hot idea. After all, how entertaining can it be to listen to a fat man yammer about the Walt Disney Company while he eats a salad? But DizBiz wants us to try this idea out … so we’re trying this idea out.)
Anyway … space for the Disneyland and DCA tours (as well as “Lunch with Jim”) is extremely limited. If you’d like to get in on the fun, drop me a line at my stadlerhill@mindspring.com address as to which tour you’d like to take part in and I’ll sending along the appropriate pricing info.
Oh — and to answer a question that popped up on the JimHillMedia.com discussion boards this week — Yes! That floral print polo shirt IS my official uniform for the JHM theme park tours. Now, if I could only come up with a hat to complete that stunning ensemble.
Okay. That’s it for this week, kids. David Gasior — JHM’s tech guy — tells me that we’re not updating the site again ’til Tuesday morning. (Which is fine by me. I know that the hard working crew here at JimHillMedia.com could use a long weekend off.)
So have a happy Memorial Day, people … and we’ll talk again early next week, okay?
jrh
Oops … Michelle just informed me that (unfortunately) it’s that time again. That it’s time once more for me to rattle the tin cup and ask for your kind contributions so that JimHillMedia.com can stay in the black.
Look. I won’t lie to you folks. I don’t really like asking for hand-outs (which is why I haven’t put the bite on you since ‘way back in February.) But running a website — even one with as few bells and whistles as JHM has — costs money.
So if you could please (pretty please?) toss a few shekels in that Amazon.com honor box that you find on the JimHillMedia.com home page … well, you’ll make my ex-wife happy. Which will make me happy … which means that I can get back to hammering together new Disney-related stories.
Thanks in advance for your understanding and generosity.
Talk to you on Tuesday,
j