I think my concerns about Great Movie Ride replacement rumor; for a park struggling with content why is the approach merely to re-theme what exists? It seems the approach should be additional rather than net neutral.
I have a theory, and please note this is just my theory.
I think Disney is in a pinch, they let the US parks fade and wither, with no real investment while they expanded globally, and tried to fix those issues. Now they are faced with a major quandry. Do I build all new expansion and rides in existing parks and continue to let the existing rides fade, or do I re-position and upgrade those existing rides and then look at expansion. Now please note, this has NOTHING to do with cost. We all know Disney has money to burn, and they CAN afford to do new and more. But my question is more about.....should they? I am all for expanding and adding to parks, DHS and EPCOT desperately need new additions. But how can you spend Billions on new expansion, and not pay attention to the fact your existing line up is old, dated and in some cases falling apart? With the 50th anniversary facing them in WDW, I think they had to finally look in the mirror and face the fact some of what they did isn't working(literally and aesthetically).
So what to do?
First you finally finish what was promised years ago, with Pandora in AK. From all reports they hit a home run with this area, as it is fully submersive, and the rides are top notch. You have effectively made a huge draw in a park that could use the help, while also adding and tweeking some things to make it a full day park.
Second you face the fact that finally you have to admit DHS is NOT a studio, and the studio theme doesn't work. It doesn't draw,and that is why MK is buried.
So you decide to retheme the whole park, and correct what is missing. You add two new lands(one on a HUGE movie theme that will draw like no park has in Orlando since HP opened, and one playing off one of the most popular rides you have in that park). Go back to making MORE submersive worlds, and continue the outstanding work created with Pandora. I am shaking in my boots at what SWE will be after seeing videos of Pandora. Plus from multiple reports the rides will be fantastic. Yes they "dumbed" down TSL, but lets be clear, TSL was NOT going to draw over SWE, just not happening. Its goal was to make an additional world that will entertain some as they wait to do SWE. Is it as much as it should be ...probably not, but we have to wait and see what it finally ends up being. As for GMR, I am first and foremost a HUGE fan of that ride. It was a must do on every WDW trip I made. But by all reports it was incredibly expensive to run and maintain, and was in dire need of updating, and really won't match the new theme of the park. So instead, its time to make a fix, put in something totally new, and have it ready for when the Megolith of SWE hits, to help crowd movement. Should Mickey ride be a whole new ride..absolutely, should it be somewhere else instead of replacing GMR....that would be wonderful. But then what do you do with GMR once the new park motif is given....exactly what you ARE doing. I hope beyond hope that DHS won't be completed with Mickey, SWE and TSL, and that we at least get something added to it in the animation area once these areas are complete. But even if we don't if the theme makes sense, and they can tie it all together.....you have a pretty entertaining world of SWE, ToT, RnRC, TSL and Mickey ride to help stem crowds from MK. But this work had to be done, and I don't see how you can build out and build new, until you fix the above and have it make sense.
As for EPCOT.....
My heart bleeds for all of you who have such wonderful love for what EPCOT was. My first time to WDW was 25 years ago in 1991 for our honeymoon. My memory is very limited...as you can guess I wasn't fully focused on the parks per say
. But I do remember Figment and Imagination, the Seas and the Land, and Comunicore and all. I will also readily admit here that EPCOT is my least favorite world in WDW. So I am not as much in love as many of you. So I don't mind as much news of attractions being added to WS. I agree they at least need to make sense in where they go. I see both arguments for and against Frozen and Norway, but to me its okay, but certainly not ideal. I would agree more strongly with those who feel Frozen deserves more, and should have been given a much more huge attraction. I love the idea of Rat in France, and can't wait to see what UK brings, as long as it thematically fits.
As for FW, I have no idea what they plan to do there. I guess my hope with GotG in UoE, was that they were going to move to a more....."Fantastic" future world and theme to that, vs. the attainable future? Who knows now. But the park desperately needs help. So I will remain optimistic. But my same argument is there, you HAVE to fix what you have, and get it right, then worry about expanding to new. It just makes sense or you are just slapping rides in willy nilly for new expansion.
Sorry for the long post. I just see the constant wrangling of Disney should be expanding and not replacing, and I get it, but to me they have to replace first, get it right, and the expand so it makes sense.
may be my retentive engineering mind going there...
