With the acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney also picked up one of the true innovators in digital effects and film technology – Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). ILM may have been worth the whole $4 billion price tag themselves. Of course, now that they’re part of… Read More »Lucasfilm’s ILM developing virtual Star Wars universe for Disney’s Theme Parks
Big news on the Orlando water park scene today. Universal Orlando Resort is finally pulling the plug on the Wet’n Wild water park as of December 31st, 2016. The Orlando Wet’n Wild location opened in 1977 by SeaWorld founder George Millay and is considered America’s… Read More »America’s first water park – Wet’n Wild Orlando – to close says Universal
As a general rule, theme parks keep their attendance figures and projections closely held secrets. But fans and investors want to know how individual theme parks are doing, so the Themed Entertainment Association partners with AECOM each year to give it their best estimate.… Read More »Theme park Attraction attendance report released for 2014
There’s been a lot of progress around the Magic Kingdom’s Plaza / Hub since our last update. Disney has also released new concept art detailing what the hub of the Magic Kingdom will look like when construction is complete. For now, the Partners Statue is… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – May 2015
By this time next week, the Magic Kingdom will be full of guests planning to spend the next 24 hours in the park. The “Coolest Summer Ever” kick off celebration starts at 5AM on Friday May 22 and runs to 6AM on Saturday May 23.… Read More »Entertainment line-up for Magic Kingdom’s Coolest Summer Ever 24-Hour Day
A long deep dive into the business behind Disney’s multi-billion dollar MyMagic+ project by Austin Carr has been published by Fast Company. It’s a well written piece with a lot of sources and some “in the room” insights about the project that I’ve never heard… Read More »The business behind Disney’s MyMagic+ MagicBands
If you look at some of the concept drawings for Disneyland, one of Walt Disney’s original ideas included a land called “Lilliputian land” that would be based on a mythical miniature city somewhere in Europe. That idea didn’t make it into the park when it… Read More »Monday Attraction Spotlight: Storybook Land Canal Boats
Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers practically invented the modern theme park. They took old ideas and elevated them to something guests would be talking about for years to come.
Over the years, the crowds have grown most sophisticated and ride technology has changed too. It still comes down to one thing, telling an amazing and engaging story, rich in detail, and immersive in environment.
Here’s a list of 7 attraction types that will never be built again in a Disney theme park:
Snow White / Pinocchio Dark Ride – The original dark ride at Disneyland was little more than a giant electric train set going through a series of wooden cutouts. Not only are ride systems much more complex, guests are too savvy for simple set decorations. The new rides are all nearly 360 degrees immersive.
The Great Movie Ride / Ellen’s Energy Adventure – Not only are both these rides full of expensive to build and maintain animatronics, their ride systems are large and complex, essentially theaters on wheels. The modern guest doesn’t quite get the metaphor.
Read More »Seven Attractions that Disney Wouldn’t Build Today