Do you have good ideas?

Do you have good ideas for a column? Submit your idea in the comments section today!

Parks and Resorts- Magic Kingdom Roundup- Adventureland

Ahh Adventureland, the land of mystique. This south seas/Polynesian/asian/jungle is meant to signal danger, rescue, discovery, and fun. As with any other land, Adventure has some amazing elements, but there is of course room for improvement.





The current roster includes

- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tiki Room

This land is not that large, and of course the Jungle Cruise takes up a lot of geography, but there is room and potential for great new attractions.

First, I propose an Indiana Jones attraction (similar to Disneyland, but more plussed and updated to make a slightly different experience.

Second, Princess and the Frog could be a good IP for a smaller attraction here...something in the bayou or swamp.

Third, though Moana was underwhelming, it could fit in here as well.

Fourth, create a "Blue Bayou" type restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean.

Fifth, Lilo and Stitch can go here, but the IP would need a reawakening.

Sixth- Jungle Cruise has a movie coming out in the next few years, incorporate new elements into it, similar to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Seventh- Let's expand the Dole Whip stand...this gem is an attraction in itself and it clogs up the walkways badly. Perhaps we can make it so you can drink these inside of the Tiki room.

Parks and Resorts- Unique Attractions to Specific Resorts

Disney Parks and Resorts has an eternal conundrum to deal with after a new attraction is opened; should the attraction be exported to other resorts or not? This can be a difficult decision because there are benefits and drawbacks to exporting and to keeping it solitary.

I have compiled a database of major attractions to their respective resorts (it is not ALL inclusive, only major attractions). Due to formatting issues it is not clearly visible to you, but it can be sent upon request.

Some attractions are meant to go to several different resorts. These attractions translate well to other languages and should be in every resort. These include Tower of Terror, Mickey's Philharmagic, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.

Some attractions should not be exported and should remain at one resort so that each resort has some unique elements. Attractions such as Matterhorn, Safari's, Mission Space, California Screaming, etc. fall under here.

New attractions typically will stay at one resort for several years until it will be moved, thereby giving the original resort a short ownership privilege. However, within a few years, we should expect attractions such as Iron Man and Tron to make their way elsewhere.

How should we know what attractions should not be exported? I believe it is a few factors

1. Ease of recreation- Some attractions are not easily able to recreate due to the landscape or contributing factors. Think the Safari's at Animal Kingdom...not able to easily replicate this elsewhere.

2. Fit with the culture- Some IP's just don't mesh with certain cultures, so the attraction should not be exported (though the technology can).

3. Contractual issues- This one is more limited, but think about Marvel. Due to the Master licensing agreement, Disneyland resort is in a unique and powerful position to use these IP's to their fullest potential.

4. Unique "flavorful" experiences- By this I mean that "signature" attractions will likely be exported due to their high cost and demand. However, an attraction short of signature status, but still entertaining and popular, should remain at one resort. Matterhorn is a good example. It is a thrilling and fun attraction, but is not as legendary to most guests like Splash Mountain, etc. Therefore Matterhorn should remain solely at Disneyland, however Indians Jones which is signature should be exported to Florida (I don't count the stunt show).

Note, the exported attraction does not have to be identical to the previous versions, there can be minor changes as in Pirates of the Caribbean lengths from California to Florida.

Keeping each park unique will drive up attendance to each individual resort, but the exporting of signature attractions will make them relevant and exciting, thereby making Disneyland resort  no longer a regional theme park and will drive higher attendance at the international resorts.

Thoughts?

Broadcast Networks- Avoiding Partisanship

If you haven't heard, ABC recently cancelled the comedy "Last man standing" (LMS) despite it having a high and steady viewership. This has caused a significant backlash since LMS' main character (played by Tim Allen) is a prominent conservative and made fun of liberal positions and politicians. Conservative outcry was fierce because there aren't generally too many network shows that appeal to conservatives while ABC (and many other networks) are filled with very liberal friendly shows.

ABC should immediately reinstate LMS because it reaches a key demographic that it needs to reach and does so with over 8 million viewers. More importantly though ABC (and Disney as well) need to avoid the partisan political climate in terms of content. It is ok to have liberal shows as long as there are conservative shows, but it is not ok for corporate to espouse some values over the other and make programming decisions based on them.

ABC has responded that it was not political decisions that cancelled the show...ya right. ABC has kept terrible shows on TV if it had ratings and viewership, so when did that criteria not become the end all/be all. Since the early 2000's, ABC has gotten progressively more liberal in its content. ABC news is very liberal, the sitcoms should be free from that partisanship. ABC cannot afford to alienate half of all viewers with political value debates or picking favorites. The executives views should have no bearing on whether it is a hit show or not. ABC has consistently broached its political head on issues over the years including gay marriage, equal rights, and more. This is not the job of ABC unless they will also champion conservative positions like smaller government and entitlement reform. So,

Bring back LMS!

Disney Studios- Top Ten sequels or reboots needed

Some films just need a sequel and some need a reboot...I know that sequels and reboots are usually worse than their predecessors, but we still need these characters or franchises. As such, I propose the top ten stories in need of film sequels or reboots. This list does not include any films that are already in development.

Honorable mentions-

- Enchanted. I know that the sequel Disenchanted is "in the works", but until we see something concrete then it goes on the list.

- Haunted Mansion. Again, I know the Guillermo Del Toro reboot is in the works, but haven't seen anything yet. This franchise is ripe for a good film with a fresh take.

- Honey I shrunk the Kids. This is a fun film idea and the original is not quite a classic, but is very dated. Could be a good reboot.

- Saludos Amigos/Three Caballeros. Though this is a pretty thin franchise, there is certainly potential to revive the characters including Jose and Panchito.

10. Winnie the Pooh- The 2011 sequel was pretty weak, but the franchise is too beloved to let it slip to merely merchandise.

9. The Muppets- The 2011 sequel was a great reboot, but the 2014 sequel was fairly weak. Let's keep regular appearances of the Muppets going.

8. Aladdin- Aladdin is a bit of a sacred cow for the company, but there is certainly room and potential stories for a sequel...the question is will people go see it without Robin Williams?

7. Inside Out- This 2015 film was a new and fresh hit and is probably the most recent film that deserves a sequel in itself.

6. National Treasure- The 2004 film was fun and exciting. The sequel was pretty weak, but this franchise is the modern day equivalent of Indiana Jones and is also ripe to be in the parks for an attraction.

5. Ratatouille- This film left little room to further the current storyline, but we could definitely see how the restaurant will continue to run and adventures from that.

4. Davy Crockett- Can the 1950's franchise be relevant again? I believe it can. There aren't many westerns anymore an American heroes franchise could be revamped.

3. Johnny Tremain- Again, an old short lived classic, that could revive the colonial genre and American hero.

2. Homeward Bound- Kids love animals, they love their personalities, and they love their adventures.

1. Swiss Family Robinson- Reboot material! People stuck on a deserted island and surviving (and thriving) is a storyline the company has used many times in the past. Let's see this one happen again!

Parks and Resorts- Magic Kingdom Roundup- Liberty Square

Liberty Square is a true gem of a land because it is pure storytelling with Americana. Though this land is small, it is packed with content and talent, but is there room for improvement? Sure.

The current roster in Liberty Square includes

Haunted Mansion
The Hall of Presidents
The Muppets present great moments in American History

Liberty Square Riverboat

There is also the restaurants

Liberty Tree Tavern
Diamond Horseshoe
Columbia Harbour House
and the Liberty Square Market cart

This is a great lineup with few misses, but the land could still use additional material. Obviously the problem is land, but there is still room for a few areas to plus.

First, I think the Muppet idea is great, but let's make it permanent as an attraction. It needs an actual building where people can sit, it should be extended some. I recommend it next door to the Hall of Presidents.

Second, I also recommend branching out into this theme a little bit more. Let's have an exhibit on the founders; who was Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, etc. Let's have Common Sense available to read. Let's have a room seated much like the delegates sat at the Constitutional convention.

Third, I suggest a revamping of Liberty tree tavern (it's ok, but food quality can be improved), and turn one of the other counter service places into another full service place.

Fourth, we need a true Haunted Mansion gift shop...and maybe a restaurant? That may be too tacky, but why is there no true Haunted Mansion gift shop...forget the cart!

Fifth, Sleepy Hollow...find a way to add this theme in there (it's already in a Disney film "the adventures of Ichabod and mr. toad)

Sixth- More current IP...how about National Treasure? That could make a great attraction where you're moving in search of an artifact (think forbidden journey technology).

Seventh- This will seem strange, but I believe the shops in a land make the atmosphere. Here, the Christmas shop is great, but let's also add an antique store, an old time book store/library on American history, and art/sculptures could be good.





Thoughts?

Parks and Resorts- Magic Kingdom Roundup- Main Street USA

Main Street USA is unlike the other lands in the parks in that it is not meant to be a time killing adventure in the jungle, in fantasy, in space, etc. Main Street USA is not meant to have lots of attractions, unless one were to count a penny arcade, a theater, or slow horse/automobile travel as an attraction. Main Street USA is still a sight to see though and certainly should be given its due in terms of completing the proper stay at the Magic Kingdom. After all, Main Street USA has the best shopping, and some of the best dining, in the park and has the largest concentration of it. The most significant role though of Main Street USA is as a red carpet to the park itself, a welcoming and homespun feeling to get the guest ready for the adventure that awaits. Main Street USA though is not without its necessary additions and there is of course room for improvement. That being said, here is what works, and what needs work at Main Street USA.

Currently Main Street has many shops including the famed Emporium (the largest shop in the Magic Kingdom). There are also several restaurants including

- Tony's Town Square restaurant
- Crystal Palace
- Casey's Corner
- Main Street Bakery
- Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
- Plaza restaurant

These restaurants/stands are pretty good, but can be better. Let's be honest, of these, Crystal Palace is the best, but it still lacks in quality sometimes.

The Plaza and Tony's Town square struggle in terms of taste and food quality as well. These restaurants are not ideal destinations for your stomach.

What Main Street needs is

1)  a revamped slate of restaurants. Get new chefs in charge of Tony's town square and Plaza.
2) Improve the food at Crystal palace so that it alleviates some of the rush to Be our Guest. They can do this through more character dining with Winnie the Pooh and other characters not often being used. However, get rid of the buffet aspect! Make it true table service


3) A true hotdog stand should be in Main street (with TOP quality dogs). The hot dog and Main Street just fit each other well.

4) some new shops selling UNIQUE items. Emporium is a great store, but it takes the fun away if you can buy everything there. Unique stores that sell valuable goods can be great. How about a Disney gallery store here? A rare Disney music store (they used to have one after all at Disneyland), and more general goods (Magic Kingdom merchandise, etc.) By doing this here, it will enable the shops in the separate lands to focus on more land specific merchandise.
5) A huge coffee shop out front with top quality coffee (not starbucks, it must be themed properly)

6)  A view of the Grand Floridian from a small area could also be a great sight and would fit the theme well

7) A better way to shepherd and separate people when parades are coming up so that people can still walkthrough (perhaps a back way to adventure or tomorrowland)

Thoughts?

Disney Studios- Films based on Attractions

Certain movie ideas seem great, yet have had a terrible run, such as films based on video games, etc. Along that line are films based on Disney attractions. The successes are rare and the disgust is plentiful. So far, Disney has only produced a small number of these films and they are hesitant to dive deep into this limited list. Let's look at the list thus far

1) Tower of Terror (1997)- This just plain sucked. Steve Guttenberg (of Police Academy fame) and Kirsten Dunst could not save this. It was made for TV...let that sink in. Grade: F

2) The Country Bears (2002)- This film was colorful, but creepy and lacked in story, talent, and fun. There's an old saying "you can't shine shit". That's what this is. The core concept was going to be rough to work with in the first place as there is little storyline to really draw from, but the film made it that much worse. Grade: F

3) Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)- This is by far the best movie Disney has had based on an attraction. It was fun, it showed elements of the attraction that were relatable, but mostly it succeeded due to genre breaking acting by Depp and Rush. Grade: A-

4) The Haunted Mansion (2003)- This movie had fun elements, and certainly had the most scenes from the attraction throughout it, but the movie lacked overall. Perhaps it was the dry backstory, perhaps it was the overacting by Eddie Murphy, who knows. Grade: C

5) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)- After the success of Pirates, Disney rushed two sequels out to be released in short order...it showed. Like the sequels of the Matrix, these sequels lacked a storyline that made any sense and could be followed coherently. Characters remained, but lacked any new depth. This saw the introduction of Davey Jones and by making the Commodore a more interesting character. Overall this one was ok, but did nowhere near as well as the first. Grade: B

6) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)- This one lacked any coherent storyline whatsoever, introduced a ton of new characters in Singapore, and was just chaos. Grade: D

7 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)- This one was released just to re-invigorate the Depp franchise and aside from Depp, lost all the other main actors. Plot was terrible and non-sensical as well. Grade: D

8) Tomorrowland (2015)- Though this film was not based on an attraction, it was based on a land at the parks in theory. If successful, it would have been the IP basis for the parks itself. It wasn't. It was weird. Weird can sometimes be good, like the Big Lebowski is a weird movie, but it's a classic. This was weird in a "Disney actually made this" kind of way. Grade: F

Not considered: Mission to Mars (2000)- This millennium attraction is only based on the old attraction in name only, no direct connection.

Future films: I have hope for the future and hope Disney continues to make films based on their attractions, but puts more effort into the storylines. The stories should exude the same feeling you get on the attraction though (and scenes from it should be scattered throughout). There are a few on the horizon

1) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead men tell no tales (2017)- This film is about to be released and looks to finish out the franchise in another strange continuation. Not too excited about this one.

2) Jungle Cruise- This film, starring Dwayne Johnson, seeks to capture the spirt of the Jungle Cruise adventure. I'm a little excited about this one.

3) Magic Kingdom- This Jon Favreau film was supposed to have come out a long time ago, what happened? Stop making remakes of old films (Jungle Book, Lion King, etc.) and make this movie! Super excited.

4) Small world- Haven't heard much on this one except they're "thinking" about it. Not too excited.

5) Explorers project based on the Matterhorn- No details on this one yet. Not too excited.

6) Haunted Mansion reboot- originally to be directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who knows where this one is now.

My suggestions for films-

1) Space Mountain

2) Hall of Presidents (it'd be interesting if they all got together, no?)

3) Thunder Mountain

4) the making of EPCOT

5) Bio of Walt Disney's life (based on One man's story)

Parks and Resorts- Magic Kingdom Roundup- Frontierland

Frontierland should be the easiest land because nothing is supposed to change. However, Frontierland tends to ebb and flow like any other land in terms of new attractions. Few people would likely call this land their favorite, but it is still both necessary and required area to visit.

The list of attractions there currently is small, but they are all good. They include

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Country Bear Jamboree
Splash Mountain
Tom Sawyer Island
Railroad

So what should be done with this land? This is one of the largest lands by acreage, but most of it is not being used because of the size of Splash and Thunder Mountain. I propose a new attraction go in the area behind Thunder mountain to make this area of the park a draw. What could go here???

A few options. First, we all know that the Lone Ranger was supposed to have been a big hit to re-energize the western. It didn't happen, but corporate should not give up on the Western genre. Make something else!

Second, I don't like the idea of dipping into Pixar IP, but currently Woody is the only cowboy. Maybe some sort of Woody's roundup attraction could work.

Third, imagine some sort of gold prospecting attraction...it could work

Fourth- I like the idea of Country Bear Jamboree because it is very backwoods and does not deal with traditional frontier land elements. Find another alternative idea like this.

Fifth- Something to think about, but Winnie the Pooh could be relocated to here.

Sixth- Can we talk restaurants for a minute? Frontierland has no table dining service. Why does this land not have a signature restaurant? All they have are the golden oak outpost, Pecos Bill cafe, and Westward Ho counter service or carts. I propose a new restaurant that deals primarily in BBQ (similar to the old Big Thunder Ranch restaurant at Disneyland), but better.

Without new ideas or strong IP, Frontierland is going to be hard to make new, fun, and relevant. However, the strong list of attractions there currently does it allow you to take your time in plussing this land.


Thoughts?

Parks and Resorts- Magic Kingdom Roundup- Fantasyland

Ahhh Fantasyland...the prennial favorite of nearly every child visitor and many of their grown up parents. This is the timeless land of enchantment...but sometimes the exterior and interior of these attractions don't appear so timeless. Sometimes they are downright grungy, tired, and in need of some work.

Overall, Fantasyland is good clean fun, housing many of the famous Disney film IP attractions, that keeps the land relevant (as if it needed it).

The current slate of attractions is strong, it includes

Barnstormer
Dumbo
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Small World
Mad Tea party
Winnie the Pooh
Philharmagic
Peter Pan
Seven Dwarves mine train
Under the Sea

Many of these are good to go and should stay, including Peter Pan, Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, Philharmagic, etc.

However, Fantasyland still lacks in certain elements.

First, the recent 2012 expansion of this land cost nearly $1 Billion and what did we get for it? Basically we got a great restaurant. The rest of the expansion is completely underwhelming...what needs to be done here? Let's start with the little mermaid area. This needs to be revamped. Clearly, the Little Mermaid should be a great attraction, but at each park where the little mermaid is, there is only a lackluster attraction at best. For this much money, this attraction should be completely reworked so that it can be a big draw of the park. Then you have the Seven dwarves mine train. The idea is great in theory, but is pretty tame and unfulfilling. It needs a better story to make it a must do attraction every time. Since it has the prime real estate in the park this should be a top priority. The barnstormer is also just a re-themed coaster, which i'm ok with doing, but it's still a weak attraction. It's time to get a better bang for the buck from this expansion.

Second, Let's expand Enchanted tales with Belle to actually house an attraction as well. Since the massive success of the Beauty and the Beast live action, it is self-evident that this franchise has been re-energized and should be capitalized on immediately.

Third, Dumbo is also getting a live action remake, probably time to start re-thinking about an update of the story (if there is one) on this attraction.

Fourth- Winnie the Pooh needs a little update to make it a little more thrilling. While doing this, corporate and consumer products need to push this franchise hard (it is a massive seller of consumer products already).

Fifth- New additions time. How about a Tangled attraction that is more than just bathrooms.

Sixth- Start preparing for a "Gigantic" attraction where you interact with the Giant.

Seventh- Anyone up for bringing back either Snow white or Mr. Toad???

Parks and Resorts- Tony's Town Square Restaurant and Mama Melrose need help

Theme park Italian food...generally this is thought of as lackluster at best, but it need not be. California Adventure has a good one in Wine country Trattoria and EPCOT's World Showcase has Tutto Italia. However, Magic Kingdom's Tony's Town Square and DHS' Mama Melrose continue to decline in quality and atmosphere. The menu has shrunk, the food has gotten bland, and the atmosphere has become so boring that it drives all but the most desperate to other restaurants in the parks.

  These two restaurants should be top quality and they need some loving...and a makeover.

Tony's Town Square- The theming here is fine, keep the Lady and the Tramp theme, but address the food quality and menu selection.

Mama Melrose- Here the food quality and the environment is in need of help. I would re-theme this restaurant to be Muppet run and make it part of Muppet Country (as stated in a previous posting). This restaurant is so barren that the Backstage magic tours always bring the tour groups here for lunch and it's still wide open.

Theme park food should always be top quality and these restaurants need to get some attention fast!

Parks and Resorts- Magic Kingdom Roundup- Tomorrowland

Of all the Roundup posts, this one is definitely the most difficult because the Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world and nearly every attraction has a history, a following, and is sacrosanct. People get in an uproar if even the most mundane of attractions is altered if that attraction sparks some fond memory in their mind. Therefore I have divided these into a separate post for each land.

That being said, the park can still be redone, re-themed, and updated in a tasteful manner. I suggest the following in order of what is most necessary.

1- Redo Tomorrowland. This land is in trouble because it has no identity. Is it science fiction oriented? Space travel? Who knows...the current list of attractions here include

Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Space Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Peoplemover
Carousel of Progress
Stitch's great escape (occasionally)




Look at this list. First of all we need to get rid of certain things. It's time to move Carousel of Progress (EPCOT innoventions perhaps?) or something of the sort. I'd move Monsters Inc. to the new Toy Story land at DHS. These two simply don't fit the theme or tomorrowland. I would also send Buzz Lightyear over there (even though it is mildly themed as a space adventure). Also, I dare say it, Autopia (or as it's called the Tomorrowland Speedway) needs to be re-themed to either space driving or simply re-designate that area of the park to Fantasyland.

Now what does that leave Tomorrowland with? Not much. The land needs at least four new attractions to really set it apart. The problem is IP. Disney is not known for its science fiction/future IP. Meanwhile the best science fiction IP (Star Wars) is getting its own land at DHS. Therefore Disney needs to think outside the box to fill the IP. The 2015 Tomorrowland was abysmal. Is Tron the answer? Doubtful, but the Iron light cycle would fit in well. Corporate needs to push the studios for a few sci-fi franchises here.

Personally, I think Mission Space would have been a good fit, but it would likely cost a fortune to relocate that particular simulator.

I propose that in addition to sci fi and space travel, Tomorrowland could also be about electronics, video games, Robots, Cloning, Aliens, and new technologies. The new Wreck it Ralph, where he breaks the internet, would seem a clear fit (not the racing game). New IP is also needed to continue this, however, let's not forget that some of the best attractions are not based on IP. Space Mountain, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Small World, etc.

This land by far needs the most work because it has no identity currently, but it certainly could.

Thoughts?