This has been back on my radar for a while now and I felt the need to have a little bit of a rant. Back in September 2011 Disney announced that the long awaited expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom would be happening and Disney Park enthusiasts' bubbles everywhere were suddenly burst as they were told that it would not be their beloved Beastly Kingdom coming to fruition, but instead a highly themed and immersive experience constructed around Pandora from the hit movie Avatar.
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The dragon in Animal Kingdom's logo remains the last clue to Beastly Kingdom's existence |
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Disney Imagineers work on Pandora concept models |
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No doubt the land will be stunning |
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Potter fans enjoy a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade |
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Fans flocked in their thousands to witness their beloved land being announced |
The key Disney IP that I can see working in the same aspect as Potter and The Simpsons is Star Wars. Here is an IP that is culturally beloved, has a wealth of inspiration to draw from, both from the films and all subsequent character and story development expanded upon by Lucas himself. Disney could realise many a fanboy's dream of sitting and having a drink in The Cantina, for example. But they've chosen not to do this. Instead the proposed Star Wars land will mostly draw inspiration from the newer movies, which is obscene. If you want people to truly love a land in your theme park then build something that they already hold close to their heart and know like the back of their hand. New Star Wars is not the same as old Star Wars and the public knows this. Disney have this arrogance of ignoring the desires of the public sphere and instead build what they think is a great idea and then wonder why it hasn't been as well accepted.
So yes I will of course visit Avatar Land, and of course it will be spectacular and beautiful, but it will no doubt be missing that special Disney magic that sparks excitement when we enter their theme parks, which is sadly ironic seeing as they kind of invented that feeling.
I'm in two minda about Avatar land. On the up side, I believe the IP couldn't be more right for the park thematically. People criticised the story for its similarities to Fern Gully or Pocahontas - and I've always wondered why the park hadn't gone for Pocahontas as a theme for their American inspired area that is Dinoland USA. Here is a story about how humans abuse the natural world and why we shouldn't, because it is beautiful, the core narrative running though everything at the park. But unlike Pocahontas, Avatar isn't about some relatable or understood part of human history or world culture, its purpose built parody. And in that sense, I think its a great theme park choice. Its not so day to day, its not so depressing TV commercial or BBC documentary or green peace, its another world. A story.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand like you is why bother with an IP at all? The purpose of the Uni examples is so blindingly obvious in their ability to attract guests, but Disney seem to use IPs as platforms to make great works of art (Splash Mountain springs to mind here) rather than for their cultural relevance. Clearly they understand the importance of popular > quality, or.. Not quality, but artistic morals? as Frozen for
Epcot shows... But why Avatar? I can only hope and assume that somebody has a wonderful concept for Avatar's use as a thematic or narrative platform and Disney aren't trying to copy at all, but doing what they do best. It does beg the question if IP is always better at drawing crowds tover original unbranded concepts? I'm skeptical. It does seem like they are just more convenient, ready made quality worlds to utilise, in Disneys case, and profit machines elsewhere - even when they're not.
I would argue that for a Merlin park, for example, the use of an IP is good in most aspects as they don't have the draw of their own brand like Disney do. Disney is an IP, in a way, and so even if they build something 'original' it will eventually come under the Disney Park brand, like Pirates or Haunted Mansion. Hence why the use of an 'outsider' IP is so weird to me!
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