I'm really troubled by Disney's decision to abandon the charming Red Car Trolley at DCA. They easily could have saved this ride in one of two ways. First, they could have put a new barn over between the Guadians ride and the theater. Or, and this would have been interesting, they could have rerouted the ride toward the San Fransokyo area, ending it by Little Mermaid, perhaps, or around there. This would have given visual interest to the parade route, and they could have even expanded by adding cable cars to the Red Cars. The abandoning of this charming ride shows that the people in charge of Disney just now don't really get what has made the Disney parks different.
I recall listening to Bob Iger talking about brand deposits vs brand withdrawals. The closing of the Red Car makes sense from a business perspective however the removal of the ride (which is more of a area activation than it is a true ride) removes a story element from the entrance of DCA. Thanks for watching.
I'm not very optimistic about most of the changes that Disney will be making. I went to DCA with my mom last fall for the first time, and the red trolley was one of the only interesting things to do at the front of the park. The street atmosphere is excellent but the attractions are terrible. I think they need to replace Mickey's Philharmagic, and the area with Turtle Talk With Crush etc., with new and exciting attractions. They also need to build a new queue line for the Monster's Inc ride. I think it would be a better use of resources to get what they have in order before adding the Avatar area. (Don't get me wrong I love Mickey's Philharmagic and Crush, but the former is not a good version of the attraction, and I have seen the latter at Epcot and on a Cruise ship already). I just can't picture Walt Disney World without the Rivers of America. And the setting of Monsters Inc was designed to be as mundane looking as possible in the movie, I don't want to go there on vacation 😓. Imagineering is going to have to make some miracles this year.
I'm not hopeful about your wish being granted. D23 was clear about the direction of TWDC and Rivers of America is set to close, along with Muppet Vision.
I believe that the bigger of a hit in attendance that Epic Universe gives WDW, the more likely they'll speed up the process of Disneyland Forward and possibly even a 5th gate.
Universal is completion in Florida, but also the Hollywood park is building momentum and adding a new coaster and hotel (not for 2025 but down the road). Add to that, Knotts and Magic Mountain being on the same Annual Pass in 2025. The Cedar Fair-Six Flags merger makes that more attractive than ever for the SoCal market.
Completion is the byword in Southern California but having said that it appears that Universal Studios Hollywood is the park resort to watch with the addition of their new coaster, possible hotel, tram station move and opening of the Falls Lake land for expansion.
Change is certainly inevitable at WDW; but Disney needs to navigate more carefully. Knee jerk reactions to the coming competition from Universal seem like fear based decisions which are detrimental in nearly all businesses. Also, announcing “shovel ready” new pieces of the park puzzle while conveniently leaving out the parts of the scope such as “will require removing this” or “means filling in that” or “we don’t really even have permits yet” are simply dishonest.
The choices made by TWDC may result in short term gain at the cost of long term growth. Over the decades I worked in Creative at WDI I’d asked myself if I was solving the immediate problem while planting some ‘seeds’ that would grow in the future. I’m planning several episodes about Toy Story Land which will deal with that land from several different perspectives. Thanks for watching.
So, your "predictions" are that a bunch of stuff that is common knowledge and has already been announced is going to happen? Well, in that spirit, I predict that you will release a TH-cam video called "2025 Year Ahead Predicitions" (misspelling and everything) on January 5, 2025.
I'm really troubled by Disney's decision to abandon the charming Red Car Trolley at DCA. They easily could have saved this ride in one of two ways. First, they could have put a new barn over between the Guadians ride and the theater. Or, and this would have been interesting, they could have rerouted the ride toward the San Fransokyo area, ending it by Little Mermaid, perhaps, or around there. This would have given visual interest to the parade route, and they could have even expanded by adding cable cars to the Red Cars. The abandoning of this charming ride shows that the people in charge of Disney just now don't really get what has made the Disney parks different.
I recall listening to Bob Iger talking about brand deposits vs brand withdrawals. The closing of the Red Car makes sense from a business perspective however the removal of the ride (which is more of a area activation than it is a true ride) removes a story element from the entrance of DCA. Thanks for watching.
Modern Disney despises charm and taste. I’m not a troll, just calling it as I see it.
I'm not very optimistic about most of the changes that Disney will be making. I went to DCA with my mom last fall for the first time, and the red trolley was one of the only interesting things to do at the front of the park. The street atmosphere is excellent but the attractions are terrible. I think they need to replace Mickey's Philharmagic, and the area with Turtle Talk With Crush etc., with new and exciting attractions. They also need to build a new queue line for the Monster's Inc ride. I think it would be a better use of resources to get what they have in order before adding the Avatar area.
(Don't get me wrong I love Mickey's Philharmagic and Crush, but the former is not a good version of the attraction, and I have seen the latter at Epcot and on a Cruise ship already).
I just can't picture Walt Disney World without the Rivers of America. And the setting of Monsters Inc was designed to be as mundane looking as possible in the movie, I don't want to go there on vacation 😓. Imagineering is going to have to make some miracles this year.
I'm not hopeful about your wish being granted. D23 was clear about the direction of TWDC and Rivers of America is set to close, along with Muppet Vision.
I can’t wait for the new studio 1 at Disneyland Paris
Bluey is a Blue Heeler.
I enjoy your insights Jim, thank you!
And I thank you for watching. I value your time and I’m grateful that you choose to spend some of it watching Disney Journey on TH-cam.
always appreciate your insights. happy new year jim.
I believe that the bigger of a hit in attendance that Epic Universe gives WDW, the more likely they'll speed up the process of Disneyland Forward and possibly even a 5th gate.
I really truly wish you are right, however I think Disney’s response to Epic Universe will be to offer discounts. Thanks for watching.
Universal is completion in Florida, but also the Hollywood park is building momentum and adding a new coaster and hotel (not for 2025 but down the road).
Add to that, Knotts and Magic Mountain being on the same Annual Pass in 2025. The Cedar Fair-Six Flags merger makes that more attractive than ever for the SoCal market.
Completion is the byword in Southern California but having said that it appears that Universal Studios Hollywood is the park resort to watch with the addition of their new coaster, possible hotel, tram station move and opening of the Falls Lake land for expansion.
I have a huge, expensive vacation to WDW coming up in May. Perhaps I should cancel with all this construction and clearance of old Disney.
Change is certainly inevitable at WDW; but Disney needs to navigate more carefully. Knee jerk reactions to the coming competition from Universal seem like fear based decisions which are detrimental in nearly all businesses. Also, announcing “shovel ready” new pieces of the park puzzle while conveniently leaving out the parts of the scope such as “will require removing this” or “means filling in that” or “we don’t really even have permits yet” are simply dishonest.
The choices made by TWDC may result in short term gain at the cost of long term growth. Over the decades I worked in Creative at WDI I’d asked myself if I was solving the immediate problem while planting some ‘seeds’ that would grow in the future. I’m planning several episodes about Toy Story Land which will deal with that land from several different perspectives. Thanks for watching.
The name of the country is the UK Jim.
Duly noted however I’ve friends in Scotland who will disagree with you. Thanks for watching.
Everything Disney does is a disaster I won’t watch the movies I won’t go anymore it’s just over priced filthy garbage
So, your "predictions" are that a bunch of stuff that is common knowledge and has already been announced is going to happen? Well, in that spirit, I predict that you will release a TH-cam video called "2025 Year Ahead Predicitions" (misspelling and everything) on January 5, 2025.
Thanks for watching, and for the humor. Happy New Year.