This would be enormously exciting, and I think you're right on the money that targeting a slightly older demographic with more thrill rides seems the way to go. The acquisition of the Star Wars and Marvel IPs puts them in a situation where it just makes sense to move in that direction. And to be fair, they've been making moves in that direction with Tron and Guardians.
I do find it unlikely Disney would ever go 100% thrills given they've always been so family-oriented, but Universal has absolutely proved you can cater to both markets. I'm sure they're feeling intense pressure to keep up with Universal's seemingly unstoppable slate of new attractions.
The takeaway here though, is the Universal/Disney competition only benefits us theme park fans. We're reaping the benefits of two giants going head to head for our dollars. Exciting times to come!
I absolutely agree on your last point. Disney used to more or less be the only game in town. The fact that Disney is pouring $17B into WDW during challenging financial times shows the urgency of remaining competitive in what has become a burgeoning market.
I’m happy to hear they are planning to pour money into the parks! I hope they won’t do a whole villains park, though. I think every Disney park should be for the whole family. I know I would have refused to set foot in a villains park when I was little. And my own child wouldn’t have either. What do you do if a child gets there and is overwhelmed? If the whole thing is themed to something “scary,” there’s nothing to do but leave. Seems like a potential customer satisfaction nightmare.
I don’t think a villains-focused park would necessarily be totally dark and foreboding. Just as many parks, including (especially) Disney, offer family-friendly Halloween events, a villains park could have some toned-down lands and attractions. What I’m suggesting though is a park that would include some (but not all) major, kickass thrill rides and darker storylines.
This would be enormously exciting, and I think you're right on the money that targeting a slightly older demographic with more thrill rides seems the way to go. The acquisition of the Star Wars and Marvel IPs puts them in a situation where it just makes sense to move in that direction. And to be fair, they've been making moves in that direction with Tron and Guardians.
I do find it unlikely Disney would ever go 100% thrills given they've always been so family-oriented, but Universal has absolutely proved you can cater to both markets. I'm sure they're feeling intense pressure to keep up with Universal's seemingly unstoppable slate of new attractions.
The takeaway here though, is the Universal/Disney competition only benefits us theme park fans. We're reaping the benefits of two giants going head to head for our dollars. Exciting times to come!
I absolutely agree on your last point. Disney used to more or less be the only game in town. The fact that Disney is pouring $17B into WDW during challenging financial times shows the urgency of remaining competitive in what has become a burgeoning market.
I’m happy to hear they are planning to pour money into the parks! I hope they won’t do a whole villains park, though. I think every Disney park should be for the whole family. I know I would have refused to set foot in a villains park when I was little. And my own child wouldn’t have either. What do you do if a child gets there and is overwhelmed? If the whole thing is themed to something “scary,” there’s nothing to do but leave. Seems like a potential customer satisfaction nightmare.
I don’t think a villains-focused park would necessarily be totally dark and foreboding. Just as many parks, including (especially) Disney, offer family-friendly Halloween events, a villains park could have some toned-down lands and attractions. What I’m suggesting though is a park that would include some (but not all) major, kickass thrill rides and darker storylines.