How much of a good thing is too much? In terms of the latest projects coming out of Disney Imagineering, all are based on an intellectual property or movie franchise. Basically, an intellectual property is the brands, characters, titles and other properties owned by The Walt Disney Company and its affiliates. A movie franchise is relatively self explanatory and in the case of Disney, would include Star Wars, Marvel, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. Has Disney become too dependent on intellectual properties and movie franchises when creating new attractions in their parks? And if so, what does it mean for imagineering as a creative entity?
The most recent projects underway in the Disney parks are geared towards getting Walt Disney World ready for the 50th Anniversary of Magic Kingdom Park in October, 2021. The Tron coaster is close to completion over in Magic Kingdom, as are Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy in EPCOT. All three fall into the category of a movie franchise. If we look at past projects, we have the re-theme of Maelstrom to Frozen Ever After in Norway and the Great Movie Ride to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. We cannot forget about the completion of both Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Again, all are based off IPs or movie franchises. So what are we talking about in terms of non franchise, non IP based attractions?
Most of the original park attractions are non franchise and non IP. The earliest park attractions were based off an idea or creation of a Disney Imagineer or Walt Disney himself. It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise are perfect examples of this. None had anything to do with a Disney movie (yet) or Disney owned property. They were created and built from the inventions of imagineering. There was a simplicity and purity to the process, and is the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Now, even if Disney needs to re-theme or update a ride, they find a way to spit out an IP. Splash Mountain is a perfect example of this. In an earlier post, we shared the news of a Princess and the Frog re-theme. If a ride becomes culturally unacceptable, don’t re-imagine it or replace it with a whole new concept. Instead, just change some characters, add new music and turn it over as quickly as possible, even if it really doesn’t fit in with its surroundings.
Most Disney fans land on one side or the other of this debate. One camp of thinking favors a traditional, purist approach and tend to be those who long for the former, nostalgic Disney. On the other side, you have a younger generation who enjoy the movie franchise and intellectual property based Disney. Are the disparities between the two generational or ideological? Maybe, it is the difference between rides creating movies and movies creating rides. Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was based off the concept art of Marc Davis. Its popularity led to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. The world famous Jungle Cruise was in the opening day roster of Disneyland Park and the creation of imagineers Bill Evans and Harper Goff. The attraction has been made into a movie, set to release July 30, 2021. As stated earlier, recent projects such as Tron, Guardians and Ratatouille are new attractions based on previously released movies. Obviously it is easier, yet less creative, to build a ride when the characters and stories are already developed. This concept may not matter to most, but only be problematic for the “Disney dorks”.
Ok, obviously I am a big Disney dork. The level of nerd that has to exist to write about a topic like this tells the whole story. I love the “idea to sketch pad to design” story that is behind the imagineer creations. The imagination and talent that goes into designing an attraction from scratch makes that ride more appealing to me. I like to know the history behind each, including the failed attempts and final success as they go from concept to creation. I know, get a room right? If the characters, music and artwork already exist in the form of a movie or property, there can never be a story behind the creation of the attraction. The imagineer becomes more of an engineer who need only figure out how to bring the existing story to life.
How do you feel about the use of intellectual properties and movie franchises in park attractions? We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the topic. Leave us a comment below or contact us on the “Contact Us”page.