Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Stagg Party...

Creating a magical moment...



So a big event is being held tonight for the Fantasyland expansion of the Magic Kingdom...

Later this evening (7:00 pm Eastern) there will be a press event that further expands on the details of this expansion. Part of this is a result of leadership change. With Jay Rasulo moving over to the cold, hard numbers department where he belongs, Tom Staggs control of the project has resulted in some alterations. Tom has young boys, not girls and he listens to what they like and one of the things males don't like is princesses. At least not till they reach puberty.

So we can expect a little less focus on that matter. The inclusion of a Seven Dwarf's Mine Coaster which we broke here a long, long time ago and a mixture of some of the projects already approved and a few surprises. I haven't talked to Bothans about this project much, as most I deal with are more focused on West Coast comings and goings. That said, I've heard that the budget (approximately $300 million) has stayed relatively the same while the projects has shifted to be less girl-centric.

Come tonight, we'll get a better view of the road map that Tom has in store for Walt Disney World and the world of Disney Imagineering as well. This is a holdover project that Jay was working on that he's had to tinker with. It'll be interesting to see the next project he announces as it will likely be his own, and likely show the direction he (and Iger) are planning on going. But I trust him far than I do or did Rasulo. In my opinion, having Staggs there is a vast improvement and this is the best management that Disney Parks have had since the late 90's.

Now, if he can just do something about that WDW management...

10 comments:

Hugh Hogwarts said...

Wow, Disney has a lot of projects going right now:

2012 - DCA Extreme Makeover

2013 - Fantasyland Expansion

2014 - HKDL Extreme Expansion

2015 - Shanghai Disneyland Completion

And this doesn't include the upcoming projects for Disneyland, Disneyland Paris' upcoming 20th, and Walt Disney Studios.

Tom said...

Fantasyland is also for 2012, HKDL's first opens this year and Paris will have no new projects...

Great concept art, can't wait to hear all about the great looking dwarfs coaster and all other new things.

I hope the circus theme is temporary and Goofy is once again our "temporary coaster master", haha!

Prince_Of_Darkness said...

I hope they come up with something good, but how do they thread the needle? Fantasyland has a lot of possibilities. Not everything is about princesses although there is quite a lot of princesses. They could focus on the princes instead, or the sidekicks, or maybe the villians. Or maybe choose a non-princess movie, which are fewer to choose from.

Dizzy Sea Man said...

The concept art says 2012, but that is when Mermaid is supposed to open, but the entire project is supposed to be finished by 2013. Sorry, but if you think all of this will be done in a little more than a year? Don't bet on it.

Tinman said...

@Tom

Some of it will be ready for 2012 (Mermaid and Beast). The coaster we're getting the most excited about here? late 2013 at the earliest, probably '14.

Michael said...

The 2012 date is for the Belle and Ariel sections which been under construction for a while: http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Fantasyland/News/04Jan2011-First-2011-aerial-view-of-the-Fantasyland-construction-site.htm

The 2013 date for Dwarf Mountain seems like a challenge, but at least they don't have to demo anything!

Anonymous said...

They can make all the changes they want. The Harry Potter attraction at UIOA is going to continue to out-perform WDW in regard to increased gate and popularity. Universal will probably expand on their new cash cow as well. Going forward from here, disney going to have to do a lot better if they want to compete.

Honor Hunter said...

I would agree with you anonymous...

And I hope that they feel the heat. From what I hear, they do. And that is a good thing. Nothing makes for great things than competition.

A rivalry would be good for both companies...

New_StarWarsLand said...

The way to beat Harry Potter is with Star Wars. Disney should know this. A new Star-Wars-Land will surely BEAT Harry Potter, but Disney will have to recreate a realistic Star Wars environment and make a spectacular new ride that is similar to the ride system of Spiderman or Forbidden Journey. Will they do it? Maybe not.

Doopey said...

Everything about this sounds great. But honestly, couldn't all four WDW parks use their own $300 million investment, at a minimum? Epcot -- restoring Journey Into Imagination and Wonders of Life would cost at least that much, right? DHS -- turning the backlot area into CarsLand East would cost at least $300 mil, I would think. I'd still love to see the rumored Monsters Inc coaster too. DAK - That amount of money could be applied to the rumored Australia or putting something where Camp Minnie Mickey is.