Nintendo Coming to Universal Parks

[mainejeff]

Avatar isn't successful because of it's IP. It's successful because it's at WDW and WDW fans are starved for content.

And it was well executed minus the boat ride.

 

[Nick]

Sure, and not saying you’re saying this, but I don’t get how “Zelda getting 7 acres” would hurt them in the future when there’s things like KidZone, Toon Lagoon, FFL, MIB, etc that will probably be in line for redevelopment down the road

Oh I totally don't care about giving Zelda 7 acres

I think that's fine. See my comments on F&F for what I think wasted space is in USF. As a park though, there's still a decent amount to be replaced so space isn't an issue yet. I selfishly hope they build a Minions area in Park 3 and then demolish the DMMM ride building for a better park entrance. Currently the park entrance is really blah.

 

[JungleSkip]

Oh I totally don't care about giving Zelda 7 acres

I think that's fine. See my comments on F&F for what I think wasted space is in USF. As a park though, there's still a decent amount to be replaced so space isn't an issue yet. I selfishly hope they build a Minions area in Park 3 and then demolish the DMMM ride building for a better park entrance. Currently the park entrance is really blah.

I don't think you'll ever get a better entrance, personally, but I 100% think DMMM will bite it and Park 3 will have a Minion Land.

 

[Mike S]

Oh my, so much biased nonsense in the last few pages. Let me throw out some of my thoughts for good measure.

Zelda will do just fine. It's popular enough and has enough source material to have it's own theme park land.
Mario will be bigger, but that's because it has a slightly larger age demographic. Both lands (if done well) will be a huge success.

Pandora isn't popular just because Disney fans are "starved" for rides. It's also because FOP is an incredible ride/experience. If you disagree, that's fine, but consider yourself in the minority on this opinion.
IP is important, but a bum ride is a bum ride. Frozen is one of the biggest Disney franchises ever, and it's wait times have dropped dramatically in the past year, despite the terrible capacity. The Frozen ride isn't all that, and it shows. Test Track still gets the largest lines at opening, partly because it's you know...a fun ride...with no actual IP.

Yes, Pandora cost 2 Billion or whatever to build, but to say that's only because "its Disney, and they can't handle funds", have maybe never seen the place? I mean the land looks like 2 billion dollars were spent. It may not feature your favorite Wizard, or have a decent walk around character/side show, but the land overall is an impressive sight to behold, and in NO way looks "cheap".

Ok. that's all for now.

That last bit is a pretty well known problem. Ask any insider worth their salt about Disney’s budgets with current projects.

 

[Nick]

I don't think you'll ever get a better entrance, personally, but I 100% think DMMM will bite it and Park 3 will have a Minion Land.

At the very least if they are gonna keep that as a ride spot, I would love them to demolish the building and start over. That ride system is ancient.

And if they demolished, they could keep a ride AND improve the entrance by building a POE type entrance where it would extend from where DMMM is over to where Shrek currently is. We all know Shrek won't be there by then as well.

 

[JungleSkip]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love that...I just don't think it'll ever happen.

 

[rhino4evr]

That last bit is a pretty well known problem. Ask any insider worth their salt about Disney’s budgets with current projects.

I'm sure budgets got out of control, but my point is, it's not like they didn't get their money's worth. The area is breathtaking, and the main attraction is an excellent addition, that will be popular for years to come. The boat ride could have been better, but it's not nearly as awful as some have painted it.

 

[Mike S]

I'm sure budgets got out of control, but my point is, it's not like they didn't get their money's worth. The area is breathtaking, and the main attraction is an excellent addition, that will be popular for years to come. The boat ride could have been better, but it's not nearly as awful as some have painted it.

The way I’ve seen it quoted is that the same exact thing could’ve been done for about half of what was spent. No cheaper changes. The problem with this and how it affects us who go to the parks is simple. If everything is being overspent on that makes them less willing to budget other new additions. To bring the point home Toy Story Land, the Tron coaster, and the Gaurdians coaster will all individually cost about the same or more as what Universal spent on all of Diagon Alley.

Luckily though right now they’re on a spending spree for the 50th.

 

[Nick]

The way I’ve seen it quoted is that the same exact thing could’ve been done for about half of what was spent. No cheaper changes. The problem with this and how it affects us who go to the parks is simple. If everything is being overspent on that makes them less willing to budget other new additions. To bring the point home Toy Story Land, the Tron coaster, and the Gaurdians coaster will all individually cost about the same or more as what Universal spent on all of Diagon Alley.

Luckily though right now they’re on a spending spree for the 50th.

There's an Electrical Parade that is in the works and set for 2021 currently as well. This will not be a clone of Paint The Night either.

 

[rhino4evr]

The way I’ve seen it quoted is that the same exact thing could’ve been done for about half of what was spent. No cheaper changes. The problem with this and how it affects us who go to the parks is simple. If everything is being overspent on that makes them less willing to budget other new additions. To bring the point home Toy Story Land, the Tron coaster, and the Gaurdians coaster will all individually cost about the same or more as what Universal spent on all of Diagon Alley.

Luckily though right now they’re on a spending spree for the 50th.

How much Disney chooses to spend on an addition, is really just there business. While you think they could have done it for less, that doesn't mean they could have. I'd be willing to bet a part of the reason these budgets get so overblown is due to how meticulous their process is. Maybe they pay more for contractors, designers, and engineers that have a more proven track record, or have a higher quality of work?

Getting something done "cheaper" does not always end in the same result.

 

[Mike S]

There's an Electrical Parade that is in the works and set for 2021 currently as well. This will not be a clone of Paint The Night either.

Lord knows we need a new one.

Back to Nintendo, Zelda rocks and will get its own land replacing all of Lost Continent no matter what some think.

 

[Mike S]

How much Disney chooses to spend on an addition, is really just there business. While you think they could have done it for less, that doesn't mean they could have. I'd be willing to bet a part of the reason these budgets get so overblown is due to how meticulous their process is. Maybe they pay more for contractors, designers, and engineers that have a more proven track record, or have a higher quality of work?

Getting something done "cheaper" does not always end in the same result.

It’s not me thinking it. It’s people who know a lot more than you or I do passing the info along.

 

[Nick]

I didn't realize we were in the Nintendo thread so sorry for contributing to taking it off-track.

I'm honestly not even sure where to move most of these posts to where it would make sense so just get back onto Nintendo :topic:

 

[Mad Dog]

I didn't realize we were in the Nintendo thread so sorry for contributing to taking it off-track.

I'm honestly not even sure where to move most of these posts to where it would make sense so just get back onto Nintendo :topic:

.....So, how about that Mario ride......and , yes Nick, I like the way you generally get the discussion back on topic after a short digress (which is always OK in my book anyway) You do it in a nice way instead of being rude. :thumbsup:

 

[fryoj]

You mean the puzzle theater that got the axe with rumors now going around for something more ambitious? That puzzle theater? I’ll remind you those plans also had an even smaller presence for Pokémon which is a bigger IP than Zelda.

I think you really need to just admit you’re wrong here.

So what you are saying is you can't source your claim about Zelda merch numbers? If you want to persuade someone, you have to have better than "have you played the game?" This was never about the quality of the land or the source IP. Do the GP care about the IP? Back it up with numbers. 80 million games is all well and good until you divide it by 30 years and 16? titles. Thats fine for a video game. But we are talking about a land in a theme park. You are playing on a different level now. Minecraft sold like 144 million copies in 7 years. No one is campaigning for a Minecraft land. You have to give more than "it's a really cool game bro" and vague references to merch sales that you didn't back up.

Or you can just throw a tantrum about having to wait a couple more years for Mario.

No, Land WAS at a prememium. Those days are over

Uni now has enough land to build whatever the hell they want. Fretting about the space in Lost Continent is meaningless

Land is not unlimited. Like Nick said, they will always have a land issue at the current parks. Start listing off the IP's that people on here are throwing into the new resort. Minions, SloP, Sing, Shrek, HTTYD, Madagascar, KFP, an expanded SNW, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Metroid, Multiple LOTR lands, FB, Uni Monsters, Hello Kitty/Sanrio, Trolls, Star Trek, "sci-fi land", the non-IP lands that many seem to want, and all of the "anime" and random IP's they own. They need to leave room for future expansion too. Like @zg44 pointed out in the Expansion thread, they really only have about 250 acres to play with for two parks, Citiwalk, and transportation facilities. At the current resort Citiwalk and the garages take up, ~65 acres. That leaves you less than 200 for parks. In there you still have to account for the main entrance plazas and either the hub and spoke or central lagoon. Theres also backstage areas that have to be removed from the total area usable for lands. Sounds great on paper, but the current parks are about 150 acres and probably have less IP areas than whats listed above. Sure you can group IP's into lands, but once you start doing that, you have to accept that they don't have unlimited land. None of this accounts for IP's we don't know about or they haven't developed yet, but are in the pipeline. People think the 2nd park won't be done before 2025. Who knows what else will be hot then.

Personally, I don't care if they build a Zelda land or not. I won't be mad if they do. Theres nothing in LC that I really will miss. If they build it, I won't make a trip, but when I'm there, I'll ride whatever they build there and probably enjoy it. I'm just looking at this from a logistics standpoint. They have more IP's than they have room even with the new land. So it gets to prioritizing. My point is, based solely on numbers, if Zelda wasn't a Nintendo property, it never even gets considered for the parks. Uni would not go out, buy the rights to just Zelda and spend a $100+ million and 7 acres on a land for it. It just isn't popular enough with the GP for that. Can you really say differently?

 

[JungleSkip]

It just isn't popular enough with the GP for that. Can you really say differently?

I'd argue it's more popular/more interesting for the GP than the following you listed:

Sing, Madagascar, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Metroid, FB, Uni Monsters, Hello Kitty/Sanrio, Trolls, the non-IP lands that many seem to want, and all of the "anime" and random IP's they own.

Plus I think all of Lost Continent going to a single property will make for a better, more attractive land to the GP no matter what the IP is, than a chopped up mishmash of 3 acres here, 3 acres there.

 

[fryoj]

I'd argue it's more popular/more interesting for the GP than the following you listed:

Sing, Madagascar, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Metroid, FB, Uni Monsters, Hello Kitty/Sanrio, Trolls, the non-IP lands that many seem to want, and all of the "anime" and random IP's they own.

Plus I think all of Lost Continent going to a single property will make for a better, more attractive land to the GP no matter what the IP is, than a chopped up mishmash of 3 acres here, 3 acres there.

Some I agree with, some I don't. It's not more recognizable than Madagascar or FB for sure. And will never touch the merch sales of Trolls or Hello Kitty. But that gets into prioritizing IPs which is kinda what I was trying to say.

I thought the Kong plot should have been used for JP, so cutting up lands is not without precedent.

 

[JungleSkip]

Some I agree with, some I don't. It's not more recognizable than Madagascar or FB for sure.

Oh I DEFINITELY think it's more recognizable than Madagascar. And I think it's definitely more loved than FB, which I'll stand by as saying will not have any representation at UOR, if I was a betting man.

 

[Mike S]

So what you are saying is you can't source your claim about Zelda merch numbers? If you want to persuade someone, you have to have better than "have you played the game?" This was never about the quality of the land or the source IP. Do the GP care about the IP? Back it up with numbers. 80 million games is all well and good until you divide it by 30 years and 16? titles. Thats fine for a video game. But we are talking about a land in a theme park. You are playing on a different level now. Minecraft sold like 144 million copies in 7 years. No one is campaigning for a Minecraft land. You have to give more than "it's a really cool game bro" and vague references to merch sales that you didn't back up.

Or you can just throw a tantrum about having to wait a couple more years for Mario.

Well they’re doing it, so get over it. Nintendo doesn’t release exact numbers for merch but someone here did bring up that Nintendo does release relative place for how well merch sales do and Zelda was right up there.

 

[fryoj]

Oh I DEFINITELY think it's more recognizable than Madagascar. And I think it's definitely more loved than FB, which I'll stand by as saying will not have any representation at UOR, if I was a betting man.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. Madagascar is all over. Between the 4 movies it's done over $2 billion. It's been a part of McDonald's Happy Meals, it's on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships. Those are pretty mainstream things. What would be the most mainstream Zelda thing? FB I'm on the fence on. It's definitely more known than Zelda just because of Potter. But that also hurts it because it's not Potter. I think it ends up in the parks at some point unless the movies just fall on their face. But it's not something I'd bet money on. I liked the first movie, but can see why others didn't.