News & Rumor Round-Up: Indiana Jones Land? DHS Rename?
A new name for Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Indiana Jones Land in Walt Disney World? More Muppets? Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark? Once again, we have a news and rumor roundup for Walt Disney World…and this time an item from Disneyland, too.
In this post, we’ll share some thoughts on each Disney news story. When it comes to the rumors, we’re covering a couple this week that do not sound particularly plausible. However, several of you asked about some of these, so we’ll offer some perspective on the veracity of these rumors…at least in our opinion.
First up, the potential new names for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The last I had heard, Disney Hollywood Adventure was the favored name, but that isn’t on the list at all. It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name floated, and perhaps additional changes (such as Great Movie Ride’s closure) have ruled that out. There are some doozies of names on this list…
These names are derived from an ordinary post-vacation survey that was sent to select guests. Here are the options that were presented on the survey:
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Disney Kaleidoscope Park
- Disney Storyverse Park
- Disney Hyperia Park
- Disney Beyond Park
- Disney Cinemagic Park
- Disney Legends Park
- Disney XL Park
- Disney Cinemagine Park
Obviously, some of these names are laughably bad. Disney XL Park? While it’s fun to poke fun at some of these choices or wonder what they’re thinking, the reality is that at least a couple of these are probably not serious contenders. Rather, they’re included to rule out respondents who clearly don’t care.
I’d hazard a guess that something like Kaleidoscope Park wouldn’t be chosen since it’s difficult to spell, with Beyond, Legends, and XL Park being unlikely candidates. Storyverse is one of those names that is perfectly apt, but just seems a bit too on the nose. They might as well call it “Big Bob’s IP Barn Park.”
Maybe re-theme Tower of Terror to an attraction featuring Bob “the Collector” Iger who showcases his various IP acquisitions, with a motley crew of them trying to escape, set to music by various Maker Studios “artists.” On second thought, I don’t want to give anyone, any ideas. Forget I said that.
Joking aside, I’m fine with Disney Cinemagic Park, but I think there might be a better option. It is interesting to me that every option on that survey follows the formulaic ‘Disney ____ Park.’
Conversationally, most people drop “Disney” and “Park” from these names, so choosing a generic middle word–or only one middle word–is an odd choice from a brand awareness perspective. If Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park were instead Disney Animal Park, what would people call it conversationally? Animal? Animal Park? Neither work as well as Animal Kingdom.
To that end, I maintain that Disney Hollywood Adventure–or even Disney Cinemagic Adventure–make more sense than any of these choices. I guess we’ll see what happens. I’d be shocked if the name does not change.
Switching coasts to the other Disney IP Loosely Based on California (And Other Stuff People Like) Adventure Park, where the Disney Parks Blog announced that Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT! will transform into Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort’s evening hours.
The attraction will have a new plot, starting immediately after the conclusion of Mission: BREAKOUT when (spoiler alert!), the Guardians have successfully escaped the Collector’s Fortress. Unfortunately, Groot was accidentally left behind. So now you’re helping him escape, I guess. There’s also a new song, “Monsters After Dark,” created especially for this attraction.
I’m intrigued by this announcement. The ability to essentially flip a switch and have a different show after sunset showcases the flexibility of this attraction, which makes me optimistic that we’ll get regular seasonal overlays and ‘remixes’ when new Marvel films come out. I may not be the biggest Mission: BREAKOUT fan, but this flexibility definitely adds to its re-rideability.
It also reinforces my belief that the goal here was to design something that can be a relatively ‘blank slate’ and re-themed to an entirely different attraction over the course of only a couple months.
Next is a rumor that’s now a couple of weeks old, but I deemed too preposterous to post last week: that Indiana Jones Adventure is replacing DINOSAUR, and the whole land will be re-themed to resemble South America. I find this highly implausible.
People want to believe this rumor because Indiana Jones Adventure is far superior to DINOSAUR. Both use the same ride system, and have similar tracks, so it’s a superficially-plausible rumor. However, that does not make it actually plausible. Indiana Jones Adventure has scenes, effects, etc. that would be very difficult to add to the DINOSAUR show building. This would not be a simple overlay, and would be quite costly and time-consuming to make happen.
Moreover, DINOSAUR is a fairly popular attraction. “Not as popular as Indiana Jones Adventure” is not the right metric to use here, because on that basis, a lot of things would be replaced. When you consider that, plus the expense of making such a significant change, and then also factor in everything that has already been announced for Walt Disney World, this just does not pass the smell test.
What I could see happening is Dino-Rama and the Boneyard area eventually receiving a Lost River Delta type rethinking, perhaps with the long-rumored Excavator coaster being added. I do fear that after so much capex is spent elsewhere at Walt Disney World, the original design for that coaster might be replaced by the design for Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (Disneyland Paris) or Raging Spirits (Tokyo DisneySea), both of which are short, weak attractions.
Time will tell, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on any of this. If you do…you’re likely to be holding it until after 2021.
Next is a rumor/news mix in the form of a casting call. DisneyAuditions.com has a new listing seeking “comedic actors” to “portray wide-eyed and naïve ‘scientific interns’. Set in a laboratory environment, the warm and friendly ‘intern’ enthusiastically supports various interactive audience experiences. Performers should have experience in interactive improvisational performance and must project a warm and inviting persona.”
Further details about the substance of the show–including its location–are unknown. Tying into a rumor further down this post, I’m hopeful it’s an expansion/relocation of Muppet Mobile Lab.
I could also see it being for Streetmosphere around the Imagination pavilion at Epcot, or in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom. Another possibility is peak-season entertainment in a theater setting. More entertainment is a good thing, so no complaints here!
We’ll end with my favorite type of rumor: one about a greater Muppets presence at Walt Disney World! There are rumblings (via WDWThemeParks.com) that a Muppets show akin to “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History” is being considered for Grand Avenue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The twist would be that the Muppets perform renditions of the various Star Wars movies is in the works.
It makes sense that this would be considered. Grand Avenue is a de facto queue for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, meaning that there’s a huge captive audience that will be congregated there. Entertaining them while in line is a savvy move, and neither interactive games nor on-the-ground Streetmosphere seems viable. Going above the crowd seems like a perfect solution.
I’d think the biggest obstacle to this happening is character integrity and continuity. Will Disney and Lucasfilm really want this right outside of where you step onto a planet from Star Wars? It’s not exactly breaking the fourth wall, but it sounds like it’d necessarily be incongruous with the Star Wars Universe. My take is “so what?” especially given that Star Tours is similarly problematic from that perspective–it’s more important to keep people entertained while in line.
I’m hopeful this happens, but I think it’s still far enough away that it could not come to fruition for a variety of reasons. In the meantime, I’d love to see Muppet Mobile Lab moved over to Grand Avenue once that project is finished this fall. Breathe a little life into that area.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about these Walt Disney World news? Any of these rumors you hope do or don’t come to fruition? Any questions? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I like the idea of an Indiana Jones Land, but I’m afraid it would be less kid-friendly. We already have Pandora, a land based on a movie that isn’t really appropriate for children. Not that that means kids won’t like Pandora, just that it makes it feel a little less “for the whole family”. I wouldn’t want to see more than one land like that in a single park. Still, the idea of a south american river delta themed land sounds pretty cool.
I like the idea of Disney Cinemagic Adventure. I think that would be descriptive of what you’re going to find there and might help inform future theming in Hollywood Studios.
I love the one they are not considering. Disney’s Hollywood Adventure. That Park is becoming more like an adventure with toystory land and star wars land. Seems obvious to me. All the others listed above seem hard to say and ridiculous. Has nothing to do with the park.
Hi Tom- thanks for all you do! I think a rename is in order for Hollywood Studios. If it were me- I would try something simple but cool- How about Disney’s Mickey Mouse Island! Who doesn’t love the mouse and an island
I’m really excited about anything to do with Indiana Jones at the Hollywood Studios. It would be the perfect tie in with the new movie if it’s completed in time.
As for renaming Hollywood Studios, why not keep with the “Studios” theme and rename it “Walt Disney Studios”?
What is wrong with the people running Disney? Have they all gone off the deep end !!! Too, too many changes that have nothing to do with the actual reason WDW and Disneyland exist in the first place.
Indiana Jones Land !!!!!!! GIVE ME A BREAK !!! Indiana Jones is so obsolete that it’s funny..
Keep on Disney, U are pushing people more and more to go to Universal and better yet to the mountains of Tennessee for vacations.. Great Job people !!!!
Roz.
These are rumors.
Chill………..
The names on that list are so laughably bad that when I first saw it floating around on Twitter, I thought it was a joke list! I have had my money on some variation of Disney Hollywood Adventure since the name change rumor first surfaced. We’ll see if I end up being right.
That’s still the name I’d put my money on. I think there’s at least a 50/50 shot of that being the final name. Whereas, I *hope* these names each have like a <5% chance...
Completely agree. Although, I’d love if they added Mickey in there like Mickey’s Hollywood Adventure. He is getting a new ride there after all.
Can’t claim I invented either of these, but my favorite renaming options would be:
– IPCOT
– Islands of Acquisitions
LOL!!! That’s hilarious 😉
The proposed park names all seen pretty bad to me – I’d stick with the current Hollywod Studios.
The musings on park names did make me realize: at least in our family it’s always “Animal Kingdom”, but “The Magic Kingdom”. I wonder why we only stick “The” onto one of the names.
I wouldn’t mind a South American land with an Indy tie-in … but we’d lose dinosaurs at AK, having already lost mythical creatures in Beastly Kingdom. I’d rather they tear up Dinorama and turn into an archaelogical dig with a (more thrilling) coaster. And a South American attraction can instead take the form of a Peru pavilion at Epcot – replete with an Indy ride. (The Inca provide plenty of fodder for an Indy ride, and they could also have a film of Peru’s very varied landscapes and monuments: Spanish cities, Machu Picchu, Nazca lines, Lake Titicaca, Amazon jungle, salt plains etc. It’s far more appealing than a Brazil dining-only pavilion. I still don’t get what iconic structures they could reproduce for Brazil besides the giant Christ the Redeemer statue, which would be controversial to say the least!)
I think there’s a way to have it both ways: turn Dino-Rama into an archaeological dig site in South America with an Indiana Jones motif, while also keeping the dinosaur institute.
Personally, I’d much rather step into a prehistoric world where dinosaurs are alive today, but that’s just me.
That’s not just you Tom, that’s exactly what needs to happen. Animal kingdom is about meeting animals, not seeing pictures of animals or going on the safari ride where they describe what the animals would be like if they were there. Museums are awesome but they aren’t magical, but Disney parks are supposed to be magical. Where else do we get to see living dinosaurs? It should be in animal kingdom.
Doesn’t matter what Disney ends up renaming the park – people will still call it MGM
Very few people.
And nobody you’d want to hang out with.
Haha I still call it MGM too!!
Excited for potentially more Muppets entertainment, especially after Great Moments in American History. Someone high up in the WDC must have a soft spot for the Muppets IP for it to be continued to be pushed in the parks.
It’s really mind-boggling that the Muppets have gotten so many chances with Disney. IMO, ‘Great Moments’ is one of the very first things (company-wide) that Disney has done that captures the actual spirit of the Muppets.
I don’t like any of the name suggestions. They just seem odd. Don’t know why. Just don’t resonate with me.
I’d love to see Indian Jones expanded, but I agree it’s very unlikely.
Something however needs to be done to reinvent the Dino stuff at AK. It’s just not appealing anymore. My husband hates the Dinosaur ride. A puff of air from the ride blew out one his contacts and spent the rest of the ride half blind and nauseous. But my boys love dinosaurs. I know Universal already has Jurassic Park stuff, but it would be great if Disney would go more that direction. More great adventure than cheap carnival.
The names are a laugh, but I wonder if they intend to get a polling survey result so they will mix and match fragments to get their intended result. The only problem is “cine” suggesting “film” doesn’t work in a compound word.
I love the Indiana Jones makeover. It’s not as far fetched as you think. Guardians was made over just like that. Seems like they are willing to “invest” the money since Dinosaur is a real disappointment and doesn’t move the needle to reduce attraction lines. This is a long-term investment in Animal Kingdom’s future.
Having been on Raging Spirits, it was a decent attraction. It’s not the best ride, but it’s comparable to Big Thunder with a loop. They should extend the ride by another 30 seconds so it becomes the E-Ticket it should be.
I hate the Muppets. Oh well. It’s time is past.
I’m with you! I hate the Muppets!!
Disney had an attraction in Paris called CineMagique, and ‘Cine’ is used in made-up compound words all the time, so I think the public probably “gets” it even if those words are not linguistically correct.
You’re right about GotG-MB really showing how feasible it is to re-skin an attraction quickly. If they went that route, though, the attraction would be very different from the other two versions of Indiana Jones Adventure. For the full IJA, adding the necessary infrastructure and redoing that building would take far longer. It’s not a matter of adding screens and swapping out props.
I am probably the only one, but I could care less if I ever go on the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland again. I loved the movie but the ride doesn’t do much for me as I didn’t get the same feeling as the movie conveyed. The queue which is touted as being awesome is boring to me, the Disneyland Space Mt queue (and others) is so much better, the atmosphere is awesome and transportive.
I love the idea of South America coming to animal kingdom, but not at there expense of dinosaurs. Yes dinoland USA is pretty terrible (a fact I was reminded of more accurately on our last trip) but my hope is that they will just redo the land. It’s one of the three pillars of animal kingdom, animals past present and imagined? Disney + Dinosaurs should equal amazing. Should.
Why don’t they just call it Disney’s Movie Park. Plain and simple!
IMO, “plain and simple” is exactly the problem with that name. Too descriptive, and not catchy.
The only problem with Disney Cinematic Adventure is that it gives that park the same initials as Disney California Adventure. That might be why they went with “Park.”
Cinemagic.
Fair point, but it should be noted that DCA is also technically ‘Disney California Adventure Park.’
Whatever they end up calling it, I’d think two middle words would be pragmatic, as people and media outlets will drop ‘Disney’ and ‘Park’ from the name when referring to it.
The suggestion of Disney Cinemagic Adventure is a solid choice. The rest of the names are terrible. “Big Bob’s IP Barn Park” gave me a good laugh.
Although I love the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, I hope the Dinosaur ride is here to stay. I enjoy the ride and I believe it is well done. I also like that it is an original idea as opposed to based on a movie/intellectual property.
I would be happy to see Dinoland carnival area replaced. Its eye sore to me and it reminds me of crummy local carnival.
Big Bob’s IP Barn Park was supposed to be a Toy Story reference…I just realized it’s Al’s Toy Barn, not Big Al’s. I always make that mistake!
Totally agree about DINOSAUR. I love it, and it being inferior to Indiana Jones Adventure does not make it a subpar attraction.
(For what it’s worth, it does have a movie tie-in, though. It’s just a movie no one remembers…)
In fact the ride pre-dates the movie “Dinosaur.” Maybe the movie was already in production and they always planned to tie it in, I don’t know, but it was originally called “Countdown to Extinction” rather than that being its subtitle, and the CGI of the “target” dinosaur shown in the pre-show was different from the character in the movie. I recall being disappointed the first time I saw the changed CGI, the original version was more scientifically accurate. (We fans have known IP-related disappointment for a long time.)
I think the Dinosaur tie-in was entirely after the fact, which is why it’s so loosely integrated and most people don’t even realize it’s there.
I’m still surprised they never rolled it back to Countdown to Extinction. I’d also like to see the fountain out front restored.
The one thing these names all have in common – they all imply “random collection of stuff thrown together in one park without a theme”.
Yep.
I’d rather see it remain Hollywood Studios over changing it to any other name on that list!
Indiana Jones land ??? The last movie of that series was When ???
2020.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462764/?ref_=nv_sr_4
I doubt very much that Harrison Ford will have much of an action role.