Disney Headlines for October 18th, 2022
This past week, we finally saw signs of forward progress for a movie franchise that Disney fans desperately need.
Yes, the Magic Kingdom Cinematic Universe dominates this week’s Disney Headlines.
The Next Pirates of the Caribbean?
During the pandemic, Disney tried to launch an entirely new film franchise based on a beloved attraction.
With Pirates of the Caribbean providing diminishing returns, Disney turned to The Rock and Emily Blunt, hoping that their chemistry would launch a new franchise.
Jungle Cruise proved mostly successful and popular enough to justify a sequel. However, it wasn’t the jaw-dropping success that The Curse of the Black Pearl had been.
Part of the pressure from the Disney+ streaming service comes down to content. Disney must create tons of content to keep people subscribing.
Roughly 18 months ago, Disney executives announced a new project that would feed what CEO Bob Chapek calls a “synergy machine.”
The business philosophy is that Disney’s seemingly unrelated parts all fit together to create additional revenue streams.
As a fan, all that matters to you is that you get plenty of new Disney stories based on things you like.
Jungle Cruise represented the first step toward this goal. Another, the Haunted Mansion reboot, will arrive in August 2023.
While these are technically Magic Kingdom rides that have become movies, they’re not a part of the project we’re discussing…at least not yet.
No, the Magic Kingdom Cinematic Universe will create a fully fleshed-out realm where all Disney attractions and characters coexist.
In order to bring this idea into reality, Disney poached revered storyteller Ronald D. Moore from Apple.
Moore, best known for his work on the Battlestar Galactica reboot, has spent the past few years working on an excellent sci-fi series, For All Mankind.
During the summer of 2021, Moore and several of his coworkers quietly signed deals with Disney’s 20th Television, the terrible new name for the former 20th Century Fox assets.
What’s Been Happening Since Then
Disney signed Moore under the auspice that he would spearhead the development of the Magic Kingdom Cinematic Universe.
Moore is presumably doing this right now, as Disney announced late last year that he was working on a Swiss Family Robinson Disney+ series.
You may recall that there’s a Swiss Family Treehouse at Magic Kingdom. I’m not entirely sure whether the attraction and series are connected, though.
This story may be Moore’s side hustle while he preps a unified Disney storytelling universe. Then again, Disney may have hired someone else to work on this ambitious project as well.
We just learned that a Society of Adventurers and Explorers (S.E.A.) movie is in development.
Disney has hired Qui Nguyen, the co-director of the upcoming Strange World, to write an S.E.A. movie. Notably, Disney plans a theatrical release for this project.
For those of you unfamiliar with the S.E.A., this secret society plays a hidden role in several Disney attractions.
The most famous one is Jungle Cruise (the ride, not the movie), but it’s also integral to several Tokyo Disneyland attractions.
Also, the S.E.A. provided the backdrop for the Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island.
The Plan for the S.E.A.
Since members of the S.E.A. factor into so many attractions, Disney could use this film to launch others like the previously announced Tower of Terror project.
The underlying philosophy here is breathtakingly ambitious. Disney envisions a future where all its stories connect.
The S.E.A. could provide the backbone as a secret society whose members could embark on daring adventures, all of which tie back to Disney attractions.
Disney has hinted at this future for a while, as indicated by the opening of Skipper Canteen, which is essentially the new S.E.A. restaurant.
The early word indicates that Nguyen’s story will exist entirely separate from Moore’s, but I don’t see that standing over the long haul. Uniting the two makes too much sense.
We’re about to get an entire Disney multiverse of storytelling, and it’ll start sooner than you think.
As a Disney park fan, you should feel euphoric over this news. Every attraction you love will likely receive its own movie and/or television series in the coming years.
The added backstory will enrich the ride experience, just as the Jack Sparrow character has managed with Pirates of the Caribbean.
Also, don’t be surprised if the S.E.A. also heavily influences Disney’s metaverse plans.
Effectively, these new stories provide Disney with an opportunity to populate an entire new cinematic universe with both beloved and brand-new characters.
Other Disney Headlines
Did you hear that Disney has restored Mickey Mouse One? You can read the full details here.
After Walt Disney’s death, his private plane fell into a state of disrepair. That’s regrettable for a plane that matters so much in Florida’s history.
Uncle Walt used Mickey Mouse One as his personal transportation when he was flying in and out of Florida, stealthily buying land for Walt Disney World.
Now, guests can examine the updated plane at its new home, the Palm Springs Air Museum. Here’s a news report about it:
In other Disney news, Collider has published a detailed report that answers a lingering question. Why did Disney’s in-house videogame business fail?
Disney recently recommitted to the gaming industry, and fans feel passionate about some previous titles like Castle of Illusion and some DuckTales games.
However, most Disney titles weren’t up to snuff. This report explains what went wrong.
For me, one of life’s great mysteries will always be how Disney Infinity could have vanished from existence so suddenly.
We had so many of those products. Then, seemingly overnight, Disney just cut the cord.
Finally, let’s close this week’s Headlines with a couple of fun lists. Here are CBR’s choices for the best 10 battles in Disney animated movies.
At the risk of sounding clickbait-y, I give them a lot of credit for #8 on this list.
Conversely, CBR also posted this list, which is…less good. It’s their top 10 live-action Disney movies.
VERY few of these would make my list, but I do appreciate that they remembered Sky High.
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