Is Disney Working on a National Geographic Attraction For Walt Disney World?
The connotation of what it means to be a Disney fan has dramatically expanded over the last 35 years. Once upon a time, Disney simply meant Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and Disneyland. The Disney properties had a tangible connection to Walt Disney himself.
As Disney has transformed into a global entertainment conglomerate, all of a sudden, being a Disney fan also means rooting for ABC, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and even National Geographic.
Source: techhive.com
As The Walt Disney Company has grown, the Disney Parks have also begun to be infused with intellectual properties that would have seemed out of place just three decades ago. It is the kind of synergy that Disney has become known for, for better or worse.
Is a National Geographic Attraction in the Works?
According to Tom McDonald, EVP of Global Factual and Unscripted at National Geographic, a Nat Geo attraction for Walt Disney World could even be in the works.
“I know this sounds outlandish but when I started, and I half meant it as a joke, one of the things I said was ‘Wouldn’t be great if one of our shows became a theme park ride at Disney World?,’” he said during a keynote session at the Realscreen event in New Orleans. “There are some really interesting conversations happening right now within the system, with Parks and beyond about how we might bring some of our shows to life in the physical world, interesting types of experiences.”
Bringing Stories to Life
According to McDonald, the next step for National Geographic is to bring their stories to life. Luckily, the IP is now part of the Walt Disney Company.
Photo: National Geographic/Double Act
“I do think that the priority to us as we go forward is going to be how to bring these things to life in a bigger and broader way. And I think that’s one of the things is unique about us, compared to Netflix or Apple for some of the other cable channels. I do think it is part of being part of the wider National Geographic and the wider Disney ecosystem and that feels like it’s not been wholly tapped into yet.”
While a National Geographic dark ride is probably not coming to Walt Disney World anytime soon, we will likely see the IP continue to make its way into the parks.
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