Should All Expansion Attractions Be IP-Based?
Sometimes, I enjoy the rare privilege of speaking with current and former Imagineers.Whenever I do, something strikes me as unmistakable. Disney’s best storytellers love telling original tales.
![Hong Kong Disneyland Frozen Land Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Frozen-Land-Imagineers-6.jpg)
![Hong Kong Disneyland Frozen Land Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Frozen-Land-Imagineers-6.jpg)
Photo: @michael.e.moriarty via Instagram
However, when Disney executives discuss future park expansion, they hint at potential brands coming to the parks.
For example, DisneylandForward has suggested titles like Avatar, Frozen, Tron, and Wakanda.
![disneylandforward](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-24-at-8.33.45-AM.png)
![disneylandforward](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-24-at-8.33.45-AM.png)
Photo: Disneylandforward
Disney believes that its so-called flywheel works best when all phases of the storytelling empire blend seamlessly.
So, I can’t help but think about the divide between the executives strategizing Disney’s future and the ones who will build it.
![Hong Kong Disneyland Frozen Land Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Frozen-Land-Imagineers-4.jpg)
![Hong Kong Disneyland Frozen Land Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Frozen-Land-Imagineers-4.jpg)
Photo: @michael.e.moriarty via Instagram
Should all upcoming theme park expansion attractions be based on existing intellectual properties and Disney brands?
Storytelling Is Cyclical
![hollywood](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hollywood_Sign_Zuschnitt.jpg)
![hollywood](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hollywood_Sign_Zuschnitt.jpg)
Photo: wikipedia
I’ve been writing about Hollywood since the 1990s, and I can say with finality that history repeats itself.
Many of the industry’s major discussion points are cyclical, including two of the most essential debates.
![Box Office](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/gettyimages-160510203-640x640-1.jpg)
![Box Office](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/gettyimages-160510203-640x640-1.jpg)
Getty
The first involves how much quantity a studio should release. We’re currently in the downward phase of that debate.
At times, studios produce as much content as they possibly can. This behavior occurs during a seller’s market.
![Box Office](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/gettyimages-1545551667-612x612-1.jpg)
![Box Office](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/gettyimages-1545551667-612x612-1.jpg)
(Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
The content creators know that all their television series and movies will turn a collective profit due to a hot market.
So, they release everything they can in anticipation of earning earth-shattering amounts of revenue.
![Bob Iger](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/240403-Bob-Iger-ew-412p-5d1ef7.webp)
![Bob Iger](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/240403-Bob-Iger-ew-412p-5d1ef7.webp)
NBC News
Then, we have the flip side of that cycle when an uncertain marketplace leads to hesitation.
Studios prioritize quality over quantity, saying the very things that Disney CEO Bob Iger has espoused lately.
![Bob Iger 2024 Shareholder Meeting](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-iger-2024-shareholder-meeting-e1712695725310.jpeg)
![Bob Iger 2024 Shareholder Meeting](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-iger-2024-shareholder-meeting-e1712695725310.jpeg)
Bob Iger – 2024 Annual Shareholder Meeting
The gist is that Disney needs to pay more attention to its content to ensure quality.
However, the truth is that Disney wants to cut costs at the moment, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by producing less content.
![save money disney fees , fee, money, parking, resort, hotel, guests](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-18-at-6.25.45-PM-e1708448899139.png)
![save money disney fees , fee, money, parking, resort, hotel, guests](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-18-at-6.25.45-PM-e1708448899139.png)
Photo: skillastics.com
Most good television series cost millions of dollars per episode to film, while high-quality Disney films require budgets of $100+ million.
Similarly, there’s an ongoing debate about whether storytellers should create sequels and prequels to existing works.
![Elemental](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Elemental.jpg)
![Elemental](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Elemental.jpg)
Photo: Pixar
Is that idea better than telling entirely new stories? Well, before you reflexively answer, allow me to make a point.
In terms of global box office, 13 out of the 15 biggest blockbusters of the year were based on existing IP.
![Elemental](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/230328_gma_elementals_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg)
![Elemental](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/230328_gma_elementals_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg)
Photo: Disney/Pixar
The only two exceptions were Oppenheimer and…Pixar’s Elemental.
Remember all the negative headlines regarding Elemental’s opening weekend? There’s a reason for that.
![Elemental](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1180w-600h_040623_Elemental-preview_00.jpg)
![Elemental](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1180w-600h_040623_Elemental-preview_00.jpg)
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Studios must expend more resources persuading guests to try entirely new stories.
Why Disney Loves IP
![fees, resort guests, resorts, parking, fee](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Disney-Money-Mickey-Head-Costs-Prices-Higher-Washington-Post-Credit.jpg)
![fees, resort guests, resorts, parking, fee](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Disney-Money-Mickey-Head-Costs-Prices-Higher-Washington-Post-Credit.jpg)
Photo: Washington Post
Not coincidentally, the people holding the purse strings vastly prefer existing brands. They’re safer.
Even a surprise performer like Barbie doesn’t seem as shocking once you remember that kids had been buying those toys for nearly 65 years.
![Barbie Cupcake](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ECOM_Barbie_TOP_TS2_7189_375x375_6b12ca1e-11e2-437e-bf6d-ca03f94be002_900x.png.webp)
![Barbie Cupcake](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ECOM_Barbie_TOP_TS2_7189_375x375_6b12ca1e-11e2-437e-bf6d-ca03f94be002_900x.png.webp)
Photo: Sprinkles
That’s how branding works. People build familiarity with topics over time, which also explains several other box office hits.
We had The Super Mario Bros. Movie, based on the most popular video game character ever, plus Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Fast X.
![Ant-Man](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Ant-Man.jpg)
![Ant-Man](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Ant-Man.jpg)
Photo: Also Disney+
Other sequels/remakes included Wonka, The Little Mermaid, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and John Wick: Chapter 4.
You can micro-analyze the success of each individual performance, but they tell a story as a whole.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Las-Vegas-Licensing-Expo-The-Avengers.jpeg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Las-Vegas-Licensing-Expo-The-Avengers.jpeg)
Photo: Film Frame © Marvel 2016
Consumers vote with their wallets, and they typically choose the familiar over the unknown.
Not coincidentally, when Disney talks about building new theme park attractions, it fixates on the knowns.
The “flywheel” as a business model supposes that when Disney casts attention on any brand, it’ll grow.
For instance, when Disney made the seemingly odd decision to build a Tron roller coaster at Shanghai Disneyland, it came with a hidden benefit.
After the lukewarm reception to Tron: Legacy, that brand appeared dead.
Once the exceptional roller coaster excited fans enough to bring it to Magic Kingdom, Tron had new life breathed into it.
![Tron: Ares](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tron-Ares.jpg)
![Tron: Ares](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tron-Ares.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Now, we’re getting Tron: Ares, something nobody would have predicted five years ago.
Disney operates a diversified international conglomerate, and its decision-makers must contemplate the big picture.
![TRON Lightcycle Run](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TRON_KV_MOMENTUM-16x9-1.webp)
![TRON Lightcycle Run](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TRON_KV_MOMENTUM-16x9-1.webp)
Photo: Disney
In the case of Tron Lightcycle Power Run and Tron Lightcycle / Run, everything worked out perfectly.
Similarly, the instantly vilified Elemental has proven popular enough that I expect Disney to make a sequel one day.
![TRON Lightcycle Run](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TRON_KV_Sprint_1280x720-16x9-1.webp)
![TRON Lightcycle Run](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TRON_KV_Sprint_1280x720-16x9-1.webp)
Photo: Disney
A park presence isn’t outside the realm of possibility, either.
Why Imagineers Prefer Original IPs
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Mystic-Manor.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Mystic-Manor.png)
Photo: Disney
In a different piece that will go live soon, I (once again) rave about Mystic Manor, the best Disney attraction in the world that few Americans know.
Former Imagineer Joe Lanzisero crafted a brilliant mystical attraction akin to Haunted Mansion x Indiana Jones.
![Mystic Manor](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-hong-kong-disneyland-park-mystic-manor.png)
![Mystic Manor](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-hong-kong-disneyland-park-mystic-manor.png)
Photo: Disney
He’s far from the first Imagineer to accomplish this goal, but Mystic Manor works perfectly to prove a point.
Disney chose not to build the umpteenth version of Haunted Mansion, understanding it wouldn’t translate well in China.
![Frozen Land expansion Disneyland Paris imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Frozen-Land-expansion-Disneyland-Paris-imagineers.webp)
![Frozen Land expansion Disneyland Paris imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Frozen-Land-expansion-Disneyland-Paris-imagineers.webp)
Photo: Disney
Instead, the company entrusted its Imagineers to craft an entirely new story, one overflowing with excellent ideas.
We’ve witnessed plenty of that at the parks over the years.
![Hong Kong Disneyland Frozen Land Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Frozen-Land-Imagineers-1.jpg)
![Hong Kong Disneyland Frozen Land Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Frozen-Land-Imagineers-1.jpg)
Photo: @michael.e.moriarty via Instagram
For instance, Disney created the Yeti for Expedition Everest and Matterhorn Bobsleds before that.
The entire Society of Explorers and Adventures (S.E.A.) plays a role in Disney attractions like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise.
![Haunted Mansion Disneyland](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hanted-mansion-exterior-16x9-1-1024x576.webp)
![Haunted Mansion Disneyland](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hanted-mansion-exterior-16x9-1-1024x576.webp)
Photo: Disney
For that matter, all the 999 Happy Haunts at the Haunted Mansion are Imagineering creations.
If Disney had connected this story to existing IP, we wouldn’t have The Bride, the Hitchhiking Ghosts, or the Hatbox Ghost.
![Frozen Themed Land Disneyland Paris Resot Walt Disney Studios Park Expansion Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Frozen-Themed-Land-Disneyland-Paris-Resot-Walt-Disney-Studios-Park-Expansion-Imagineers-15.jpg)
![Frozen Themed Land Disneyland Paris Resot Walt Disney Studios Park Expansion Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Frozen-Themed-Land-Disneyland-Paris-Resot-Walt-Disney-Studios-Park-Expansion-Imagineers-15.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Sometimes, we enjoy the benefits of Disney giving their Imagineers the freedom to tell their own stories.
For the Imagineers themselves, that’s a more engaging creative process.
![Frozen Themed Land Disneyland Paris Resot Walt Disney Studios Park Expansion Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Frozen-Themed-Land-Disneyland-Paris-Resot-Walt-Disney-Studios-Park-Expansion-Imagineers-10.jpg)
![Frozen Themed Land Disneyland Paris Resot Walt Disney Studios Park Expansion Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Frozen-Themed-Land-Disneyland-Paris-Resot-Walt-Disney-Studios-Park-Expansion-Imagineers-10.jpg)
Photo: Disney
They aren’t telling James Cameron’s story but rather their own.
Once the attraction is ready, it’s a more satisfying moment to say, “I did that.”
![Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/wdi_epcot_sse_brainstorm.jpg)
![Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/wdi_epcot_sse_brainstorm.jpg)
Photo: Disney
If all expansion projects are IP-based, Disney takes that possibility away from its Imagineers.
Should All Upcoming Attractions Be IP-Based?
![Walt and early Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/early-Imagineers.png)
![Walt and early Imagineers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/early-Imagineers.png)
Photo: Disney
Sadly, I don’t have a definitive answer to this question.
As a content creator myself, I want to side with the Imagineers, knowing they’re perfectly capable of telling great stories.
I’d love for Imagineers to flesh out the S.E.A. even more with new attractions based on this fictional group.
Similarly, I’d love for Disney’s storytellers to get a crack at reinventing Journey into Imagination with Figment.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Imagineers-Campus.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Imagineers-Campus.jpg)
Photo: Disney
The current version simply isn’t as good as the original, which was – important reminder – an original Disney park creation.
Figment and the Dreamfinder deserve a modified attraction that highlights them, not angry old man Eric Idle, who has disavowed the ride.
However, Disney’s perspective here differs from mine as a theme park fan. The company needs to maximize revenue.
Figment’s an excellent example of how much more harshly people judge an original IP. If it’s not the best, it slips through the cracks.
When Iger and his team commit tens of billions of dollars to new Disney attractions, those rides must excel.
Something based on an existing IP, even a less popular one like Tron, has a better chance of succeeding than an entirely new one.
![Transformers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Transformers-_Rise_of_the_Beasts.jpg)
![Transformers](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Transformers-_Rise_of_the_Beasts.jpg)
Transformers
If you doubt this, allow me to add that three of top 15 movies last year in terms of box office were Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Meg 2: The Trench.
Those were three terrible movies, but they had name recognition due to brand awareness.
![New sign at Remy's Ratatouille Adventure](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Josh_DAmaro_on_Instagram_“Great_experience_watching_our_Imagineers_at_work_installing_the_Gusteau’s_marquee_tonight_for_the_upcoming_Remy’s_Ratatouille_Adventure…”_-_2020-01-13_21.35.27.png)
![New sign at Remy's Ratatouille Adventure](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Josh_DAmaro_on_Instagram_“Great_experience_watching_our_Imagineers_at_work_installing_the_Gusteau’s_marquee_tonight_for_the_upcoming_Remy’s_Ratatouille_Adventure…”_-_2020-01-13_21.35.27.png)
Photo: Josh D’Amaro/Instagram
Again, what we say we collectively want as a people rarely aligns with what we actually do.
For this reason, I’m expecting all expansion attractions to be IP-based. It’s just safer.
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