There’s a lot of movie-themed news and speculation going on in the theme park world and we’ve got it all in one place. In this edition of Theme Park Bits, read about the following:
- Is Disney planning a full Star Wars land at California Adventure?
- The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Ride is getting its own TV series
- The Lord of the Rings term “Middle Earth” has been trademarked for use in an amusement park.
- An Incredibles ride could be in the works
- Development on Avatar Land is reportedly not going well.
- The Marvel-themed Stark Expo has been stalled.
- Imagineering legend Tony Baxter is leaving Disney.
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Love is in the air in this edition of Star Wars Bits. After the jump read a few romantic stories, a few speculative ones, some Star Wars history and a possible massive hint at Episode VII. Here’s what we’ve got:
- Disney announced the dates of their long running Star Wars Weekends in 2013
- Ewan McGregor would “be up for” Star Wars Episode VII if needed.
- A long-lost short film that played in front of The Empire Strike Back, Black Angel, might soon resurface online.
- Wes Anderson thinks he could make a good Han Solo origin movie.
- Star Wars MMO The Old Republic is trying to incorporate same sex romance.
- George Lucas just got engaged to the chairman of DreamWorks animation.
- If you have an idea for a Pringles Star Wars commercial, you could win $75,000.
- Could the lead character of Star Wars Episode VII be female?
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Posted on Thursday, January 3rd, 2013 by Angie Han
Dying to set foot in Middle-earth, but don’t have the cash to shell out for a ticket to New Zealand’s Hobbiton? If a new rumor is to be believed, Universal Studios could be planning a new Middle-earth theme park that’d presumably be much closer to home for American fans. According to an anonymous source, Universal and Warner Bros. have approached the Tolkien estate about the possibility of building a new attraction, and Universal has gotten as far as presenting its ideas to the Tolkiens. Read more after the jump.
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When Disney makes a purchase, they look at it from all angles. Toys, movies, theme parks, etc. So when they bought Pixar in 2006, the movies kept coming and the theme park integration began, leading up to this year’s opening of Carsland at Disneyland in California. Next was Marvel in 2009. The movies, obviously, are already there, but not the theme park integration just yet.
In an interview from earlier this year, the CEO of Disney Bob Iger said while their ability to use Marvel at Walt Disney Land in Florida is limited (thanks a lot Universal Studios!) that ability is less limited in California and not limited at all oversees. Does that mean we’re on our way to getting Marvel theme park somewhere? Speculate below. Read More »
In recent years, Disney has created some of the best viral videos — be it the retro Lotso-Huggin-Bear commercials for Toy Story 3, or the video game tv spots for Wreck It Ralph, or all of The Muppets clips that lead to their return to the mainstream. The mouse house is now trying to parlay their viral video skills into promoting their theme parks.
With phase one of the Fantasyland expansion opening at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disney has teamed with HGTV for a fun crossover: Beauty and The Beast stars Belle and Beast go castle hunting on a faux episode of HGTV’s House Hunters. For someone like me who has in recent years grown and and started watching television shows about people buying/selling/fixing homes (younger me would hate older me), I ended up liking this a lot more than I should. Watch the mini-sode right now after the jump.
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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida (and soon Hollywood, CA) has upped the ante for what a movie themed theme park can be and they’re not stopping there. According to reports, actors from the Harry Potter franchise have been asked to reprise their roles from the films to shoot new footage for the currently under construction Wizarding World expansion in Florida.
Not to be outdone, Walt Disney World has begun work on Avatar Land, based on the James Cameron film. Not only did some blueprints leak in the last few weeks, now an image has surfaced showing the filmmaker working with Disney Imagineers. Check out info on both these theme part bits below. Read More »
Epcot Center at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida has several marquee rides, few of which are more fun than Test Track. The grandfather to Cars Land’s Radiator Springs Racer, the ride puts patrons in a car, which runs through a series of safety tests and then shoots around a track at upwards of 60 miles per hour.
If you haven’t been to Disney World recently, you may not have known that the popular ride, which opened in 1999, has been closed for reimaging. It reopens this week, December 6, and has done away with the original industrial theme in favor of a futuristic theme similar to the world of Tron. After the jump, check out the new ride video, a video comparing the two versions, and a few pieces of concept art like the one above.
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Did you hear? Disney bought LucasFilm and there’s a new Star Wars movie coming out. Yup, it’s been pretty big week on the geek front with innumerable questions, some answers and rabid speculation. However, with the movie news dominating the headlines, the theme park ramifications have been largely overlooked, specifically the fact that the blueprints for a full on Star Wars park have been available for two years.
I don’t mean just one ride either. Disney already has Star Tours and Indiana Jones. And not a full land like Harry Potter or Cars. I mean, a full on, multi-land theme park dedicated entirely to Star Wars. It’s possible, as you’re about to see.
Officially, there aren’t any plans outside of non-committal theme park expansion quotes but two years ago, way before Disney even began talking to LucasFilm, an artist named Tom Hodges did a little mockup of what Disneyland might look like if it was taken over by Star Wars. Check out the full art below. Read More »
