New Theme Park at WDW

[Polynesian Dweller]

If Disney decides to pull all the Marvel Superhero's from Universal when the contract is up and build a new park based on that.... would that kill Universal? What would they have left?

Unfortunately for Marvel fans Disney can't pull them. As long as the attractions exist at Universal they can continue to use the characters. The contract also says that no other theme park east of the Mississipi can be licensed to use the characters. So, no Marvel park at WDW nor characters at DHS.

Could use them at California Adventure though.

[BMan62]

Unfortunately for Marvel fans Disney can't pull them. As long as the attractions exist at Universal they can continue to use the characters. The contract also says that no other theme park east of the Mississipi can be licensed to use the characters. So, no Marvel park at WDW nor characters at DHS.

Could use them at California Adventure though.

How much nit-picking is possible with this statement? I mean, does US have exclusive rights to ALL the Marvel characters to use east of the Mississippi or just those currently being used in the parks? That could leave a whole load of characters available for Disney use in FL.

[Mousemates]

. . . FINALLY a boy's character meal with Super Heroes

[lockedoutlogic]

Maybe they have to cut the bonuses they pay the people at the top and actually pay people a living wage to work at WDW.

yes....you nailed both the problem and the only feasible solution....

But Disney is a publicly traded company and that is not how things work on wall street.

In disney's defense...they underpay pretty much everybody up and down the chain of command....there is a mandatory "disney legacy" pay cut.

But they screwed up their labor in Orlando long ago when they let the minimum wage catch the payrate, stripped away almost all privileges and benefits that made employees feel special, and because of the aforementioned two....abandaoned hiring standards in favor of cheap, non-descript, non-specialized, largely non-educated labor

[Supercali]

From what I understand, the Marvel/Universal deal only covers the characters that are currently being used within the park. There are thousands more that Disney could use in their own parks. As for a fifth park, I've heard different rumors. I've heard that they do have one on the drawing boards, but that it is not going forward as of this time. I've also heard rumors about the Villain (Dark Kingdom) park may open in about 5 years. There is also a rumor about a World Showcase type park themed around the different states and sections of the U.S. Time will tell I guess.

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

That could leave a whole load of characters available for Disney use in FL.

Yeah but apart from the names US already uses (Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom) how many average guests, especially kids could really name any others? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Captain America, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, and Punisher. For over 5,000 characters in their roster, Marvel has quite a few obscure ones that most people except for the most learned of comic book fans will never have heard of. I don't think that would be enough to push a new park.

[Supercali]

I think that the theme parks could be a great way to educate people about the other Marvel characters. Remember, Disney doesn't just do rides that are based on blockbuster movies. Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Everest were all original stories. They used Jules Verne novels for the inspiration for Mysterious Island at DisneySea. Many people aren't familiar with the tales of Verne. With Marvel, Disney has thousands of original stories that they can base attractions on. Most people aren't even aware that some of their original attractions like Big Thunder Mountain have back stories, but they're still very popular.

[LudwigVonDrake]

It's not happening anytime soon.

[SignguyTom]

Disney announced its new park this morning...

...It's called Disney's Urouttayourmind Kingdom

You can't run a park without labor....and they have not enough to go around as is...

Wow...With unemployment as it is, they can't find people to work the parks...????? Who knew...

[Mousemates]

Wow...With unemployment as it is, they can't find people to work the parks...????? Who knew...

Just FYI Unemployment rate for July 2009 in Orange County was a bit over 10%...not sure they are having so much trouble filling slots right now...but when the economy improves and people can pick and choose a bit (wages wise) they do have some genuine difficulty in getting the best people.