Matt N
CF Legend
Disclaimer: This post ended up far longer than I originally anticipated; I apologise for that in advance! If you struggle with long posts, scroll to the bottom for a TL;DR.
Hi guys. Whatever you think of Disney theme parks, it is hard to deny that in terms of popularity, fan following, and general influence within the industry, they are at the absolute zenith of theme parks on the world stage. Even if Disney theme parks are not your personal favourite, it is hard to argue against them being the most well known and popular theme parks on Earth by quite some distance. I’d wager that there are very few people in the developed world who haven’t heard of “Disneyland” in some capacity, and millions upon millions of people flock to Disney theme parks each year; of the top 10 most visited theme parks in the world in the 2019 TEA report, 8 of them were operated by Disney. The parks also have a huge fan following and captive audience; whereas most theme parks only have a few fan communities, Disney has umpteen of them, and travel tips, theme park vlogs and general Disney discussion around even the smallest of elements within the parks is plentiful across the internet.
There are plenty of good reasons why they have developed such influence and reputation over the years. Disney were one of the key trailblazers in developing the theme park in its contemporary form, many of their attractions are/were truly innovative and boundary-pushing for their time, and the parks have arguably curated a very unique sense of Disney “magic” that transcends their physical ride hardware, through things such as parades, fireworks shows, and character meet and greets that have become pretty iconic over the years.
However… some of the chain’s recent decision making has come under heavy criticism, and Disney has been criticised as being increasingly out of touch with modern theme park goers. In recent years, there has been a substantially increased emphasis upon planning in advance, which some have argued makes the parks more stressful to visit. The parks have scrapped their free FastPass in favour of a paid option. The parks’ investments are growing less plentiful and arguably less revered to some extent; many were disappointed with the recent D23 Expo for its lack of announcements aside from a delayed TRON opening and some “blue sky” ideas for the end of the decade, and some of the company’s recent investments (e.g. Avengers Campus) have come under fair criticism. The lack of anything non-IP based is also coming under fire from some. Not to mention, the parks are becoming very expensive; day tickets for the parks are approaching $200, and some of the new experiences are getting incredibly pricey… the new Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience, with a price starting at $5,000 for two people, is a prime example of this. With all this happening, it does seem as though a not insignificant group within enthusiast circles are becoming somewhat disillusioned with the Disney parks.
However, in spite of this resentment from some… the parks remain phenomenally popular. The visitor figures remain high across the board, and still grow each year. Millions of families still visit Disney theme parks each year and come out blown away by the experience. The parks still have their reputation and prestige just as much as they ever did; millions of people are still drawn in to a first time visit by it, and millions of people still return for their umpteenth visit because of it.
Before I get too carried away, my basic question is; will Disney ever be beaten as the theme park champions of the world? Will the resentment of a minority eventually build up towards becoming the resentment of a majority and stop people from wanting to visit Disney parks? Will the hefty efforts of competitors eventually lure people away from Disney for good? Will they ever lose their status as top dog of the theme park industry, in your opinion?
Personally, I’m honestly not sure they ever will; I genuinely think that Disney are a somewhat invincible name within the theme park industry. I reckon that no matter what Disney does and what the competition does, there will still be a rather considerable captive audience who will visit the parks because of that Disney name and the brand they’ve concocted over the years.
I think this because I’d argue that Disney have been very clever in how they’ve marketed and positioned the parks over the years. They’ve developed a phenomenally strong brand image, and they’ve worked on emphasising the whole product as something so truly magical and beyond words that it transcends any investments or physical ride hardware. Obviously this won’t be the case for everyone, but most who visit Disney parks or aspire to visit them don’t really care about the latest cutting edge rides or investment. For instance, my aunt dreams of visiting Disney World. My dad said to her “I wouldn't recommend Magic Kingdom unless you have young children. It’s rammed full of little kids, the rides are mostly a bit rubbish, and bits of it look really quite tired”. My aunt said back “I don’t care about the rides. I want to be a princess, and see Mickey and Goofy, and watch the fireworks and the parade!”. If my aunt is anything to go by, then Disney’s appeal is curated on the general sense of magic, as well as a bit of nostalgia thrown in for good measure, rather than anything to do with its physical ride hardware or investments, and I think that is a very hard thing to replicate.
I’m genuinely convinced that Disney could build nothing new for 10 years and still have their attendance figures stay relatively stable or possibly even grow, and I think that’s a rather unique situation that no other theme park could replicate.
Case in point; Disneyland Park in France has not changed a whole lot since it opened. The last new ride built there was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast back in 2006. Before that, it was Space Mountain in 1995. You could probably count the number of new attractions built in that park since its opening in 1992 on one or two hands… yet over the course of the 2010s (between 2010 and 2019), park attendance only declined by 755,000, or 7.2%, in spite of the park adding no new attractions during that period.
DLP might not even be the best case study of this given that park’s well established inherent issues that have existed from the get go. Let’s instead look at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The Florida resort went through somewhat of a dry spell of large CAPEX investments during the late 2000s and early 2010s (I don’t believe there were any between Expedition Everest in 2006 and New Fantasyland in 2014, but correct me if I’m wrong there), and this dry spell aligned pretty perfectly with when Universal Orlando blew the theme park industry wide open with WWOHP. You’d think that Disney might face a decline in guest figures due to this and the relatively minimal investment into MK during that timeframe, but in the 5 years between 2009 and 2014, park attendance actually grew by 2,099,000, or 12.2%; even with Universal making a very ballsy attempt to take visitors away from Disney in the form of the two WWOHP areas during that time, the House of Mouse emerged completely unscathed.
Even going away from Disney’s ability to stabilise or grow their business without making huge investments; I’d also argue that some enthusiasts’ perceived negatives within the current Disney operation actually lean toward the demands of the modern guest. For instance, I would make the argument that Disney’s incredibly IP-driven approach within their parks as of late has come about due to guests going to the parks seeking out their favourite characters and film franchises. If people couldn’t do that in this day and age, I’d argue that they would be disappointed. As much as enthusiasts might bemoan additions like Avengers Campus and the rethemes of Disney icons to IPs, I’d argue that IPs are exactly what the modern guest wants from Disney parks. With Avengers Campus, for example; I’d imagine that your average guest would say “They’ve got an Avengers land? Awesome!” and be more compelled to go for this reason rather than bemoaning the perceived unoriginality and blandness of the land like most enthusiasts appear to be doing. As much as we enthusiasts may have found a non-branded land more interesting, I think the appeal among your average guest would have been far lower.
My point is; no matter what the competition does, I reckon Disney will always remain top dog. They’ve curated a very unique brand image and perceived experience that far transcends any physical ride hardware or flash new investments, and I think that will always work in their favour. And I also think that some of their current strategies, while bemoaned by enthusiasts, lean into what the contemporary guest seeks from their parks.
But what are your thoughts? Do you think Disney will always remain top dog? Or do you think resentment will build, or the competition will get too intense, and someone else will eventually take Disney’s crown? I’d be keen to know your thoughts!
TL;DR: Disney have sat at the zenith of the theme park industry for decades now. But with some of their recent decision making proving quite unpopular among enthusiasts, the question I ask today is; will Disney always remain top dog within the theme park industry, in your opinion? I personally feel that they will for two reasons. The first is that their brand has been very cleverly curated so that the hook of the parks far transcends any physical ride hardware or flash new investments, and the second is that I feel some of their current strategies, although loathed by a majority of enthusiasts, lean into the contemporary guest’s demands from the Disney parks.
Hi guys. Whatever you think of Disney theme parks, it is hard to deny that in terms of popularity, fan following, and general influence within the industry, they are at the absolute zenith of theme parks on the world stage. Even if Disney theme parks are not your personal favourite, it is hard to argue against them being the most well known and popular theme parks on Earth by quite some distance. I’d wager that there are very few people in the developed world who haven’t heard of “Disneyland” in some capacity, and millions upon millions of people flock to Disney theme parks each year; of the top 10 most visited theme parks in the world in the 2019 TEA report, 8 of them were operated by Disney. The parks also have a huge fan following and captive audience; whereas most theme parks only have a few fan communities, Disney has umpteen of them, and travel tips, theme park vlogs and general Disney discussion around even the smallest of elements within the parks is plentiful across the internet.
There are plenty of good reasons why they have developed such influence and reputation over the years. Disney were one of the key trailblazers in developing the theme park in its contemporary form, many of their attractions are/were truly innovative and boundary-pushing for their time, and the parks have arguably curated a very unique sense of Disney “magic” that transcends their physical ride hardware, through things such as parades, fireworks shows, and character meet and greets that have become pretty iconic over the years.
However… some of the chain’s recent decision making has come under heavy criticism, and Disney has been criticised as being increasingly out of touch with modern theme park goers. In recent years, there has been a substantially increased emphasis upon planning in advance, which some have argued makes the parks more stressful to visit. The parks have scrapped their free FastPass in favour of a paid option. The parks’ investments are growing less plentiful and arguably less revered to some extent; many were disappointed with the recent D23 Expo for its lack of announcements aside from a delayed TRON opening and some “blue sky” ideas for the end of the decade, and some of the company’s recent investments (e.g. Avengers Campus) have come under fair criticism. The lack of anything non-IP based is also coming under fire from some. Not to mention, the parks are becoming very expensive; day tickets for the parks are approaching $200, and some of the new experiences are getting incredibly pricey… the new Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience, with a price starting at $5,000 for two people, is a prime example of this. With all this happening, it does seem as though a not insignificant group within enthusiast circles are becoming somewhat disillusioned with the Disney parks.
However, in spite of this resentment from some… the parks remain phenomenally popular. The visitor figures remain high across the board, and still grow each year. Millions of families still visit Disney theme parks each year and come out blown away by the experience. The parks still have their reputation and prestige just as much as they ever did; millions of people are still drawn in to a first time visit by it, and millions of people still return for their umpteenth visit because of it.
Before I get too carried away, my basic question is; will Disney ever be beaten as the theme park champions of the world? Will the resentment of a minority eventually build up towards becoming the resentment of a majority and stop people from wanting to visit Disney parks? Will the hefty efforts of competitors eventually lure people away from Disney for good? Will they ever lose their status as top dog of the theme park industry, in your opinion?
Personally, I’m honestly not sure they ever will; I genuinely think that Disney are a somewhat invincible name within the theme park industry. I reckon that no matter what Disney does and what the competition does, there will still be a rather considerable captive audience who will visit the parks because of that Disney name and the brand they’ve concocted over the years.
I think this because I’d argue that Disney have been very clever in how they’ve marketed and positioned the parks over the years. They’ve developed a phenomenally strong brand image, and they’ve worked on emphasising the whole product as something so truly magical and beyond words that it transcends any investments or physical ride hardware. Obviously this won’t be the case for everyone, but most who visit Disney parks or aspire to visit them don’t really care about the latest cutting edge rides or investment. For instance, my aunt dreams of visiting Disney World. My dad said to her “I wouldn't recommend Magic Kingdom unless you have young children. It’s rammed full of little kids, the rides are mostly a bit rubbish, and bits of it look really quite tired”. My aunt said back “I don’t care about the rides. I want to be a princess, and see Mickey and Goofy, and watch the fireworks and the parade!”. If my aunt is anything to go by, then Disney’s appeal is curated on the general sense of magic, as well as a bit of nostalgia thrown in for good measure, rather than anything to do with its physical ride hardware or investments, and I think that is a very hard thing to replicate.
I’m genuinely convinced that Disney could build nothing new for 10 years and still have their attendance figures stay relatively stable or possibly even grow, and I think that’s a rather unique situation that no other theme park could replicate.
Case in point; Disneyland Park in France has not changed a whole lot since it opened. The last new ride built there was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast back in 2006. Before that, it was Space Mountain in 1995. You could probably count the number of new attractions built in that park since its opening in 1992 on one or two hands… yet over the course of the 2010s (between 2010 and 2019), park attendance only declined by 755,000, or 7.2%, in spite of the park adding no new attractions during that period.
DLP might not even be the best case study of this given that park’s well established inherent issues that have existed from the get go. Let’s instead look at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The Florida resort went through somewhat of a dry spell of large CAPEX investments during the late 2000s and early 2010s (I don’t believe there were any between Expedition Everest in 2006 and New Fantasyland in 2014, but correct me if I’m wrong there), and this dry spell aligned pretty perfectly with when Universal Orlando blew the theme park industry wide open with WWOHP. You’d think that Disney might face a decline in guest figures due to this and the relatively minimal investment into MK during that timeframe, but in the 5 years between 2009 and 2014, park attendance actually grew by 2,099,000, or 12.2%; even with Universal making a very ballsy attempt to take visitors away from Disney in the form of the two WWOHP areas during that time, the House of Mouse emerged completely unscathed.
Even going away from Disney’s ability to stabilise or grow their business without making huge investments; I’d also argue that some enthusiasts’ perceived negatives within the current Disney operation actually lean toward the demands of the modern guest. For instance, I would make the argument that Disney’s incredibly IP-driven approach within their parks as of late has come about due to guests going to the parks seeking out their favourite characters and film franchises. If people couldn’t do that in this day and age, I’d argue that they would be disappointed. As much as enthusiasts might bemoan additions like Avengers Campus and the rethemes of Disney icons to IPs, I’d argue that IPs are exactly what the modern guest wants from Disney parks. With Avengers Campus, for example; I’d imagine that your average guest would say “They’ve got an Avengers land? Awesome!” and be more compelled to go for this reason rather than bemoaning the perceived unoriginality and blandness of the land like most enthusiasts appear to be doing. As much as we enthusiasts may have found a non-branded land more interesting, I think the appeal among your average guest would have been far lower.
My point is; no matter what the competition does, I reckon Disney will always remain top dog. They’ve curated a very unique brand image and perceived experience that far transcends any physical ride hardware or flash new investments, and I think that will always work in their favour. And I also think that some of their current strategies, while bemoaned by enthusiasts, lean into what the contemporary guest seeks from their parks.
But what are your thoughts? Do you think Disney will always remain top dog? Or do you think resentment will build, or the competition will get too intense, and someone else will eventually take Disney’s crown? I’d be keen to know your thoughts!
TL;DR: Disney have sat at the zenith of the theme park industry for decades now. But with some of their recent decision making proving quite unpopular among enthusiasts, the question I ask today is; will Disney always remain top dog within the theme park industry, in your opinion? I personally feel that they will for two reasons. The first is that their brand has been very cleverly curated so that the hook of the parks far transcends any physical ride hardware or flash new investments, and the second is that I feel some of their current strategies, although loathed by a majority of enthusiasts, lean into the contemporary guest’s demands from the Disney parks.
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