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Will VelociCoaster push Disney to build more thrilling rides?

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. Disney and Universal are arguably the two biggest names in the theme park industry, and their brand of park is quite a different product to any others on Earth. While many parks seem to have the big coasters as their main selling point, the big 2 aim for a more holistic experience, with the coasters often being sidelined in favour of a greater emphasis on different elements, such as dark rides, shows, and immersive themed environments. As such, these premium parks often don’t tend to build especially extreme coasters, particularly in the case of Disney and particularly in more recent years. Don’t get me wrong, the big players have built thrill rides, but they often don’t tend to be absolute monsters like you’d find in other theme parks, and many of these thrill rides were built some time ago.

However, a new for 2021 ride bucked this trend in quite a big way. Last year, VelociCoaster opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida, and it has seemed to go down a real treat thus far. Guests are loving it, and from what I can tell, it packs the lavish theming and experience factors that you’d expect from a premium tier park. However, in a notable departure from other recent coasters built in Disney & Universal parks, it looks to be a pretty extreme ride from a hardware perspective too. It has the dynamic elements, high forces and fast pacing that many more traditional theme park rides have, and at 155ft tall and 70mph, it’s hardly an insignificant ride in terms of size! Guests seem to be loving it thus far, and having such an extreme ride arguably gives Universal a key advantage over Disney, and opens them up to a greater range of guests.

So with that in mind, my question to you today is; do you think that VelociCoaster’s success will push Disney to build more thrilling rides in order to keep up?

Personally, I’m undecided. I could see arguments for both sides of the coin; I see very valid reasons as to why Disney might be spurred to up the thrills a bit, but I can also see very valid arguments for them not bothering and sticking to what they’re doing now.

In terms of why I could see them building more thrilling rides in response to VelociCoaster; even though Disney has gained a reputation among many for being the more family-friendly of the big 2, their previous record suggests that they are not as averse to building thrill rides as you might think. While they haven’t built any massive monsters, I’d argue that the likes of Rock’n’Rollercoaster prove that Disney are not averse to building coasters with elements like intense launches and inversions, and even recent Disney coasters like Guardians and Tron are hardly kiddie coasters; those two look like a notable step up from your Big Thunder Mountains and Seven Dwarfs Mine Trains, for sure. As such, Disney installing something a bit more thrilling to combat VelociCoaster isn’t out of the realms of possibility, in my opinion.

On the flip side, however, Universal has always seemed a bit “edgier” than Disney (for lack of a better word), and has always seemed a fair amount more interested in the thrill seeker market than Disney has ever been. So with that in mind, one does have to wonder whether Disney would be interested in building more thrilling rides. Their current paradigm of mostly appealing to younger families is seemingly working very well for them, so why deviate from it?

But what are your thoughts?
 
I don't know it Velocicoaster will push Disney to build more thrilling rides, I very much doubt it. I do hope it pushes them to design good ones again, however. Attractions that have been made with attention to detail, and not another blatant cash grab.

I think the reception to the Galactic Starcruiser hotel says everything about where Disney are at the moment. Don't like to personify corporations but I can't help but feel Universal is just... Cooler?
 
^What he said. I'm not sure if Velocicoaster created quite the same buzz outside of the coaster enthusiast bubble as it did inside, but I know that nobody would shut up about Hagrid's for months and months after it opened.

Also Universal has been adding thrilling rollercoasters for decades now, and that hasn't really affected Disney's business model in the past. Then again, Universal arguably wasn't as close of a rival as they are now. I'm still leaning "no" just due to how stubborn Disney is with their "family-friendly" branding.
 
The attention to detail of the Disney parks is epic but their vision is really targeted towards kids. Disney's theming does not leave much space for your own imagination and giving kids the experience to meet their favorite fictional characters is the biggest part of the experience. So building something very extreme in a Disney park does not makes much sense to me. I have never visited a Universal park but I have the feeling that these parks are a bit more grown up and conceptual in their theming. Areas themed to Harry Potter, Star Wars and other blockbuster franchises attract an older public that is probably looking for bigger rides.
 
I could see them adding a whole new 5th gate dedicated to thrills... with their acquisition of the Fox Library and all they definitely have more IP to aim to a more mature audience that thrill rides better cater to.
 
I would also say no - they target different markets and Disney aren't in the business of genuine thrill coasters, and I dont see that changing as its out of step with how most perceive the brand.
Most folk heading to a park for the 'disney magic' with young kids to meet snow white and ride the tea cups are unlikely to be interested in an attraction like Velocicoaster. (there will be exceptions of course)

Its an interesting point whether Disney would move into this area using some of their recently acquired IP to differentiate - but again I don't see it happening, in my view they are now in the typical western corporate model of short term gain driven by leadership more interested self and share holder gain than the customer experience by squeezing every last penny out of the parks regardless of impact on experience, which works for them now because by the time this crystalizes into impacts on revenue the CEO will be long gone with millions in bonuses in his back pocket and it will be someone elses problem to deal with!
With their focus recently seemingly being on higher prices for a poorer experience, I dont see them dropping a couple of billion dollars any time soon building a new gate which targets an audience who arent their core market.....it would be interesting to see what they'd do with the concept but it would be a heck of a gamble in my view!

I do wonder what impact Epic universe could have though - will universal pitch it to the same target market as studios and IoA or will they lean more towards the family market to take a direct slice of Disneys core audience!
 
I wish tbh. I think maybe a new age Vekoma Flyer would be the best fit, imagine if they could make it soar over the lake at epcot. But still, probably not.
 
I'd preface it this way - Universal knows it's an uphill battle to beat Disney at immersive experiences (insert Universal IP adapted to LOTS OF SCREENS here), so they look to use roller coasters/high thrill attractions as their draw. Rather than "bring the movies to life" through immersion, they focus on lighter motifs, and led the adrenaline carry the way.

Meanwhile, Disney knows they can get high thrills achieved within their approach at immersive rides. Cars the Ride, Rise of the Resistance, etc.; Disney doesn't lack on the thrill count.

So I seek out VelociCoaster/Hagrid's for the thrill of Intamin multi-launch coasters - not because they are "Jurassic Park" or "Harry Potter". And in turn, I seek out Rise of the Resistance because I am a massive Star Wars nerd, and love the thrill of the story telling.
 
I wish tbh. I think maybe a new age Vekoma Flyer would be the best fit, imagine if they could make it soar over the lake at epcot. But still, probably not.

Yeah this is what I would hope for, given Disney’s relationship with Vekoma and vekoma’s recent upgrades in the quality of their thrill coasters. Disney could do something truly amazing with vekoma’s flying model, especially with the rotating seats being great for show scenes. I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch for Disney, immersive roller coasters might be among the biggest drawing attractions. Then again, they have two new ones opening soon so I wouldn’t count on anything big at WDW at least.
 
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