Disney's Tomorrows Turning to Technology - May 1, 2005
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-a...home-headlines
The article explains how The Walt Disney Co. realizes that it can't draw in park visitors on Mickey alone and how the new technology or internet generation needs something more before they spend their money on tickets.
The interactive part of Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters will start in June. The software Imagineers created links the attraction to the Internet. When home players hits a target a light will go off at Disneyland giving the players the chance to score extra points on that target.
Disney's park performance is struggling along with its competition of Six Flags, Universal Studios, etc. Disney's parks were having attendance issues before the terrorist attacks and since Sept. 11, 2001 attendance has been slightly rising. Attendance of international visitors remains low despite currency exchange in their favor.
Chief executive-elect Robert Iger was recently at Walt Disney World where he was raving about the new "Turtle Talk With Crush" where Crush talks with guests at Epcot's Living Seas pavilion.
The article also confirms the Nemo overlay of Submarine Voyage with a computer animated fish that would swim around the lagoon.
There is also mention of the "Virtual Magic Kingdom" that allows users to create their own characters and navigate through a Disneyland and Walt Disney World park. In this game there will be certain tasks to complete such a multi-level ship-to-ship battle in Pirates of the Caribbean.
How do you feel about linking the attractions with computer games? Will this do what Disney thinks-- bring kids into the park or will it just allow them to remain at home, playing a different game? How do you feel about a computer animated Nemo fish in the lagoon over an animatronics? Do you think that Bob Iger is challenging Imagineers and following "what Walt wanted" for the company?
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-a...home-headlines
The article explains how The Walt Disney Co. realizes that it can't draw in park visitors on Mickey alone and how the new technology or internet generation needs something more before they spend their money on tickets.
Originally posted by Los Angeles Times
Disney's park performance is struggling along with its competition of Six Flags, Universal Studios, etc. Disney's parks were having attendance issues before the terrorist attacks and since Sept. 11, 2001 attendance has been slightly rising. Attendance of international visitors remains low despite currency exchange in their favor.
Chief executive-elect Robert Iger was recently at Walt Disney World where he was raving about the new "Turtle Talk With Crush" where Crush talks with guests at Epcot's Living Seas pavilion.
Originally posted by Los Angeles Times
Originally posted by Los Angeles Times
How do you feel about linking the attractions with computer games? Will this do what Disney thinks-- bring kids into the park or will it just allow them to remain at home, playing a different game? How do you feel about a computer animated Nemo fish in the lagoon over an animatronics? Do you think that Bob Iger is challenging Imagineers and following "what Walt wanted" for the company?
Comment