(And before I go too far down this path, allow me to point out another take on this issue from the Boston Globe, which happens to quote a pretty good source, too.)
Here it is: Narrative washes over our lives. Books led to movies then to radio, then to television, then to video games, and then to the Internet. Now, all have converged, and with mobile devices we can immerse ourselves in narrative 24/7, anywhere there's a WiFi or cellular data connection around the globe.
Yet we don't consume narrative as passive readers, listeners, or viewers any longer, either. Video games opened the door, and the Internet carried us through it. Now, we create narratives even as we consume them, mashing them up, riffing on them, and even collaborating with them to spread them virally across our communities, both physical and virtual.
A decade ago, amusement parks were engaged in a Coaster War, ever-building taller and faster roller coasters in pursuit of world records for height, speed, length and intensity. But in that battle, parks discovered the limits both of practical engineering and human endurance. Parks were spending tens of millions of dollars on roller coasters that kept breaking down under the strain of all that height and speed. And too many people were blacking out, or clutching their heads and stomachs in pain, vowing never to ride these rides again.
So the industry shifted. The focus changed from bigger and faster to more creative and unique. Record-seeking gave way to innovate design, and parks began promoting things like wing seating over raw track specs. Millions of fans learned a new vocabulary, writing online about cobra rolls, dive loops, and Immelmanns. People started talking about the progression of elements on roller coasters as if they, too, were a narrative, leading riders along a physical "story" of flight.
Parks continue to take the next step, too, further blurring the decaying lines between roller coasters and dark rides by adding show scenes to their coasters, as Busch Gardens Williamsburg has this year with Verbolten and SeaWorld San Diego with its version of Manta.
In other words, narrative won out over simple physical thrills.
So the "battle" in the theme park industry, if there is one, is not simply a contest between companies. It's better described as a race to imbue more (and more engaging) narrative into the experience of visiting a theme park. In this race, Disney and Universal start with huge leads, thanks to their decades of developing and acquiring rights to popular entertainment franchises. Iron parks and carnival rides alone no longer can compete in a narrative-laden entertainment world.
But people are looking for more than the same old theme park dark rides, too. To attract and engage today's media-soaked consumers, theme park attractions need to offer characters who inhabit alluring worlds, rich with narrative possibilities. It helps parks to start with franchises that have proven themselves in other media, such as Harry Potter, Transformers, and Pixar's Cars.
The successful theme parks in the 2010s and beyond will be the ones that fully develop these franchises into engaging experiences, filling rides with so many details that visitors will need to ride and ride again to catch them all. Parks also will do well to allow their visitors to shape and to own their own versions of the narratives that the parks present. Interactive games such as Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom build upon the shoot-'em-up rides of recent years, such as Buzz Lightyear and Men in Black, giving visitors the opportunity to create new and unique experiences on every visit.
This is a race to extend narrative from individual rides into every facet of the park experience, where visitors have the chance to become actors in their own adventure, not just consuming, but mashing up, riffing on and collaborating with the master storytellers behind the parks' franchises, in creating truly awesome, live entertainment experiences that staying home surfing the Internet can never match.
But to win this race, you need those master storytellers. You need the rights to blockbuster entertainment franchises. And you need the ride designers and creative leaders who can bring engaging characters and worlds to life in an interactive theme park environment.
This isn't just Disney versus Universal. Or anyone versus anyone else. It's about writing a new narrative for out-of-home interactive entertainment. And when someone gets that right, theme park fans win.
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I know that I was somewhat disappointed with Intimidator coasters at both KD and CW when it came to theming. Imagine having some wrecked cars scattered though out the ride or on the final break run having pit signs etc.
Of course some will say those are amusement parks and not theme parks. In today's market, you have to tell a better story.
In other words, things really haven't changed that much. The main difference today is that the stakes have increased, and the level of theming has been raised by technology.
I Respond: And this is why the Disney parks will lead the way. Robert writes about the "need" to acquire "rights to blockbuster entertainment franchises." It's interesting to note that Disney’s "kingdom parks" (WDWMK, DL, TDL, et al) are divided into individual lands that are themselves autonomous entertainment franchises. Indeed, TPI recently reported about WDI's plans to add interactive "gags" in public areas throughout Adventureland. In doing so, WDI adapts a VERY POPULAR entertainment franchise (Adventureland) and enriches its narrative.
After Adventureland, interactive effects in public areas will no doubt appear in Tomorrowland, Frontierland, etc.
In this way WDI's "ride designers and creative leaders" will "bring engaging characters and worlds to life in an interactive theme park environment."
I will raise one point: I don't think it is necessary for the parks to buy franchises for their characters. Disney successfully created several franchises inside the parks: Pirates, The Haunted Mansion, Figment. While it may be easier to buy characters, it's not necessary.
To TH's point, I should have written 'acquire or create' blockbuster franchises. And as Pirates has shown, the ride sometimes can be the first property in the franchise. It doesn't always have to be the final piece.
They are still engaged in doing this. There's a reason Six Flags and Cedar Fair exist. They are there to provide roller coasters to the fans.
"So the industry shifted. The focus changed from bigger and faster to more creative and unique. Record-seeking gave way to innovate design, and parks began promoting things like wing seating over raw track specs."
We don't know where it actually shifted. There was always Universal and Disney and hardly anyone in between. Its just that Universal hit it out of the ballpark with the Wizarding World. Besides the fact that they were first with Spiderman, Universal was never directly competitive with Disney until most recently. And even then, Disney still stands alone in how it can command the outrageous prices.
However, I think that the theme park market has pretty much left Disney alone and went on its merry way in distinguishing itself in niche markets like Sea World, Legoland, Busch Gardens, and the coaster parks like Six Flags and Cedar Fair. Disney tried new things too like Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios, but their efforts at being different made its offering more of the same. Nothing that Disney has done could not easily be installed in a Disneyland park.
I can only fear that technology will become too much of a focus and a genuine and 'classic' ride experience will be thrown away if they take this too far. There has to be a balance lol.
Disney's not perfect, but they've been doing this forever. Doesn't mean they didn't mess up, like with DCA's original generic rides. And Universal blew everyone away with Spider-Man and Harry Potter.
The direction of parks as a whole is definitely in full immersion in another world like Hogwarts or Carsland. The original Disneyland already transported you to another "land" as you couldn't see outside of it. WDW really feels like "A Whole New World" (pun intended) with the scale and distance between parks. And Hogwarts IS real.
I just hope that attractions don't all become like King Kong, Transformers, or Toy Story. But I also hope that Coaster Parks realize that you can't just slap a "fastest coaster West of the Mississippi!" label and call it a day.
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