Let's get this out of the way first - no, there's no chance that North Carolina is going to lure the Walt Disney World Resort to abandon Florida for the Tar Heel state.
But that's the bait that news website across the Internet are offering to elicit your clicks today, following the introduction of the "Mickey's Freedom Restoration Act" in the North Carolina State Senate. The bill's sponsors are all Democrats in a Republican-controlled chamber, so there's almost as little chance of this bill becoming law as of the Magic Kingdom moving north to Charlotte.
The bill's stated intent is to create s study commission to develop a plan to attract family amusement parks to North Carolina. And there is three-quarters of a million dollars designated for potential consulting work in this bill, which ought to elicit "hey, howdy" letters from plenty of themed entertainment creative shops around the country.
As dedicated theme park fans know, North Carolina already has a "family amusement park" in Carowinds. That park does offer one of our top five coasters in the nation, with Fury 325, but it has not cracked the top 20 in any recent TEA/AECOM Theme Index attendance report.
That's because Florida dominates the market for theme parks across the U.S. southeast, with the nearest parks making the top 20 located in Ohio and Pennsylvania. (That Ohio park is Kings Island, a sister park to Carowinds.) So any attempt to expand the theme park business in North Carolina faces enormous market inertia that is pulling visitors to Florida.
It's not just year-round sunshine and warmth drawing fans south. It's the two biggest names in the theme park business: Disney and Universal. Those companies dominate the top 20, with their nine U.S. theme parks occupying the top nine spots. And the 10th park, SeaWorld Orlando, did about half the attendance of the ninth-placed park, Universal Studios Hollywood, pre-pandemic.
Disney has shown no interest in building a new theme park anywhere in the world at the moment. But Universal is building new parks, and more important to North Carolina, it is building in the U.S. outside the traditional theme park markets of Central Florida and Southern California. [See Universal Parks Announces Expansions in Texas and Vegas.]
The cynic in me who has been covering U.S. politics for three decades is willing to bet that this bill is little more than a publicity stunt - one designed to drive news coverage that portrays North Carolina as more business friendly than its biggest Sunbelt rival, while also dinging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' Presidential ambitions at the same time. But if North Carolina really wants to expand its tourism business - and is willing to spend some money to make that happen - then it should forget about Mickey and instead invite Disney's rivals at Universal Destinations & Experiences up for a meet and greet.
A call over to Warner Bros. Entertainment about hosting one of its non-Six-Flags encumbered franchises in the state might be worth the time, too. To challenge Florida, a destination needs the most popular IPs it can get.
Just because Florida and California now dominate the U.S. themed entertainment business provides no guarantee that those destinations will continue to control the market in the future. This bill might be a bit of a joke, but I am serious about this - there is always room for innovation in themed entertainment, and money to be made by those who can deliver it.
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That was Virginia.
@Robert:
Wasn’t a big part of the controversial plan for the Disney Virginia park that it was going to be located right next to the Gettysburg battlefield? I can’t remember
Theme park, no. I could see Disney doing a vacation club near Asheville. (Similar to the one on Hilton head island.) Different demographic from the ones at the parks, but Asheville is a popular tourist destination and Disney doesn’t have any timeshares in the mountains.
I’d go there. 20 years as a passholder and I find Hilton head more attractive now as a getaway than the parks. (Although I have been known to book a Savannah view room in animal kingdom lodge and just stay in the room and watch the animals instead of going to the park or staying in the treehouses at Saratoga springs and just hang out.)
I know what you're saying, Robert, but I have seen a few people suggest over the past year that Disney move to another state. Do these people not realize how much money has been invested towards the Orlando campus? This is not like a traveling carnival that can just pack up all its rides into a truck.
If DeSantis pushes Disney far enough, they will argue they'll have to shut down operations. One day of no Disneyworld would be a financial nuclear bomb on the state, and would cause a backlash against Ronny that his fevered mind can't begin to imagine. Dude is playing chicken with a tank.
Disney World isn't going anywhere. De Santis will stop being governor of Florida eventually and this situation will have been an interesting side note of this time. I do feel there is a market for a Disney park in America. Both resorts are jam packed! A non-Magic Kingdom like park using the many IP's Disney owns in the Middle or North of America would be great. With a large part of the park indoors for those dicey winter months. I know this is unlikely but Disney theme park popularity is off the charts. Glad Universal is branching out and spreading its wings to include other markets.
Potential blue-sky, never-will-happen-but-still-fun-to-think-about sites:
Nashville, Kansas City, Philadelphia, El Paso (jk with this one, would be nice though to get a Flight of Passage ride in after work on a random Tuesday).
Disney is never leaving Florida, period. No state is going to lure them away from Florida, and Disney's lawyers are better than the state of Florida's, so no matter what Desantis and their state lawmakers attempt to do, they will be thwarted by Disney at every turn.
Walt’s home state Missouri would be a great locale ! Oh wait I think it may be worse! Err might have to create Disney island in the Bahamas and serve cruise passengers and international travelers all on its own terms and still close to the US …
I don't know if the Mouse is keen to dip its toes back into location based entertainment after failed attempts to expand the company's US physical footprint with Vacation Club resorts in Colorado, Maryland and NYC and Disney Quest, ESPN Zone and Club Disney locations. I once thought that Disney themed indoor water park hotels might be a good idea, but that market seems to be near saturation. My guess is the Mouse will wait to see how Universal's suburban Dallas location shakes out before formulating a response, if any.
It’s so funny how everyone is wish casting that Disney and their lawyers have steamrolled DeSantis and the FL legislature. The lawyers didn’t even follow the proper sunshine law requirements. Their 11th hour shenanigans do not pass legal muster. This will not go the way Disney (and a lot of those on this site) expected. I’m sorry this happened to all who are cheering for a soulless mega corporation because DeSantis gives you the bad feels. And Robert can certainly do whatever he wants because this is his website but when he posts a left-leaning diatribe I notice the comments are always off.
I thought some would be too busy at the beer can shoot, promoting hate legislation to remove more liberties and freedoms or figuring out how to put state prisons with child molesters right next to the parks to bother posting here?
Btw check out the story of what the current state government did to commissioners in the Villages (they also have their own special district) that opposed a property tax increase supported by the developer and the governor - straight out of the playbook - these are scary times in Florida.
Thanks for the dripping condescension, Tiptop. Scary times, indeed, when a general discussion/debate is not possible. Keep shilling for Disney, you do you. And no reasonable person heard the prison reference and thought it was a serious proposal. A sense of humor goes pretty far in life, especially nowadays.
hilarious “ no reasonable person “ excuse - isn’t that the same defense your buddy Tucker used in court when asked about the lies and disinformation he was accused of spreading - nah I was kidding about taking your rights away and threatening children's well being - real funny isn’t it ?
Btw tell us what the debate should be about in the Villages situation ?? Didn’t they try to rollback taxes or is that another contrived talking point for the ultra conservatives when faced with hypocrisy and illogic
You must be real fun at parties. “Threatening kids well-being”? I’m sorry that protecting kindergartners from overtly sexualized content was so appalling to you. I’m not as versed on The Villages, so I don’t have a comment. I like to steer clear from the STD capital of Florida.
Yes there are many published and documented global impact studies of how drag queen shows impact children on school shootings,, hunger, poor health care, and bullying suicides. But like your other buddy, Alex Jones said, it was all staged by Obama !!??
You might be surprised on judgement day when you are asked what you did in your life to help mankind and your response is that you really took it to the “woke” and then god says “ I’d like you to meet the originator of woke, he’s my son,Jesus!
Or he might say, thank you for all the lives you’ve helped and cancers you cured during your long career as a physician. He might start there. But thanks for the theology lesson, Tiptop. Im done engaging with you. Have a great day.
We appreciate your oozing condescension, Tiptop. We live in terrifying times when civil discourse is impossible. Go ahead and promote Disney all you want. The suggestion was obviously ridiculous to anyone who heard the prison allusion. In today's world, a good sense of humor may go you far.
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What state was that 90's Disney America (Not sure if that was the name) park proposed in? I think that was the first state outside of California & Florida to get serious consideration for A Disney park if I remember correctly.