Throughout my time at Her Campus, I’ve written a bit about theme parks, specifically Walt Disney World (WDW) in Orlando, FL. I have many good memories of my time in the parks, but what always struck me the most was the sheer creativity shown by the team behind the scenes at WDW. The idea that someone could have a brilliant idea, and that it would come to life in the hands of creatives and engineers… That made my heart skip a beat. However, recently, that feeling has diminished a bit. That’s because nowadays, Disney parks are teeming with IPs: intellectual properties.
Intellectual properties are the media properties owned by Disney, which they have rights to, such as their movies, series, and characters. For example, the EPCOT attraction The Seas with Nemo & Friends makes use of the intellectual property (IP) of Finding Nemo characters. However, Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain doesn’t contain any IPs as it’s an original Disney Parks concept; it’s not using a movie or characters in the attraction. You get it? Good.
A question that may have popped into your mind while reading this is… what’s the problem with having IPs at the parks? The problem is that this multitude of IPs is lazy. Instead of coming up with original ideas, Disney creatives can just make use of what’s already there. Don’t get me wrong, some IP-based attractions are really good – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is spectacular, and so is Tron Lightcycle Run, amongst others. The problem is when imagineers (this is the name Disney uses for their creative team) rely too much on IPs and forget what it’s like to have a brand new thought. When was the last time Disney released a truly NEW, original attraction? Centuries ago. Everything is IP-based nowadays, which can get boring.
Anytime Disney talks about a new attraction, you know it’ll be IP-based; the thrill of waiting for a new attraction to be unveiled is close to gone because there’s no mystery, there’s no anticipation. Additionally, not only does it show a lack of creativity, but the attractions are also so boring. For example, Moana’s Journey of Water at EPCOT. When it was first announced, people actually got excited about it! However, it’s not a real attraction. It’s a walkthrough pavilion. A small one. There is no way that out of all the ideas pitched, this was the best they could come up with. After seeing what WDW can actually do, with Expedition Everest, The Hollywood Tower of Terror, and more… It’s underwhelming.
Disney, this is a call to action for you. Realize what your wonderful mind can do, and do it. If I wanted to be surrounded by your films, I’d subscribe to Disney+. Quit using IPs as a crutch and make WDW return to what it used to be: a world you can’t find anywhere else.