At 1:30 PM Imagineer Chris Beatty joined Disney fans on the Disney Parks Blog to discuss the Fantasyland Expansion. This was the first chat that Disney hosted on the blog, and from a technological standpoint it seemed to work fairly smoothly.
The problem was the questions.
- Disney fans were told they could ask questions in the original announcement post, but only a handful of these questions were actually addressed by Chris Beatty. I actually answered more of them in a response post than Chris answered in the chat.
- The only questions that got posted were softball questions. There was absolutely nothing revealed that was not already public knowledge.
- Our friend Steve Griswold from Pixie Vacations managed to get 3 questions into the chat while several others (myself included) didn’t get any questions answered. Steve could argue that his questions weren’t really answered either so I suppose that’s a moot point.
The positives:
- They released high resolution concept art. All of the art had been previously seen in some capacity, but the resolution allowed for greater detail.
Some examples of questions and answers:
Q: Do you think people will really feel as if they have magically transformed into the films?
A: Absolutely. The Imagineers have done such a great job bringing these worlds and stories to life. Many of the details you see in the film, you’ll see reflected in the expansion.
Q: What do you see as the main draw for boys at new Fantasyland
A: Our focus has always been to create immersive environments for the entire family.
Q: how much work with force perspective have this new expansion? and how many imagineers work in a normal detail?
A: To achieve the idea that Beast Castle was far up into the mountains, we had to use forced perspective to bring that illusion to life.
Q: What inspires you?
A: I’m really inspired by the reaction of our guests. There’s nothing better than standing at the end of an attraction and seeing their faces when they come off.
Q: I love how Disney even takes the little things and makes them part of the experience. Ok so I take photos of Disney Trash Cans. Will there be a new Disney Trash Can design for this area of the park?
A: As with anything we do, we’re very big believers that even the smallest detail is important to our guests. To us, that’s the Disney difference.
Q: What will be inside the seven dwarf’s cottage, a chance to meet Snow White or a great place to pick up a souvenir after the ride?
A: There are some things we keep secret, so you’ll just have to wait until the attraction opens.
Q: I´ve always wanted to be an imaginner, what do I have to do to be part of this amazing group?
A: Follow your dreams, follow your passions.
Q: Share one secret with us Chris. We will not tell.
A: Okay, I’ll give you one. In a couple of days, we’ll release a picture on the Disney Parks Blog of a little something we received on-site to see if you can guess what it is.
I asked several questions, before I started to get fed up with the non answers. Here are the questions that I asked:
- Will Storybook Circus be a separate land and if not will the Castle now “lead the entry way to six lands and more”?
- With Dumbo re-opening after refurbishment in mid february will that be re-opening in it’s new location?
- What attractions in the expansion will include fastpass?
- Will the Lumiere figure have some of the same technology as destini from the d23 expo?
- Do you plan on answering anything other than softball questions?
Admittedly, there has been discussion about all of these, but there has been no official word. That was part of the problem for me and it resulted my posting this in the comments section of the chat transcript.
Sorry to say this, but I agree with Lauren. I know the person who got 3 questions in, and I have no issue with his questions getting through. The problem was that it seemed that Chris had a very strict gag order on him, so anything that would be remotely revealing wasn’t even asked.
Nothing new was revealed in this other than high resolution versions of existing Concept Art. I don’t expect every little detail of every aspect of the land, but perhaps some confirmation of things that are already out amongst Disney fan communities would be nice.
The Disney Parks Blog was created because the fan communities were controlling the story and this gave Disney the opportunity to get out in front of it. For the most part, trusted insiders on established fan sites are a better source for actual information than Disney themselves.
The concept of this blog is great, but it doesn’t work if the participants are afraid to confirm the smallest of details in favor of softball questions more fit for their online dating profile.
Tim
Co-Host
WDW Fan Boys Podcast
I know I probably come off as a whiny blogger on here, but I really expected more. I was able to get more information out of the Carousel of Projects area at the D23 Expo and the Imagineers there. They too seemed to be under certain restrictions on what they could and couldn’t tell, but at least I got something out of them. You can find my D23 Trip Reports below:
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On this week’s episode of the WDW Fan Boys podcast we share Part 2 of our live listener questions show that was recorded June 8th. Part 1 of the Live Show is available here. Additionally, the uncensored audio from both shows is also available today as Uncensored Show #026.
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