Disney Parks Potential: Why The Incredibles Needs A Bigger Presence In Walt Disney World
Ever feel like some of your favorite Disney characters are underrepresented at Walt Disney World or Disneyland? Me, too! That’s why I’m starting a new series of articles here at TouringPlans Blog called “Disney Parks Potential,” where I’ll take a look at one Disney character or franchise that I feel isn’t being used to its Disney Parks potential (That’s where the name comes from!). From there, I’ll share my ideas on how I think Disney can best integrate these characters into one or more of the parks, which will then probably secure me a sweet job as a Walt Disney Imagineer if all goes according to plan. But enough about my unlikely career goals. Let’s get into my first Disney Parks Potential selection, which is The Incredibles.
Outside of merchandise, character meet and greets and a dance party in Tomorrowland, The Incredibles really don’t have much of a presence in Walt Disney World. For a Pixar film that many would argue is the best of the bunch, this seems like a huge missed opportunity. The need for more of The Incredibles in Disney World is even greater considering that Disney isn’t allowed to utilize Marvel superheroes within the park due to the previous licensing agreement with Universal before Disney acquired Marvel in 2009. Hopefully we’ll get new attractions sooner rather than later now that a much requested sequel to the original film has been announced, but for now my ideas will have to suffice.
So what are my ideas, and where do I want to place them? I have two attractions in mind, and they’d both be located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Why Hollywood Studios? Because I think superheroes fit there better than the other three parks and because Hollywood Studios lacks a certain element that each of the others possess (I’ll go into this more later). My first idea is a moving 3D attraction similar to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Outside of Star Tours, Disney hasn’t really embraced moving 3D ride technology like Universal, so I think this potential Incredibles attraction could address a missing dynamic within the parks. Superhero parallels aside, there are scenes in the film that just beg to be translated into a thrilling attraction and make you feel like you’re saving the day like the previously mentioned Spider-Man. For instance, the scene where Dash runs on water for the first time would be an exhilarating experience. Just think if Imagineers could make park guests feel like they were also traveling at super speed. That’s the kind of attraction I want to see. As for the location of the attraction within Hollywood Studios, I have a few possibilities in mind. The first is Streets of America, which is located at the rear of the park. Besides the holiday season when they have The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, I think that area is underutilized and frankly kind of a waste of valuable space, which could definitely use a facelift. With the recent announcement that the Studio Backlot Tour is closing, that space will be available as well. My final proposed location would be in Pixar Place because I always thought it was weird to call an area Pixar Place when it only has one Pixar franchise (Toy Story).
My second idea for how to integrate The Incredibles into Hollywood Studios is an interactive park-wide “game” such as Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Phineas and Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure, and Wilderness Explorers. Hollywood Studios is the only park that doesn’t have an interactive game. Taking the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom as a basis for the idea, The Incredibles game would have park guests become the newest members of the “Supers” with Edna Mode acting as your Merlin to guide guests on how to play. Utilizing a variety of superpowers through the use of a provided device, players would have to go around the park stopping supervillains and saving citizens at interactive kiosks. Disney’s always been about making dreams come true and being a superhero is definitely a dream that kids everywhere have had at one point or another. Couple that with the lack of a park wide interactive experience and I think this is a no brainer.
That’s the end of our first Disney Parks Potential article but be sure to check back for further entries very soon. Until then, leave a comment about how great The Incredibles is or just say hello. Thanks for reading!
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You hit the nail square on the head! Streets of America is perfect.. That area is bland and the Incredibles would pop some energy into it. Great idea!
I would even be in favor of The Incredibles in Tomorrowland. Given the setting of the movie (Todayland, the TMBG cover of “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”) it would be a much better fit than Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
I think a new Monsters, Inc. attraction would fit better in an expanded Pixar Place at DHS.
Robin Hood has got to be on your list! The only sign of Robin Hood we found in all of the parks was a $500 bronze statue in the animation store at WDW.
The Incredibles would be a good theme for a California Screamin makeover at Disneyland!! That’s my favorite ride but I think is way underrated because of lack of theming.
Remember those videos from Edna introducing the world to MM+? Whatever you think of MM+, those videos were great. She would be perfect as the pre-show for an Incredibles ride, doing the setup, etc. And remember, “No capes!”
Great article! Chris makes a good point – with the other attractions closing, DHS needs something new anyway. I also wouldn’t mind replacing their Captain Sparrow attraction. Unless it’s changed in the past 2 years, we all think it’s a dud.
I would keep it at DHS because it’s “movie” themed. But yeah, Backlot tour is gone, American Idol is gone, streets of america is underutilized, and whatever is remaining of the production facilities is not in use. Lots of potential space for an Incredibles dark ride/attraction, put a Monster’s themed coaster there. Expand the Star Wars universe out and include a new RIDE. Potential for 2-4 new attractions with many of those Pixar themed. Oh, even expand Pixar place out.
Couldn’t agree more!!!! You said what I’ve been thinking for a long time, but only better. My husband and I have always wondered why The Incredibles are not represented more in the parks – we LOVE that movie. It has so many great messages – embracing who you are, using your gifts to help others, being the best you can be, just to name a few. With princesses represented everywhere, The Incredibles would be a breath of fresh air. Some new attractions and experiences would give everyone, especially little boys, something new to look forward to, and it would not be prunes-themed.
I also wanted to say, “Thank you” for offering a solution to the “problem”. I’m glad you are not just naming underrepresented characters, but you are also giving solutions for how to resolve the issue. We also like Meet the Robinsons 🙂
oops – “princess themed”, not prunes themed! Thought I checked everything before posting!
My husband and I both love the Incredibles, probably more than our kids! I always wondered why they have a meet and greet, but nothing else to tie them to the park. I think another great idea would be to do something with Wall-E. We love Wall-E and everyone loves robots. Maybe do something similar to the talking trash can at Magic Kingdom? That would fit in perfect on Pixar Place!
Couldn’t agree more, surely Tomorrowland or Epcot could find some room for my favorite little guy
The interactive game is a wonderful idea!! That could be a lot of fun. I am glad Disney doesn’t embrace the 3D rides/movie type technology – I find it less magical probably because it makes me so ill!
Agreed. Haven’t done many of those types of rides but the ones I’ve done make me want to puke!
Some great ideas, here. I confess it took me a few viewings of The Incredibles to see what all the fuss was about. I totally see it now.
With the DHS in a state of flux, now would seem like a great time to implement at least one of these ideas. The interactive game would probably be the easiest to implement first, compared to a new, major attraction.
I remember DHS from the early days and while I still really like it, I feel it’s lost quite of bit of its luster. At first, it worried me to see so many things going away. Now, I just hope the changes that are coming (and most of them we don’t even fully know, yet) will help bring the park closer to its Golden Age in its first years.
Thanks for a great post!