How long before...

...they just rename the damn thing "Pixarland"?



Upcoming Pixar (link below) posted a bunch of new high-res scans from the most recent Annual Report from Walt Disney. Contained in those images are bunch of concept art pieces from upcoming attractions at Disney's theme parks, and I think you'll probably notice a very similar trend in each of them right off the bat.

A few posts back I said that Disney really hasn't learned much from Pixar, even though they've spent millions of dollars to own/publish their work. Disney is still (as it has been for a long time now) about the dollar, and somewhere lost focus on the actual vision that Walt had of entertaining children and the young at heart.

So when I see these Pixar-themed rides, on one hand I think how neat they'll probably wind up being as Pixar is going to make sure that the quality bar is very high. Not only that, but some are just a natural fit, such as Carland now being "Cars" themed and the fact that "Finding Nemo" is a natural fit for the submarine ride.

On the other hand, I remember when Disney made rides at their theme parks just to entertain people and not to further their franchises. The Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribbean (remember... the ride came first, not the movie), and Space Mountain, just to name a few, aren't based on any franchise. They're just fun rides and they made a name for the park just simply based on the fact that they were fun.

These days it seems as though every ride at Disneyland or Disneyworld has to be based on a franchise, so that they can lead you through a little shop at the end of the ride and shove a crap-ton of merchandise down your throat.

The Pixar rides will probably be great, and I'll probably enjoy them, but I just wish that Disney would start to take chances again instead of always just milking every single franchise to death. Somewhere along the way, and it happened some time ago, Disney's train went off track, and I just hope to doesn't pull Pixar off with it.

More Images from Rides and Upcoming Pixar Films at Upcoming Pixar