Superheros at Disneyland? Disney buys Marvel (merged threads)

[sir clinksalot]

Originally Posted by Walt's Ghost

The parks won't get any superheroes. It's like Disney's ownership of Miramax pictures. It'll be separate!

You don't pay $4 Billion for something and not make them available in one of your most visible markets. What Miramax characters or rides would you like to see in the parks? Pulp Fiction the ride? The Shakespeare in Love experience?

As for seeing the characters in the parks, the most likely candidates would of course be DHS and the Hollywood area of DCA.

I don't think this would effect the ride at IOA, but it could certainly effect any walk-around characters (which I believe Universal has already had to take out about a year ago) and maybe any other theming.

[Gothemi]

Too bad it wasn't DC. I would like to see Batman or Superman walking around the Hollywood Backlot instead of Spidey. I don't think we will see them in the park. Sounds more like a move to make some cash off the licensing and movies.

[MAH4546]

Before everybody gets carried away, Universal Studios has the exclusive right to use Marvel characters in theme parks in the United States, Japan and some other countries. Islands of Adventure in Florida has an entirely Marvel-themed land.

Disney purchasing Marvel does not supersede this. Universal still has the exclusive theme park rights, regardless of Disney owning Marvel.

So before we see Marvel at Disney parks, we need to see terms of Universal's theme park rights modified.

[Santoanderson]

PS, Has anyone ever somebody in a Spider-man suit at another amusement park? It's not that impressive. The guy's always like 5'5" and the suit always looks cheap.

[Oswald the Rabbitt]

This is terrible news. Marvel belong nowhere in Disneyland. They should have saved there $4billion and invested it into the Disneyparks with improved detail, and obscure characters brought back to the park. And for those of you who want them in DCA, they don't fit with the new theme Disney is trying to go for. Please Disney I beg you don't bring Marvel into the parks.

[MickeyMania]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

You don't pay $4 Billion for something and not make them available in one of your most visible markets. What Miramax characters or rides would you like to see in the parks? Pulp Fiction the ride? The Shakespeare in Love experience?

Easy. The Kill Bill ride, with an AA at the end that hits every guest with a simulated Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, leaving everyone feeling a little uneasy about getting out of the ride vehicle.



Oh, I see. Your question was, how you say, rhetorical.

Originally Posted by Santoanderson

PS, Has anyone ever somebody in a Spider-man suit at another amusement park? It's not that impressive. The guy's always like 5'5" and the suit always looks cheap.

Most presentations of Spider-Man are a teenager. Ultimate Spider-Man, where he's a teenage in an alternate universe, can sell more issues in a given month than the original universe 30-something year old man often still relying on his elderly Aunt.

Especially since the guy's marriage and basically all developments of his personal life in the past few decades were wiped away in one issue a few years ago. I wouldn't blame anyone who accepts Ultimate Spider-Man as THE Spider-Man.

[ryanvalle]

nobody said anything about marvel superheroes going into the parks.

im happy because my marvel stocks just skyrocketed

[sir clinksalot]

Originally Posted by MAH4546

Disney purchasing Marvel does not supersede this. Universal still has the exclusive theme park rights, regardless of Disney owning Marvel.

Not exactly: (this is from Jan 2008 and only applies to USH)

SpongeBob defeats Spiderman at Universal Studios - Travel - LATimes.com

Universal’s contract with Marvel expired at the end of 2007, meaning the superhero characters will no longer pose for photos with visitors or appear on T-shirts and other souvenirs sold inside the movie theme park. In recent months, Universal added Simpsons and Scooby-Doo walk-around characters in anticipation of Spidey’s ignoble departure.

Over the past few years, Marvel’s presence at Universal Studios Hollywood had been diminishing. The Spiderman Rocks musical stunt show completed a two-year run in 2004, replaced by Fear Factor Live. Marvel Mania — a superhero-themed restaurant intended to compete with Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood — flamed out in the late 1990s, according to fansite The Studio Tour (view the restaurant’s menu).

Originally Posted by ryanvalle

nobody said anything about marvel superheroes going into the parks.

I'll say again ... do you REALLY think Disney is going to pay $4B and just have the rights to use them for movies and comics? This is NOT a distribution deal.

[MAH4546]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

Not exactly: (this is from Jan 2008 and only applies to USH)

SpongeBob defeats Spiderman at Universal Studios - Travel - LATimes.com

The fact that the particular contract for USH ended does not create the necessary conclusion that Universal no longer has exclusive theme park rights.

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

I'll say again ... do you REALLY think Disney is going to pay $4B and just have the rights to use them for movies and comics? This is NOT a distribution deal.

For now, yes.

[JIrish780]

Universal Hollywood, yes. Orlando seems to me to be a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

Hypothetically speaking, if Disney strong-armed the Marvel presence out of Orlando, and with Six Flags in the worst shape it's been in for a long while... I could see Universal negotiating the rights to DC's characters to move in. They've already got a working relationship with Time Warner, via their licensing Scooby-Doo and Beetlejuice.

It's far more likely, though, that Universal would do something entirely different.

And I'm with Sir Clinksalot on the key point that Disney would not go to all this trouble to own all this intellectual property and not do everything they possibly could with it. Should the deal go through, it's all a matter of "when and how," not "if."

[Drifter]

So i dont know this thread may be in the wrong place, but i was just watching the news and saw that disney had gotten the rights to 5000+ marvel comic charactors, does anyone know what they have planned, or care to speculate

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

... do you REALLY think Disney is going to pay $4B and just have the rights to use them for movies and comics? This is NOT a distribution deal.

Originally Posted by JIrish780

...Disney would not go to all this trouble to own all this intellectual property and not do everything they possibly could with it. Should the deal go through, it's all a matter of "when and how," not "if."

[OC2Epcot]

Thanks for posting, though there are many threads going about this ... hopefully someone will come along and consolidate them.

[sir clinksalot]

Also, I know people are comparing this to the "Muppets" thing, but let's remember, Disney didn't actually buy the Muppets until a couple of years ago. That was LONG after they had Muppet attractions in the parks. We already know that they are planning more Muppet stuff next year.

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

Also, I know people are comparing this to the "Muppets" thing, but let's remember, Disney didn't actually buy the Muppets until a couple of years ago. That was LONG after they had Muppet attractions in the parks. We already know that they are planning more Muppet stuff next year.

Although there's an approval to be had and mucho stuff to sort out legally afterward, I'd be surprised if the relevant creatives in Burbank, Anaheim and yes, Glendale, weren't already under orders to fast track development. As in light-speed. The reason being the vast difference in male demographic that the Marvel universe owns, compared to Muppets. Compared to almost anything, really.

Disney internally isn't gonna sit around and wait for the lawyers to finesse every deal before starting development.