The Use of the Parks as an Incubator for Film Projects

Theoretically, the relationship between Disney’s films and theme parks is meant to be a two-way street. On the one side, yes, Disney’s most successful films should have a place in the Disney Parks for either straight adaptations of their story a la Fantasyland’s best rides, or should inspire even greater creativity like with Turtle Talk with Crush or Rise of the Resistance. 

But, on the other side, Disney’s best attractions and shows should serve as inspiration for Disney’s films – when their worlds and characters are so compelling that an adaptation makes sense.

Unfortunately, for much of the Disney Parks’ history, that relationship hasn’t quite been so equal. Movies based on attractions have a mixed record, with the Eddie Murphy-helmed Haunted Mansion being a real nadir of the genre. But, Pirates of the Caribbean launched a global film franchise, while Disney clearly hopes the new Jungle Cruise film can do the same.

The open question here is whether Chapek, who comes from the world of parks, believes the stories told in person in Orlando, Anaheim, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong are worthy of being translated into film. History is not really on that side, and has been the home of ambitious failures like Tomorrowland far more than successes. But, perhaps, Chapek will give these projects more of a chance due to his own personal history, which would in turn incentivize the parks to create more original IP within their walls. That type of arrangement would make both the films and the rides better, so here’s hoping it happens.

The End of Travel?

With each passing day of social distancing, our sense of normal changes. Furthermore, as that sense of normal changes, the world we know changes itself to better fit the new normal. People who can work from home do, and their jobs work around that new restriction. New companies that launch do so with full knowledge of the restrictions on travel and socializing – often with the goal of virtualizing those experiences.

The fact of the matter is, the longer this goes on, the more likely we are to be permanently changed by it as a society. The growth areas at the moment are in places like delivery infrastructure, video conferencing, and virtual entertainment. The companies that are thriving are the ones that make our lives feel enriched even when we’re within our four walls.

This change was happening anyway, but the coronavirus threat has dramatically accelerated it. Now, people will have developed a habit of asking themselves not, “where will I go next?” but rather, “do I actually need to go there at all?”

Think about it: Virtual reality headsets, digital hangouts with friends, home theater experiences – you’ve never been able to see more of the world from your own couch than you can today. That will only increase, now at an even more rapid rate. How can Bob Chapek help keep the theme parks afloat in that circumstance? Influencer culture helped buoy the Disney Parks in the 2010s, with a “you have to prove you were there” ethos endemic to platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Over time, that ethos will shift, and how can Disney be nimble enough to move forward with it?

Travel will never end – that header right there is a bit cheeky, sure – but it’s entirely possible that people will see the need to travel less and less as the trouble of travel increases more and more. After all, EPCOT's World Showcase was dreamed up as place to help people experience cultures they couldn't experience otherwise. Now, you have a virtual World Showcase in everyone's home – and it's only growing more robust by the day.

This, more than anything, will define Chapek’s success as a steward of the theme parks: Can he convince people not only that they’re great, but also that they need to spend the money to experience them themselves?