Disney Parks have historically been slow to capitalize on trends, but they have been getting better

One criticism that some have lobbed against Disney parks over the years is that they have been slow to integrate popular IP and franchises into their parks. After all, it took over two decades for Disney to open a ride based on The Little Mermaid, one of its most popular animated films ever.

However, in recent years, that has been changing. When Frozen-mania hit in 2014, Disney quickly added characters from the films to its parks as well as a stage show before announcing Frozen Ever After, which was hastily developed as a replacement for Maelstrom at EPCOT and opened in 2016. And though Star Wars has been around for nearly half a century, after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, it took only a few years for them to open the ambitious Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in 2019. 

And while development timelines have been getting smaller in recent years, with metrics from Disney+ now fueling creative decisions at Disney Parks, they could get even faster. Disney can now see what content is a hit in real-time and could theoretically make a decision about what characters or IPs to create an attraction for only a few days after a film or series launches on the service. 

The dark side of relying too much on Disney+ viewing numbers

Though this is great news if you're a fan of whatever is trending on Disney+, there is a dark side to this development, as it could halt development on projects based on IP that Disney doesn't deem popular enough. For instance, though Tron certainly has a place in the cultural landscape now, when the film was originally released it was a financial disappointment for Disney.

If the film was released today, it seems unlikely that Disney would have green-lit an attraction like Tron Lightcycle / Run, especially if it didn't have huge numbers immediately on Disney+. While there's something to be said for big hits like The Mandalorian making their way to Disney Parks, hidden gems and cult classics shouldn't be passed over for things that are incredibly popular now, but might not have staying power. 

Of course, we have yet to see what shape this Disney+ integration will ultimately take. Disney fans have come to expect to see their favorite characters and brands in the theme parks. The move to incorporate data from Disney+ to find out what is currently resonating with audiences is understandable. However, we're hoping Disney will use this data alongside other factors and will ultimately balance the development of attractions based on what is currently popular with those that take more creative risks.

What do you think about Disney harvesting Disney+ user data to inform the development of new attractions? Are there any Disney+ shows or movies that you would like to see developed into an attraction?