Woody's Lunchbox Construction Update: Expanded Seating Area Nearing Completion at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Gusey45 minutes ago

Whilst AK was officially announced in 1995 and construction began in August 1995, a 4th theme park themed to animals was announced in 1990: https://archive.ph/20220223052400/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-01-15-9001153624-story.html Animal Kingdom was greenlit by 1992 according to "The Making of Animal Kingdom" by Melody Malmberg (Joe Rhode's wife).

GoofGoof2 hours ago

Not my math. I was quoting another post but I assume the timeline is for actual construction not time from formal announcement to open. Either way, I actually think given Covid and the lasting issues with labor shortages that 6 years is pretty good for a whole new park on new land. Even so, it’s still almost twice as long as it took to construct IOA in the 90s. It just takes longer to build stuff today. I don’t know the timelines for Minions or Dreamworks land but they are more minor additions and/ or rethemes vs a new park or even a new land. Back to the original topic, there’s no excuse to have to wait this long for some shade in Toy Story Land. It didn’t take Disney years to construct this, just years to decide to finish constructing it.

MrPromey9 hours ago

I totally agree. I'm just trying to work within the flimsy framework of the original argument posed to me but what they're trying do here is compare when Disney announced they were building AK (1995 which is where everyone is getting three years) to when people caught Universal working on Epic. Again, I agree announcements as a measuring point are ridiculous but I think using the announcement of one park against when the internet figured out work on another had started is even more ridiculous. I mean, apples to apples, right? Do you disagree?

lazyboy97o9 hours ago

Using announcements to measure anything is ridiculous.

MrPromey9 hours ago

Definitely, definitely - totally not up to the craftsmanship of the shelter it took Disney multiple times longer to build in Toy Story Land to provide some shade! 🤣 Look, you guys can keep spinning your wheels all you want trying to say this isn't specifically a Disney problem but facts are facts: From announcement to opening, with Epic, it'll have been about 5.5 years WITH covid and 4.5 years if you account for the year shutdown as a result of covid. For AK, from announcement to opening was just a little over 3 years. So is four and a half years longer than three? Obviously but it's not the six and a half someone here is trying to claim. If you want to argue that the construction efforts for AK which on opening was largely rockwork, landscapeing and unthemed animal care environments (minus the Tree of life and a single complex ride borrowing both it's ride system and track layout from a another pre-existing attraction) to what the cameras show us being constructed for Epic, sure I'll give it to you that it took Universal a year and a half longer from announcement but again, we're not actually talking about total construction time for AK when people say 3 years - is that the win you're looking for in this debate? Anyway, look how fast that glorious DVC tower went up across Seven Seas lagoon. Apparently Disney doesn't have a problem with worker shortages when it comes to projects like that. 🤷‍♂️

MrPromey10 hours ago

Disney announces early THESE DAYS because they need to have something to tell all the people who buy tickets for D23 when they don't have anything else to announce. Need I remind of the year they offered Blue Sky projects they weren't even intending to build when announced? I think this problem actually started with NFL when they were trying to take the wind out of Potter's sails but didn't have anything ready to start construction on yet. It wasn't always like that. We used to see earth move, people speculate, then often much later, Disney announce. Of course you don't care about the 1995 comment - I'm pointing the flaw in your argument so why would you? Disney ANNOUNCED AK in 1995 and then opened in 1998 which is the three year span everyone goes by. Do you know when the first permit was pulled for that project? They say they started development as early as 1989. I'm sure that was planning but in terms of actual work, who's to say on this forum? Or are we judging Universal by the first signs internet folks saw of land work and/or public records and Disney, just on when they decided to announce at a time when people wouldn't have been able to fly drones over a swampy part of their property more than a mile away from the nearest normal public areas of the rest of their resort and when you couldn't just hop online to pull records on permits?

AidenRodriguez73110 hours ago

Yeah Minions Land and Dreamworks LOOKS like they knocked it out fast. Both of them are a piece of work in my experience.

gorillaball10 hours ago

Sorry, I’m not following the 1995 comment. Don’t feel the need to explain, I really don’t care. When someone announces something is meaningless in a construction timeline. Disney certainly does themselves no favors with their early announcing everything. They build slow, and somehow manage to make it seem even slower by teasing you well in advance of dirt moving.

MrPromey10 hours ago

Who did? Universal in 2019 or Disney in 1995? I'll wait while you rush to Google to see if you can track down an exact date land clearing and reclamation began for AK in the early 90's. ;) Or are we judging the two by totally different standards?

gorillaball10 hours ago

Pretty simple really, they broke ground before announcement.

MrPromey10 hours ago

I don't know. Seems like they managed to knock the Illuminations Minions Land and Dreamworks land out pretty fast. Those aren't whole theme parks and chunks of both were re-theming of existing structures but they're both active sections (particularly the minions) of an existing park impacting the work that could be done and while not major in scale, a whole lot more involved than an outdoor shelter like this. 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, Universal announced they were building a new park on August 1st, 2019 and their official opening date is May 22nd 2025 so I'm not sure the math is mathing in your statement. You might want to go re-run those numbers. 👍

MrPromey10 hours ago

I'm sorry if you think I'm being unfair to the largest media empire that has ever existed when I say they phoned it in with the other rides, I guess just Slinky in your opinion since you apparently agree with me about the other only ride added. We'll have to agree to disagree, though. They started with the premise of putting an amusement park level ride there and then decided to add elements like a different kind of fiberglass body and some static props sprinkled around to make it seem like more than it is. As for charm, I hardly see enough of it to justify the 60-90 minute waits in the outdoors that this thing garners but again, we'll have to agree to disagree.

AidenRodriguez73115 hours ago

H Honestly I loved Slinky, the little detail of going backward then forward in the launch is such a fun and cute feature of the ride that does not get enough attention.

Fox&Hound15 hours ago

This seems unfair. Slinky Dog is a hugely popular ride that exudes charm. Yes, it could have been better in places, and I will always lament the lack of shade or lack of hidden alcoves that get you off the main path (it feels like one straight hallway of people where you can’t stop to look around), but they did not phone in the other rides. Okay- I will give you Alien. Why the claw doesn’t move is unforgivable.