General Chat / Disney acquires Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion

I read this on a Disney site I follow. It's from the Orlando Sentinel:

Marvel also has various deals with the two-park Universal Orlando. The agreements governing two of Universal's hugely popular rides, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, appear to be virtually perpetual deals. According to Universal's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Universal Orlando retains American rights east of the Mississippi River for as long as its attractions are in operation.

It seems Universal is safe for now. Another article states that Marvel's park being built in South Korea also won't fall under Disney's jurisdiction.

as long as the rides remain in operation, that could be years away or days away. Every time ive gone there the Spiderman ride is broken down and not in operation that day.

Marvel's park being built in South Korea

Well that surprised me.

Wonder if that park will be as big there as parks are HERE, seems like a risky idea, but I dunno.

Anyways, I think Disney is gonna find a way to make some rediculous movie with mixed characters or something.

Hannah Montana and The Wizards of whateverthefuck meet Spiderman and The Hulk?

If Disney morphs any of their parks into comic book parks, it will be the end of them.

Indeed. Or at least, their parks will never have the same feel to them.

From what I'm understanding is that it is mostly cable tv based at the moment. Something OTHER than girl based Hanna Montanna etc. Giving teen guys something more action oriented. They already have a new channel DIS XD. which already has Marvel cartoons on it. So, this has been in the making for a while now.

As far as cross-over episodes or movies blending the Disney based characters and the Marvel world, probably isn't going to happen. Think about it. When Disney aquired Henson Productions, (Muppets), have we seen anything like movies and television programming that shows Mickey Minnie & Goofy, with Kermit, Fozzy & Miss Piggy?

No. Why? Because that would destroy the established worlds of imagination. Not that it would open some sort of wormhole that sucks in everything in existance into oblivian, it's more like a respect for what has been created. Blending the worlds of Marvel, Henson and Disney, would simply cheapen and confuse.

Have we got anything to worry about? I really don't think so. If there is an organization that has constantly proved that their a home run batting machine, as far as themed attractions are concerned, it's the imagineers of Disney. Considering that Universal amped up their "submersive attractions" and breaking new ground in special effects and animatronics, simply speaks volumes that the Universal parks want to be more like Disney.

Lest we forget that Universal is opening The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, based on the movies of Warner Bros. The industry is blending more than you may realize. Isn't Six Flags more of a Warner Bros. park establishment? Then why is Universal Studios doing a Harry Potter themed land in Orlando?

It's because Six Flags is circling the drain over the past few years. Their theming is nearly non-existant. But this isn't about SF. It's about Disney and how their buyout of Marvel is going to effect pre-existing attractions. The bottom line is that the rights of character and story copyrights seems to cloud the situation, to the point of confusing the fanbase.

The whole world will come to an end in 20012 anyway. So who really gives a rat's ax about all this anyway?

^ I don't plan on being alive in 20012, except maybe as a head-in-a-jar.

Yeah, this is an unexpected and somewhat bizarre move for Disney. I'm interested to see what they do with it, but I wouldn't be too surprised if the two groups stay about the same, with only a little intermingling (maybe a ride here, a Pixar developed movie there). A Californian Marvel theme park would be cool though, as it could function as a somewhat separate entity, while still filling a niche.

Anyways, first person to start a topic for 'Disney's Marvel Studios' or something similar wins.

^ I'd say that they certainly have the power to do so. And they'd probably develop something that no one else could compete with. Except maybe China. Damn Chinese... Always one-uping the rest of the world...



And I'm also a bit confused. If Universal Studios has a contract with Marvel, which just got bought out by Disney, does the contract stay with Marvel until its expiration, or does control shift to Disney? Because if control shifts to Disney, then what's going to happen to all the Marvel themed rides at Universal Studios?

Giving teen guys something more action oriented. They already have a new channel DIS XD. which already has Marvel cartoons on it. So, this has been in the making for a while now.

As a teen guy I can tell you any attempt to market superhero cartoons at an above 12 level will fail. Seriously, I think a lot of us would rather watch Hannah Montana, so we could be ironic.

i still watch wolverine and the Xmen.
i would watch anything marvel.

Wow great move for Disney! What a way for them to combat Harry Potter by getting a percentage of Universal's earnings from it (Uni will have to pay Disney money to keep Marvel Island in IOA).

And yes, like others have said, the only place these superheroes could find a home is Hollywood Studios, which, at the moment, is probably 3rd or 4th on Disney's list to upgrade. Don't expect something big to come anythime soon, at the most a meet and greet.

And I'm also a bit confused. If Universal Studios has a contract with Marvel, which just got bought out by Disney, does the contract stay with Marvel until its expiration, or does control shift to Disney? Because if control shifts to Disney, then what's going to happen to all the Marvel themed rides at Universal Studios?

Did you even bother to read the entire topic before you replied? Nevermind...

Read the second paragraph of my post HERE. It explains with an excerpt from another news article.

I also provided search results so anyone who has real interest, can dig a little deeper.

As a teen guy I can tell you any attempt to market superhero cartoons at an above 12 level will fail. Seriously, I think a lot of us would rather watch Hannah Montana, so we could be ironic.

at fourteen, i watch Law & Order SVU more than anything else, haha.

^Great show

I certainly wasn't speaking for myself, or everyone.

Wolfman, I see you're still the same pervert that was at RCTStop.

All of the disney parks in florida such as magic kingdom, mgm, ect... are only one third of all the land the disney corperation owns in florida,so it may be possible for a new park.

All of the disney parks in florida such as magic kingdom, mgm, ect... are only one third of all the land the disney corperation owns in florida,so it may be possible for a new park.

Sure they have the land, but there are many reasons holding them back from building a fifth gate. The primary one is this: When Animal Kingdom opened, it cannibalized attendance from Epcot and the Studios (the MK wasn't really affected, I believe). Attendance resort wide didn't substantially increase as projected. Building a fifth gate would spread the crowds out even more, but hurt the other parks. Plus, let's face it, the existing parks need all the tlc they can get right now. Also, as long as Disney honors Universal's contract with Marvel, Disney cannot use the characters used by Universal in a Disney park east of the Mississippi. I'm not sure if that includes the restaurants in Marvel Super Hero Island, but if so, a Marvel park without Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and several X-Men wouldn't be a very strong Marvel park. Now if they wanted to build one on that strawberry field in Anaheim, I'm pretty sure Universal couldn't stop them.

If anyone is interested, this article at MiceAge offers a very good point of view about what this means for both companies. I highly suggest reading it if you're interested in what this buy means for Disney and Marvel.

Wolfman, I see you're still the same pervert that was at RCTStop.

You just don't mess with perfection.