Lou Mongello
00:00:36.250 – 00:07:36.900
What if the biggest story from D23 wasn’t what Disney announced, but what those announcements reveal about where Disney’s going? I was inside the Honda center for Horizons, a carousel of progress.

And instead of running through a checklist, we’re going to look at 10 sight lines that connect. Villains Land, Piston Peak, Dreamfinder, the Yeti, Tomorrowland, and much more. Because Disney didn’t just make more promises this year.

It showed progress, priorities and a different relationship with the fans who care most about. And once you connect those dots, the future of the Disney parks and probably your next Disney vacation starts to look very different.

Hello my friend and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to the Disney parks and experiences around the world. I am Lou Mongello and this is show number 878.

And whether this is your first time here or you’ve been with the Wwrado family for years, thank you for choosing to spend some of your time with me. Don’t forget to join me live every Wednesday night at 7:30pm Eastern on Facebook and YouTube and anytime in the clubhouse at www dot.

You can also visit www.radio.com and subscribe to my free weekly email newsletter. Find out ways you can work with me over@lou mangello.com and connect with me on social I am Lou Mangello on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

And if and when all these announcements start you thinking about your next Disney vacation, my friends over@m MouseFanTravel.com can help you figure out what makes the most sense for you and your family. And their expert planning services are always completely fee free. But for now, sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WWE Radio Show.

Before anything else, let me tell you what this episode is and what this episode isn’t. Because D23 is genuinely ginormous. I call it wonderfully Overwhelming, because that’s exactly what it is.

And there’s no possible way that I could cover all of it well. So instead, I want to do something a little bit different. Because D23 isn’t one thing. It’s four days.

It is a show floor that is the size of a small city. It is multiple panels running all day in a dozen rooms at once. It’s the Imagineering Pavilion. It’s Mousequerade, it’s the Legend Ceremony.

It’s the merchandise archives, announcements that happen on the convention floor that have nothing to do with the ones happening in the panels in the arena. And honestly, it is really about the people. It’s running into somebody on the floor that maybe you’ve only talked to online.

It’s the friends you only see every couple years. It is the feeling of being in that building, which is what.

What I love about D23 and this event specifically, with thousands of people who love this thing just as much as you do. Like, that’s what D23 is. And I can maybe one day I will do an entire episode on that.

But today we’re talking about one thing and hopefully doing it correctly and a little bit in a different way. Because on Saturday night at the Honda Center, Disney put on a two hour, I can’t even call it a presentation.

It is a production called Horizons, A Carousel of the Disney Experiences Showcase. It was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, who I. You we love streamed live on Disney, which I also love.

And it’s where the future of the Disney parks and the resorts and cruise line all got laid out. And that presentation alone contained more news and I think exciting news than most conventions and even D23s might produce in total.

So that’s going to be our scope. It’s going to be our focus is on Saturday night.

Because everything that we’re going to talk about in this episode came out of that room and maybe out of some conversations that I had in the days leading up to it. And at the very end, we’ll also talk about what was and what was not in that presentation.

Because a couple of things maybe you were waiting to hear about weren’t there. But there’s one presentation, two hours, and the way we’re going to frame it is 10 sight lines.

And look, before we talk about a single attraction, a single announcement, I want to set the table a little bit because I think context matters more this year than it usually does. This was the first D23 of the Josh D’ Amaro era. He became CEO of the Walt Disney Company back in March.

It was Thomas Masloom’s first D23 as chairman of Disney Experiences. It was Jill Estrino’s first as president of Disneyland Resort. She’s only been in that job a few months.

And then the very next day, in that same arena, Bob Iger was inducted as a Disney legend.

So in the space of 24 hours, Disney, the leadership of the entire company, sort of parenthetically changed hands in public, and I think formally closed the previous chapter with that award.

So I think everything that’s announced and we’re going to talk about on Saturday has to be sort of read through that lens, because it wasn’t just a presentation about attractions.

It was a new group of people standing up in front of us for the first time and telling us what they’re doing, what their vision is and what they care about. And it wasn’t just tonight about new products. It was about filling in blanks. It was about surprises.

It was about announcements that garnered some of the biggest reactions that I’ve ever heard in that arena. And I’m obviously cannot and should not and will not talk about this by myself.

And I am very happy to have the person who was not just with me on the show floor and in the arena, but has been with me as not just a partner, but as a friend, as a frequent guest, really sort of. She likes to call herself a sidekick on the show who also, I think, brings something to this conversation that I genuinely can’t.

She has no idea what I’m referring to. She is, of course, Becky Menken, the founder and CEO. Cfo. CEO, cfo, CEO, whatever she calls herself, of Mouse Fan Travel.

And I think you have a vantage point that most of us don’t have. So, Becky, welcome back.

Hopefully, you have gotten a little bit of sleep and your brains are not as scrambled eggs as may have been before, during, and after T23.

Beci Mahnken
00:07:37.780 – 00:08:29.630
No, they may not be as scrambled as. But my feet still hurt. We’ll put that one forward. And yeah, I’ll take Sidekick, by the way. So that kind of. That works for me.

Yeah, this is kind of how I feel about the entire thing. There was so much. But yet from two years ago, obviously we had that same feeling.

We were so overwhelmed with the information we had from that evening.

But I think my overall takeaway was that we got a lot of those big announcements back then, but this was more about filling in the blanks of what we heard two years ago. But as you said, we got a couple of little fan service, too, to make us all happy and made the whole place erupt in cheering.

So it was a great night for.

Lou Mongello
00:08:29.630 – 00:09:33.780
Sure, filling in blanks. And we’ll talk about this a lot. I think more importantly, it’s delivering on promises, right?

It’s delivering on the promises that they made two years ago. And we’re going to talk about attractions and ride systems. And again, I want to frame this in the context of sight lines.

We’ll explain a little bit more, but I think when I said that you bring a unique vantage point. He looked at me quizzically like, where is he going with this? Because when.

Because you’re the person that when the phone rings, when a family is actually trying to figure out whether to book for 2027 or wait for 2028, you are hearing what guests are excited about, what they’re confused about, what they are asking questions about, sort of at scale, you know, every single day. So as we go through today, like, I’m as I want to talk more, not just about, oh, this is really cool, this is what I’m excited about.

But what does this change for the person who is planning a trip?

Beci Mahnken
00:09:33.860 – 00:09:56.880
That’s really a fair point because a lot of people do that, postpone it. It’s like, oh, this stuff is coming in 2028, so maybe I’ll save my money and wait and go then.

And my answer to that is always, it’s exciting that things are coming in 2028, but there’s so much to be excited for now. So that is definitely a valid point of the conversation that we have to day.

Lou Mongello
00:09:57.280 – 00:11:23.990
Yeah, I was thinking about this. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’m happy that we sort of had a week to let this settle in our brains.

And even over this past weekend, as I was preparing to record, I’ve changed my perspective on how I wanted to address this. But one of the things that I kept coming back to as I was looking at all the announcements, not just granularly, but.

But sort of from an overarching perspective.

And it’s part of the reason why I wanted to sort of think about this in terms of it’s not just an imagineering term, but really it’s sort of an engineering term of sight lines. Because I think maybe we sort of just touch on this here.

I think this D23, this Horizons presentation felt like a genuine change in Disney’s relationship with. With its most invested fans.

This was not just a very well constructed presentation, I think, and it’s sort of wise led with pointing out about this Sort of metaphorical changing of the guard and the handing off of the baton.

Because I do, I think when you look at this from a 30,000 foot view, when you look down on this as sort of the parenthetical model, I think they are very much indicating a different type of relationship that they are forming, creating, or really sort of reinvesting in.

Beci Mahnken
00:11:24.310 – 00:12:56.629
I do like the way that you are putting that in a frame because how the presentation unfolded was, like you said earlier, it was living up to the promises that they made too, and how that relationship is changing where there’s still back up a second two years ago when they for the very first time, remember when they brought out Deadpool and they were kind of doing the wink, wink, nod, nod to. Yeah, we hear you. We’re not perfect. These are the things we got wrong. I think that that tone has remained and what I saw that night still had that.

We get you, we’re talking to you, we’re not talking above you or through you.

We’re actually trying to create a conversation where the fans and the company can kind of be in harm and have a more of a harmonious relationship in this thing that we all love, which is really unique when it comes to companies across the US and across the globe as they relate to their fans and their clients and their guests. So I love the way that this is kind of coming together.

The big production was also a change because we did get production, obviously production quality. But to bring out Neil Patrick Harris and do the Broadway type skits and the big huge musical numbers was something we hadn’t seen before.

Lou Mongello
00:12:58.070 – 00:15:35.840
Yeah. And they sort of, when you walked into that building above the stage or like almost like a proscenium, it said late night.

Like they were sort of going for this late night variety show type of vibe. And then they really kind of turned it up to 11. And I think there’s a lot of.

I think having Neil Patrick Harris, who is a fan first, he is like a man of the people. It. It’s like having your best friend on stage because you know he gets it.

And we heard that he got it because of the delivery of some of the lines and some of the little minor gaffes, the way he handled it.

And I think having that marriage of him and Thomas Maslow, who was really sort of the first time, was sort of the head of this as Disney Experiences chairman.

This presentation that brought us through Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, the international resorts, the attraction updates, physical models, artwork opening windows, entertainment, like there was so much and it’s why I wanted to sort of also frame this too because there was a lot, those of you on the Internet naysayers who said you did not get enough. I don’t know where if you were at the same presentation I was, but I decided that I didn’t want to sort of recreate the presentation in order.

We’re not going to go park by park. We’re not going to assign the same amount of time to, you know, a returning parade to a completely new land like I called this.

I sort of frame this in my mind as sight lines and imagineering. A sight line is sort of how imagineering.

And again, this is not just an imagineering term, but how they control what a guest can see, what remains hidden and how a view sort of relates to the larger piece. I think it’s the right framework for this conversation because.

And I want to sort of give a little bit of context and a little bit of disclaimer and almost housekeeping. A few months ago I was invited to an imaginary facility for a behind the scenes look at the creative process on some of these projects.

And at the time it was an off the record visit. Disney has since lifted that embargo with certain limitations on what I can and can’t share. And I’m going to respect those limits. Exactly.

So there may be a couple of moments today like where I might reference something and then maybe not be able to describe it. And that’s not me being coy, that’s keeping my word and being respectful for the opportunity.

Beci Mahnken
00:15:35.840 – 00:15:37.880
And I respect that. Darn it.

Lou Mongello
00:15:40.120 – 00:16:31.490
And also separate from that, I was also invited to a very small, very intimate conversation at Disneyland prior to D23 and obviously prior to the Saturday announcements with a number of executives and imagineers, including some of those who are leading the work on some of these projects, including Villains Land and including which now we can talk about the Tomorrowland project which was on the record.

And I’m going to talk a little about that because I think some of what was said in that room helps bring more context and details to some of the things that were made it onto the arena stage. That’s my recovering attorney somewhat disclaimer. So this is how it’s going to hopefully work.

Becky, this idea came to me like in the middle of the night last night. So we’ll see if it actually plays out.

Beci Mahnken
00:16:31.490 – 00:16:33.370
I’m just here for the ride, so it’s all good.

Lou Mongello
00:16:34.409 – 00:18:51.860
We’re sort of looking at in 10 sight lines, right? 10 Sort of conversations about where this company, where the parks and experiences are going.

And yes, along the way, we’re going to stop specifically at a lot of the individual things that were talked about. And I think we have to start with.

And everybody, I think, has their own favorite announcement, their own objective, sorry, subjective quote, unquote, biggest announcement. But I think Villains Land is. Is where we need to start.

And look, we’re going to do a lot of this from 30,000ft, sort of looking down on the metaphorical models that they are and the physical models that they’re talking about. But this one, I think we’re going to do sort of from the ground perspective. Right. The sight lines are going to be from the ground.

Because this is, I feel, the single biggest thing Disney announced. And I think it’s also one of the clearest examples of something that the company has gotten so very.

Like, they’ve always been good at it, but, like, exceptional at. They’re taking these characters that we all know, that we all love and building a place around them that has never existed in any movie.

And this is, of course, villains land, this 14 acre. So think around the size of Galaxy’s Edge, fully immersive land with two headline attractions, dining, shopping. We don’t know an opening date.

I think this is possibly one of the farthest out of the Magic Kingdom properties, but I think this is the one that we got some additional artwork, some incredible details about.

And before we sort of get into the details, Becky, I think this is the one that, again, we were privileged to be in that Honda center, which I think has a very different experience than watching it on Disney. I understand not everybody could be there. I love the fact that they streamed it.

But when you’re in that room and there’s that energy and you hear the gasps and the cheers when they announce details or people come out on stage or they show that concept art, I think Villains Land certainly is one of the ones that just sort of, judging by the energy in the room, people are very, very excited for.

Beci Mahnken
00:18:52.820 – 00:19:44.810
Yeah, and that’s so true. When you’re sitting there and you start seeing the information and the. The graphics go up and the oxygen comes out of the room.

And when they say, and we have a new name for Villains Land, it’s Villains Land. I absolutely loved that. Kind of saw that coming in a way.

But one thing I was really happy about is that they did give us enough detail to put all the stupid Internet rumors to rest, is there was so many stories and things flying around and clickbait and just nonsense and going on. So at least we Got the detail that said, you’re wrong. This is. This is actually what we’re doing. Look over here. Because this is the real stuff.

And I think that that really helped us have a better understanding of where they were trying to go.

Lou Mongello
00:19:45.849 – 00:21:56.550
And I think we have to sort of quickly put a pin in the name because there was that sort of moment like, Villains Land is Villains Land. And it got laughs and it got all these different reactions. But I think it’s really important.

And imagineer Carolyn may explain to us, you know, why it is, right? We sort of. And look, it all makes sense to me. Like we have Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Villains Land makes sense.

And look, it’s what people were gonna call it anyway. It’s not Star Wars Land. But everybody kept on calling it Star Wars Land. Like, you know, the nomenclature is important.

And they’re like, look, we get it. This is what guests are probably going to be calling it. And I try to avoid the Internet as a whole, but I’ve seen and I’ve heard, right?

When I was sitting there, I was very much listening to the conversations and the reactions around me and hearing people talk about that name as a failure of imagination. I wholeheartedly disagree. I think it’s the opposite. I think it is very much confidence, right? Like, you can invent this. This super creative name.

Look, I sort of pushed my chips in thinking it was going to be called Forbidden Mountain. Clearly I’m an idiot because it’s. You can create a name like that, but people are still going to call it Villains Land anyway.

And I think, Look, I think there’s also a. I think there’s a strong structural argument underneath it as well. Magic Kingdom specifically names their lands for sort of the way we feel, right? Not about places. It’s adventure Frontier Fantasy Tomorrow.

Villainy is a mode of feeling. And I think that name does fit the sort of the Parks grammar and nomenclature better than anything that more that.

That’s more elaborate that they would have tried to construct animals, force people to start saying. And I think once you hear the story too, it also makes sense, right?

Beci Mahnken
00:21:56.550 – 00:21:56.790
You.

Lou Mongello
00:21:56.790 – 00:22:43.250
You leave this safe path in Magic Kingdom into this dark forest, and you find this shattered wishing well. And someone made a wish that wasn’t like, oh, I wish I got a puppy. No, a wish that is so evil. How evil was it? It corrupted the stone.

It breaks open the well and it spreads all this poison magic throughout the forest. And the villains are come together to claim what is left of that power.

And I think the villain, the wishing well Solves what could have been a very difficult problem in the concept as a whole. Because, look, villains don’t cooperate. They are. You know, you don’t see a lot of villains getting together and having magic moments together.

Beci Mahnken
00:22:43.570 – 00:22:45.330
They don’t play well on the playground together.

Lou Mongello
00:22:45.330 – 00:23:09.510
Right. So how does Disney sort of pull them together? Like, they don’t build a clubhouse. They build this resource. Right.

They are all drawn to the same seam of gold in this wishing well, and that sort of corrupts everything. It is very much in, like, in alignment with each of the villains individually and for villains, really, as a whole.

Beci Mahnken
00:23:10.550 – 00:24:05.780
I love the way they pulled this story together, too, because it allows all of these villains to live in one place.

And like you said, that conflict is kind of sitting there, but they’re there trying to get their own piece of this little puzzle that we’re going to call Villains Land. And I’m fine with this name. I think that it’s perfect because, like you said, we call it Star Wars Land.

Anyway, if you come up with something else, it’s not gonna really fit. And that’s the nomenclature of the park itself. I’m all good.

I love how the story is being weaved, and it allows for all of our favorite villains to be there, to be present in this land so we could meet them, greet them, be mad at them, laugh at them, have a good time in this place that’s, you know, nice and dark and twisty, as.

Lou Mongello
00:24:05.780 – 00:27:17.330
I like to say, which is perfect for you. And look, what we know is we know that we have this maleficent outdoor coaster, which I love. Right.

Instead of putting it inside of a black box that takes us through this enchanted briar and around the mountaintop fortress, and. And Disney said in the presentation that they’re using elements that have. Have not been used before in a Disney coaster. That excites me.

That sort of bit of unknowing excites me.

We also know that we have this dark ride that’s going to take place in the Mirror Realm, which are these catacombs underneath the Evil Queen’s palace, hosted by the Magic Mirror. And if you look at the concept art, you see Cruella and Jafar, Facilier, Scar, Ursula, all in there.

There was, I know, some speculation that night that it was a boat ride. I think it has been officially confirmed that it is not a boat ride. One of the things that I really dig, and I’m a huge princess and the frog.

And I love the fact that Dr. Facilier is in there, and because he’s the ones that I keep coming back to. You know, all these other. If you think about it, Becky, all these other villains have their sort of innate powers, right?

It’s Maleficent has it, and the Evil Queen has the mirror. Facilier has no powers. He’s the guy that. That makes his deals and borrows other people’s power. So building.

I think building a land where he sort of built on a power, on a borrowed power source is very cool and very much in alignment with who he is.

I think if you were a fan of the early classic films, you can really sort of get that Ivan Earl tone here with the perspective and those gothic thorns and the jewels, jewel tones, et cetera. You have this sense of this evil place that is still going to be welcoming to families again.

I sort of go back to this idea of the coaster being built outdoors now becomes this skyline element. Whether you ride it, whether you see it in the day, or. I can only imagine what this place is going to look like at night.

I think we have a lot of reasons why we should be very excited about this. And again, the. The scale for this is going to be huge. I think there was also a moment, too, back at.

When Glenn Close came out rocking her full leg, Cruella. And I think there was some confusion because she was talking about, you know, her ride and her attraction. And I am 92.7% sure that this was sort of.

This was sort of the joke, right? It was a bit. It wasn’t a tease. She’s not getting a ride. She might get a lair.

Like, we keep sort of hearing references to some of these characters getting a lair.

I don’t know exactly what that means, like Cruella and the Queen and Dr. Facilier, but I do not think that there is this secret third Cruella ride that is coming in.

Beci Mahnken
00:27:17.730 – 00:27:57.980
Yeah, I don’t think so either. I saw a lot of that speculation pop up. Oh, what’s she gonna get? What are they gonna do? I think that was the inside joke.

One of the things I really do appreciate about the Mirror Realm especially is that they’re doing a good job of balancing nostalgia with the current stories.

So it’s kind of like all of these stories are being woven together in one place so you can find your favorite villain and things that your parents loved and things your grandparents loved and things your kids love. So I. I’m kind of turned on by this whole thing because you get all of those stories coming from all different directions Through.

Through the Mirror Realm.

Lou Mongello
00:27:59.100 – 00:29:02.520
Yeah. And again, I think there’s you know, we saw some of the imagineers who are going to be working, who are already working on this project.

I mentioned Carolyn May and Wyatt Winter, who worked on, I think, oversaw Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. I think that gives you a lot of excitement and hope for what is to come.

I think it’s going to be really interesting once this is built, because obviously, Magic Kingdom, I think, skews the youngest of the four parks in terms of guests. But this land appears to be very deliberately adult. And I don’t mean adult in terms of kids camp, but it’s a little bit darker.

And I think that is going to be an attractor. I think it’s going to be something that families can enjoy together, but there is going to be a little bit of. And it has to be for a villain’s land.

You know, it can’t be squash and stretch. It’s got to be very much who these characters are, what these environments are sort of coming off the screen and coming to life in Magic Kingdom.

Beci Mahnken
00:29:02.520 – 00:29:21.560
And to your point, for that, we do get a lot of families that think, well, Magic Kingdom is for the younger families. When my kids were 6 and 7 and 8. What do I do now that my kids are 14, 15, 16?

And I think this is that perfect answer to that, to bring in those teens and tweens and something a little bit edgier.

Lou Mongello
00:29:22.690 – 00:30:17.140
Right. You’re going from having the conversation like, yeah, Magic Kingdom is for kids.

Now, the question you’re going to be answering is this right for adults? Right? Yes. Now you have this big attractor for. And look, I don’t think Magic Kingdom is just for kids. It still remains my.

But again, going back to your point about the story, I love the fact that Disney did not just build a land where villains happen to be. They built land that explains why the villains are there.

And I think that single decision is the difference between a themed area, like an area that just sort of has an overlay on it, and an actual place. An actual place that we get to step through the metaphorical screen and stand into.

And I think, as Walt always wanted us to be able to actually live in, which was his whole idea, I think, for creating Disneyland. And I think specifically even like Fantasyland.

Beci Mahnken
00:30:18.180 – 00:30:59.550
Yeah. And the way that they’ve told stories recently between Recently.

But when they started that walk into the world of Cars Land, where the first time we walked in there went, oh, my gosh, we just stepped into the movie. I can just imagine what this will be like with all of that theming. And at night, I just can’t imagine what this will look like at night.

And the coaster itself, I’m wondering obviously if it’s going to be on par with the seven Dwarf type coaster. Are we going to. Is this going to be popped up a little bit in terms of E Ticket? What kind of an attraction are we getting here?

And this is the perfect opportunity to kind of level it up a little bit if they so desire.

Lou Mongello
00:31:01.310 – 00:35:09.810
And this actually leads me into the next sort of sight line. And the sort of note that I wrote to myself is they said the quiet part out loud because I think and we saw a little bit of this at D23, 2024.

But I think Saturday night I saw something that I’ve never really seen the company do, certainly not at this scale and in front of this audience for as long as I’ve been covering Disney, which is 20 plus years, the corporate posture, for lack of a better word, appropriately towards its own problems or maybe things that aren’t perfect, has always been this very sort of serene and quiet, like not acknowledging of it almost. You don’t talk about the broken thing because when you do, you make it real. So you sort of ignore Twitter as much as you possibly can.

Saturday night, they didn’t just name one, they named six of them on stage on purpose with a live band. That’s why I want to talk about these things together. Like the Yeti gets fixed after 19 years. Dreamfinder is returning after 28.

Paris is stripping off the Star wars space Mountain. The original world of color is coming back. Tomorrowland finally gets committed to.

And they do it in a way that is not just like they poke fun at themselves. And I like wanted to stand up and applaud because how much I appreciate how Disney made fun of Disney, like repeatedly.

Joe Rhodey comes on stage to fix a broken animatronic. The viral Olaf fall is recreated. The fan complaint that the hatbox ghost appears before Madame Leota. It’s all acknowledged.

It’s all acknowledged out loud. And then Gloria Gaynor comes out. I will survive. Like, these are not nine individual. Like this is one posture that is expressed nine different ways.

And I think like Becky, think about what that has to take. Like institutionally, somebody or some people have to approve a gag whose premise is, yes, our animatronics break.

Somebody greenlit a Haunted Mansion sequencing complaint that 0.02% of guests around the world noticed that self deprecation. That is what confidence looks like. Like you can only laugh about your failures in public if you believe and promise you are going to fix them.

And I think, like, I think that’s it. And even in the, in the Tomorrowland thing that I went to, there was a similar moment. And so I sort of want to bring it up here.

Jill Esterino, the new president of Disneyland, took out note cards and read the Internet criticisms back to the people who made them in that room. Like standing in Tomorrowland, she’s like, it’s painful to read, but it’s true. And you’re right.

And you’re right, like executives are trained to never do this. Like if you repeat criticism, you’re giving it a longer life.

And it’s an official, she did it anyway in a room with people who have and are going to quote her. And then, you know, I think Thomas Masloom, like specifically was like, we know, like we want you to know that we hear you.

Like the chairman of the Parks resort is saying, like we are making decisions for you, the most loyal fans, because we hear you. And it’s, you know, it’s not one and done. Like this is going to be who we are and what we do. I’ve said for years, Disney is always listening.

And Disney is paying that off in spades at D23.

Beci Mahnken
00:35:10.660 – 00:36:21.340
And this is the shift that I so appreciate because, okay, it was a long time ago, but remember when they demolished the garden wing at Contemporary and there was a crane building something and you ask somebody what are they building or what’s going on? I don’t know what you’re talking about was kind of the response that we got.

I love the fact that they’re letting us in the room, that they’re opening the door and saying, okay, well there’s what we got right, this is what we got wrong. Give us the feedback. Okay, we may not make the decision that you need us or want us to make right now, but we might make it later, who knows.

But having those open conversations makes me feel like I’m part of it. Like I really belong in that room behind the rope. And we’re having a one on one conversation when they start saying, hey, yeah, the yeti’s broken.

And yes, the poor, poor Olaf is, you know, face down faceplant in front of 150 cameras. But it’s, it really does make me want to be more involved in this company when they talk to me in that manner. So I appreciated it for sure.

Lou Mongello
00:36:21.660 – 00:37:58.770
Right? They’re listening and they’re very much paying attention.

Look, if you look at, you know, I think there were a lot of incredible moments and crowd reactions in that room. But I think two of the three biggest ones were about things that Disney is fixing, not building.

Like the restoration projects may have outranked some of the other new projects. I think that’s a huge part of the story. Like, look at Journey into Imagination, which was that one more thing mic drop moment at the end, right?

Mazm’s like, we’re taking a new journey into Imagination, Epcot, with Dreamfinder and Figment. And he said, he’s like, we know how important this is to you. Like, we hear you.

You don’t have to give a title, a ride system, a scope, a closing date, opening date, like, that’s it. Like, that is the moment.

And I wanted, if I could have run up on stage security, litly go and given Thomas a hug, like, that’s what we all wanted to do. Like, dreamfinder left in 1998. That’s nearly 30 years. There’s no film, no series, no merchandise machine behind him.

Although there was the Figma comic book series with a reimagined Dreamfinder in it, which I totally dig. But he exists, really more so as a memory that this community, this Disney, you know, global community, refused to let go of.

And somebody in that building, somebody in a meeting, was like, that goodwill is worth more than the certainty. And I think that’s a rare thing.

Beci Mahnken
00:38:01.490 – 00:39:19.810
What I liked about that is how they presented it.

Because, remember when we talked about what we were looking forward to most before we came into D23, and for me, I had said, I want a moment that I’m not expecting. I want a moment that takes the oxygen out of my lungs for a second, and I have to kind of get my bearings.

And little did I know that it was going to be the moment that they said, the yeti’s being fixed. But it did.

And it was such a surprise and such a wonderful delight because it had been on the tip of everybody’s tongue and things that we’d knocked the company for, that it sat there forever, not really caring about their challenges, about it, just wanting it back. And for them to announce that right then. And it did. It gave me that little bit of a what type feeling that I was looking forward to.

And then at the end when he came out, and they were like, and the final thing and wasn’t the thing I thought it was going to be, because I thought it was gonna be, and we’re bringing Faye back, but that’s not what they did.

They did something else, and then they did it as that last little drip that we needed at the very end, which made us, all those of us who have loved that little monster for so long walked out feeling very euphoric and very positive about what we had just heard. And I just. Hold on one second.

Lou Mongello
00:39:19.970 – 00:39:21.810
Becky just called Figment a monster.

Beci Mahnken
00:39:21.890 – 00:39:22.370
Yes.

Lou Mongello
00:39:23.090 – 00:39:24.290
Internet, you can just email.

Beci Mahnken
00:39:26.750 – 00:39:29.150
He’s a cute little dragony monster. I love him.

Lou Mongello
00:39:29.870 – 00:39:31.310
My son is crying inside his.

Beci Mahnken
00:39:32.510 – 00:39:42.870
But, but for me, like you said, they didn’t give us detail, they didn’t give us dates, they didn’t give us anything. They just said, yeah, it’s coming back. And we were thrilled with that. So I think.

Lou Mongello
00:39:42.870 – 00:41:54.790
I think the same thing too for Spaceship Earth, which years ago had been rumored and almost sort of confirmed that there was this massive update coming. We’ve heard about things like Project Gemini, but this is going to be the first major update in nearly two decades.

And I love how they gave us a little bit of detail, how the theme is widening from human communication to human connection, and it carries that story beyond. Again, no closing date, no narrator, no seamless.

But when you think about what this might possibly be and what it is now and what it could potentially become, with opening that sort of definition more broadly, right now, if you. If you look at this, this current Spaceship Earth, it’s this chain of tools, right?

Got the Alphabet, the papyrus, the printing press, the telegraph, the computer. It is this story about things people made, where I think the idea of connection is a story about people.

And the tools are going to be sort of incidental to that, right? It’s not going to be this showcase of emerging and possible new technology. You can’t build a show scene of like the cloud, you know what I mean?

I think communication is something that’s very concrete, but connection is this wonderful sort of open, like open canvas that allows you to trade specificity with humanity and warmth.

I’m going to be very curious to see what the descent is going to be, because it’s always been one of the things that I think a lot of people have felt was incomplete. And I think this project is not just going to be about fixing that those last four minutes, which would have been celebrated as well.

But I think this is really going to be something that’s going to be a completely different type of overall experience.

Beci Mahnken
00:41:55.350 – 00:43:10.420
I’m very curious what they have in mind for this, because obviously that that ride system is one of the most sophisticated ride systems they have. So there’s not going to be a lot of change in the. In the actual ride element itself. But it was kind of Understated a little bit.

When they made that announcement, I, I didn’t quite. I couldn’t feel if it was more of a, of an update rather than a full change. Is it going to be an overlay?

Is it going to be just, you know, changing some of the pieces up?

I’m not exactly sure what we’re getting, but I’m really happy we’re getting something because after it being talked about for so long that it was going to come down and be renov to some level to know what’s finally happening is a pleaser for me. I would like to see, I’d like a little bit more of a peek, I guess because I’m very curious and that curiosity breeds my gosh.

I have a lot of questions. I’d like to know where or how they’re going to display this human connection that they’re trying to make.

So it’s very curious for me and I am excited to see what they come up with.

Lou Mongello
00:43:10.820 – 00:44:09.630
Oh, look.

And I think the big takeaway from this particular sight line and I think really what this, I think, but maybe this whole episode and presentation might really be about is, is Disney. And I think they are beginning to really treat long term fan concern and questions as useful creative information. Right.

It is shaping what gets designed, what gets funded, what gets greenlit rather than just something that is background noise that they have to sort of manage.

And look, I think we’ve both been in this space and covering and really Disney has been part of our lives, not just for our whole lives, but quote unquote, professionally speaking.

We’ve been watching and I think we really see that Disney’s look, Disney’s relationship, I think with its most passionate fans has gone through some swings right over the years.

Beci Mahnken
00:44:10.190 – 00:44:10.750
Fair enough.

Lou Mongello
00:44:10.750 – 00:44:30.210
I think this feels very different from the inside out. Again, we’re not looking at granular specificity, but looking at just the things we’ve talked about so far as a whole.

I don’t think this is the same thing that we’ve experienced in the past. I think this just feels very, very.

Beci Mahnken
00:44:30.210 – 00:45:27.290
Different, which I’m looking forward to. Right. I do balance that love for what we’ve all experienced and the nostalgia we have for certain attractions, especially this one.

It was one of the first ones that I rode when I visited Disney World for the very first time. So I do have connections to it. I like you would love to see that last four minutes.

Something happened with last four minutes besides just writing backwards. That would be fun. But I don’t want it to totally Go away. I do want to see it updated. Much like Carousel of Progress. It’s the same thing.

I’m actually looking forward to that as well for the same reason that I still want that experience in that attraction.

But I want it updated so that it feels current for the generations that are visiting now so that they’ll have this feeling later when something, you know, needs to be updated. That makes sense.

Lou Mongello
00:45:27.770 – 00:47:07.970
It does. And look, you know, we’ve been, we’ve heard for the past few years about the $60 billion investment that Disney is making in parks and experiences.

And that’s obviously being spread over time and through a number of locations.

I think, you know, I think if you want to see what the intention of where that money is being spent, I think you have to sort of look, you know, Becky, I tried to sort of rewind in my mind the way and the order in which things were brought out onto stage and what they put on stage first. The very first thing that happened on Saturday night was not really an announcement at all, right? It’s before a single project was announced.

Neil Patrick Harris comes out. He does this, a very elaborate, beautiful music number. About what? About wanting to become an audio animatronics figure.

Like, the machines are back, baby. Like, I don’t mean in a Terminator kind of way, but like in the moment, I was like, oh, this is such a fun opening bit. And it wasn’t.

Because if you watch what came after that, the number turned out to be one of the most important things that happened that night. And I think it’s easy to miss because it happened so early on, right?

And before we started taking notes, we’re like, oh, this is a fun song and dance. But it really, I think it’s important. It is about. When I say it’s about the machines coming back, it’s about the audio animatronics, right?

What did we get? Harrison Ford’s actual face on an Indiana Jones first figure. The first time ever the room went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, right?

We’ve got this hand sculpted Sukan, this giant jade serpent, which is going to be at the climax of the Indiana Jones ride.

Beci Mahnken
00:47:07.970 – 00:47:09.510
We scare so much to stage.

Lou Mongello
00:47:09.740 – 00:49:11.250
When you went into the Imagineering Pavilion the day after and you saw the scale of little Lou Mongello and this giant serpent, I’m like, oh, this is it. We’ve got this school bus size Miss Fritter. We’ve got this multi tentacled sushi chef. Yay. At Harryhausen’s.

This massive Wreck It Ralph figure in Tokyo.

These Skeletal figures in Coco using the latest audio animatronic technology, the 50, whatever it is, animals that are going to be represented in the Encanto ride and the obviously, you know, the yeti being refreshed and repaired like that opening number.

Hindsight, obviously being 2020 was a thesis statement because if you think, you know, especially some of the other places around the world, you know, the answer to a lot of show design questions or problems or budgetary issues is just put a screen there. Disney spent the evening saying, we’re not going to do that. Screens are cheap and they’re easy and everybody’s got them.

A hand sculpted sukhan gigantic snake like, is not available anywhere else. And I think, you know, if you look at things like, especially what’s coming, like to Monstropolis, right?

And we saw, we learned more about the door coaster and how you’re going to board sideways and jump up 40ft in four seconds and how you’re seeing like, like the ride system isn’t sort of depicting the factory like it is the factory. I just think there is, you know, I think there’s so much criticism of, oh, it’s just another screen, just another screen.

Disney’s like, no, we are bringing these characters and figures and stories and sets and environments to life and you are going to walk and step and ride and fly through them in a variety of different ways in all of our parks domestically and around the world.

Beci Mahnken
00:49:12.850 – 00:50:17.130
I really like what you just said there because it feels like they’re setting themselves apart from some of their competitors in a unique way. Not to say that the other competitors are doing anything wrong, per se.

It’s just Disney’s taking a different tactic with it where again, you’re stepping into the actual story with things happening around you without it being screened. So it’s not a CGI thing around you, it’s actual. You can reach out and the snake terrifies me.

I will tell you that right now, where you could reach out and you could touch the little nose of the little snake and try to make friends with it, but it’s, it’s not, not a screen that in a, in a 2D dimension, it’s. You’re seeing everything in 3D and 4D, which is going to make that experience so much more real, which a lot of others aren’t going down that path.

So, you know, I like this. I like it. And then again, I know that the snake is big. So can you tell? I have a thing about the snake. It’s much like the dinosaur.

It will probably eat My head, it’s fine.

Lou Mongello
00:50:17.450 – 00:52:49.710
Well, I think, you know, we sort of talk about these experiences.

I think one of the places that this is very important and we’ve, we are seeing it come together not just in the presentation on stage in the imaginary pavilion and when you walk into Disney California Adventure is over in Adventures campus, where not one but two attractions are opening in 2028, doubling the size of the land.

And I think the more we get to see about Stark Flight Lab, which is such a unique and novel two person gyrokinetic pods that roll along a track and then dock with this giant robotic arm like that is just, it’s wild. And I love that too. You know, I think we get so caught up in the overarching ride system.

I was like, I love the fact that they are two person vehicles. Right. These two person vehicles are sort of intimate in a way like unlike anything. Usually you’re in a boat with eight to 10 people.

You’re on a coaster. Like most of the modern e Ticket attractions hold 8, 10, 12, 24. You experience it in a crowd.

But I think when you have a vehicle that only has two seats, we’re talking about sight lines. Those sight lines could be very, very exact.

That robot arm can roll and yaw and move and invert you like in ways that a giant boat or a roller coaster couldn’t. I don’t even care what the throughput’s gonna be. I’m ready to wait. Like I am ready to wait on it.

And then the other attraction obviously is the Avengers Infinity Defense against King Thanos. And you get to go to places like Asgard and Wakanda and New York. And we’re getting like, we’re bringing the gang back together again.

And like, I think that that casting is really important because attractions last decades, right? 30 Years, 40 years. The roster of the MCU doesn’t. Right.

We’re seeing this sort of in the mcu, we’re starting to usher in a new generation of characters and actors. And you know, there’s going to be a sense of like built in nostalgia like the day that this ride opens, which I actually dig.

Beci Mahnken
00:52:51.310 – 00:53:08.870
So really quick, a couple of observations that you probably don’t want me to make, but I’m going to make them anyway.

On the Stark Flight Lab, the first time I saw that vehicle, the two person vehicle, the first thing I thought was, oh, I’ve always wanted to be a cocktail shaker. Let’s see how this works. Because it’s Disney.

Lou Mongello
00:53:08.870 – 00:53:10.830
You can email Becky eci.

Beci Mahnken
00:53:11.550 – 00:53:30.890
That’s exactly what I kind of felt about it. It looks fun, it looks exciting. And like you said, it’s something that’s uni. Um, so I can’t wait for that.

But the other observation, when they were talking more about the Infinity Defense, where you’re. They’re going to open up portals to go to other lands, it took me right back to the walkthrough at Hong Kong.

Lou Mongello
00:53:31.450 – 00:53:33.330
I knew exactly where you were going. Yep.

Beci Mahnken
00:53:33.330 – 00:54:00.920
When they were showing that I was going, that’s exactly what they had us do in a walkthrough.

So imagine if they took what we did, which blew our minds, by the way, for a simple walkthrough in marrying it with the technology that they have now and the way that we’ll be able to be transformed from one space to another. This is probably the thing I’m most excited about because that we have that experience in Hong Kong.

Lou Mongello
00:54:01.320 – 00:57:10.200
And look, and to be clear, like, I’m not. I’m not anti screen at all. I think that screens are not necessarily inherently less immersive than a physical set.

I think the combination of the two is the secret sauce. Right. It’s not just moving from screen to screen.

We saw on screen at the presentation and in the imagineering booth the massive physical sets and prop pieces that they are building for that building.

And when we went a couple days later into Disney California Adventure and we looked, I’m very short, but I can see somewhat over the wall if you stand up that building. Those show buildings are ginormous. And I think, again, I think Disney is doing something that is once again groundbreaking and unique.

And Becky, I think that we don’t know. We’re seeing the very, very tip of the technological and storytelling iceberg because we don’t have a lot of details.

But this act like this sort of naturally flows into my next sight line. Because it’s not just how Disney is building attractions.

I think there’s a pattern in what these attractions are about that is not an accident either. Right. Everything is intentional.

Take every attraction, every sort of major attraction Disney announced on Saturday night and ask one question about each of them. Is this ride just a retelling of the film or does it happen somewhere that the film didn’t go?

And if you go down the list I did, the answer is the same every single time. Which means it’s not coincidence. It’s clearly policy like, they’re not remaking the movie anymore.

What was revealed Villains Land Is this whole new story built on the corrupted wishing well. Monstropolis is set after the film during a holiday that does not exist in the movies.

Human Day H U M A N Humans understanding monsters are nice, which I love. Coco picks up a year after the movie. Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto expands the casita into rooms the film never even showed.

Indiana Jones, thankfully, is an original Mayan story set in the 50s. Infinity defense. And if you’re going, wait a minute, Tony Stark and Anthony Mackinac’s Captain America don’t exist. And Thanos isn’t here.

This is a Thanos variant who already won in his own reality. Like, you’re able to tell even Sugar Rush. Like, which I look. I love Wreck It Ralph and I love Vanel be von Schweet.

And I think King Candy is one of my favorite villainous. Sorry, it just falls out. Alan Tudyk, you have always been a legend to me.

It’s going to create these new confectionary characters that aren’t in the movie. And I think this is so smart because I think the best attractions let us live in a world rather than just watching its highlights.

Beci Mahnken
00:57:10.600 – 00:58:08.330
Yeah. And I keep going back to the same thing of walking into Cars Land and I walked into the movie.

And this is where these types of attractions are going, where you’re actually living the moment rather than looking at the moment. And they have mastered this in so many different ways. Even. Even Galaxy’s Edge is the same.

You’re walking into the thing that you’ve seen on screen and you get to experience different pieces of the story that maybe haven’t been told yet. So I get so excited when I see all of these elements that they have announced, and some of them will require another China visa, darn it. To go see.

But I’m gonna go see them because they are so attractive to me, to bring me into those stories.

And one of the reasons why I don’t want Disney to do the same thing at every single park, because I want to be pulled to go to different places to experience these different stories as well.

Lou Mongello
00:58:08.810 – 01:00:24.180
Well, and I think, too, I think we also do want to live in the stories. Right. So, yes, we are going to go obviously back to Asia. We need to go back to France, too. Right.

Because Paris’s Lion King flume is gonna be structured around Simba’s journey from Cub to King, including the confrontation with Scar. Like, this is going to be a full film retelling. So you don’t necessarily abandon the familiar stories.

Cause I think some of the most ambitious projects are now using the films as foundations and a retelling doesn’t make an attraction weaker, especially when you’ve got the scale and the staging and the music. Like, which is why when we go out and we see this 120 foot Pride Rock and this 52 foot drop, like, our minds are going to be blown.

And kids and kids at heart and those of us who grew up with, I mean, I didn’t grow up, I was somewhat of an adult by the timeline king, like, we want to be in those stories, right? We absolutely, absolutely want to do that. So you can have both.

You can have these stories that we’re familiar with that we can live in and you can also have something like a human day, which is really important because if you think about it, in the monsters world, humans are toxic. So that’s why they’re wearing hazmat suits, you know, so how do. And I love how they crafted this.

Like, how are we going to get humans to be able to walk into this toxic environment? You don’t just sort of ignore it.

You’re like, oh, we build a holiday that explains our presence and sets the land in a time after that film and gives every reason for every interaction to be there. And it almost has this sort of, I’m imagining it sort of have like this festival like atmosphere.

And by the way, as a quick aside, the concept art, the figures, et cetera for monsters look incredible. Not the least of which is a sushi restaurant going into Disney’s Hollywood studios. I may or may not be incredibly excited for that.

Beci Mahnken
01:00:25.140 – 01:01:31.260
I think that is the number one thing that you keep focusing on. But again, that animatronic of the sushi chef is the, the pictures that they had of that is mind blowing, breathtaking.

And how cool will that be to sit in that restaurant and watch whatever’s going on in the background. The storytelling, again, that’s why Disney does what they do so well.

Like you said, creating a reason for us to be there when it goes completely against the initial movie and the story itself.

Finding a way to put us there and in such a way that creates a whole new story of the story that we know, which refreshes it and makes you want to go back. I keep looking at the artist’s rendition of the theater and seeing all the things that are going on.

All the bright lights and the bright colors and all the characters and a monster playing drums on the side. I’m really pulled to this because I think that it is going to be a big surprise and delight.

Lou Mongello
01:01:32.050 – 01:02:38.840
Yeah, yeah, look, I think, and I think it’s why it’s important that they’re doing both. That they are extending a world beyond the stories that we are familiar with.

But I think people also want to go on an attraction to see the thing that they love in the order that they love it. You know, when you create something that is a sequel to it, you’re asking guests to care and get invested in a story that they’ve never seen before.

So you gotta make sure you deliver that. But being able to have both, I think raises the ceiling and I think lowers the bar. And I think it also changes what IP means here.

Because it’s not just IP is not just about taking this franchise and taking that story and bolting it into a park.

You are using this franchise now as a population for places that have their own characters and stories and logic and allows you to sort of extend that blank canvas as far and as wide that they may want to. So.

Beci Mahnken
01:02:39.079 – 01:03:38.790
Right. In the same way that they took something that is relatable. So if you look at Encanto, Antonio’s Fiesta D Encanto, which is always.

This could be encanto to me, where they’ve taken this culture and they’re doing the same thing with Coco. So it is relatable to families. And you can.

We know the story, we know that Antonio gets his gift and it’s the animals, which is the perfect fit for Animal Kingdom. But to expand further upon the story that we didn’t get to see yet, but we get to now experience rather than watch. I am a big animal fan.

So when we saw some of the models and the things that they were doing with some of the animals, that is, they’re so adorable and so cute.

And I know when I get off that ride, we’re going to go into a shop and it’s going to have 120 billion different cute little fuzzy animals that I have to take home.

Lou Mongello
01:03:39.430 – 01:03:55.140
Those. Yeah, those that. That’s brilliant. From the marketing people and the consumer products people were high fiving each other, I’m sure after. After that.

Because I could just imagine we’ve seen especially like in the atrium, the bag charms and plushes and yeah, I think.

Beci Mahnken
01:03:55.140 – 01:04:16.260
We’re gonna see a lot more of the Japan style merchandise that we already saw some of it in Disneyland because I know that that is a popular place for. For Asian tourists to come to.

But I can totally see a lot of that type of style of merch that that might be paired with something like the Encanto ride.

Lou Mongello
01:04:16.500 – 01:06:57.390
And you know, as we’re talking about these attractions, some are being built in new spaces like the extension of Avengers Campus and Lion King and, you know, building a new world, building a new land, Building a new attraction on relatively unused land is one thing. Building it on top of something people already loved is something else entirely.

Which brings us to, you know, what is, I think, one of the most emotionally loaded projects of the whole weekend. And Piston Peak.

I am looking at you and what I think a model does to you because that Piston Peak model that was in the imaginary pavilion is a game changer. I don’t want to necessarily talk. I don’t want to start talking about the ride itself. It’s about what it’s built on. Right.

The land is going where Rivers of America and Tom Soil island were. And for gosh, has it been. Yeah, it’s been two years. It’s been a painful conversation in this fandom.

And I’ve had that conversation with probably 100 different people along the way. And then a D23. I stood over the model of this land on the show floor and I walked around it in almost three and a half of the four sides.

And I came away with something that I didn’t expect to think. And I think, more importantly, Becky, this is what a model does and why I think it changes the argument.

Like, just again, sort of stepping back, my first impression after walking around that model with a smile on my face was this is going to change. Not just the conversation.

I think it’s going to change or should hopefully change the opinion of those people who might have felt one way before they saw it and only, you know, saw two dimensional concept art and then stood in front of it and got down to. I’m going to keep referencing this.

Got down to ground level and looked at those sight lines and talked to the imagineers and the light bulbs would be going off like, oh, I get why this is there. I see what that reveal is going to be. I see these multiple weenies and the water elements and the kinetic elements. Like, I get it now.

And maybe some of that sadness, disappointment, whatever it might be, starts to get washed away.

Beci Mahnken
01:06:59.230 – 01:08:27.610
That’s how I felt when I looked at the model as well. And I’m one of those people that I was sad to see the change.

But then again, there was going back in time when Disneyland used to have a big water feature and they had a huge boat sitting in there in the 50s and early 60s. We don’t miss it now. So I’m thinking that later on we’re going to have that same situation with this because it is so spectacular.

And talk about sight lines, looking at the mountain and looking at the different elements of the mountain. And we are getting the water feature back.

And I remember having that conversation with somebody who was just heartbroken that they were losing the water feature and saying, we might get something back that’s going to bring that element back. And certainly is what’s happening here I love.

And this is why I love D23 so much, because you do get to walk into the, into the building, into the room where it happens.

And seeing these things firsthand and being able to, like you said, kind of get down on your knees a little bit and see what you’re going to see when you first walk in. It’s so impressive. I loved looking up and going, wait a minute, there’s going to be a snow capped mountain on this thing.

There’s going to be geysers and there’s going to be water and there’s going to be a snow capped mountain. And I got really excited over what’s coming versus what’s been there.

Lou Mongello
01:08:28.650 – 01:13:02.220
And look, I want to sort of acknowledge because I feel a lot of the same things that people have felt and do. Felt, did feel and did and still feel. And I think it’s important to sort of acknowledge what’s going away. Right.

Because the things that people were upset about was this unstructured play area in Magic Kingdom.

No queue, no ride vehicles, no schedule, Nobody sort of saying, you need to sort of go here and, you know, keep the distance between you and the person. It was a place to go and allow kids to explore. There was nothing else like it in the park. Absolutely. And even the journey to get there.

The rafts were not a transportation mechanism. It was like this threshold. You have to cross the water. Like it felt like you were going somewhere else.

And the Liberty Bell again, this kinetic movement that I can hear the sound of that whistle in my mind’s ear. And there was the only way I could sort of describe it, like the negative space, right?

That huge open expanse in a park that is very, very dense, allowed your eyes and your mind to sort of rest a little bit. It was sort of this beautiful vista to appreciate the water and the sound and the idea that it tied back to Walt. Like, I get it.

And I think, Becky, people were not mourning the loss of an attraction. They were mourning a loss of the openness and what that space represented.

And I think when you hear about Piston Peak coming and I’ve been really trying to put my finger on, like a rendering can only show you in very flat Very limited two dimensions, what is being added. It is a sort of picture of a thing. And the thing that people were mourning. That openness and that breathing room. It’s like the absence of a thing.

And you can’t show that, like you can’t, like you can’t show in a 2D, you know, concept art drawing that room to breathe. So people have been arguing and upset, overseeing this concept art.

But then when you walked into that imagineering pavilion, this model was the first time anybody could actually see the answer. Because you saw it in volume, right? You saw it in sort of ratio too.

Because when you’re looking at a piece of concept art about an attraction, you just focused on that thing. But when you step back and you see this fully developed three dimensional piece of model that’s built, you get the proportions.

You see how much of the land is rock and the water and the trees and the pathways and these open green spaces. Like Piston Peak is not. It’s not about the attractions. It is very much this open landscape.

And when you look down and I, you know, I didn’t have to scrunch down too much to get down and see, but I did like what Walt showed in those videos, you know, those videos from the TV show the Deal, how he would get down into the models and look and see what the guest perspective could be like. It’s about the sight lines, which is exactly sort of why I framed it this way.

On a model, you can drop down to eye level and see what guests see from any point where the mountain is hidden, where it’s going to be revealed, what big thunder looks like from the new path. And see like, oh, like, I get it. This does belong because of the sight lines, not because of the renderings.

And I think, I think it reframed or hopefully reframed for people what this new land, what this expansion is, why it makes sense in Frontierland. Because it is about the American frontier. Water might not be the thing that you travel on, but you travel and walk alongside it.

It’s okay to be sad about what we lost, but I think that this model, I know for me, it not only made me smile, but it really made me understand this is what the vision is. And it completely reframed my thinking versus what I saw in the original concept art.

Beci Mahnken
01:13:02.620 – 01:14:08.970
It seemed, did the same for me in a different way because I wasn’t connecting the Piston Peak national park piece of it. I was just connecting the attraction. I was just thinking about the attraction until I saw that model.

And then it became, okay, this is literally a national park. It really is that more expansive space, the thing that people are mourning, possibly missing.

And I think that model helped me understand that it is expansive.

It is going to be along that national park piece and feel, and it is connecting to Frontierland, which I wasn’t making that connection when it was first announced either. I was thinking it was a standalone land by itself that was going to have its own story.

But now seeing how it beautifully flows through Frontierland into the national park piece and the attractions are added on, it makes so much more sense now that you see it in that four dimensional model piece.

Lou Mongello
01:14:10.330 – 01:15:34.620
And I think too, there was a couple things that I liked that we saw in the model. The one thing I love about the Imagineering Pavilion was if you ever want to talk to an imagineer, like. Like that’s it. Just hang out in the.

The people who are on stage are also hanging out by the model. Jason Grant, for example, who was at the Saturday night presentation, was there around the model. And they help connect the dots.

They point out things that you might not have seen. They point out the fact that we get it. We’re fans too. We miss certain things. So, yes, look carefully.

There’s a barrel bridge in there, right, which is going to sort of honor Tom Soar Island.

Choices that we made were inspired not just by, certainly not by cars, but by Walt, by Mine, Train, through Nature’s Wonderland, by the people who came by the imagineers who came before them, a Marc Davis or a Claude Coats. These journeys through these natural environments.

My feeling was that they built the environment and the land first and then layered the car’s characters on afterward. That, to me is the distinction between a land, quote unquote land, and we need to put a car’s ride in here.

Because a car’s ride in Frontier Land doesn’t work. A car’s ride layered on top of this environment absolutely works.

Beci Mahnken
01:15:35.820 – 01:15:59.520
Yeah, that makes total sense. And looking back and thinking about the time I got to spend with that model, I wish I could spend more time in there.

I think I was in the Imaginary Pavilion at least six times and I never. There was so many people around that model. I would have loved to spend more time looking at each individual detail. I need more pictures of that.

If you have pictures, send them to me.

Lou Mongello
01:16:00.560 – 01:18:01.660
And I think too, Becky, I think the land. But for me, when I was looking at the model, I was looking at, again, the broad view of the model. I almost wasn’t even looking at the attractions.

The land, for me, is going to be the stars. It’s going to be the star. But lest we forget, there’s going to be not one but two different attractions.

The Cars Ridge Run rally is going to be unlike anything that we’ve seen or ridden on before. Because you talked about the snow capped mountains.

You also go through desert and a geyser field, an old tankful and bridges and tunnels and mud flats with a new type of ride vehicle that is not this sort of like motion based. It’s not going to be Indiana Jones, it’s not going to be a trackless type of thing. There’s going to be real suspension.

So when you’re going over the rocky terrain you’re going to feel it. When you’re going through the mud, you’re going to feel it.

And Bruce Vaughn, I don’t know if he said it on the GMA piece or on stage, he’s like, oh yeah, this is going to run in the rain. And when you go up to the snow capped mountains, you’re going to feel colder. Like those details. That’s like, that’s the gem I think right there.

And I was like.

And the reason why I sort of mentioned the rain, we know it rains here in Florida, summertime high and attractions closed like test track, you know, can’t go down. Test track will sometimes go down in very inclement weather.

When you build an outdoor ride system that’s going to keep running like while the bad weather’s happening. Like it shows like, hey, while we’re designing this we need to make sure that guests are not going to have their impact, their experience impacted.

If anything it’s going to bring a different type of experience as you’re riding through these environments in the Florida rain.

Beci Mahnken
01:18:01.980 – 01:18:14.220
Yeah.

So instead of wishing that things break down on Space Mountain, you’re hoping in the middle of summer that it breaks down in the cold, snow capped mountain sustain the air conditioning.

Lou Mongello
01:18:15.500 – 01:18:36.890
And the other attraction is Ms. Fritter’s daredevil spin along which is going to have this school bus sized animatronic who’s hosting a demolition derby. Kids, relax. You are not actually going to be able to crash into other vehicles. It is going to be that multiple turntable spinning vehicle.

Think Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.

Beci Mahnken
01:18:37.130 – 01:18:37.610
Yay.

Lou Mongello
01:18:38.650 – 01:19:26.900
Which Becky and I for some reason love. And it’s going to be sort of this spinning verb, this sort of spinning type derby attraction, you know. I think so.

Let me, well let me ask you this first when, because there’s still some people I know who are like yeah, I just can’t walk in like they’re still so sad. Like I can’t walk into Frontierland. I don’t want to see those construction walls around this area that I love.

Did you or do you still hear from clients and guests about the loss of that space or even since D23 like excitement for what is coming to replace it.

Beci Mahnken
01:19:27.780 – 01:20:38.650
You know, it’s interesting because clients are not really mentioning the loss of the space anymore. It seems to have kind of gone away a little bit. I don’t know if it’s due to the D23 information that we received. They’re.

Their focus has been mainly on when is it coming.

Because I want my kids to experience this and trying to plan their vacations accordingly for the IP and the things that their kids are connected to the most and their families connected to the most for the longest time.

At the very beginning, I know that we had conversations with clients about the loss and the construction walls because a lot of people don’t want to be there during a time when a lot of construct going on because it does inhibit the way that you move around the park. It can cause things to feel a little bit more crowded at times. But that conversation has definitely moved on to when can I experience this?

When should I start thinking about returning to Walt Disney World? Because my kids love Encanto and they want to see it or they love cars and this is what they’re drawn to.

So it’s interesting how you watch those conversations shift.

Lou Mongello
01:20:39.620 – 01:22:08.020
Remember how I said this was not going to be a two hour conversation and I know but there’s so much to unpack and obviously still we have more. And look, I think just sort of quickly touching on this one last time. I think this model represents more than just a look at Piston Peak.

It is, you know, you lament the loss of something you have very sort of blurry ish relatively speaking concept arts which is only showing those little pieces of what is being added. And this model was the one big I think answer to the question about what is coming.

And for me and hopefully for people who were and are upset it may raise their confidence about the intent and what is coming. But there’s still.

And the one thing I think and the reason why I think it’s important that we hold off judgment until you step foot in it is a piece of concept art, a presentation on stage. Even a scale model like that can’t tell you how you are going to feel once you stand there.

And I think that is for me always the barometer of is this A quote, unquote success. It’s how do I feel? How does this make me feel about this place?

Beci Mahnken
01:22:09.060 – 01:23:03.790
Absolutely.

And I want to step back for a second because I don’t want to make light of how people feel about the loss of the attractions that they’ve known and they’ve loved whatsoever.

But I do remember one of my advisors telling me about a conversation that they had with a client who was saying how they loved Tom Sawyer island when they were a kid. And they have those memories. And they were upset that they wouldn’t have those memories with them at Disney World.

But then the advisor was smart and said, there’s a great reason now to go to Disneyland because if you would really like them to have that experience, Tom Sawyer island is still at Disneyland. The rivers of America is still at Disneyland. So while it’s not the same, it’s still there to enjoy and to experience at this point.

Lou Mongello
01:23:04.350 – 01:23:11.150
I mean, look, Becky, there’s a lot of reasons to visit Disneyland. Yeah. Lobster nachos, chimichangas, little red wagon, corn dogs. I mean, the list goes on and on and on.

Beci Mahnken
01:23:11.150 – 01:23:11.870
Now I’m hungry.

Lou Mongello
01:23:12.110 – 01:23:13.950
Yeah. We didn’t even have one. I’m just.

Beci Mahnken
01:23:14.190 – 01:23:16.590
I know. We didn’t have a cozy cone either.

Lou Mongello
01:23:17.310 – 01:26:03.460
Don’t remind me. We are going back. You know, look at what Piston Peak has that we haven’t even sort of addressed out loud yet.

It’s got the headliner attractions, the headliner attraction. There’s a family friendly attraction as well as this place, which is what people are missing about Tom’s Fort island. Just to walk around.

And that combination really ends up. The more I thought about Becky, that combination of those three things like that sort of set a pattern for the night.

Because if you look at it, and I think this is something that maybe is not getting attention from this vantage point, it might also change how your actual. This might be the thing that changes your vacation. What I mean by that is this.

For the past 10 years or so, there has been this visible, quiet, unspoken theme park race to build the biggest possible headliner. Disney never uses words that end in s. It’s not about the fastest, tallest, wildest, wettest, but it is to build these big attraction headliner.

And there’s a side effect of that, like attraction arms race that I think has a. There’s something that happens as a result of that, which is what if you go with your family? Your family can split at the interest. Right?

Because somebody’s got to be tall enough. Hi. Somebody’s got to sit out. Somebody wants to ride the tallest, wildest, fastest that maybe not everybody can do.

Nobody’s counting how many times Disney used the phrase no height requirement on Saturday. No height requirement on Cobra. No height requirement. Antonio Fiesta de Encanto. No height requirement on, Forgive my bad Spanish.

El Carousel on the animal carousel. Right. Ms. Fritters, a family ride that’s sitting right next to the big Piston Peak headliner, the Glob Theater show.

Harryhausen’s, the Maya inspired play area. Even the things that are coming back. Disneyland, right. Remember, Dreams Come True. The original world of color magic happens.

All of these things are once again reuniting the family or the group that might have spread apart because somebody didn’t want to, somebody couldn’t or had no interest in rotting those big giant, thrilling, you know, E ticket attractions.

Beci Mahnken
01:26:04.020 – 01:26:57.560
Yeah.

And that was actually one of the biggest points that I had just written down a little bit ago was no height requirement was something we heard over and over and over again.

Which kind of takes me back to how we were feeling when we were on the adventure DCL’s adventure where we noticed that families wanted to be together instead of being pulled apart.

So Disney, recognizing that fact that they’re consciously creating these experiences that the entire family can stay together and be together, rather than mom and the three year old who can’t ride on this have to stay while the rest of the family goes and has this wonderful experience. That’s a real welcomed shift for us to see. Especially because there’s something for everybody and they can all do it together.

Lou Mongello
01:26:58.420 – 01:29:20.330
Well, I look at Tropical Americas, right? Look at Tropical Americas. Not as. Look at it the same way as you do as Piston Peak as this single unit.

You’ve got the E ticket attraction that has a height requirement. You have a family dark ride with no height requirement.

And the carousel, you have this full portfolio that everybody can enjoy in this 11ish acre space. It’s how Fantasyland was designed.

It’s how really nothing in the past, Maybe more, maybe 10, 15 years has been imagineering Disney, whoever, like they remembered that the land is a place, right? It’s a place that everybody can and should enjoy together. You know, look at Coco coming to Disneyland.

Like you’ve got this first ever Coco attraction over at Disney California Adventure, which is the perfect place for it. You’ve got this boat ride like in By Paradise Gardens. Again, no height requirement.

You’ve got this queue that is going to be this museum honoring Hector Rivera.

And I love the fact that when they are building these places and spaces, they are not just Looking out the front windshield, they’re looking in the rearview mirror. Right. They talk about Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, two of the greatest dark rides ever built.

And these are not environments that you speed through. They are environments that you like, slowly drift through. Like you meander through them right in your doom bug. You’re in a boat.

Like, you don’t rush through these stories. And I.

You pair that with Coco, like that just has the makings of another classic attraction for a new generation of fans who are growing up and have grown up with that film.

And because of that story, because of that character, because of that music, there’s also this incredible emotional rollercoaster and summit that you are going to have when you board, which is going to feel like, I think, this natural continuation of the way the movie ended sort of on that. On that emotional peak.

Beci Mahnken
01:29:20.570 – 01:29:51.440
Yeah. So true.

And as they’re taking this tactic and they’re going through these sight lines, it makes me even more excited for what they can do with Tomorrowland. How will they re engineer re imagineer the Tomorrowland experience? So it has that same element of including everybody and having that.

That touch of something exciting in an E ticket, but still having other things that the family can still enjoy for generations to come.

Lou Mongello
01:29:52.240 – 01:30:31.980
And I think it’s very smart. Borderline brilliant.

That look, the addition of all the Disneyland Entertainment in 2027 is a very smart gap year play because avengers is coming 2028. Coco is after that. Tomorrowland. We don’t know.

Entertainment is not just a relatively inexpensive and quick way to fill that year that has nothing opening, but still bringing back things that people know and people love and people enjoy. Like, do you remember? Very, very smart. And I think a huge. I think it’s gonna be.

I think those 3 and 20 are gonna be huge guest satisfier that are also gonna bring people to or back to that park as well.

Beci Mahnken
01:30:32.380 – 01:31:08.520
Yeah. Did you remember the room totally erupting when they were talking about the original World of Color?

Cause there’s been, you know, a few different versions of World of Color hit. Some haven’t, but that original to see that again. Yeah. I’m going. I’m booking my flight and I’m going to go see that.

Remember, Dreams Come True was always a favorite. And Magic Happens is one of the better parades there. So it’s smart.

Like you said, completely brilliant that they’re bringing it back so that we can go back, we can enjoy those things we haven’t seen in a while and then be excited for whatever comes next.

Lou Mongello
01:31:09.750 – 01:35:00.290
And I think, you know, I think when people come out of. And again, for as much as I talk, I really do listen more in that presentation.

And after, as we were making our way out and the following day and the conversations that were happening, clearly the headlines and the things that we were talking about are the quote, unquote, E tickets, right? The big attractions, right? I think the real story of what came out of the Horizons presentation is what’s happening in between those.

Because it’s not just about these collection of E ticket attractions. It’s about how you’re going to spend your day, how are you going to spend your vacation.

And again, this idea of, again, sort of metaphorically splitting people up at the gate is now changing to bringing people, I think, back together. And I think there’s. I tried to look at this, Becky, in terms of what are sort of the patterns that I see develop.

I kind of laid these out, like in sticky notes. I’m like, all right, what are the patterns that we start to see developing?

And one of those patterns is, look at how many of these announcements, much to the chagrin of some folks on the Internet, but that’s fine, weren’t new at all.

They were things that Disney already had, maybe to some people, like, they gave up on yeti and now they’re going back for, like, they’re finding the good version of it and they are rebuilding. Because I think for a long time, the answer to an attraction that maybe was not as popular is, well, just put something.

Put a bigger franchise on top of it, right? Take something that is not drawing in a crowd, add an IP overlay and call it new. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Maelstrom frozen.

Clearly it is a massive guest satisfier, right? It made a lot of people very happy. Except the Maelstrom fans, all of you, three of you. But on Saturday night, Disney did the opposite.

Not once, not twice, but six different times.

And in one case, and I think this is one of the biggest announcements that maybe not everybody relates to, because especially if you’re living in the States, Disney took Star wars off of a ride and put the original back. When do we ever say that? So in Paris, Hyperspace Mountain is closing at the end of 2027 for refurbishment. That’s gonna last a number.

Returning space as Space Mountain. Forget. Forgive my awful French, if you think my Spanish is bad, wait for this. Space Mountain de la Terra. Forget it.

Space Mountain, that gigantic Columbiad cannon outside is going to be enhanced with new launch effects. The original Score is going to be fully remastered. The cue is going to be redesigned so you can see the trains again.

That retheme of that cool steampunk era of Jules Varnished moon travel. Like it’s going to use all of the latest technology and innovations to return something to even beyond its original glory.

Same thing with World of Color, right? The original is color. This is not going to be another IP version. We’re getting dreams. Remember, Dreams come true coming back.

The yeti is getting refreshed and repaired, not replaced. Dreamfinder is coming back after 28 years. Carousel of Progress, as we know. We got more details about.

By the way, I love, love, love the fact that Bryan Cranston and Jamie Lee Curtis are going to be the mom and dad.

Beci Mahnken
01:35:00.290 – 01:35:00.890
Oh, yeah.

Lou Mongello
01:35:00.890 – 01:35:14.340
Sherman Brothers are coming back. Rover is coming back. All of those things. I think, you know, if I’m sort of using like my little meter. All of those things.

Becky, not the new things were got some of the biggest applauses of the entire night.

Beci Mahnken
01:35:15.460 – 01:36:06.110
Absolutely.

And again, it goes back to them balancing all of the needs where I think that they have this tendency or have had this tendency to really go one side or the other, really go into the ip, because that’s what’s going on right now versus, okay, the fans need this.

This is the first time we’re really seeing a good balance of the new the ip, the technology and the nostalgia and the piece that we love and improving those, investing in those pieces of the story that may not be the latest and greatest ip.

So rather than seeing all one thing or all the other thing, the announcements and the things that we received at D23 gives me a little hope for that balance. So there is truly something for everybody.

Lou Mongello
01:36:06.840 – 01:38:34.350
And I think this does two things right. It leans into this incredible sense of nostalgia and sentiment that generations of Disney fans have. And this is the wrong word to use.

It also is Disney sort of course correcting to a certain degree. Right. Six restorations in one night says Disney says, look, we get the fact that. That our.

I don’t even call it a back catalog, but our back catalog is better than bringing on another overlay for overlay’s sake. Whether you’re talking about fixing something, restoring something, whatever. Look at Carousel of Progress like it is not just a refurbishment.

Like they’re not just going back to the back catalog. Like they talk about these books that they found that were on Walt’s shelf in the 60s. Bob Gurr, God bless you, is going to consult on it as well.

Like they are going to. Again, they’ve got one foot in the past and one in the future. They’re going to build it with 64 techniques with 21 21st century technology.

They talked about Walt Disney, which I love, love, love and appreciate so much, know very much that they do. They, they are preserving what’s important, including the relationship with the person who’s watching it. Right. It’s not about the decades themselves.

It’s about the relationship with the people who are going to be there.

So look, even I, I don’t know where I, I saw it or read it, like Bryan Cranston, like, went to the 64 World’s Fair, like it’s just a cool little thing. And look, and you know, for all. Again, I try and avoid that.

I couldn’t help overhearing for all the people who were like, oh, this is just Disney being. It’s not about the. Yes, look, bringing back a parade costs a fraction of what building a new land does.

And we’re fixing something I think also buys a lot of goodwill for less capital. It’s not about having new ideas. It’s about looking forward while also honoring, respecting the past and bringing back things.

Beci Mahnken
01:38:34.350 – 01:38:51.160
That people love and that not only they love, but they can pass on that love to other generations because it’s been updated in such a way that is entertaining for all generations, for all ages. And I think that’s important as well, right?

Lou Mongello
01:38:51.160 – 01:41:23.940
Because I think for, what is it, 20 years, the instinct was, well, let’s just, let’s skin an existing attraction with a stronger franchise. This year, Disney goes the opposite direction six different times. Like removing Star wars to put in Souls Burn probably makes no sense on paper.

Like, this is the company saying that our history is a more valuable asset than it is a problem. And I think that sort of leads into what might be the biggest restoration of them all, which is not an attraction. It’s an entire land.

And as I mentioned earlier, I was very fortunate and very privileged and very grateful to have been invited to a very small conversation with the new president of Disneyland Resort and imagineers and executives, which was not held in a ballroom. It wasn’t via an email or a zoom or, God forbid, a teams meeting.

They walked us into Tomorrowland, the actual land that many of those folks in the room had written something exceptionally critical about. And they told us there. And, and the fact that she took out and read in front of us and read.

I don’t know how awkward it was for them, like, read the own criticisms in their own words out loud. Listen, I’ve been Very fortunate. I’ve been covering Disney for more than 20 years. I have never, ever seen that before.

And she’s like, look, now you understand why we are having this meeting in this land. And we acknowledge the things that you’re talking about and that it might feel tired and it might be this and it might be that.

And we are going to commit to reimagining Tomorrowland. And again, they’re going to look backwards to the vision that Walt had and walked in. While they’re looking forward to. And the things that.

The little bit of detail that we got on Saturday night is their way of saying, like, don’t worry, we’re just getting started. This is just the beginning.

Beci Mahnken
01:41:24.500 – 01:41:29.940
So basically, they acknowledged what everybody, even themselves, have been saying, without a doubt.

Lou Mongello
01:41:30.260 – 01:41:45.390
And that’s important, has got to be. And for an executive to acknowledge that in front of journalists and media, that’s. That takes. That’s a lot. Like, that’s not normally.

I’m sure that’s what media training tells them not to normally do. There’s a lot of flipping.

Beci Mahnken
01:41:45.390 – 01:43:11.140
Change the subject. Yeah, yeah. And I think that, again, it goes back to what I was saying at the very beginning. It’s exciting to be part of the conversation.

And while it was, you know, not them taking all of us there, they knew that through you, through the journalists and through the people who were invited, you would get that message out.

And it’s important so much that Disney understands how much we as fans appreciate being part of that conversation and appreciate knowing that it’s going to be handled with care, concern, love, stepping back and always keeping Walt in mind when they’re making these changes and these updates. But, yeah, forever. We’ve walked into Tomorrowland, all of us, for many years, and have looked around and gone, well, this is closed.

Well, that’s not there any longer. Well, this was from, you know, the 1972. And it’s never felt like Tomorrowland to me. Maybe when it did, When I was 7, I was in there. But to give it a.

For them to acknowledge that that’s what they need to do, to reimagine it and bring it into not only today, but you put it so wonderfully, one foot in the past and one in the future, I think that that’s probably one of the most exciting things that I have to look forward to is to see how they pull off that balance.

Lou Mongello
01:43:11.540 – 01:43:38.990
Well, and the people who are doing it have the credentials and the credibility and individual and shared experiences, because both of the people who are leading this have already done a Disneyland resort turnaround. And they did it together in the same park.

Like, Jill Estrino was the head of marketing at Disneyland during the DCA reimagining and relaunch, which I could not imagine what that was probably like.

Beci Mahnken
01:43:38.990 – 01:43:40.510
When you have Interesting challenge.

Lou Mongello
01:43:40.590 – 01:43:55.070
Yeah, but you have really. I mean, look, it is what it was. The most underperforming park in Disney history, having to completely turn around.

Emily o’ Brien worked on, you might have heard of these. Tokyo DisneySea and Disney California Adventure.

Beci Mahnken
01:43:55.070 – 01:43:55.870
Yay, Right?

Lou Mongello
01:43:57.500 – 01:47:34.100
And they both worked hand in hand on Fantasy springs in Tokyo DisneySea, which we’ve been there, is one of, if not the very best executed land and overall experiences that Disney has built anywhere. So when you think about who’s being handed this, we talk about trust in Disney and trust in imagineering.

Like the last time Disneyland park had a park. Forget a land, a park that wasn’t working. Jill Estarino had the lead on fixing it. Emily o’ Brien has been there since the very beginning.

They did it again in Tokyo and Fantasy Springs. You don’t assemble. You want to talk about Avengers assembling. Like, you don’t assemble that resume by accident.

So when people were asking me, like, oh, how do I feel about Tomorrowland? Like, my honest answer isn’t about the concept, because we don’t know what that is yet.

It’s about the people who are running it, how they’ve already have this legacy of turning around struggling parks and lands that they’ve done before, side by side.

And when we know that there was articles, I think, in the Wall Street Journal about how there were plans for Tomorrowland updates going way back and it was killed for one reason or another. And then you hear some of the things that they talk about again, like open spaces, not just adding.

And like, they want to open this land up instead of cramming it with more things. That’s exactly what we’re seeing in places like Piston Peak in tropical Americas. Looking back to 1955 as inspiration. Not sort of abandoning the.

The updates that have happened in the late 90s, but looking at what the vision was and what may or may to some people have been the best version of Tomorrowland. Like, this is not going to be just a new paint and an overlay on top of it. This is going to be something that I think is going to be massive.

And no, they did not use words like people mover in there or carousel. But I think part of the fun is going to be speculating and then waiting to hear what those announcements are going to be.

And look, Becky, in my preview and predictions show, yes, I was wrong a lot, which is fine. I talked about Tomorrowland, I was talking about Walt Disney World, but I said, oh, I think they might also do Tomorrowland as well.

But as we look at sort of the three Tomorrowlands, which is what’s happening, Tokyo is building their version of a new future, right?

Earthrise, which is Gonna Open in 2027, which sort of like Disney’s Animal Kingdom, has this important messaging behind it about this caring for the Earth. It’s sort of the name is the thesis statement. I love Paris is recovering their old version of the future. Anaheim.

We don’t know what it’s going to be, but we have this sort of optimistic view.

And I think when you look at this look, I mean, how can they not update the Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom if you’re going to be updating it everywhere else?

And I wonder how much of Tokyo is going to potentially inform what’s going to happen in Disneyland and what’s going to potentially happen in Walt Disney World.

Beci Mahnken
01:47:34.500 – 01:49:37.120
That’s a really good question.

And that excites me because I know how great of the amount of work that they do over there and how wonderful that is, but I want to go back to the people, because that’s one thing that puts me always at ease when these types of projects come along, is that we’ve been blessed to get to know a lot of the imagineers and people who pull this stuff off. And for them, it’s not just a job. They are so emotionally invested in these projects and they’re fans first.

So many of them come at it with our eye, with our line of sight and going, you know what? We’re going to turn this into something that I’m going to be proud of.

And I have trust and faith in those people because luckily I’ve met them and it puts me at ease that. That point.

But another reason why going to D23 is so important, because you can walk up to those imagineers, the people, like you said, who are on stage that you think you’ll never be able to talk to, they’re in that pavilion waiting for your. Your questions and your. Your feedback and for them to point out these neat little pieces and parts.

Like one of the things once somebody walked right up to me and said, oh, my gosh, have you seen what we’re doing over here for our cocoa area?

We’re having everyone write down their memories, just a personal memory that they can then put in this box, which is then Going to be buried under the tree. And then I got to talking to that imagineer that I’d never met before, and she was telling me about projects that she has done.

So when you put the faith and the trust in the people, not just the resumes, that clearly the gals that you were just talking about know what they’re doing and they’re the perfect people to put these projects in their hands. But I would go so far as to say for imagineers across the board, they have just as much invested emotionally and in that legacy that we do.

Lou Mongello
01:49:39.040 – 01:52:12.260
As I was thinking back on this, I think so many people came out of the building on Saturday night and the hours and the days that followed with the list of what Disney is building. I would potentially argue, I guess I am going to argue it’s recovering, lawyering. The list is the least interesting part.

I think the real news and the way that I was taking in that night as a also recovering theater kid was the order. It was the way that.

And the order, the very, very, I think very intentional, very deliberate order that things were bought at this felt like a three act. I was gonna say play very much a musical number, very three act musical. Because when a company has.

And we need to remember this, when we get frustrated, like, why didn’t we get dates? Why is this not happening tomorrow?

Why is it when a company has more approved projects than it has available, like liquid cash and construction crews, like Thomas Maslom said it, they have more going on right now than at any point in their history. So it’s not about the sequence of events. It’s not about the schedule. Like the sequence was the strategy.

So even when we look at Disneyland, Jill Esterino said, avengers campus is coming out in 2028. Coco after that, Tomorrowland to follow. Again, we don’t have dates. And then Avatar, which I think is interesting.

Monstropolis, we know is going to open in phases. The coaster is going to open later. Set your expectations accordingly.

Tropical America’s 2027 villains land here at Walt Disney World, Most likely the last of the Magic Kingdom projects. I think it’s fascinating and I think you can interpret this however you like. That Tomorrowland didn’t get appended to the list. It jumped the line.

It jumped up past Avatar and someone, some people, some group, some room, whatever. It was decided that, and I love this, that fixing and fixing is the wrong word.

Reimagining the land that Walt built matters more right now than a new land from the highest grossing film franchise in the history of planet Earth.

Beci Mahnken
01:52:12.740 – 01:52:13.340
Good Point.

Lou Mongello
01:52:13.340 – 01:52:19.060
I don’t know, Becky, that two, three years ago, that’s the decision this company makes.

Beci Mahnken
01:52:20.660 – 01:52:53.960
Very fair point.

Because yeah, pushing Avatar way to the end of the line was surprising because two years ago that was one of the things that they were very happy to talk about. And even on the floor at D23, they had a couple of very large displays of the things going on with Avatar. So you’re. You’re right. That is a.

An interesting shift in their priorities, which I’m excited about personally.

Lou Mongello
01:52:54.200 – 01:54:30.170
I was, yeah, said it. She’s like, look, we are going to focused our shift.

We’re gonna shift our focus to Tomorrowland and then we’re gonna return to the Hollywood backlot to enable the work on Avatar, which I. Look, I think we as Disney fans, we sometimes forget like there’s a finite amount of people, there’s a finite amount money budget.

There are two projects that need the same ground and the same crews at the same time. Only one of them could sort of progress first. Right.

There’s not an infinite number of skilled workers and imagineers to do both of those projects at the same time. And look, I think it’s also important to acknowledge Disney did not talk about Avatar from the stage. There was no stage mention of it at all.

The sequencing came from the conversation. I think that happened in Tomorrowland and some other places as well.

Although there was a very impressive and very different than what we have here in Pandora model of Avatar in the imaginary booth. So it’s the reassurance like this project is happening, we are moving forward. There is a team that is still working on it.

But in terms of the sequencing of when these things are going to happen, Tomorrowland is going to happen first. Again, interpret that however you want. Is that fan service? Is it smart business? Is it A little bit. Bit of both.

But I think, Becky, I think the fan reaction to that was overwhelmingly positive.

Beci Mahnken
01:54:30.410 – 01:55:38.390
Yeah, absolutely. I remember just feeling that excitement in the room. And it’s a smart move.

I think it’s a good move for the company in general to kind of go back to that when they reach back into the roots of Walt. That excites us all because it shows that priority and the pivot I guess is interesting.

The other thing that I found really interesting too is going into that night, going into Saturday, the thing I kept hearing from people is like, yeah, they’re just going to tell us about a whole bunch of stuff that probably won’t happen again. And they completely changed my everybody’s mind, at least most.

I shouldn’t say everybody, most people’s mind about that because while we didn’t get exact timelines how it was presented and the way that it came across made me believe that yeah, these are things we’re really going to see.

So they kind of buried that idea that or that feeling that so many people had from the last one that yeah, this is just stuff that they’re going to tell us about. It’s going to be changed later.

Lou Mongello
01:55:39.830 – 01:56:43.730
It’s so important. And this is where I and possibly you listening might not necessarily see eye to eye. It is so critical to deliver on the promises that you make.

It’s not just about announce, announce, announce because then you get mad when they don’t come to fruition. We’re saying, look, we announced this in 2024. Here’s what’s happening. Here’s we are working on new stuff too.

You’ve got to deliver on those promises and also sort of acknowledge too priorities. You know, sometimes there’s more approved projects, there are planes that are in flight than capital and workforce.

So you reveal the priorities by what you are building first. And again, sort of going back to this idea of putting that 60 year old lan ahead of the biggest movie franchise in history I think is fascinating.

Go ahead.

Beci Mahnken
01:56:43.970 – 01:57:19.600
I was gonna say I think it’s smart for so many reasons. Like I said, not just reaching back into the legacy and the love that the fans have, but from a family perspective.

While I know there’s some things in Avatar Land that are going to appeal to families, I think that Tomorrowland has a much bigger appeal or has the potential to have a much bigger appeal for that thing we’re just talking about with the no height requirement, having different attractions and different experiences that the full family can experience seems to lend itself more to Tomorrowland than it would to Avatar. Just a hunch.

Lou Mongello
01:57:20.000 – 01:58:22.580
And you know, as I was looking at sort of my, my metaphorical glancing down at my sticky notes of different projects, I was not just looking obviously at world and land, but all the projects that were being talked about around the world because I think there’s a pattern that is happening there too. And the pattern is that there is no pattern because the projects don’t look like each other.

Every park is being told to and is becoming its own even more so a version of itself. I think you and I are in alignment in the fact we hear people all the time like, oh, I wish they would bring X here.

No, I don’t, don’t, please don’t ever bring Mystic. I can’t believe this Is saying out loud like, God, I love Mystic Manor so much. Don’t bring Mystic Manor from Hong Kong to Walt Disney World 1.

Because I love the Hong Kong parks. I just.

Beci Mahnken
01:58:22.580 – 01:58:22.860
Look,.

Lou Mongello
01:58:24.780 – 02:01:34.830
One of the complaints I think we hear sometimes from people is that everything is sort of converging, right? You can take one land out of resort, just pick it up and drop it into another.

And I was looking through the slate and I’m like, that’s not what’s happening here. The opposite that is happening. Every strong project that’s happening does not and could not exist anywhere other than the park it’s being built in.

Like, think about Tropical Americas, right? Built around this Pueblo Esperanza. This lived in town. It very much aligns with the logic and the storytelling of Harambe. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Disney did the exact same thing. They worked with archaeologists and anthropologists and sociologists and Mayan expert.

They took research trips to these places to build this place that feels authentically lived in and that you can go into.

Hong Kong is in addition to having mystic matter and some of the best Hong Kong I’m going to plant my flag may have the best food of any Disney theme park around the world. We’ll come back to that another time. Don’t drop your jaw like that.

Hong Kong is getting a new Avengers Pavilion and this expanded Stark Expo with this. We saw the model there. This 120 foot plus storytelling environment which we don’t even know what the ride system is going to be.

Shanghai is getting the first LAN on planet Earth dedicated to one Peter at Spider Man. And that web look. I’m wearing my web shirt. Coincidentally enough, the web Shanghai division. A new coaster. Spider bottle. What is it?

20 Or so murals from local artists. Like, and when I was there, they literally the day before had finished putting in that final piece of coaster track.

So yes, going back to what we talked about four or five hours ago, Disney is still building land and places from established characters. But they’re building them inside frameworks that belong to their park, not the franchise. Right? Like the Zootopia. Becky. We do see Zootopia.

It’s amazing. Like, look at Pueblo Esperanza. Look at and rest in peace, dinosaur. My son is still lamenting the. The loss of what that is.

But look, you know, Dinoland was this very intentional kitschy America, jokey touristy roadside attraction. Tropical America. Like other things we’ve seen.

Disneyland, Animal Kingdom is this real place and real culture that real people belong to and like, right? It’s the founding promise is the authenticity Right. You know, Chester and Hester, may you rest in peace wherever you might be.

But it also means there’s also a lot of pressure because you get Chester and Hester wrong. That’s okay. You’ve got to make sure you get this land right. And, you know, obviously, they’ve earned the trust and confidence that they will.

Beci Mahnken
02:01:35.470 – 02:02:48.810
Yeah. And I’m. I’m so excited about everything you just said, and even about having to get a new Chinese visa. I’m. I’m okay with that. And.

And, yeah, you’re right. And I’m. I’m right there with you. We’ve always been in alignment with this. I don’t want cookie cutter shapes and sizes of the parks anywhere.

I want a reason to want to go to Paris again. I want a reason to. To go to Japan, even though there’s not. You know, that’s not a hard. A hard ask. I want a reason to have to go back to Shanghai.

I love the fact that there are different experiences that fit the different cultures of the places that they’re created. It is a culture shock when you go to Japan for the very first time and you go to Disney.

It’s weirdly familiar, but yet totally different all at the same time. And I love that about the experience.

So it’s great that they are creating these things for those locations, and they’re not making it the exact same and giving it different flavors so that it does entice you to want to go and experience them wrapped in the different cultures.

Lou Mongello
02:02:49.290 – 02:06:03.790
I think part of the problem, too, Becky. And look, I say this every single D23. Many fans go in with understandable but unreasonable expectations that we set for ourselves.

And then we get mad when they didn’t announce the fifth, sixth, and seventh gate. Like, you have to sort of, first of all, I’m gonna choose a good guy and appreciate what you have.

But sometimes those expectations are not ones that can be met. And I shake my head sometimes. Like, I came out of there with this huge smile on my face. Like, my cup was full. I was satisfied. I was excited.

And then walking through the halls, I hear people, like, grumbling, well, they didn’t do this. Why didn’t we get this? We didn’t get that. And I’m like, did we just come out of the same presentation? Like, do you know?

And so, for example, one of the things that I heard, one of the many things that I heard is, well, you know, this is all great, but it doesn’t fix Animal Kingdom. I’m like, I didn’t know, Animal Kingdom needed fixing.

I continued to listen more and the fix that I think they were referencing to was that Animal Kingdom closes at night. It closes before nighttime, right.

So you don’t get to appreciate beautiful lands and beautiful lighting and ambient sounds and how Pandora changes from day to night, not just in what you see, but what you hear. I think you sometimes have to read between the lines. Two things. One, just please keep this in mind.

Just because I’ve taken off my glasses for effect, I can’t see anything. But just because it doesn’t get announced on stage at D23, it doesn’t mean it’s not coming. Don’t believe me? Remember when they announced Piston Peak?

And also if you announce everything all at once, it gets diluted, the messaging gets diluted, the excitement gets diluted. So for example, I think you also, number two, need to sometimes read between the lines.

So for me, when I see tropical Americas and I see the structures that they are building not just on screen, but the models of that beautiful pyramid that is going in there, to me that might be a way to address the guest dissatisfier that the day ends too early. Now you have reasons to keep this park open late, with the energy and the entertainment and dining capacity.

All these things support the idea that yes, this is a huge thing that’s coming and there’s probably a lot more that we don’t even know yet that is going to not just allow the park to be open at night, but give you reasons to stay there at night.

And so sometimes the unanswered questions are not ones that Disney is not aware of or ignoring or know that you have, but is strategically waiting for just the right time to explain the how, the why and the when.

Beci Mahnken
02:06:04.590 – 02:07:02.190
Strategy. Absolutely, strategy. And I think you’re right on that. The same goes for.

See, one of the things I really wanted to hear about and I was disappointed for like 2Ns was that I didn’t get to hear more about the Disneyland Forward Project project. And that just tells me that it’s not quite ready for public consumption.

And you don’t want to give everything away because there’s other times that these, these announcements and these strategies and these pieces are going to be announced and given to us. And you don’t want to have all of the Thanksgiving turkey in one bite. You want to have little bites along the way to be satisfied as you go.

And when we get hungry again, they’re going to give us more.

And I think that we’re going to get the Information that we want in the timeline that it needs without trying to force feed us the entire Thanksgiving dinner in one bite.

Lou Mongello
02:07:02.750 – 02:10:40.270
And I think Becky too, and this is sort of another sight line that I was thinking about as I heard that frustration.

And then we went back onto the show floor the next day and admittedly you and I did not get a lot of time to explore the floor or the pavilions, but we did get to go to Imagineering a couple of times. We’ve talked about the models, we talked about Piston Peak, we talked about the dragon, we talked about some of these other things.

And I think part of the Saturday night presentation was absolutely tied to you extending that experience by going to the Imagining Pavilion the day after. Because I talked about how the model of Piston Peak spoke to me.

There were so many models in that pavilion and Imagineers, but the models did the talking. The models filled in a lot of the gaps. So if you sort of put to the side the things Disney announced, think about how they announced it.

Right, because there’s a version of this presentation that goes beyond what you saw on screen.

And again, I understand not everybody’s able to get to D23 and hopefully been able to see videos of the Imagineering Pavilion, but we saw that massive Piston Peak model. We got a little bit, a little slice of very, I think very, very small bit of Villains Land.

And that, that single themed tree sculpt, I think speaks volumes of what that’s going to look like.

Yeah, we saw things from Encanto, we saw the Indiana Jones Temple facade, we saw the carousel sculpts, Tokyo Space Mountain, the Lion King model, the Tree Avengers campus, the Star Flight Lab, Coco Avatar Lab, like these detailed previs and animatronics. I was able to connect the dots like, oh, this is what the Monstropolis load area and launch looks like.

And it’s this beautiful extension of what I think Disney has been not so quietly, but collectively doing for a long time. And we as guests, like, we have so much, I think, to be grateful for because they’ve given us what we wanted.

They are letting us peek behind the curtain to see how the, not the sausage, but the attractions are made.

Whether it is with D23, talking to the Imagineers, the imagineering story by Lesley Iwerks, the imagineering shorts on YouTube, all the things that like, they are giving these updates and peeks behind the curtain to us, not just at these single events every couple of years, but all the time. And I am insanely excited, as you should be too, about the Imagining Story season Two by Leslie Iwerks. She came on stage with Bruce Vaughn.

I love the two of them collectively and individually for so many reasons.

Again, we’re getting this extensive guided access to as the portfolio that we’re talking about is going to be moving from the concept to the design to the construction phase. And we see all of these legendary imagineers that are going to help bring us on that journey.

And if that doesn’t get you excited, man, I don’t know what should.

Beci Mahnken
02:10:40.990 – 02:10:52.030
And just PSA for anybody who watches world builders bring tissues. I was a blubbering mess. I was fine until I became a blubbering mess. When Jennifer Lee walked into.

Lou Mongello
02:10:53.210 – 02:10:57.170
That seems to be the moment that Jennifer Lee is making a lot of people cry. In the best possible way.

Beci Mahnken
02:10:57.170 – 02:11:10.170
In the best possible way. Absolutely. Oh, the one thing that we didn’t mention was the little bit of a carrot. Not. Not a lot.

We just got, like, a taste of carrots and then we had to move on to the mashed potatoes. But the little carrot about Disney Cruise.

Lou Mongello
02:11:10.170 – 02:11:11.530
Line, I’m getting there.

Beci Mahnken
02:11:11.610 – 02:11:15.730
Okay. All right. I’m just trying to get ahead of you because I’m looking at the clock and you’re not. All right.

Lou Mongello
02:11:15.730 – 02:11:19.290
I know. I told Becky. I was like, we’re going to do this in an hour.

Beci Mahnken
02:11:19.290 – 02:11:19.760
In an hour.

Lou Mongello
02:11:20.230 – 02:13:19.050
You’re welcome. Or I’m sorry. So just very quickly, we talk about delivering on the promises.

And I think when you see concept art or rendering, like, that’s the promise. But when you see even the stuff on stage is the promise. When you see the models, like, that’s the evidence like that.

Like, they are not just telling you that it’s happening. Like, they are showing you. They are showing you that it’s absolutely happening.

And if you have any questions about trust and confidence like that, that’s the way to do it. That is where even when you don’t talk about Avatar, by putting that model there, it says, please trust us, like, it is still going.

That plane is still in flight. It is absolutely happening.

So again, speaking about things that are some of the details and things hiding in plain sight that are easy to miss, I think one of the biggest announcements of the night was delivered in the bit of a com. Like in the middle of a comedy routine, like when Jack McBrayer came out in the Jack Sparrow costume and everybody’s laughing.

And then, like, as in the middle of this whole bit, everybody like, oh, just so you know, some of the biggest growth in this company is gonna be happening over the next five years.

And, like, the cruise portion of this presentation mattered more to the shape of the Walt Disney Company than any land that was announced on Saturday night. Like that is not, not a stretch because we know that the Believe, which is the fourth and final of the Wish class, is coming late next year.

We learned and saw about the Moana and Pua and Heihei statue, Tinkerbell on the bow and Woody and Buzz on the stern. And then the new class of ships, which is in between the Magic and Dream we know is going to come out 2029, 2029 and 2030.

It will have three 13 ships operating by the end of 2030, including but not limited to and you know, we have to go the Oriental Land Company ship in Japan, which is not part of that new class.

Beci Mahnken
02:13:20.010 – 02:14:56.210
Yeah, and again that was the big mind blower a couple years ago. And they said, yeah, we know one ship is coming. We’re like, yeah, we know a ship is coming. And then they tell us that more ships are coming.

And that was just amazing.

But it was neat to hear a little amuse boosh about what this ship is going to be and hearing it’s going to be around 3,000 guests, 100,000 gross tonnage, which right now the dream sits at 129, the wish at 140, the wonders at 84. So that kind of tells you where that’s going to sit in there. It’s going to be a little bit bigger between the two.

But that becomes exciting because now we know that that ship can easily go through the Panama Canal, which tells us it’s going to easily be able to go the west coast, easily be going to be able to go to Asia if it wants to. Woohoo. Have a different experience in Alaska.

And there’s so many itineraries out there that cruise lines are going after that can’t handle the big mega ships that are coming out. So that opens up the possibilities for some amazing itineraries that Disney Cruise Line has never been able to touch. So I’m very excited for this.

I love that they read the room and went smaller instead of bigger because of all the doors it’s going to open up for us and all of the theme parks around the world, they can do some amazing land and sea opportunities which, you know, we’ll have to now extend our contract now to 2043.

Lou Mongello
02:14:57.570 – 02:15:02.690
Becky tells me every few months, you know, you can’t die because you need to go to X place.

Beci Mahnken
02:15:02.850 – 02:15:07.249
Well, it was 2033 until Disney, till D23 and now it’s 2043.

Lou Mongello
02:15:07.249 – 02:16:50.979
Just saying the digits are changing. Look, you know, everything else on Saturday was about places that sort of already exist, right.

New Land and Magic Kingdom serve people who are already there. A new ship creates a new market. Right. It turns a city that never sort of had a Disney connection into a Disney destination.

And you know, Disney isn’t building a smaller ship to like save money. Like, they’re doing it because it allows them to go. Like you said, it helps Disney shape the ports and experiences that they want, want to go to.

And I love the fact that Thomas Masloom, head of parks and experiences, his background is from cruise line. He comes through the cruise line and now runs all of Disney experiences. And launching a new ship every year for the next five years is a big deal.

And I think by the time you hear this, you will probably hear about some other. We know another announcement is coming tomorrow. I think the cat’s already out of the bags.

If you just sort of look at the Disney Cruise Line posts coming back to New York as a home port for a ship and new itineraries, which is going to reach a demographic and a part of the country that may or may not be able to travel out to Florida or travel to California or travel to Europe. I think one of the best cruises we ever did, Becky, was that one way our E ticket adventure from New York to Puerto Rico, 2017.

I don’t even remember what year it was.

Beci Mahnken
02:16:50.979 – 02:17:20.750
I don’t remember either.

Yeah, and especially right now when costs for travel are going up when you’re looking at especially flight costs and for being able to sail out of New York and not having that flight cost for those who living in the Northeast, that makes a Disney cruise so, so much more affordable. So again, bravo to them for understanding that there is a market there who loves Disney Cruise Line and bringing it to that their front door.

It’s amazing.

Lou Mongello
02:17:21.710 – 02:17:56.360
Look. And I think they’re doing that with Abu Dhabi, right? Bringing. We saw a little bit more about what is coming to Abu Dhabi.

And like I said, a new land, a new attraction serves people who are coming or coming back. A new ship turns a city that, that may have never had Disney into a Disney destination.

And Disney told us in the middle of a joke that they’re moving forward and accelerating the timeline on three of them. But I think, Becky, all of these things beg a question that.

Beci Mahnken
02:17:58.120 – 02:17:59.160
When’s our group, Cruz.

Lou Mongello
02:17:59.160 – 02:20:29.590
Sorry, group cruises, plural. But I think it’s a question that may or may not have been being asked with different intention behind it.

And the question that I’m hearing asked in different ways is this is great, and that this is maybe a little uncomfortable, but can Disney really do this right? This is such a ambitious projects that they’ve announced we know what Disney wants to build and why.

And now it’s a matter of once again delivering on these promises. Right? We have dates for some things. We don’t have things for other things. We know Monstropolis phase one is coming in 2027.

Tropical Americas, Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, Sugar Rush, Disneyland Entertainment, all these things are happening in 2027. Along with the belief Hyperspace Mountain was going to close at that time. They had to get into 2028. Avengers Campus, the new ship class.

And then we have all these other things without dates, which I’m perfectly okay with. Like, I know this is a frustrating point for a lot of people. Like, why didn’t we get a date? Why don’t we get a.

First of all, listen, if you’ve ever tried to build a house and your builder’s like, your house will be ready on June 1, I would bet any amount of money your house is not going to be ready on June 1st. Like right now. Imagine trying to do all of these projects at scale. Like, I don’t need a date to know that these things are real.

And I sort of asked the rhetorical question of I don’t need a date to know that Disney can do this. And I’m perfectly comfortable with that fact. And everyone without the dates is a huge project. It’s an emotional project. It is a large project.

And I don’t necessarily need a date to know. I know as we get closer, we will start to get dates. Because if you think about it, go back to 2019, Time Machine.

Go back to 2019 when Disney announced all these projects. Now obviously, Covid, I understand, but all these projects, that never happened or that they announced a date and it never came to be. You never.

Here’s a business. Here’s a life lesson, folks. Don’t like, don’t announce a date until you are comfortable. You can hit it. Like, that’s not a dodge.

That’s just smart discipline.

Beci Mahnken
02:20:30.550 – 02:21:31.420
Yeah, I, I get that. I’m a travel planner though. So being a vacation planner and trying to, to put all the things together.

And of course, like at the very beginning, families are trying to figure out when they can go. But from a business perspective, you’re so right. It’s such. It takes a positive and turns it into a way negative.

If they can’t deliver on a date that they give you I do like the way, though they did with Disney Cruise, it kind of told us, one’s going to be early 29, one’s going to be late 29. So at least I know I can block these three months for that ship and these three months for that ship. So that’s a little bit helpful.

I’m doing the true Libra on this one, because from a business hat perspective, totally get why they can’t give us anything. Travel planner perspective. I want the dates, and I want them now.

So somewhere in the middle, I will come to terms with not having everything I want, but being happy knowing that they are definitely coming.

Lou Mongello
02:21:33.340 – 02:22:51.130
Look, you know, you have to sort of be practical about this too, right? Like we said earlier, there’s only so much. I mean, I mean, $60 billion is a lot of money. It goes a long way. But there are only so many imagineers.

There’s only so many construction workers.

New lands, new attractions require trained cast members and maintenance expertise and reliable technology to want to open something that’s going to break down on food operations and merchandise and transportation and custodial and all the continuing creative attention that all of these things demand. And I think having these phased openings allows you to not schedule a trip around an attraction that might not necessarily be available at that time.

And I think that is the. I think it’s only smart. But the standard is not about the opening day.

The standard is reliability and capacity and artistic integrity and guest satisfaction and maintenance and exceeding expectations. And the way you do that is to make sure that when it does open that it is done right.

I would rather have an attraction open late and be done correctly than an attraction open on time and be closed.

Beci Mahnken
02:22:51.450 – 02:22:55.850
Yep, I totally agree. But then again, I want it now.

Lou Mongello
02:22:58.250 – 02:23:06.090
Because, look, you also don’t want imagination to become obligation, right? Like, oh, this is the date we could have. Because all of a sudden, what ends up happening, you start cutting corners, right?

Beci Mahnken
02:23:06.090 – 02:24:06.450
Yeah. And we don’t want that either. And again, I am totally on board with everything you’re saying, and I totally get it.

It’s just that other, other side of me that would, as a travel planner, trying to help these families decide when to go. Which, of course, my. My answer to that is now, because you’re never going. Disney’s always changing, always updating.

There’s always something new that’s going to be coming around the corner. So you can’t just say, well, I’m going to wait 28, because guess what? By then, something else will be announced for 2029.

Something else for 30, the moment that you feel that tug to go to Disney, which we all need, because we all need to feel that. That magic. I need to feel like an 8 year old with a platinum card.

It’s a wonderful feeling of walking underneath the railroad track and feeling like you don’t have a care in the world. So if you want to go to Disney, go to Disney. Because then go back and go back again each time that there’s something that draws you there.

Lou Mongello
02:24:08.690 – 02:24:24.050
So mini lightning round. What is. And this is just personal. I just want sort of your personal.

What you think sort of the general consensus is what is the project you are most excited to experience?

Beci Mahnken
02:24:24.210 – 02:25:51.760
Personally, I knew you were going to ask that. That if I can’t. If I had to pick one. I hate it when you do that because I can’t just pick one because there’s two. I’m excited for it all.

Okay, just let’s put that on the track. But for the two that I’m most excited about, Villains is a given.

Just because it’s something they’ve never done before and having that whole dark and twisty thing which they haven’t really explored that I’m really looking forward to Villains. But the other one really is Tropical Americas Encanto.

Every time I see some new information about that experience, about that attraction, I get more excited. I think I love animals. I love that story. It’s one of my favorite movies of the Disney movie.

So for me I’m really drawn and I can’t wait to meet Casita and to ride through and to see the animals and to see these characters that I’ve fallen in love with that family. So I think out of the major attractions, then I’ll add Adventures later because I can’t wait to be a cocktail shaker because that just sounds so fun.

But the ultimate answer is all of them. I can’t wait for. But those two are probably the ones that I’m most excited about. How about you?

Lou Mongello
02:25:51.920 – 02:25:56.000
I can’t wait to eat my way through tropical Americas because the food is going to be so good.

Beci Mahnken
02:25:57.870 – 02:25:58.990
Which project for you?

Lou Mongello
02:25:58.990 – 02:26:53.300
We can do an entire show about the top 10 food items we’re most excited about that’s coming to the Disney parks over the next five years because there is a lot. So what do you think is. And this is not like, even if it’s not your favorite, what do you think is the announcement.

Oh, by the way, to quickly answer. The project I’m most excited about personally. Most to experience. Personally, I agree with you.

I think Villains Land, especially at night, is going to be remarkable. I think Piston Peak is going to change the entire atmosphere of Magic Kingdom, especially on that side of the park.

And I personally am incredibly excited about the nostalgic attractions that are being updated. Spaceship Art, Journey into Imagination, Tomorrowland.

Beci Mahnken
02:26:53.460 – 02:26:57.380
That wasn’t one. That wasn’t one. Just so going on record wasn’t one.

Lou Mongello
02:26:57.700 – 02:27:06.900
What do you think is the most important strategic announcement?

Not necessarily your favorite, but what do you think of all the announcements like strategically, from a business and guest satisfaction perspective is the most important?

Beci Mahnken
02:27:07.860 – 02:28:47.360
That’s a really great question because I can almost answer that with Villains Land up front, only only because it is it. It’s leaning into ip, but the way that it’s being told is a whole new story.

And I think that speaks to a lot of people who say it’s all IP now and it’s not a new story. I think that this blends the two really nicely and it will be a draw. It will create new business.

It’s going to bring people to the park that maybe haven’t been there in years or some that have never been there at all. So I believe that that is probably one of the biggest from a business financial aspect.

I also think that Monstropolis is up there too from a business perspective because that is going to attract people to Hollywood studios that usually don’t think about that. And from vacation planning side of things, people always look at the difference between a one park ticket per day and a park hopper per day.

And if there isn’t something really exciting that draws them to Hollywood studios. If you’re not a big Star wars fan right now, you may hop over Hollywood studios.

Or if you, you know, unless you really want to experience Tower of Terror, which is an original legacy type attraction as well, I think that that has a huge opportunity to bring people into Hollywood studios that may not have gone there before.

Lou Mongello
02:28:49.120 – 02:30:10.900
Yeah, I think the one project or two projects that could most impact and improve and change a family vacation are also the ones I think are most important strategically.

And I think yes, it’s Monstropolis and I also think it’s Piston Peak because you are talking about not just a change in landscape, but two franchises that are specifically reaching a demographic that is the one that people grew up with and that they want to introduce their kids to. Right, the folks that grew up with cars. Like yes, you want to take your kids to it because they grew up with it. That is going to be the thing.

Years from now, it becomes generational. They’re going to visit Be like, I remember when this first opened because I grew up with cars. Now I want to introduce this to my child.

The same thing with Monstropolis. These kids that grew up with it that are now adults getting to go and live in that world and then have kids of their own.

It’s the same thing that my mom and dad did for me. It’s the same thing that grandparents get to do with their grandkids. I think from a. Again, sort of answer the question about strategic importance.

I think those are. I think those are the two. I have plenty of other questions, but I also want to be cognizant of time, because now here we are at two and a half hours.

Beci Mahnken
02:30:11.540 – 02:30:14.740
We’re not going to go over an hour. We’re not going to go out over an hour.

Lou Mongello
02:30:14.740 – 02:34:09.900
I know, but I really tried to do it in an hour because I wanted to look at this metaphorically as the model, like, from above, like, with 10ish. I didn’t sort of enumerate them, but sort of. There were 10ish sight lines.

And, you know, look, one of the things I keep coming back to is, as we stand over this whole thing are like, look at the things in that room.

And gosh, if you get a chance to come to D23, if you’re not sure if D23 is right for you, if you’re able to get into that Honda center, yes, I love the fact that they were able to broadcast it on Disney for those who couldn’t be there.

But the energy in that place, that shared experience, is markedly different than watching it on your couch in your jammies with a bowl of insert snack here. Because the loudest screams in that room on Saturday night were about a broken animatronic character that nobody has seen since 1990.

A land that has been considered tired for 30 years, and a ride about the history of human communication. None of those are new. None of them has a date attached to them.

And every single one of them is Disney saying to us as fans the exact same things, which is, we know you’ve been telling us. We hear you and you’re right. Like. Like, we get it and you’re right and we are doing something about it.

And yes, like, Dirt hasn’t necessarily started moving on all these things yet. And yes, the models bring a lot of this to a different sort of dimension, literally and figuratively and reality.

But until you stand there, I sort of mentioned this about Piston Peak. It can’t convey how you’re going to feel.

It can’t convey the Sounds and the shade and how this place feels the first time you go versus five years from now. And I think some of the things that we don’t have dates on are the things that we may care about the most.

And that’s okay, because the hard work is like, it’s about to start. Now that you make the announcement now you gotta deliver on it.

But for Disney to go up on stage more than once and say, not only do we get you, we hear you, but we acknowledge that it’s broken. And now it’s just a matter of money and time, but we’re on it and we’re going to fix it. And they are looking ahead.

But looking back, I keep thinking about Tomorrowland, the conversation with the imagineers and executives about how this Tomorrowland at Disneyland is special because it’s the only one that Walt envisioned and designed and walked in, and you’ve got to get this right. And I very much believe, from the. Like Josh to Thomas and everybody on the way down, I believe that they understand that.

They get that and they understand that with that great power must also come great responsibility, and they are going to do it. And I started thinking about the future, too, Becky.

Like, what are the conversations we’re going to be having five years from now, 10 years from now about this? How are we going to be able to look back and reflect on. And yes, Internet is going to judge this. This era.

You know, I think this is the first D23 in a long time. That the feeling, the general feeling coming out is one of overall excitement and very much deserved optimism.

Beci Mahnken
02:34:10.220 – 02:35:14.320
Yeah, absolutely. And I felt good when I walked out of there. I felt. Felt heard, I felt seen, I felt excitement. I felt like I didn’t have oxygen a couple of times.

I. I was excited for the little things. A lot of people who aren’t big fans would probably think, okay, what about the yeti? I don’t get it. But for me, it was like, yay.

Just a little bit of a lightness, a little bit of a happiness. And. And thank you, Disney, for bringing Neil Patrick Harris to, you know, shepherd us through the.

It did elevate the experience by having him and having that grand opening piece that set the stage and set the tone for the rest of the night. It felt special. It felt like we were special. It felt like we were all part of the same conversation.

And I really, really appreciated how far they went to make us feel heard. Yeah.

Lou Mongello
02:35:14.320 – 02:40:26.050
Because, look, and it’s the reason why I wanted to frame this conversation this way, because I think when you look at D23, the ultimate Disney event, one announcement at a time.

You see attractions and characters and opening years and concept art and models and a long list of places that we hope to and know we will eventually visit.

But I think when we step back and we get down to that level, or we look up, up, or we look down from above and we look across the sight lines, I think you have to sort of take in. And this is what I’m hoping this longer than I expected, sorry, segment does.

I think what I see is a company that is demonstrating the progress and delivery on the promise through the models and through construction. In addition to asking beautiful concept art to carry that load. Right. To carry and bear that promise.

We see Disney acknowledging that they listen to us and that stewardship is as meaningful as expansion. Repairing the Yeti, bringing back Dreamfinder, recovering the identity of Disneyland Paris’s Space Mountain is a big deal. Yeah, it’s huge, right?

And committing to a Tomorrowland that I think has waited for too long to have a more cohesive vision and story.

I think we see massive amounts of incredible vision and ambition in Villains Lair, where we get these familiar characters that we know and love in a completely new environment and a new mythology.

I think we see the same thing in Piston Peak, where this new land is going to hopefully answer and allay some of the questions and fears about how that land is going to feel and the openness and the movement and the sight lines that we are talking about.

And I think we see Disney acknowledging that a park and an experience and a family and a shared experience is not only built from the E Ticket attractions, it’s built from a carousel that a family can ride together. The show where everybody can sit and watch the restaurant that belongs to the place that is going to exist.

These pathways that allow us to wander through and explore these new lands and the space in between. We talk about. Becky. When you go to a conference, the best part isn’t what you see in the panels and presentations, what happens in the hallways.

I think that Disney parks are the same way. Like, some of our best memories are not riding the attraction.

It’s the memories that we have and the things that we share as we’re going in between, as we’re sharing a meal or a conversation or a laugh or a photo with friends and family.

And I think we are being invited to and asked to imagine a lot, whether it’s Tropical Americas, Piston Peak, Space Mountain, Spider Man, Tokyo’s Tomorrowland, whatever it might be. And as we look ahead 5 years how are we going to judge these announcements? How are we going to judge?

Is it going to be by what is open, by what is complete, or by the way that these make us feel? So, so I want to hear, we want to hear from you, our friend who is listening. What announcement for you has you most excited?

What are you most looking forward to? What do you think is the biggest game changer, whatever it might be like, your reflections on the Parks and Experiences announcement, let me know.

We’re going to have a couple of ways you can talk about it. We’ll post these questions over in the clubhouse that is with where our WWRADIO community lives and exists over on Facebook@www.radio.com clubhouse.

You can call the voicemail, be part of the show, leave it in your own Voice at 407-900-9391. That’s 407-900-WDW1 because I’d rather play you saying it than me reading it aloud myself. Best of all, come and let’s talk about it live.

One of the things I love in addition to the podcast is our weekly live video every Wednesday at 7:30pm Eastern Eastern on Facebook and YouTube. This Wednesday, we’re going to talk just about this.

If you’ve been able to get through this show by Wednesday, we are going to talk about the announcements and the experiences. And because I want to open up and I want to hear from and go through your answers together. Bring your yeti.

Like, bring your thing that you are excited about. Bring the thing that you are most looking forward to. Becky Menken from Alistair Fan. We didn’t even. There’s so much more we didn’t even get to.

We didn’t talk about the show floor. We didn’t talk about the WW booth.

We didn’t talk about the fact that Mouse Man Travel gave away a trip to Walt Disney World and I shared it on Instagram. Like, I just think the perfect person won because of their story.

Beci Mahnken
02:40:26.050 – 02:40:26.690
Oh, their story.

Lou Mongello
02:40:27.330 – 02:40:27.810
Yeah.

Beci Mahnken
02:40:29.090 – 02:40:30.450
Just makes my heart sing.

Lou Mongello
02:40:30.690 – 02:40:38.330
I’m so happy we were able to experience it together and experience it together. Together again over the last two hours and nearly 39 minutes.

Beci Mahnken
02:40:38.970 – 02:40:42.330
Yep. It’s gonna be under an hour. Yep. Just saying.

Lou Mongello
02:40:42.330 – 02:40:42.890
I really.

Beci Mahnken
02:40:44.970 – 02:40:55.130
You say that every time. Every time we record something, it’s like it’s gonna be under an hour. Not a problem. Like, yep.

I’ve, I’ve marked four and a half hours on my calendar for today just in case.

Lou Mongello
02:40:55.770 – 02:41:45.020
I tried. All the best intentions. And again for you listening, just remember one Thing because it was a lot to digest.

And I think it’s important, not just contextually about this episode. Disney listens. They hear you. They spent two hours showing us what the next five, seven, ten years are going to look like.

And the loudest responses in that room were the things that they were not going to reveal, announce, but the things that they were going to affix. That tells you everything about what the Disney community wants and that the company is listening when we say it.

So take that and do what you will with it, but know that they’re listening. And if you could experience one thing that was announced tomorrow, what would it be?

Beci Mahnken
02:41:46.620 – 02:41:53.380
Man, really? I hate this one because then I have to look through it.

Lou Mongello
02:41:53.380 – 02:42:00.710
I’ll go first because I just switched in my mind and I want to just lock in an answer before I change my mind. I want to walk through Villains Land at night.

Beci Mahnken
02:42:02.550 – 02:42:03.510
That’s a good one.

Lou Mongello
02:42:04.870 – 02:42:09.990
I think it’s going to fundamentally change the vibe of Magic Kingdom at night.

Beci Mahnken
02:42:10.150 – 02:42:32.100
You’re so right. I’m really intrigued by going in Florida on Piston Peak and getting to the top. And there’d be snow and it’d be cold. This is. I. I’m.

I’m so intrigued by that opportunity, that possibility that I think that’s the thing I want to experience as quickly as I can. Besides.

Lou Mongello
02:42:32.100 – 02:42:36.860
Let’s go cool off. Let’s go cool off in the middle of August. Let’s go on Piston Peak. It might be it.

Beci Mahnken
02:42:37.900 – 02:42:42.620
Right in the middle of a snowstorm in Florida. I want to see how this works. That’s core.

Lou Mongello
02:42:43.100 – 02:42:53.600
What kind of food are they going to serve in this beautiful national park in the middle of Frontierland? That’s what it is. It’s a national park. First. It just happens to have a couple.

Beci Mahnken
02:42:53.600 – 02:43:03.360
Of attractions, and that’s awesome. That’s exactly how I want to vision it. That’s how I want to experience it. That’s what’s going to make people understand what they gave up for this.

Lou Mongello
02:43:04.320 – 02:43:05.280
I have one more question.

Beci Mahnken
02:43:05.440 – 02:43:06.080
What’s that?

Lou Mongello
02:43:06.080 – 02:43:10.800
If you are on. Not you. I mean, you listening. Not you, Becky, you listen. Our friend who’s listening.

Beci Mahnken
02:43:10.800 – 02:43:11.920
I’m over here. I’ll be over here.

Lou Mongello
02:43:13.680 – 02:43:38.970
If you. If you look, I don’t know. I’m so optimistic about this, and I don’t know how you could not.

But if you don’t, like, tell me why, like, what else did you want that you didn’t get Again? Don’t tell me you wanted your fifth, sixth and seventh gate. Like, reasonable expectation.

What did you want that you didn’t get because again, I think there’s a lot of reason to feel excited and optimistic and in my case, very, very hungry.

Beci Mahnken
02:43:39.690 – 02:43:48.740
I was gonna say the food. I’m just going to go right back to Sushi man. Sushi Octopus, dude. Sushi. Sushi chef.

Lou Mongello
02:43:48.900 – 02:47:36.000
Stop. Stop talking. Sushi Octopus. First and foremost, thank you so very much for being here, especially for your time and patient with us on this one.

I know that there was a lot to talk about and rather than rush through a list of announcements, I really wanted to take our time, look at everything carefully, connect some of the dots, and be as complete and thoughtful as I possibly could.

If you enjoyed this conversation, and I hope that you did, or know someone who would appreciate looking at D23 and the future of Disney Parks this way, please do me a favor. Share this episode with them.

Sending it directly to one person or posting it online is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways you can help support the show, and hopefully it gives the two of you something else to talk about, debate or start planning together. And that idea of connecting is really what D23 is about for me in the first place.

Because as much as I loved the announcements and the models and the panels and everything happening on the show floor around us and at the WWW booth, some of my most favorite moments were simply running into you on the show floor, seeing old friends again, meeting people in person for the first time, and being reminded that Disney is always better when we get to experience it together. So if you want to do some more of that with me and the WW Radio family, nice segue, Mongello.

Please visit www.comevents in addition to free meetups in the parks, we have our Haunts and Heroes event at Disneyland October 27th through the 29th, including our Oogie Boogie VIP experience and private breakfast in Avengers Camp before the park opens. We also have our WWO to group cruise to Alaska aboard the Disney Wonder.

My favorite itinerary on my favorite ship May 10th through the 17th, 2027 and even more adventures and opportunities to get together on the way again, visit www.comevents and if there’s something that you’ve been promising yourself that you’re finally ready to start building or to grow. My momentum. Weekend Workshop in Walt Disney World is coming coming up this October.

There are now fewer than 10 seats remaining and I’ve extended the $200 discount.

So if you’ve been thinking about joining me and turning what you love into what you do, our four day, 50 person, one room interactive workshop is for you.

You can visit Lou mongello.com momentum for all the details or email me@louwwrdo.com and if what you need is more personal help or clarity or accountability or somebody to say, sit down with you one on one and work through whatever you are building or trying to figure out. They also have one on one coaching opportunities.

Or if you’re looking for a keynote speaker for your event, conference, business or school, I craft custom keynote presentations and workshops on the Disney difference and achieving the ultimate customer experience, leadership lessons from Walt Disney, storytelling and strategies. Again, you can find everything over@lumangello.com, more than anything.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for choosing to spend your time, which is your most valuable commodity with me. I never take your time, your trust, or the fact that you continue to come along on these ridiculously long conversations for granted.

And I hope you know just how much I genuinely appreciate you being a part of all this and the opportunities that your friendship, your trust have extended to me by allowing me to go to D23 and share these experiences is with you. Always remember to please be kind, choose the good and keep moving forward just one step at a time. I love and appreciate you.

Have an amazing day and even better tomorrow. See ya.