Archives

Contribute to Our Research

Stark Raving Rumors

So, there’s this rumor that seems to be spreading everywhere…

People keep suggesting that Imagineering has a plan to – at last – replace the unfortunate Innoventions exhibit at Disneyland with some sort of attraction modeled on the Stark Expo from last year’s Marvel release Iron Man 2.

Yeah, that’s totally not a thing.

For those of you who haven’t seen the film (and you really should), amongst the film’s many Disney references is the Stark Expo – a fictional event held in Flushing Meadows, New York, that is heavily based on the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair. Many of the actual event’s iconic buildings and features can be seen in the layout of the fictional, computer-generated fairgrounds in the film. Stark’s expo even has a theme song written by Richard Sherman, who wrote all those catchy ditties for Disney’s real World’s Fair pavilions. There is, therefore, a lot of thematic crossover between Disney’s real-world efforts and Stark’s fictional celebration, and of course Disneyland’s Innoventions is housed in the building where the Carousel of Progress once turned. The building looks like it’s ripped straight from the old fairgrounds, so it seems like it would be a thematic match.

But it’s not going to happen.

I’m not saying that no one at WDI has considered this, or sketched it on a napkin, or what-not. I have no idea. But I can tell you with a pretty good degree of certainty – and with a source who would know, that I trust implicitly – that this is not on anyone’s radar and not going to happen.

If I can add some pure speculation (and I reiterate that it is only that!) I would guess that WDI is more likely to wait and push for a larger overhaul of Tomorrowland itself instead of doing things piecemeal. Perhaps this is merely wishful thinking, but since Disneyland is known to be the darling of everyone with clout these days one hopes that it will get a sweeping rehab of Tomorrowland that will reverse the transgressions of 1998. Al Lutz has reported that areas adjacent to the land are under consideration for new attractions, and we also know that WDI is trying to figure out what to do with the old PeopleMover track. It sure would be nice to tackle these issues along with Innoventions, the Astro Orbiter, and all the other thematic trainwrecks that currently occupy the area.

Just don’t go looking for Stark Industries to be taking part.

Related Posts...

13 comments to Stark Raving Rumors

  • OnWithTheShow

    You’re right it’s not replacing Innoventions in DL. It is replacing all of Epcot….wahaha

  • I think the internet would probably break if that happened.

  • Mrf

    So… It’s not going to happen because you don’t think it’s going to happen?

  • MD

    Here’s an idea for the old peoplemover track…

    put a peoplemover on it.

  • Mrf: No, sorry if I was unclear… it’s because people who would know without a doubt if this was a real project have specifically told me that it’s not.

    MD: I agree 100%

  • RO93461

    I’d love to believe you Michael, and these “people who would know” sources of yours, but…. I’m afraid they’d need to come forward and present their original BIRTH CERTIFICATES first!

  • UGH but I only have their short-form certificates! 🙁 NEVER MIND…

  • Awertt

    MD |
    May 1, 2011 at 7:27 pm · Reply |
    Here’s an idea for the old peoplemover track… |

    put a peoplemover on it. |
    ____________________________________________________

    I agree espeacally.

  • Awertt1

    MD |
    May 1, 2011 at 7:27 pm · Reply |
    Here’s an idea for the old peoplemover track… |

    put a peoplemover on it. |
    ____________________________________________________

    I agree espeacally!

  • Truecoat

    Well, here we have 1 rumor and 1 squashing of said rumor. The problem is, it will take longer to prove the rumor isn’t true. If it happens, we will probably know within a 2 years.

  • Yes, it is admittedly hard to prove a negative. Especially when we all know that WDI isn’t a single hive mind, and that projects are cooked up on a daily basis that never make it beyond the cubicle in which they’re conceived.

    The reason I decided to even bring this up at all is because this story was spreading pretty far afield, and was starting to take the aura of a project that’s “on the way” or at least somewhat imminent. While I can’t ensure that *no one* had WDI has had this idea, or even done up some sketches, I can assure that it hasn’t come near to rising to the level that it would be under consideration for development or a greenlight. If anyone *is* pushing it internally, there are a load of other Marvel concepts that are way, way farther along than this.

    So, worst case scenario: These rumors are total fluff and speculation. Best case scenario: They’re super, super premature and in the earliest throes of Blue Sky.

  • Correct me if I am wrong here, but does Universal not still hold the themepark attraction rights to all things Marvel for several more years? I do believe that a Stark Expo themed attraction would infringe upon this.

Leave a Reply to Awertt1Cancel reply