Disney Removes AI Art After Online Backlash At Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Gift Shop!

[@FirstLast-e1y]

Disney went from custom to Home Goods fast. Recent Disney is just a shell of what it was. They are laughing in the faces of people spending hard earned money with these decisions. They are doing the minimum while charging the maximum even in development. Imagine what the food quality is that the food is being made from behind the scenes. They are buying the cheapest option and charging what they can get, not what it is worth. Greed at its finest.

[@jeshirekitenkatt1212]

honey, disney's always just used cheap junk from thrift/antique stores to decorate these places. like as far back as walt working on it. the ai art is the egregious part imo; i really couldn't give a rat's butt about the amazon items. like i really do not care what the dollar amount for the theming was so long as it looks decent. to that end, it's weird that they went with a reworked prefab barn. like idk i don't see the haunted mansion and think "ah yes, the farm".

[@CarloRufinoSabusap]

A bunch of people on KZbin are commenting on how amazing and cool and innovative and in theme and in world and original the new queue for the haunted Mansion was but I could immediately tell it was a bunch of stuff they threw together from Amazon and temu. I wasn't impressed at all.

[@DrStarlander]

At first I was like "Wow!" because I assumed all the statues and wall-hangings were cleverly tied into the Haunted Mansion and for days I awaited the vloggers pointing out all the cool insider links...and then...crickets. Nobody said anything about the stuff because, well, it turned out that none of it meant anything. What a colossal shame and missed opportunity.

[@d.j.klefeker9207]

I will say that Disney has been buying props that they didn't make themselves to put into their theme parks for years. The AI part is definitely a little bit concerning. Also it is important to note that the outside of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, not Disney World, is always supposed to look well kept instead of being run down, while all the haunted stuff is on the inside. Like Walt Disney once said, "We'll take care of the outside and let the ghosts take care of the inside."

[@DrStarlander]

Buying props at antique stores and estate sales is one thing -- I applaud that, I want creepy 19th century artifacts in there -- but ordering things mass-produced in China last week from Amazon or Wayfair is not good enough.

[@McNugget7511]

I think the fact that imagineering almost definitely wasn't involved in the design of this area shows while the company itself is going through a rough time with distracted and greedy executive decisions, Disney's imagineering department still holds a bit of hope that the creative team still holds their integrity and will be ready to work whenever this greed is either willingly interrupted or forcefully removed. Disney as a company has always treated their lower employees like nothing and been dependent on the CEO at the time lucking their way into a good idea, and this isn't Disney's first attempt to cut quality for profits. I think it's clear that the parks division as a whole either needs to have someone similar to Walt at the wheel again, or finally give the creatives the controls after 70 years of them consistently proving they can make the best of most anything

[@ottot3221]

Take the name of the store "Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond Haunted Mansion Gift Shop". Is this her gift shop and why does she has one? And is it her shop because we see things from the haunted mansion that she hauled to that shed or does/did she live there. Neither doesn't show in this shop. If she lived there we are missing furniture, a bed etc. And why has she crap from amazon that reminds her of the house next to her in her home? If it's her shop why does she want to reuse things you can see in the home next door? The theme is the worst themed shop I have ever seen. Take an example from the exit shop at ToT. It's the hotel store, it fits, everything is an continuation from the entrance hall and the library. Or take an event store from Universal, the story is always clear to the point the merch does take second place and I bet it doesn't hurt their sales numbers. This just shows Disney lacks the knowledge and the care to even make a shop.

[@McNugget7511]

Most gift shops in every park aren't well themed, it's hard to explain why characters from a story would acknowledge figurines of themselves in canon. That's why a lot of gift shops leave it up to imagination. Maybe it's artifacts from the Mansion that Madame Leota's seance allowed guests to recover, maybe they were objects that were taken directly from said "somewhere beyond" and they credit Leota for the discovery of the mystical place and for the process of harnessing it into the mortal realm, maybe Madame Leota sympathized with the living guests and left much of the excess trinkets and belongings that the haunts grew bored of outside the mansion for mortals to collect. The execution was undoubtedly bad, but the concept and idea of the shop was definitely solid, and the only way you can make it better is by having it mention no one from the attraction or stretching to make it a shop/market that existed outside the manor when people lived in it

[@ottot3221]

@@McNugget7511 True, in the end it's a missed opportunity to expand on the mansion and it's story and that is just sad for a company that should improve instead of going backwards.

[@Night_City_Vibes]

Disney full of some of the most talented artist using AI art - we are doomed

[@Jay-wk9xj]

Was with you right up until you stated .It's OK to use AI and edit it etc...Nope. AI is a plagiarism machine and should never be used in any commercial project unless the creators that were scraped/sampled are compensated (which they will never will be).

[@SpookyJohnnyY]

They had used to purchase real antiquities to help tell the story along with key original props. A great example is Expedition Everest. That queue is very rich in detail. They wouldn't create that attractionn now because, you know- no I.P., but after Pandora, which is terrific and has that level of detail, many projects after that are simply bare bones and lacking a lot of flavor, charm and whimsy that made Disney so special. Much of the new stuff seems so plastic and soulless.

[@ashleighlalonde6394]

I would be more understanding with Disney if they weren't charging a premium for their parks. It's a bit sad the lowering of quality in the parks when Disney just launched the Disney Treasure with great Imagineering detail and quality on their cruise ships.

[@ambusticheats6637]

the removal of splash mountain has demotivated disney.

[@Jay-wk9xj]

Lol yeah no the new ride is great.

[@ambusticheats6637]

@@Jay-wk9xj It’s the same ride but with a lazy story that doesn’t fit the layout. Huge downgrade.

[@immortalalia]

Sad to hear you use AI art too :/ seems like it's everywhere now. Makes the internet and hell scape day after day.

[@capthemagic]

AI art isn't going anywhere and when I say I use AI art it has been for maybe a handful of thumbnails to change something on them. I've used AI stuff for a few years on task oriented things much more compared to the art side.

[@immortalalia]

@capthemagic i know it's not going anywhere. That's the issue. Using it at all is stupid at best, harmful at worst. It's also harmful for the environment. Just pay an artist for God's sake.

[@valorzinski7423]

​@@immortalaliaactors and models are the most impacted now, billboard ads and KZbin commercials use AI generated humanoids instead of paying real people

[@2doot]

​@@capthemagicAI, at least in the state that it is in now, is for the creatively bankrupt. Thanks for the self report, pal.

[@tres-adames]

They own original concept art that they easily could have put in there instead.

[@xXsuperbananaXx]

Great, now can they remove the ugly pre-fab gift shop?

[@whyisthomyorke]

If they cared they would take the time. It’s just about money now

[@gonelucid]

I dont think big companies should be using ai art.. its one thing if youre broke and need help in certain art

[@2doot]

Disney utilizing props is nothing new. A good chunk of scenery in their older rides, take Pirates for example, are random props that were lying around. Its the WAY they utilize it that matters. But I draw the line at AI in any capacity. Pay a fucking artist. I dont care if youre a mega corp or an amateur. The fact that they're one of the leading companies in the world and they dont have their shit together to have someone paint a portrait is absolutely fucking insane, especially for something that ties into a theme heavy attraction. The fun thing about the portraits in the mansion is that every single one has a story. Every single one has a soul, and every single one has an artist. Putting in "ooga booga spooky bride" into a prompt and getting this generic garbage shat back is just a slap in the face to the history and all the work behind the mansion. Edit: I forgot to mention the pre-fab barn? Like what the fuck? Either theme it or don't theme it, but don't give us an outhouse and tell us its glamour. They can remove the AI art but when the FOUNDATION ITSELF is a problem like... Idk go back to the drawing board at that point. Especially when the surrounding area is heavily reliant on the illusion of forced perspective to make the Mansion and Splash, and all there is around it look grander than it is, the uncustomized generic size of the space conflicts with this and ruins the illusion. THAT'S where I have a problem. It just irks me that theres no consideration but they sure as hell can milk every last cent out of park goers, with nothing to show for it.

[@jessicapiatti5879]

I thing assuming everything is custom made in Disneyland is a big error. There are people whose only job is buying props and where do you think they buy them? If you need a fountain you go on a fountain website. Crates get personalized yes but jugs, jars and other stuff are bought off the shelf. It is something theme parks do and did all the time. You only produce customs when the budget allows it or the thing you want is not available, otherwise you buy it and modify it. Paintings can be bought too, commissioned to artists. There are multiple videos that show how imagineering went to Nepal or different countries in Africa to buy props. Just because people did not knew it before does not necessarily mean it is a bad thing. Of all of this only the AI painting is a bad thing that should have been avoided.

[@morganspanopoulos6305]

yeah. I think the fountain discussion in particular is really weak. the fountain wasn't grabbed off of amazon, it was from a business whose focus is high-end artistic garden furniture. sure, it's off the shelf, but it's still their design. I'd hardly call a $5k decor item a shortcut. the ghost bride from redbubble really got under my skin, but the rest seems silly to be making a fuss over.

[@capthemagic]

I said in the video I’m assuming over the years this isnt the first time this has happened but it’s also different to get something unique in another country, or get something and customize it but to just buy things off the rack seemingly st every turn seems new

[@DrStarlander]

@@morganspanopoulos6305 When the vloggers I watch first saw the fountain, the reaction I noticed was "huh?" as it looked Asian in influence and there wasn't any obvious relationship to the Haunted Mansion setting, iconography, or backstory. So it doesn't surprise me it was not custom. To make a custom fountain, it would have cost around $2,000 for the digital sculpting work (a scope of work I have managed hundreds of times) and a "positive" could have been 3D printed and CNC routed for about $5,000 (machine time, materials and clean-up using in-house equipment) and then it would have been cast in metal for another $5,000-$10,000. The pump and tubing would be extra, but nominal. It would have cost Disney about 3x-4x for a custom fountain once you include 20-40 hours in project management/coordination. BUT, it's a very focal piece and it could have related to the Haunted Mansion's lore and been a more powerful photo-op for park marketing.

[@firstlast1732]

Can’t wait till Disney is gone! I despise them!!!

[@zarajenkins6948]

You'll be gone before Disney..trust me 😂

[@thewalkingdad68]

​@@zarajenkins6948I personally disagree with that statement. The Disney that I grew up with (I was at MK in WDW on opening day), has been dead since approximately 2008. Just a few years after the current CEO took control. Slowly, but definitely surely the parks have changed. COVID happened and then it was surely a goner. Now today, Disney is "turbo charging" it's final death blows. Removing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island and completely destroying all of the memories and feelings of the people who have been there and made many wonderful memories there. Disney is a business, I get that. But it's bad business decisions such as these that have killed the parks. I'll personally never set foot on their property ever again. So to me, they're dead and buried.

[@zarajenkins6948]

What's the deal? It's only like investing in props like they do to theme every ride, they just got it from AI, people crying for nothing as usual.....get a life

[@capthemagic]

All you do is come into the comments and complain on just about every video. Move along if you don’t like the content lol

[@zarajenkins6948]

​@capthemagic i think i will, it's a shame you can't accept negative comments when warranted, after all, all you ever do is post negativity towards Disney....

[@capthemagic]

You’re not providing constructive criticism, you just name call because you don’t like what I have to say. If you watched the videos you would understand my perspective but it’s clear you don’t

[@McNugget7511]

This is how you talk about Fun Spot or some crummy roadside theme park that's meant to be cobbled together for as little money as possible and to suck money from your wallet as fast as possible. This is not how you talk about Disney who is and had been the pinnacle of the creative arts for a long time. If more people thought like you and Disney listened to the people like you. You wouldn't have any of the beloved rides, any of the immersive lands, any of the dedicated characters and shows, just the absolute bare minimum to keep you shoveling your money into their pockets and defending them to your friends

[@everythiingmusiic]

u thought u ate that. talking about "get a life" i KNOW ur not talking when ur crying in multiple videos.. the call is coming from inside the house x