Disney and Communist China - The WDW News Today Podcast - Episode 11

[@RositaKleineIsFine]

I may not always catch this podcast live, but I make sure I catch up on them. Tom & Eric are keeping them fresh, and I always learn something new. Looking forward to more.

[@abberobinson3650]

I’m LOVING the format of Eric asking questions as an avatar for most of us viewers: we’ve never been to Hong Kong so we want to know all these ‘mundane’ travel details. This is exactly what I’d be asking Tom. Great episode, guys!

[@ellepowers89]

I watch wdwnt all the time, this is the first podcast I’ve watched and I just say I love the conversation and open dialogue! You both make great points!

[@Ronaldl2350]

Great podcast. I look forward to a guide on the ins and outs of going to the international parks.

[@kallieblumberg9977]

Sick with RSV thank God for WDWNT I have something to listen to while stuck in bed!

[@AmusementLabs]

So the Shanghai pirates doesn't have a motion simulation on it. It basically is 2 small tug units being propelled by LIMs that tow the front and back of the boat. One of the tugs has its wheels positioned upward to hold onto the left side of the track only and the other tug wheels down to hold onto the right side only. Then those fins that lead the tugs diverge and converge. If you move them correctly you can turn the boat around, but not continuously 360, it'll eventually have to turn back around.

[@WDWNT]

Yeah I was just trying to equate it to something familiar, but essentially a boat they can control all the motions of

[@ellepowers89]

My 5 yr old has agreed to give up our wdw passes so we can go to Tokyo because we’ve bird watched KZbin and are obsessed. You’re right the foreign parks give a little more old Disney nostalgia

[@AmusementLabs]

They still have the pods in the arch Eric. I did it a few years ago, pretty tight clearances cause they have to have the elevators (or essentially the train) and also the emergency stairwells. The view up there is pretty nice.

[@ellepowers89]

I was able to take my daughter to wdw like every right after we reopened and I said these are the best moments I’ll ever get with her here

[@CursedKeyblade1]

they should have never have built in mainland china, either another park in Japan or build one in Australia or something. I will say, as a speaker of Japanese that I think TDR does not really have great English support. If you have to ask a complicated question, it's probably more than likely you won't get help. Most of the CMs don't speak English, or only understand basic phrases.

[@WDWNT]

This has not been my experience there

[@Ilovepizzandnb]

I don’t speak Japanese and I had an easy experience there.

[@traciecombs7030]

Wow. Shanghai sounds rough. I wouldnt be comfortable traveling there- especially with the political climate as it stands...Tokyo/Hong Kong is definitely on the bucket list!

[@MaHelena]

As someone who calls both the HK and SH parks as my home resort, THANK YOU for presenting this complicated topic in such a professional but honest way! (just one comment, no one takes shower using bottled water in China, you can't drink from the tap but it's perfectly fine for showers. It's just costumery to put bottled water in hotel rooms, even if you are staying at a really really cheap hotel) Just got back from Shanghai for the Zootopia land preview / soft opening, and have to say was pleasantly surprised. It's the first single-IP immersive land for the park (besides Toy Story, which I don't think should be put in this category due to significantly poorer theming), and the details that the land had was really amazing. The land was small, but for once they went for rich detail and not scale in the SH park, which was so refreshing to see. The ride was screen-heavy, but used much better than both MMRR and Remy's (those two gave me heavy motion sickness, this one did not), and the Gazelle animatronic at the end was really REALLY well-done. I would compare the ride experience more to an action-forward version of Na'vi River Journey than Rise; it's nothing too groundbreaking but pleasant and fun to sit in with the whole family, with a great animatronic at the end to hold everything together. The puppet show for the animal citizen encounters was really unique, though it's a scripted show rather than an interaction (which I thought the opposite going in), but once you know what you are going into, it's actually quite cute and well done. There's no theater, so you could just be on your way to ride the ride or buy the popcorn, and see flash doing his bits up at his window, which I think was the right call. The food was a bit underwhelming for my palate. They went completely vegetarian for the menu, which makes sense given, well, eating animals in an animal-themed land is sure to break any suspension of disbelief, but still took me by surprise given how small the vegan / vegetarian market is in China, and I applaud the food & bev team for, again, choosing thematic cohesion rather than what sells. A lot of sweet & sugary food, and the small v large contrast could have been done in more drastic, creative ways (eg. the small donuts was just slightly smaller and the large donut slightly larger than a regular-sized one). I am the weird kid who never picked up the HP or Star Wars series, so never really got the craze around Wizarding World or Galaxy's Edge, but I think Zootopia really showed me the storytelling potential that this type of lands has, once it's an IP that you are familiar with. [Just as a quick aside, being there really assured me that a Zootopia land wouldn't fit well in AK, though that's a conversation for another day] Seeing how well-done the land was really made me excited for the future of the SH park, which ranked at the bottom of my international park list. It's sad how, knowing this expansion was announced pre-COVID and the world (especially the world's relationship with China) was at a very different place then compared to now, we might not see the same level of trust and investment into the SH park as originally planned. But I still have hopes for the SH park given how strategically special it is. It has the potential to be the closest second after WDW, with a full hotel collection and multiple gates (I believe two parks were contracted but lands for three or more gates were planned). While China is not the most appealing destination for international travelers, Shnaghai sure is at the top of the list for any domestic audience (think New York to non-New Yorker in US), and given how large the population is in China, I don't see why it can't sustain itself just on domestic audience alone (which is already mostly the case). The Shanghai park needs a lot of work, but it's always more difficult to fix something that's already there than start over and get it right the first time. I'm still cautiously optimistic about the future of SH given the quality and change in design philosophy I saw with Zootopia, and remain excited for the second gate, which could be something really unique given the difference in demands and expectations that the Chinese market holds.

[@AmusementLabs]

I have a question: so the little sky pod section of hot pursuit, is it a drop like rise? And if so is the train scene the elevator up? I didn't see an elevator so I figured 'ah that's where they're lifting the cars'.

[@MaHelena]

@@AmusementLabs It's a simulated drop, so more like Remy falling into the kitchen or Railway's waterfall rather than using a physical elevator like Rise. The words on the street is that physical / vertical drop in dark rides greater than a certain angle can't pass the safety inspection rules in China, though it could very well just been a cost-reduction decision on the side of disney.

[@AmusementLabs]

@@MaHelena I just figured maybe it was cause I didn't see another pair of cars coming in as it backs out of the pod. So my thought there was we're on a different floor else there'd be congestion from cars coming out and going in. They do have the hallway pretty dark on entering the pods, but again, if they weren't on a different floor the timing to turn off the lighting and audio from the exiting vehicles to the entering ones is extremely tight. Maybe it could be like rise, but the simulator platform doesn't drop, it just descends like an elevator.

[@MaHelena]

@@AmusementLabs I'm not too terribly familiar with the mechanics behind ride design to say anything conclusively. Dug a bit online and did see others say that it's on a horizontal moving platform, so it could be similar to what you said!

[@AmusementLabs]

@@MaHelena yeah, the train scene being the double elevator makes the most sense and would mask the motion. Plus it has a roll up door before it, perhaps to hide the elevator moving. Edit: ah wait, nevermind, I can see a quick glimpse of the room/hallway after exiting the pods. It's an S turn to hide the light pollution from it. That's kind of disappointing though. But that does explain why the vehicle doesn't latch/lock to anything during the pod scene, it's mild enough to not need it.

[@matthewnelson5699]

I think Disney is underestimating the China risk. It's easily a target for being used in diplomacy of the public eye. Parks look amazing but not sure I am willing to travel there currently over Japan and even Paris. Enjoy this layered content versus simple news usually out there. Thanks

[@jukio02]

Who cares about politics. If you're Disney fan, then politics should not matter one bit.

[@matthewnelson5699]

@@jukio02 it means a lot. China could take Disney ownership away and they have no ability to do anything. It's not about D vs R... It's just reality when dealing with communist China.

[@michellee1190]

@@jukio02 Yikes

[@jukio02]

@@michellee1190 Yikes what? Can you elaborate?

[@danmullins1723]

They're not underestimating the risk mostly because their not too exposed. Yes, one can make the argument re: brand equity and such but it's a pretty good deal for them and you'll see this when following their financial.

[@WhatsOnDisneyPlus]

Back in 2019, We did a 72 hour Shanghai Visa, stayed at Toy Story Hotel there (we did a day trip out to Shanghai), before going onto HKDL for a few days before flying back to the UK, worked well.... Having got a Chinese Visa before (spent a month travelling China), had to send my passport to the embassy, so for a quick stop in Shanghai the 72 hour one is great

[@thelostant]

The major airlines have third-party companies that will get you a visa. You do have to mail your passport to them and when I did it it was I want to say $150. Yes it sucks but when you’re going to a place like China, I would highly recommend doing all the paperwork, even if there is some fun loophole.

[@michellee1190]

While I do love Pepper's Ghost effects. But the dots on the bike chain, the tinfoil volcano, and the fireflies in the Swamp area of Pirates are my favorite practical effects. I've used the fireflies effect myself as an alien creature in a sci-fi LARP. It worked really well.

[@dunchtimesnack]

Excellent podcast, these kinds of discussions are what you are best at. HKDL forever.

[@MisterMotion]

OH Boy!!! Hu Ha!! These pod casts sure do keep getting spicier!!!!!!

[@ZebraLens]

7:45 to add my thoughts to the article, I think Disney (rather Iger) was afraid of losing a headstart in gaining a foothold in a new market; the Chinese market, not including Hong Kong since we know it was still under British rule at the time of planning HKDL. Iger (I'm sure) wanted to jump on this "new market" out of fear of losing the area to Universal. The thought of being "whoever gets there first, gets in the zeitgeist and is ingrained in the memory of the culture as being the standard". For example, that's how our society looks at DL/WDW as compared to Universal, or how Tokyo's population looks at TDR as the standard and childhood memories over USJ. So I think maybe Iger thought the same would eventually happen with Shanghai Disney over the now built Universal Beijing

[@jabkmant]

Im glad you advertise your Thursday night Live show because i have fallen down your beyond news rabbit hole and I love it. I watch alot of theme park discussion/news/comedy but I am really enjoying your channel right now. Imma especiallya lookinga forward tooa Tonys Microwavead christmasa special!!!

[@90dayfiance69]

Sick thumbnail! Gr8 job also y’all need to do this live..

[@RonVining]

Tom, you are a character! I enjoyed your “imprisonment” within FrozenLand videos. I live in both Boston and Singapore, transit via Tokyo or Hong Kong, fly both routes frequently and take advantage of that, visit HKDL (AP) and Tokyo Disneyland. I have an unlimited China visa and visit SHDL often as well. I used the transit visa on a past visit to Shanghai, once. The process was easy. For Americans who aren’t familiar with traveling to places like China, as you said, you should (must) always have printed documents (not screenshots) of your plane tickets and hotel reservations. Sometimes, a printed, detailed travel agenda, will go a long way in a short boarder discussion. Edited video to reply to further content in your video. HKDL was the result of Disney & Singapore talks breaking down as that was the preferred location for South East Asia. I actually like HKDL having the new Lands outside of the berm. It works! While I get that they are likely saving IP such as Indiana Jones, Toy Story Mania, Beauty And The Beast, Little Mermaid, Pandora, Galaxy’s Edge, CarsLand, Pirates Splash Mountain and Lion King Land for the 2nd gate, if they never happen, where appropriate, they need to be placed where the Marvel E-Ticket was supposed to go, in-between Toy Story and Frozen and in-between Legend of The Lion King and Grizzly Gulch. BTW: There are NO parallels between China & Florida, that comment was ridiculous! Living outside of America and traveling to more than 3/4 of the globe, you have no idea, how grateful we should be, for having Civil Rights.

[@davyannajones]

“I’m not asking you to say something racist.” 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@morrighannightshade]

The transit visa does not depend on visiting other Asian countries. As long as you have a passport from one of the qualifying countries you can get a 144 hours transit visa, so longer than the old 72, as long as you can provide a transit to a third country after China.

[@davyannajones]

I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan and after that ass whooping the 49ers gave them I’ve never needed this podcast more. I want nothing more at this moment than to completely escape football. Thank you.

[@ellepowers89]

I love the way you communicate about the cultures I definitely agree, we see it a little with the foreigners in our parks but just imagine when you are the foreigner

[@OgreJoe]

51:35 As a Mushroom hating Vegetatian I was able to just get a plate of Vegetables from the Frozen restaurant- actually was pretty tasty

[@annemariec7659]

Very interesting to hear about the international parks. We are going to DLP for the first time next year and your info is helpful. Maybe Tokyo one day!

[@occheermommy]

For the China Visa when I went before they opened Disney in Shanghai and I went to an agency that took my passport and then they mailed it back to me in about 3 weeks. It was really easy and I think I had a 1 year travel visa. It was super easy. I’m sure they have passport agencies here in Florida. That was when I lived in Arizona.

[@ellepowers89]

As a fl resident I’ve done the math so many times and it would cost me around the same amount to go to Disneyland cali, Paris, or Tokyo. From the videos I’d rather put my money towards Tokyo

[@JTS-u3l]

We went to Paris for a few days in October and the price was about 2/3 the total cost of an equivalent WDW stay (park tickets, hotel, food, souvenirs, etc.)

[@occheermommy]

When I traveled to Shanghai before Disney opened, I was heading to a market. I believe it was in an old train station. As we were walking up I saw a family let their kid urinate in the planter that was on the grounds. I did see a family let their kids go behind the building on Radiator springs racers in DCA. That was on opening day after we had been in line probably 4-5 hours

[@EEvtg]

I agree with you Tom, the new HK castle sucks. It is waay too busy Architecturally. They shouldn't have made it quite so tall, and they should've stuck to only a couple design styles imo.

[@davyannajones]

I think their castle looks kinda cool. It’s a different vibe.

[@seanstein8313]

Happy summer snow day!!

[@user-fe8uq9zp2g]

i really wish they’d make one in the UAE 😭 big big spenders, family oriented, lots of land, built in tourism, 95% of people speak English so there isn’t really that barrier and generally everyones friendly! everything is clean and additionally there are bigger people here too so I don’t think that’d be a problem either. the more I keep listening to this episode I can’t think why they haven’t build one here yet when it seems pretty obvious audience wise. and yes referring to Mulan those are camps for the uyghur Muslims happening for years now in china it’s heartbreaking

[@JTS-u3l]

Can they keep enough greenery alive for a whole park?

[@dunchtimesnack]

Greenery not needed. They could make it all indoors like Warner Bros, SeaWorld, Ferrari World etc etc etc

[@JTS-u3l]

You're probably right! They have an indoor ski slope! @@dunchtimesnack

[@user-fe8uq9zp2g]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@JTS-u3lyes they have systems for that! there is tons of greenery in the community I live in. I also think it would be a perfect chance to do some kind of agrabah and maybe a new waterpark? it could compete with the biggest waterpark in the world Atlantis which is also here in the UAE. they also just built the biggest sea world in the world here and it’s been extremely successful. people in the gcc have the money to spend here to attend the parks and the government would definitely have the money to make it extravagant and detailed.

[@JigglypuffTutorials]

Horrible theocratic country and horrible idea

[@charlottemakesbooks]

FYI: there’s been a consulate in SF and LA for the China visa process for decades

[@QuatroAtYale]

Enjoyable and interesting discussion. I would think that heading to Hong Kong first, then Shanghai, then the Tokyo parks would be a cool tour. Not that I could ever afford that with everyone I'd want to go (yep, I have six adult kids and four grandkids), but it sounds interesting.

[@occheermommy]

The toys for Tots drop off closest to me is at my local fire station. Just an FYI. I live I. Florida. I am sure there are plenty of places to drop off if you look aroubd

[@LARKXHIN]

Mine is at Starbucks of all places

[@davyannajones]

Right now of the Florida parks my favorite is either Animal Kingdom or Studios.

[@laurapowell2901]

STL native here... the Arch Elevator is still the SAME Eric! ❤

[@fattestedtravel]

I just realized that Iger took over 2 weeks after Hong Kong opened

[@TalytaB]

Did not think I'd listen to the entire video. The honest talk & reality of c0mmunism made me more inclined to be a WIGS. I think when talking about the park in said countries we can't neglect the realities of the park location. It totally plays a part of park experience. Also, dual citizenship with USA/Brasil here and I believe now Americans don't need a visa 🤗 they didn't prior to 2020

[@michaeldunn2516]

Transit Visa only requires that you are not originating from the same country that you intend to fly to when leaving Shanghai. For instance, a Transit Visa would allow a trip from Hong Kong to Shanghai (72 hours) and then on to a USA airport. There is no requirement that it has to be in between travel of 2 Asian countries or even 1 Asian Country. It could be Sydney to Shanghai to USA

[@HolmstromRules]

Tom, I'm surprised that you didn't mention the most notorious event in the history of the relation between Disney and Communist China... that being Disney's total appeasement of the communist regime's displeasure of Disney producing the Martin Scorsese film Kundun in 1997. For those not familiar with this story, the film was a bio-pic of the current Dalai Lama and featured, in large part, his attempts to deal with Mao's invasion of Tibet before going into exile. In China there are three "T" taboos: Tibet, Tiawan, and Tiananmen Square. After Kundun was completed, Disney effectively buried the film and blocked its distribution beyond a few theaters in order to not further anger Chinese leaders. It's screenings only earned $5M. Then China issued a directive that barred Disney, Sony Pictures, and MGM from doing any business in China or with Chinese companies. This was in response to the release of the films Kundun, Seven Years in Tibet (starring Brad Pitt), and Red Corner (thriller/drama featuring Richard Gere as an American businessman put on trial for murder in China). Micheal Eisner, who didn't want to lose access to Chinese factories for making Disney merchandise, any hope for a China-based theme park, or access to Chinese film audiences, then set the standard that's now followed by every other big American company like Apple, Google, and the NBA. He formally apologized for "offending" China and agreed to do whatever China wanted. Eisner flew to China and met with the Chinese Premier. His kowtowing included Eisner saying: “The bad news is that the film was made; the good news is that nobody watched it.” He continued, adding, “Here I want to apologize, and in the future we should prevent this sort of thing, which insults our friends, from happening.” The Premier accepted the Disney CEO's formal apology and said it was good that Disney had learned from its "mistake" and lifted the ban on them. Other CEO's took notice of what Disney did, and will now go to great lengths to avoid "offending" Chinese leadership and do whatever they say to make sure China doesn't shut them out. Kundun is probably the only film that Disney has buried deeper than The Song of the South. You can still find DVD copies of it on eBay. It's a very good film and not only did Scorsese direct it, but Philip Glass did the score, and the cinematography was by the famed Roger Deakins. If you ever get a chance to see it, I recommend it. It's an interesting look at the history of the region and is, thanks to Deakins, very visually stunning.

[@frostus27]

Yes! I agree 100% with Eric! That elevator ride in the Arch is awful, especially for someone who's claustrophobic.

[@Mark-ix7lv]

Great show! Thanks for posting. Any reason why this episode hasn’t made its way to Spotify yet?

[@michaeleskin1162]

Good food review, the phrase that pays is Olaf. Never would have expected an egg to work in a pasta dish

[@cybersecDad]

The ride up the Gateway Arch has NOT changed since you were a kid. You ride up in a snug 5 seated Barrel!!

[@dhfyrydjfjd]

"Are you talking about Florida or China?" 😂 it's funny, I never thought about building in the other countries. Good points.

[@cybersecDad]

OH my goodness, people buy WDW vacations on their credit card all the time..

[@bosansekali898]

I was in Shanghai Disney in early last December during a weekday and it was not that busy. TRON was 5-15 mins wait most of time until late afternoon. I rode it like 5 times back to back. For some reasons, I didn't see many caucasians. Foreign tourist numbers from Western countries seemed way down. Sorry to hear about your experience with some guests and cast members. I'm not Chinese but look Chinese. I had better experience. No sanitary issue, bathrooms and guests were generally clean for such a big park. I also had no issue of people cutting lines, though many guests did like to push me forward in the queues with less social distance than I'm used to. Cast members were not as cheerful as Tokyo and smiled less but they were attentive and efficient, kind of on par with Disney Paris. I also explored Shanghai for few days, and I sensed that all these are partially cultural. Still, I enjoyed the park better than Disney Paris, though less than the US and Tokyo parks. I think everyone should still try to go there, especially given its close proximity to the airport. I also enjoyed TRON much better than Pirates (too screen heavy). Glad finally someone said that.

[@davyannajones]

No political science degree… Actually I do have a degree in political science 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kevinpeterson6468]

If you’re going to the parks in china it’s worth it but try to avoid china proper. I did not feel safe there

[@jukio02]

What do you mean by this? What happened? China is an extremely safe country, much safer than the US.

[@JTS-u3l]

I can't vouch for the whole country, but I've been to HK twice and I felt safer their than any top 100 metro area I've ever visited in the US@@jukio02

[@keith9482]

I know you keep pounding Cheapek and that is warranted, but Iger is not a good person either. He and the parks guy seem like elitist and very un genuine. Just my take on them!

[@JohnGYoung]

Super funny video! Can’t wait to try the milkshake version!

[@timschultz2806]

So it sounds like HKDL is the Wish version of DLR

[@jukio02]

Their castle is my favorite, it looks cool and you can go inside and walk up it and stuff. The Paris castle is my second favorite, it's so cool with the hill and everything. One day I will visit. Also, China is communist in name only, they are actually socialist. Xi and many leaders have stated many times, China is "socialism with Chinese characteristics." FYI, Hong Kong is not a country, it's a province. Lots of people get this wrong because the aren't educated in this subject.

[@thelostant]

I know a guy who has a heart attack in China and the hospital would not treat him until his family paid them in cash. Not joking. You unfortunately should carry hundreds of dollars in Chinese currency for such emergencies

[@jukio02]

Any evidence to this statement? Or, is it just hearsay. I doubt that is true.

[@user-fe8uq9zp2g]

has WDWT thought about making a discord? it would be fun to discuss the episodes and any news!

[@Cuban_Superman]

I heard that "There's a turd for every Princess."

[@LARKXHIN]

As someone learning Chinese, well this helps

[@jasonchampagne6825]

My lasting impression of Shanghai Disneyland now: there... was... pee in the ZipLoc and... pee all around... and a great, big puddle... of pee on the ground.

[@karebear3152]

The St. Louis Arch hasn't changed. You take your little, super claustrophobic, pod elevators up to the top, view the skylinse from the observation deck, then take them back down to the ground floor. Also, we're not a democracy in the USA, we're a Constitutional Republic 🤣You've somewhat won me to the idea of visiting Hong Kong some day, however I will NEVER step foot on mainland china. I know what they do to their people and I will have NONE of it.

[@ellepowers89]

I just went on rise for the second time, there were two major parts in the hall that smelt like someone just pooped

[@ellepowers89]

The mouselets bday post to Walt the other day talked about how the park used to be about imagination and creativity and now it’s all just based off movies. While I love the connection to the ips , i miss the true creativity and innovation that Disney was built on!

[@melvinlee9263]

Disney shouldn't be doing business in China (I say as I stare at my made in China iPhone).

[@peytonplace4214]

Need the pants story

[@josueelombre931]

People from mainland China are pretty rude. Everyone I know that has gone to China always complain about how rude people are especially if you don’t speak the language. Also no one I know that has gone has never said that they were dying to go back to China.

[@TalytaB]

Same

[@IDK-ui5en]

It may sound xenophobic but hongkongers hate mainlanders they find them rude and disrespectful and just not fun to be around mainlanders cut in lines just have a sense of entitlement and gets mad at people for not speaking mandarin even tho we speak Cantonese here and when hkers call them out for it they will call us xenophobic and discriminating against them I go to Hong Kong Disneyland like every week and every time it’s just filled with rude mainlanders cuting lines pushing people during the fireworks show using their flash when their not allowed to and just being rly rude over all

[@occheermommy]

As far as travel to China, the US consulate does not advise travel to China at this time. Mainland China is on level 3 which is reconsider traveling. Level 4 is basically you can’t go there. So level 3 is very high and I would t recommend it.

[@JTS-u3l]

Due to the virus outbreak or political reasons?

[@occheermommy]

@@JTS-u3l political reasons. It has to do with their laws

[@MaHelena]

I've commented similar things in a past video, and is only doing this because I don't want Tom to have misinterpretation which could mislead his future judgment / prediction / comments, but as a member of the Asian community and a avid theme-park goer, I can say with confidence that the average Asian / Chinese guest are VERY attracted to big thrill rides. In China, Disney has this reputation for being a kiddie company, and if you say you went to Disney over the weekend your friends may even poke fun at you because it's seen as childish. The reason why people said the new rides at HK was thrilling is because it's new to the park, and people are just excited. There is also a cultural component to it, with Chinese people caring extremely highly about their pride and "saving face", so if a foreigner comes up to me and ask about my opinion about MY park in MY country, I'm gonna defend it. It's also culturally inappropriate to rant about the negative stuff to a stranger or air the dirty laundry (again, especially to foreigners), and people brag instead of belittle all the times, about people, stuff, and experiences. If you look at the chart for the top theme park visited (grouped by company), you could see three Chinese company in the top 10 (OCT at #3, Fantawild at #5, and Chimelong #6), all three known for highly thrilling rides. And, unlike how the audience of universal and disney overlaps here, the guests that go to these parks don't usually visit SH Disney, even though Disney ticket price is not significantly higher (by only about $10). The most common comment that I've seen around SH Disney is that it lacks thrill rides, and until they add more, a huge chunk of the population won't consider it a theme park (the name "Duffyland" is used to refer to SH Disney quite commonly, and I think accurately in some ways), not because they can't afford it, but because it's not what they go to theme parks for. I'm also certain that the second gate at SH will be more IP-driven, and, yes, much MUCH more thrilling based on my understanding of the Chinese audience.

[@JTS-u3l]

Since some Chinese refer to it as Duffyland, is there a bit of Japan/China rivalry at play? Maybe many Chinese see Disney as a Tokyo/Japan thing more than an American thing due to the long history of Tokyo Disney and the lengthy historical rivalry between Japan and China? (I am NOT suggesting Chinese do not know that Disney is an American company with American history... just asking about the international relations dynamic that might be at play)

[@MaHelena]

​@@JTS-u3l I don't feel like it is. Duffyland is used quite derogatorily to mock actually, saying that the park is full of duffy merch and has no thrill and no fun. While the Japanese started the Duffy craze, the Chinese guests definitely made it their own thing and Duffy is just as popular if not more at the Chinese parks, since many of the Chinese guests never grew up with Disney movies and don't know many classic characters. So in some ways Duffy, and not Mickey, is seen more as the mascot of Disney parks in China.

[@JTS-u3l]

It sounds like "Duffyland" is a closer equivalent to Legoland in the minds of Chinese people, generally.@@MaHelena

[@MaHelena]

​@@JTS-u3l yeah this really is criticizing how the land is build to sell merch with kiddie rides and nothing else. It's also because people who have travelled to a few different parks think those parks felt more Disney (with classic rides like Small World, and classic characters), whereas Duffy & Friends has really took over the SH park. They get the most screams from audience in parade, most people wear Duffy ears instead of Mickey ears, dominate gift shops, etc., hence the name. But at the core of it is people wanting / expecting a good and expensive theme park to have big thrill rides, but not really getting that. (ps. I don't think there is an operating Legoland in China at this moment, though a couple are opening there in different cities in the coming two years.)

[@MaHelena]

@@JTS-u3l Chinese guests actually really enjoy visiting Japan; I think pre-COVID China has been the country that contributed the most visitors to Japan for several years in a role. It's a quick flight away, with good food (that's similar to the Chinese palate) and nice people. Most touristy places also have accommodation and signs in and for Chinese. Because of that, TDR is often the first overseas park for Chinese disney fans (even before HK). The common consensus is that TDR > SH > HK, and WDW is the undeniable king that tops everything (the CA parks and Paris is often the forgotten lands).

[@CJayyTheCreative]

Based topic

[@Florescent6Muffin]

First! Can’t wait to listen 😊

[@EPiche09]

Im.not.going anywhere i can't fully shower just to go to a theme park. It's not worth it to squat over a hole either.

[@ellepowers89]

So Tokyo or Disneyland?

[@ellepowers89]

Actually you just sold me they have ask the rides I grew up on that I want my daughter to experience!

[@ellepowers89]

OMG my daughter and I pick up so much trash around wdw

[@Mechasonicrocks]

28:10 The KZbin channel "Poseidon Entertainment" made a whole video essay about "Rise of the Resistance". The video is titled "Rise of the Resistance is Overrated Mediocrity". Tom, what are your views on this take? I honestly enjoyed the ride, and that whole video title alone just screams "I made this because anti-Disney videos are popular and get more views".

[@BriggsBackingTracks]

Phrase that Pays! Z100??

[@Nuggtendo]

Hong Kong doesn't sound like a fun place to visit

[@jukio02]

It's getting better. It's been ruthlessly led by the British for over 100 years. It's going to take a generation of two to get that colonial mindset out of the people living there. It will get better, though. Mainland China is way better. People have much better attitudes there.

[@OgreJoe]

Hong Kong's fantastic, just got back from there myself. You may be getting it confused with Shanghai

[@eccentricsmithy2746]

Why is every Disney news channel reporting the issues with Iger and him just letting go thousands of employees after Elon told him to GFY? Every Disney news channel is reporting this except this one. You didnt even report on Elon telling Iger to GFY....why wont you report on that?

[@ryanwalker6906]

You will never see that side of the story from WDW. They act like they are not shills for Disney but in fact it is clear they are when they don’t tell what is really going on. If they would, people would subscribe and maybe WDW Tonight might actually be funny.

[@WDWNT]

It’s literally on WDWNT.com ya dummies lol

[@ellepowers89]

Texas is actually very involved with the Chinese government believe it or not, I wonder if that’s why they were promoting wdw being moved there

[@JTS-u3l]

1:25 It's cute to hear Tom thinks the US treats its citizens any better than China treats its citizens.