How to Design a Theme Park (To Take Tons of Your Money)

Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster

Select footage courtesy Getty and AP; Select imagery courtesy Geolayers; Select music courtesy Epidemic sound

[vigilantcosmicpenguin]

I'm looking forward to when Sam inevitably uses this knowledge to create his own theme park, Half as Amusing.

[NefariousRake]

As a current cast member, i am in awe at how accurate rise was covered, even showing the return paths for the vehicles and the maintenance bay on the map. The only thing that was missing was the back stage paths but most people wont ever see those

[kelm]

It's funny that I'm just now watching this, because my friends and I went down to Universal 7 years ago on vacation specifically to go to Harry Potter World. Our hotel package had breakfast reservations at the park, we made an entire day out of it, the whole nine. It's also funny that you talk about how they only serve Butterbeer. For our first breakfast reservation, the waitress asked us what we wanted to drink with our meals. My friend said, "Can I just get a Coke?" to which she replied, "Sorry, but we don't serve Muggle drinks." The level of dedication to staying in character is staggering.

[PaddyMcMe]

I think being able to charge $55 for something that is no more complicated to make than a 12" disposable pencil by calling it a 'Wand' is something out of a marketing agencies wettest dream.

[discodench]

The crowds 100% ruin the immersion of the Star Wars park. I've been there 3 times now. One of which was late at night for a dinner date when it was closed to people without reservations. It was nearly completely empty. That was the only time I felt immersed in the area and also the only time I felt like I could soak in the sights.

[ManCarryingThing]

Wendover making theme park content is the kind of gift I was not expecting today

[curtisc]

I went to both wizarding worlds and black spire a little over a month ago. My impression is that the design of wiz world was rooted in love for the source material, galaxy’s edge was designed for the exclusive purpose of parting me from my wallet contents, and a strong disdain for its source material.

[JonFawkes]

I'll be honest, this is probably the best ad for this ride. I'm not particularly deep into Star Wars but I want to see what this ride is all about

[barbaradace]

Note that the complexity of "Rise of the Resistance" means it can break down a LOT. My daughter spent 90 minutes in line before giving up, during which the ride broke down twice. She talked with cast members; they said it breaks down an average of 3 times a day, and the best times to try riding it are first thing in the morning and late at night, when it's less likely to be shut down. We tried again that night and after 60 minutes of waiting, most of it standing in the rain, were finally able to board the attraction—which was AMAZING

[crystalbarnes]

Let's be honest, the real reason Disney is losing to Universal is because of the price increases, the way it treats its employees, the excessive pre-planning, etc. If I spend hundreds of dollars to go to a theme park (which is something I can afford but no small price tag), I want to be able to immerse myself in it instead of having to constantly stare at my phone like my life depends on it just to be able to get some food or ride anything.

[ProcrastPerfection]

Honestly I think “Project Stardust” is what is really killing the appeal of Galaxy’s Edge over Hogwarts. Disney is currently renovating walkways and spaces to encourage guests to walk more and only stop to sit inside restaurants or gift shops. Star Wars land got the brunt of this. The whole area is wide open with no coverage, no places to pause or take in the sights. You just walk through, ride two simulations, and get spat out in the hideous Toy Story Land 3 hours later.

[g-owl]

I think this is something that VR games need to capitalize on. The idea of experiencing a story is something that ive only seen half life Alyx do well, and I think that if the industry is ever going to blow up, it needs to be able to offer that.

[shoeshandyohns]

Wendover: “my family wants to go to universal and Disney. How do I write this off as a business expense… 😅”

But seriously, great video as always. Thank you!

[adseigo]

My biggest issue with Galaxy's Edge is that it doesn't push the experience the way the Harry Potter lands do. Experiences are limited to paid "events" or rides while at Universal you're encouraged to dress like in universe characters and role play. The wands interact with elements around the park. You can essentially become a student or faculty member. Disney limits your ability to actually assume a role with their outdated restrictions on dress and props. The saddest thing about it is that they originally tried to sell the land on a focus for role playing and almost every aspect they originally advertised got dropped in favor of restricting it to the Starcruiser.

Any success it has over the Harry Potter lands these days is more due to Harry Potter losing steam thanks to the various controversies around the franchise and its author, not because Disney offered a better experience.

[AProductions]

FYI - the "cocktail party" metaphor wasn't necessarily just about "a lot going on", but rather hearing bits and pieces of a conversation here and there without needing to hear the whole story.

The context of this came out of Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion where you would flow in and out of rooms and only hear partial dialogue. Those types of attractions don't have a specific "clock" or interval as it's more difficult to have a controlled exposition of narrative beats as you might find on other dark rides such as Indiana Jones, Spiderman, and Forbidden Journey that can dispatch vehicles more consistently and reliably trigger show elements

[ewantennant]

This is probably the best wendover video yet. Not just because I’m a huge theme park geek but also because it follows a story so well and brings so many topics into one video. I would however like to point out that galactica is not rated top 50 in the world and never really was

[WalkinChristum]

Me an eastern european that never even saw a theme park before: Yes, this video is what I've been looking for..

[StevvieZz]

Huge theme park and Disney fan AND Wendover fan, avoided YouTube spoilers for years so as not to ruin the first ride experience, got to Galaxy’s Edge for the first time YESTERDAY, got to enjoy the full new Wendover video on the day of its publication today :D

[hayzyhorses]

I went to Diagon Alley and Galaxy’s edge back to back days. Diagon alley was by far the most immersive experience I have ever seen, I truly forgot I was in a theme park. Galaxy’s edge was okay, but I always knew I was in a theme park. I think part of it is that Galaxy’s edge should have aliens walking around, and I think if they added alien cast members it would be way more immersive. Diagon alley doesn’t have this problem as half the people were walking around in their own robes, and you can expect muggle clothes there.

[TheRealAmericanMan]

The crazy part is that Galaxy’s Edge uses everything Disney learned from The Wizarding World and Pandora
And uses it to make the most monetized and exploitative theme part area of all time almost entirely missing the point.