In a new survey, Disney is asking guests for feedback about the potential attractions, lands, or meet & greets featuring The Simpsons at Walt Disney World and their theme parks. This shares details of the survey, the likelihood of Universal Studios Florida dropping its Springfield land, and our commentary about the likelihood of the characters making their way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or another park.
Let’s start with the survey, which was spotted by friend-of-the-site Drew Smith the Disney Dude on Twitter. Smith shared a screenshot of the survey asks about various brands and franchises owned by The Walt Disney Company and asks: “Which of the following offerings do you want to hear more about from The Simpsons?”
Guests can select from answers including “Character meet & greets at the Disney theme parks” and “New lands or attractions at the Disney theme parks.” It also includes several options that aren’t relevant to this site, such as “live action TV” (eww) as well as “immersive experiences outside of the Disney theme parks” (I suppose that one is theme park adjacent and could mean standalone offerings like ESPN Zone or DisneyQuest, but revolving around The Simpsons.)
The Simpsons is not currently represented at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any of the international parks. The Simpsons Ride opened at Universal Studios Florida (USF) and Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) in 2008, following the closure of its Back to the Future attraction. Universal later added fully-fledged Springfield lands at USF in 2013, followed by USH in 2015.
The land includes Fast Food Boulevard, which features a number of dining options, with the most notable being Lard Lad Donuts, Krusty Burger and Moe’s Tavern (although I’m partial to Cletus’ Chicken Shack). There are minor differences between the USH and USF versions of the land, which is slightly larger in Orlando thanks to the Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl spinner ride (and that park simply having more space).
After a heated bidding war between Disney and Comcast (Universal’s parent company), Disney announced in late 2017 that it would acquire 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion. Not really germane to this post, but I really wish Comcast’s $65 billion offer would’ve won out. While Iger and co. made a number of brilliant acquisitions that have paid for themselves multiple times over, the Fox deal arguably is not one of them. Justifying that purchase might be precisely why we’re seeing this survey.
In any case, the Fox acquisition gave Disney ownership of The Simpsons, which have since featured prominently in Disney+ marketing efforts. The franchise has been highlighted on home screens and a push for the new holiday special almost convinced me to give it a watch.
The same day that the Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox was announced, Universal issued its own statement that the deal would “have no impact on our ride or our guest experience.” It is widely believed that Universal’s contract gives them theme park rights to The Simpsons for 20 years, meaning it ends in 2028 unless it’s voluntarily terminated earlier.
To that point, there have been rumors via Alicia Stella of Orlando Theme Park Stop that Universal Orlando would replace Springfield with a Pokémon-themed area. This was part of a bigger-picture package of rumors about Universal Creative’s medium-term plan for its existing gates, which is seemingly in flux as different redevelopment concepts have been explored.
It’s notable that Universal Studios Japan already has a long-term strategic alliance with The Pokémon Company that has borne fruit via the park’s parades, merchandise, and food & beverage sold at in the park. USJ has also had seasonal events with a strong Pokémon focus.
Most importantly, it’s an open secret that USJ’s version of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, which closed earlier this year despite being relatively new, is going to be replaced by a Pokémon attraction. I’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, but perhaps USJ was waiting until Donkey Kong Country finally debuted after a multi-month delay. That has happened, meaning an announcement could come soon.
It might make more sense for Pokémon to replace Marvel Super Hero Island and its Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction, which would allow for a direct clone of the USJ attraction. But I don’t know what that would mean for that land’s thrill rides, which probably are not quite as conducive to Pokémon (or any Nintendo franchise) attractions.
Honestly, it probably doesn’t matter what replaces what. The old Back to the Future ride has an aging ride system that has seen better days, and it’s gotta be nearing the end of its useful life regardless. It could probably limp along until 2028, which likely is the most sensible option since Universal honestly has bigger fish to fry in its two existing gates before turning its attention to Springfield. The Simpsons area is still solid, and a worthwhile land for now.
Beyond that, there’s no way Walt Disney World builds anything related to The Simpsons before 2028. Tropical Americas isn’t coming until 2027, with other lands opening annually at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom after that in 2028 through 2030. That leaves a permanent addition for The Simpsons sometime in the 2030s, if it happens at all. The only nearer-term alternative would be entertainment or something temporary.
Our Commentary
To “answer” the titular question, a lot of things could happen. But that doesn’t mean they will happen or are even likely to happen. The Simpsons will not come to Walt Disney World or Disneyland in any meaningful capacity. Not all surveys lead to something. To the contrary, most are dead-ends. The only reason we decided to discuss this one was due to the rumors revolving around Universal replacing The Simpsons, and fans drawing the conclusion that this was the logical end point. In our view, it is not.
At the risk of stating the obvious, The Simpsons is not as popular as the franchise once was. It’s featured on Disney+ because of its voluminous back catalog, meaning the show is a good candidate for racking up lots of minutes viewed if old fans or new ones binge the series. Beyond that, the show just isn’t that popular anymore. Viewership numbers for new episodes have been falling for decades (literally!), so it’s not just a more recent phenomenon driven by cord-cutting.
The argument could be made, I suppose, that this is precisely the type of franchise Disney Parks should be featuring. Not flavors of the month, but established ones with staying power that will stand the test of time. I’ve used this exact same rationale to justify Seven Dwarfs Mine Train being built at Walt Disney World, and the same could be said for the upcoming Cars and Monsters, Inc. lands, not to mention the Villains land, depending on what it includes.
The Simpsons is different. It is not timeless. There are some episodes that certainly are, and the early seasons are classics. But I don’t think today’s youth are relating to Bart Simpson like my generation did, and I don’t see Millennial parents introducing their kids to The Simpsons in the same way they will the Disney and Pixar animated classics, or original trilogy of Star Wars. It was a huge hit in the 1990s that captured the collective zeitgeist because of how different it was. That’s no longer the case thanks to South Park, Family Guy, Futurama, etc.
I say this as someone who was huge into The Simpsons. Back when my house first got AOL dial-up, I spent hours and hours on micro fan-sites devoted to specific characters. I looked forward to Adobe Flash updates to one of my favorites that revolved around Treehouse of Horror. I made my own cover art for VHS tapes of episodes I’d recorded from over-the-air. You get the idea. As should be obvious from those details, that was in the late 1990s.
I have strong nostalgia for The Simpsons, but most of that is pre-9/11. I’ve only watched a handful of episodes in the last 20 years, and honestly, that was mostly by accident when I couldn’t find the remote after Fox NFL Sunday ended. (No joke.) I don’t think I’ve made it through any of them, seeking out the remote because they’ve been so bad. Not The Simpsons I remembered.
Maybe I’m extrapolating too much based on my own personal history with The Simpsons, but I would hazard a guess that the well of nostalgia for The Simpsons is not that deep. And it’s only drying up. To the extent that Gen X and Millennials have fond memories of The Simpsons, we’ve probably mostly moved on. I am highly skeptical that the franchise, at this point in time, has sufficient popularity to justify any theme park representation.
I would also hazard a guess that Universal has realized as much, which is precisely why there are rumors that they’re exploring the idea of ending the licensing agreement early. By contrast, there are zero credible rumors that they have any intentions of extending. That would be the path of least resistance if the land has drawing power, as (again) there are more pressing problems and areas ripe for redevelopment at both USH and USF.
The Simpsons was an older franchise even when the Universal parks introduced it back in 2008. That was almost two decades ago. By the time Disney gets around to doing anything with it, we’re realistically looking at 25 years. And not from the franchise’s peak, but from a time when it was already waning in popularity.
It’s possible that Walt Disney World or Disneyland will do something less-permanent with The Simpsons. Meet & greets, entertainment, or dining could make sense. Moe’s Tavern could maybe generate some revenue, but the the thing there is that the concept has already been done by Universal. Would it have the same impact the third time? Doubtful.
Honestly, this is another reason why I’d be reluctant to pursue the idea if I were Disney. Springfield at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood is perfect satisfactory. It’s a good miniland as far as retrofits go, but it’s nothing special. Accomplishes a bit of wish fulfillment and gives people my age a few fun photo ops and meal options.
Even with Imagineering’s talents and resources, I’m skeptical Disney could do Springfield much better. That’s less an indictment of the creative arms of each and more the low-ceiling on the concept itself. Pre-Pandora, we talked up how that actually would be a great fit for a theme park, as the land was a beautiful environment to explore. The Simpsons offer the antithesis of that. Springfield is, by design, middle class suburbia. What Universal already did more or less maxed out the land’s limited potential. It does not need or deserve more.
As for entertainment, the problem there becomes one of thematic cohesion. The Simpsons characters don’t really work well alongside traditional Disney animation or Pixar. It’s noticeably jarring, even to non-fans. That hasn’t stopped Disney from doing the same with Star Wars, Marvel, Pirates of the Caribbean and live-action remakes in certain nighttime spectaculars, but the difference there is one of popularity. People love all of those franchises. Do they still love The Simpsons?
The other issue with all of these temporary offerings is the opportunity cost. Any of the “best” ideas for Walt Disney World or Disneyland to use The Simpsons in the near-term could be applied to Bluey instead (well, except for the bar). As you’re likely aware, Disney just acquired theme park rights for Bluey, which was a brilliant albeit overdue decision.
Why put The Simpsons in Animation Courtyard or another limited-time offering at Disney’s Hollywood Studios when you could use Bluey instead? The return on investment for each dollar spent on Bluey would be exponentially higher than the same money spent on The Simpsons.
The question of thematic cohesion and appropriateness for the Disney Parks is where I suspect most fans will focus their reactions and (frankly) frustrations about this Simpsons survey question. I’m largely ignoring that here because, as we’ve learned, that doesn’t often make much of a difference to the company. What does is brand awareness and drawing power, and I just do not think The Simpsons really moves the needle in any appreciable way for Walt Disney World or Disneyland. It’d be more trouble and expense than it’s worth.
That’s why I suspect this is more likely to be a survey question aimed at shutting down the idea, rather than supporting it. As mentioned above, Disney is likely looking for ways to further justify the Fox acquisition’s price tag, and this survey was likely a fruitless fishing expedition, with The Simpsons as a potential option thrown out there. Personally, I’d bet that we’ll sooner see Planet of the Apes or Alien in the parks than The Simpsons…and I don’t think either of those franchises are all that likely, either!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the chances of The Simpsons coming to Walt Disney World? Does Springfield deserve a place in the parks? Think The Simpsons entertainment or characters would be good additions in Hollywood Studios? Hopeful that characters are added to entertainment or as meet & greets ASAP? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
