As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I was interested when I heard this last night - it's not something I'd have expected and I must admit we did discuss the implications for Universal. I'd prefer to see the Marvel characters remaining there, rather than moving to Disney.
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As someone else pointed out, Universal will continue to hold the rides for the licensing on the current rides at IOA as long as they are maintaining those rides. Once a ride shuts down to be replaced by something else, then they lose the right to that character. However, this only affects theme parks EAST of the Mississippi River. So I would expect to see Marvel characters at DL, before WDW.
Disney does have comic book properties prior to Marvel. They have a STRONG publishing arm.
however, many of the comics featuring Disney characters are licensed (primarily to BOOM! Studios right now). That's what Disney does. They create characters and they license them out. They don't manufacture digital cameras, they license HSM out to people who do.
And that's essentially what the Marvel deal is about. The licensing.
Although I think the Muppets comparison isn't really a strong one, as Disney really let that property lay dormant for a while and just sort of ran it into the ground, but they have taken steps in recent years to revive the Muppets (although if I hear yet again about another new tv series that never materializes) and hopefully the presentation at the Expo will expand on that (we already know about the new Disneyland promotional campaign and the new movie).
but i don't believe for a second this has anything to do with bringing Spiderman to the parks. this is about things like Iger talked about: Disney XD uses about 20 hours of Marvel programming per week already, Disney had the XMen cartoon. this is about capitalizing on the success of someone they've already had an extreme partnership with for many years and using what they've built up to exploit that to even further heights.
I have no doubts Disney would love for Universal to hang on to Marvel for decades to come. Because the money Universal pays for those rights goes to Disney. And Universal already has so much invested in the product and Disney doesn't have to invest a dime, just sit back and collect the royalties.
There is no Disney vs. Universal mentality. Sure, Disney would love for you to spend all your time at WDW and forget USO exists, but you won't and they know it. But you don't think they'll feel better having a slice of both pies now?
aside from the fact that using my perennial example of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Disney film? yes. Disney produced? yes. Disney distributed? yes. But much of it was filmed at Universal Studios. Much of the ironwork and props were produced by Warner Brothers. A lot of the post-editing was done at Sony. So it really has nothing to do with whose name is on the face of the product, it's more about the back end and the bottom line.
And that Dave is the sad sad truth Disney wants to buy out all the film rights character rights and for that matter every single entertainment entity in the market to become the ultimatum in entertainment and overpower other companies. Isn't there a rule about capitalism where its supposed to be a balance of companies and not one company overpowering the rest of the market.
I mean buying out Marvel is one thing but Disney attempting to become THE entertainment entity of the world is a violation against The Sherman Antitrust Act. Walt when he was alive violated the act by eliminating all other animation business's and not creating a fair balance of business.
With to much capitalism from one company you essentially have a company ruling the country economically by running the countries market through the majority of licensed products. I prefer a healthy balance of business.
Sometimes I want to watch films, cartoons, and entertainment products and other entities not owned by Disney because honestly none of you even most loyal Disney fans want to have every single entertainment entity owned by Disney. Even you want off from Disney every now and then just like every other company.
Not them owning every licensed character in the market.
This is why all of the news reports have noted that the deal is still subject to FTC approval. I don't know that I care who owns the character so long as they are producing high quality entertainment that I and my family enjoy.
im quite interested to see what will happen in terms of the marvel superhearo island, i did read that universal have the rights to the charactors and rides for as long as the island is in operation...will this be something disney will try and change? SO MANY QUESTIONS
I for one, am totally stoked with the thought of Marvel moving in to Disney parks... My DS (11) is a huge fan of Spidey and the rest of the Marvel comic characters (not to mention that Stan Lee is his ultimate hero!) and since he is getting to that age where Disney characters aren't as cool, perhaps this will give us a few more family vacations to DW without him balking at the idea!
Give Disney some credit... they have decades of experience in the entertainment business and wouldn't mess it up with something that they haven't thought through, especially at 4 BILLION dollars!
Disney does have comic book properties prior to Marvel. They have a STRONG publishing arm.
however, many of the comics featuring Disney characters are licensed (primarily to BOOM! Studios right now). That's what Disney does. They create characters and they license them out. They don't manufacture digital cameras, they license HSM out to people who do.
but in the comic book industry, Disney comics just can't compare to Marvel one
Boom comics puts out the Disney comics as mentioned before. They are for little kids with nice messages to be learned. In fact I got the 4 book set of Toy Story to read to my DS!
Marvel is putting out a series right now with Stephen King, The Stand.(My fav!) I'm sure Disney will have no involvement in it, they won't try to change the creative aspect before it is over next year...
I just think Disney prob knows what they are doing with this, after spending all that money.
According to Nicke Finke, a Hollywood reporter, Universal only has the rights to the Marvel characters that they have already used in attractions. These include: Spiderman, Hulk, Dr. Doom, and I believe that Storm is the other one. She thinks that Disney may be able to use all of the other Marvel characters. She said there will be no more Marvel characters licensed to Universal. She also thought that Disney may eventually buy back the license once the Super Hero Island becomes less popular.
DH told me about this yesterday. Huge Marvel and Disney fan so he is very excited. He says he can see a whole new park and yes, it will really grab the boys attention.
I think it's stupid myself... Disney needs to focus on Disney stuff for a while.. not these add ons... JMO....
my thoughts also turned ot Universal Studios in Orlando, what the heck does it mean for them, and if Spiderman makes an appearance at WDW I'm gonna scream.
I think it's an odd combo for Disney to own Marvel, which is more adult-oriented entertainment/cartoons/comics, but then again that could be the point. And the reference to getting more boy-oriented media/merchandise is a great outcome, should that also be their plan. Lord knows DH and I have a blast shopping for the nieces, but the for the boys?? Ugh, it's definitely more a chore. It'll be interesting to see what plans Disney has for this acquisition!
I think this could be great. My DH is a huge comic book fan. Having these characters there and attractions based on these characters would make it a lot easier to talk him into going.
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