Works in the Warner Bros Movie World theme park in Madrid have almost finished. It is expected to open next Spring 2002 (March 2002).

It doesn't seem to have an official website yet. In the meantime, have a look at this unofficial site or at the information provided by San Martín de la Vega's city council website (in Spanish).

San Martin de la Vega is a village located 25 km south of Madrid and it will be connected by train soon.

[ 02-01-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Oh, my God...a Warner Brothers theme park in Madrid...the world is coming to an end.

Do we have to "Disney-fy" the whole world?

Ick.

My feelings exactly (or is it "Warnerfying"). I travel for the specifc goal of getting away from all that and it's getting very difficult.Are people like us such a minority? Does the greed of these corporate giants make them oblivious to the beauty of untouched landscapes and cultural diversity....or am I being unfair...maybe Spain's youth is happily embracing all this and are thinking ... we're going to have something new and fun. Perhaps Antonio and others can tell us what the general population had to say when the deal was made.I'd be interested.

Tara, Karen,

If Mickey Mouse don't get you, Elmer Fudd does -

Wolf (Whose "Saturday mornings" DO NOT include watching cartoons on TV - Not anymore anyway - )

[ 02-02-2002: Message edited by: Wolf ]

People people, you are being overprotective with us

I don't really know how good or bad the park is, but I know by now certain points:

1) The park would give 2000-3000 direct jobs, plus an equal amount of indirect ones.

2) To install the park, the regional government improved the infrastructures of all the region, making new highways, roads and railways.

3) A park like this one (and others that will surely come) will boost tourism and economy in the whole region. The investment has been already huge.

That way, they have converted a depressed zone as the east of Madrid in a flourishing one.

Anything wrong in that? Absolutely no. Who do you think are going to work there? Where is the most of the richness going to stay?

Culturally, in my point of view, it doesn't "taint" us with an american culture if that is what you fear. Does Eurodisney in France make frenchs less french? In spite, now Disney should be asking why they decided to install Eurodisney in France and not here, what a failure!. Spain is the disco and the party room of Europe

I say: Welcome to any multinational which wants to establich here!

Fernando

Fernando,

I have nothing against a WB theme park in Madrid. If that's what the people want, they should have it. I personally wouldn't spend one euro to go there, and would opt for spending more time away from Madrid instead of in Madrid, if prices go up because of the park created more of a demand for lodging, and meals. It's creation isn't going to be the "gold mine" that people think. Those jobs at a theme park usually are minimum wage, and part-time for the most part, making them just another way for people to be "partially employed," not "fully employed."

As for Disney's venture in France, I have heard stories as to how disastrous it's been. Most of it due to unions which have actually blockaded the park, threatened people who go there, and work there, and because the people who do work there are so rude that most people would prefer slapping their faces instead of speaking to them. I also have heard that it's been so disastrous that the Disney empire has suffered severe enough losses that it has created a bind for them financially.

Above all, don't let the hype that the WB people offer sway you into believing it's going to be the greatest thing to arrive in Madrid in the last century. It isn't, and won't be. That you can count on.

Wolf (Whose idea of a vacation "mecca" doesn't include spending hundreds of dollars for the little ones to go on three rides, have an over-priced snow cone, and a chance to see a person in an Elmer Fudd costume smoking a cigarette off to the side. )

Fernando,Thanks for the insight. I had a feeling I may have had a slightly distorted view. Sometimes I think we Americans would like the rest of the world to stay in some preserved,idealized version of the past for the sake of our own travel escapes and I know that is unrealistic. As you say, these kinds of things bring jobs to an area that otherwise may be experiencing an exodus of it's young, employable population. Having never been to any of our largest theme parks...maybe Spain's will be my first!

As Fernando said, thanks to the theme park infrastructures in the area are getting much better. Having the park will attract more tourism to Madrid boosting our economy. There are lots of people who go to visit Terra Mítica in Valencia or Universal Studios Port Aventura in Tarragona.

As for the prices, you don't have to worry about them because there are already enough competition in Madrid to guarantee prices won't rise very high unless we want to loose all our customers. In the last year nine new hotels have opened in the Gran Via area and there are works to build new ones (such as a luxury one besides the Hotel Palace).

About jobs, I agree they are not very good ones or well paid but it's the same in many other sectors.

The situation in Disneyland Paris is totally different. I heard the bad weather forces them to close the attractions many times during the year. In fact, I don't know if it's even open all year round. And then, about the unions, they are much more powerful in France than in Spain. Just remember what the did with the lorry drivers strike. It's very unlikely that you see something like this in Spain.

In Bilbao you have a good example of how a tourist attraction can boost the economy of a city. Tourism there has shown a sharp increase since Guggenheim Museum was opened there. I know it can't be compared with a theme park but, in a way, they both attract people.

I wish it was a theme park related to our culture instead of something about american movies but I guess entrepeneurs in Spain don't have the money or don't want to risk it in such a huge investment.

I could not agree more with Fernando and Antonio. I don't see this theme park as a danger for spanish culture but as a source of money and jobs in a depressed area that very few people would visit otherwise.

I think Fernando and Antonio make good points, but as a Floridian, I have to say that large theme parks aren't all they are cracked up to be. They invite tourism, sure, but they also invite traffic, crime, and other problems. My friends who have worked at the parks in Orlando say that the jobs are okay for a while, but that none of them see those jobs as having a "future." Many Floridians avoid Orlando because of the parks--too much traffic, high prices, etc. And they have become more and more commercial over the years--now it's not Space Mountain, the famous roller coaster ride, it's the FedEx Space Mountain. I don't like feeling like I am paying $40 for entrance to Advertising-Land.

However, I can't say that I am familiar with all of the issues surrounding the development near Madrid--perhaps they can do it in an ecologically and culturally sensitive way.

Let's hope!

Tara