Originally Posted By leemac Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World Honored with International 2006 THEA Award for Outstanding Attraction GLENDALE, CA (November 20, 2006) – The Themed Entertainment Association named Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain of Disney’s Animal Kingdom winner of the 2006 THEA Award for Outstanding Attraction. The prestigious award goes to Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative design organization that created and developed the attraction. TEA (<a href="http://www.teaconnect.org" target="_blank">http://www.teaconnect.org</a>) is a non-profit, international association representing the world’s leading creators, developers, designers and producers of compelling places and experiences. Established in 1991, the THEA Awards recognize achievement, talent and personal excellence within the themed entertainment industry. Now recognized internationally as a symbol of excellence, the THEAs are awarded in ten separate categories and bestowed annually at the THEA Awards Gala, considered the industry’s premiere event. The 2006 honorees will receive their awards at the Gala on March 3, 2007. Expedition Everest, a thrilling high-speed adventure, takes guests on a perilous journey from the remote Himalayan village of Serka Zong into the very recesses of the chilling Himalayas in search of the mysterious creature known as the Yeti. The attraction opened on April 7, 2006 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. "We are extremely proud that TEA is awarding the Outstanding Attraction of 2006 to Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This marks the pinnacle of an amazing achievement involving more than six years of research to the far corners of the earth, extensive design and planning, as well as massive engineering, construction and landscaping operations to achieve this immersive environment and one of Walt Disney World's most thrilling attractions,†said Joe Rohde, Executive Designer of Expedition Everest and Creative Vice President for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Each of the hundreds of team members at Walt Disney Imagineering who contributed to this project should feel proud about what we have achieved together." Features of Expedition Everest contributing to its status as Outstanding Attraction of 2006 include the following: At just under 200 feet, the mountain peak for the attraction is the tallest of the 18 mountains in the Disney “mountain range,†peaks created by Disney Imagineers at Disney parks worldwide. More than 1,800 tons of steel were used in the mountain structure, about six times the amount of steel used in a traditional office building of this size. The mountain is crafted with more than 3,000 pre-fabricated “chips†created from 25,000 individual computer-molded pieces of steel. More than 900 bamboo plants, 10 species of trees and 110 species of shrubs were planted to re-create the lowlands surrounding Mount Everest. The mammoth-sized Audio-Animatronics® Yeti has a potential thrust, in all of its hydraulic cylinders combined, of slightly over 259,000 pounds force – potentially more instantaneous power than a 747-400 jet airliner. To create the sense of an enormous mountain range, a “mural†of shadows was painted across the face of the mountains. The range, with its glaciers and valleys, is a canvas of rockwork, carvings and painting, creating a forced perspective where closer-in objects have a massive look while appliqués trick the eye into perceiving far-off objects. Previous THEA Awards presented to Walt Disney Imagineering include the following: Classic Award – Disneyland, Anaheim, California, 2006 Show – Remember… Dreams Come True, Disneyland, 2006 Attraction – CineMagique, Walt Disney Studios, Disneyland Resort Paris, 2003 Creative Technology – Stitch’s Photo Phone, Disney’s California Adventure, 2003 Effective Re-Theming – Haunted Mansion Holiday, Disneyland, 2003 Attraction – Disney Animation, Disney’s California Adventure, 2002 Attraction – Soarin’ Over California, Disney’s California Adventure, 2002 Themed Hotel: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Walt Disney World, 2002 Theme Park – Tokyo DisneySea, 2002
Originally Posted By FerretAfros That's really great that Disney is being recognized for its efforts by such an outstanding orginization. It's particularly nice, since they tend to be supported by a lot of coaster enthusiasts who don't tend to be Disney's main audience.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd I think that it was well earned. We as a family have a new favorite Disney ride and as a strictly coaster goes, the ride does pack a few punches. That backwards drop actually disorients me more the Rock'n. Add all the incredible theming and I believe it is an amazing success.
Originally Posted By dixielandings the Rohde Coaster is a great work of art that's a well deserved award for a fantastic attraction !
Originally Posted By dsnygrl4evr Expedition Everest truly is an amazing work of art. It is not only a VERY GOOD coaster, the themeing is OUT OF THIS WORLD! The honor was well deserved!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Seems like the THEA Award people should get out more often and take a trip to Tokyo and check out that other fiery mountain built by Disney... you know the one Leemac...
Originally Posted By Kane22 TDLFAN why don't you post that one where it says Tokyo Disneyland not in here because we don't always need to hear you talking a bunch of bull about Walt Disney World. Other than that Expedition Everest was awsome it completely deserved the THEA award & who cares what other people think.
Originally Posted By leemac Kane22 it shows that he doesn't read other posts. It clearly says in very bottom line that TDS won the THEA for Best Theme Park. The TEA voters didn't believe that any of the attractions at TDS were worthy of an Attraction nod that year. If I recall the three winners were: Soarin' Over California: DCA Animation: DCA Animation Celebration: USJ Note the location of that third winner.
Originally Posted By leemac That said it would have been interesting to see whether Tower of Terror at TDS would have trumped Everest. Unfortunately the nominations closed in July before the attraction opened. That said I still feel Everest is the more complete attraction of the two.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Other than that Expedition Everest was awsome it completely deserved the THEA award & who cares what other people think.<< Obviously you *DO* care, since you are giving me way too much credit here, and I am loving every milisecond of it. >>it shows that he doesn't read other posts.<< No Lee, I don't since most of the stuff you post is meant to inderectly praise your friends in Glendale or at Team Disney. I guess it's sort of similar to not taking the time to check out my albums... >>It clearly says in very bottom line that TDS won the THEA for Best Theme Park.<< ..and does that surprise you (or anyone who has been to TDS)??? >>The TEA voters didn't believe that any of the attractions at TDS were worthy of an Attraction nod that year.<< What year is that? And I assume they only bestoy titles and awards on NEW additions to theme parks per year.. and let's face it.. Raging Spirits hardly qualifies as a ride, much less an award. >>If I recall the three winners were: Soarin' Over California: DCA Animation: DCA Animation Celebration: USJ<< Oh well, there you go! THEA's credibility just went out the window for me since USJ's Animation Celebration is one of the weaker offerings at that park. I however, would love to hear your opinion of their "Wicked" show, a condensed version of the Broadway musical, which I enjoyed the other day and thought of it to be quite great for a little 30-min version of the real thing. In fact, USJ's Wicked, DLP's Lion King, and TDS' Big Band Beat (and their fabulous Xmas edition) are just about the very best stage shows in any theme park right now. Too bad Mickey can't dream that big at the MK as of late.
Originally Posted By Kane22 Whatever TDLFAN I'm just sick of you talking trash about other theme parks!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Take some medicine and use the nearest emergency door, and please note, the nearest exit may be *behind* you. It will make you feel better.
Originally Posted By aracuanbird Not sure what you meant by this, Ferret: "It's particularly nice, since they tend to be supported by a lot of coaster enthusiasts who don't tend to be Disney's main audience." If you mean that TEA is mostly coaster fans, I don't think that's really the case. TEA is an attempt at a trade organization, sort of a Magician's Alliance, only less, um, magical. It's a bunch of the people that do anything from attraction planning and design to fabrication and just about anything else you can think of. (My personal opinion: this group is better at designing rides than they are at marketing themselves. Who would think to find the TEA at www.themeit.com?) The Theas, awarded by a TEA subcommittee, have a cast of usual suspects that regularly pop up when the awards are announced. This could be because the same folks keep creating the best attractions. It could be something else... As to TDLFan's comment...BRC takes a lot of credit for USJ's Animation Celebration. They have done great work and recently got an award for the Lincoln Museum in Illinois. And TDS received a Thea in 2002. Past Thea recipients can be found here: <a href="http://www.themeit.com/thea_past.htm" target="_blank">http://www.themeit.com/thea_pa st.htm</a>
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA In other news, 'Expedition Everest' also received the 'Best Bird of Prey on a Stick' award. Congratulations!
Originally Posted By kennect TDL, In reference to Wicked have you seen the full show yet? USJ might be doing that little mini musical well but it comes no where close to representing what the full show is....To me it looks like a couple of song and dance numbers with no story substance at all in relation to its source material....I can see though where the mini show is an effort to try to introduce the Japan market for the full show which will be there soon...To me that idea sounds cheap on Univeral's end of things...
Originally Posted By Nobody "Creative Technology – Stitch’s Photo Phone, Disney’s California Adventure, 2003" Did they test this at DCA first? I thought it was always in Innoventions at Disneyland.
Originally Posted By SuperDry I'm a little late to the game, but I got to ride EE for the first time yesterday. I thought it was really well done. The queue and general area of the attraction blended seamlessly with the ride itself, and they did an excellent job at setting the mood and the sense of place. The bird on a stick was broken/off/removed, although you could still hear it screech. The only negative thing I would have to say about it is that when you first go backward into the dark, you can see light leaking in between the base of the track and the rest of the mountain, and it detracted from the effect. Regarding the delay at the two direction switch points (the first of which is why they may have added the bird-on-a-stick effect), they do seem unnecessarily long. I seem to remember reading that it's only about 6 seconds, but it seems like a long time when you're sitting still on a roller coaster mid-ride. On one ride, during the second switch, I watched the track mechanism do its thing rather than the Yeti's shadow. It seemed that we had come to a rest and were sitting still for about 4 seconds, then the track switch flipped over and almost as soon as it settled into the new position we were released and on our way. I can't figure out why this would be the case - if anything, it would seem that the oppposite would be true. I'm curious to know what the real reason for the delay is (I'm sure there's a good one from an engineering standpoint - I just can't think of what it might be). For the second switch, it doesn't matter since there's a show element that you're watching, but the first one seems a bit odd while you're waiting. I think the complaints about not seeing the Yeti for very long are overblown. It seemed just fine to me. I did get to see it in primary mode both times with full motion and no strobe - perhaps the secondary mode does look stupid. The one thing I regret is not having the opportunity to ride it at night. Overall, I think WDI did an outstanding job with EE.
Originally Posted By irishfan I pretty much agree with everything SuperDry has said. The delay for the switch points never really bothered me though. I managed to ride 6 times while I was at WDW and the bird on the stick worked for three of them.
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