Originally Posted By Doobie This topic is for Discussion of: <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/News-ID511110.asp" target="_blank">1/11/07 Lost at Sea</a>
Originally Posted By Doobie Sorry about that. It was showing for me, but when I went to a different browser it stopped showing. I corrected it. Doobie.
Originally Posted By jrriddle Hmmm. I'll wait for the whole article before I comment. Looking forward to it.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Great article! Although I don't totally agree with everything said, I certainly agree with some of it, and completely understand where it's coming from. Although TDS did manage to recreate real places to an amazing level, it seems to miss the fantasy que almost completely. This least to a bit of monotony through the park, with huge (although thematically impressive) buildings covering the landscape with trees thrown in for good measure. Although each area has its very own distinct look, they don't really feel all that different. For some reason, I was always completely contious of the other lands, where in most Disney parks, I'm really only contious of the land that I'm in at the time (unless it's near a path to a different area where you can see the other land as well). For some reason, although practically perfect representations of the locations, they just seemed to miss something.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan The article was too negative for my liking. I don't think any of the parks deserve such criticism. In fact, I've always enjoyed California Adventure and Animal Kingdom for what they are even though many people seem to criticize them heavily.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Also, I don't think the statement that Journey to the Center of the Earth is always a walk-on is correct. The only time I saw it as a walk-on was during a rainy week in July. But Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Buzz Lightyear were also walk-ons, as well as Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. I don't think that statement is saying anything about JttCotE's popularity, as I still see long lines (up to 120 minutes on some days) when it's not the off season. And one more point; the fortress is not DisneySea's icon. That title belongs to the AquaSphere and has been confirmed by park officials.
Originally Posted By leemac <<And one more point; the fortress is not DisneySea's icon. That title belongs to the AquaSphere and has been confirmed by park officials.>> Then they are plain wrong. The true icon of the park is the Fortress. That is how both OLC executive committee and WDI perceive the park. <<Also, I don't think the statement that Journey to the Center of the Earth is always a walk-on is correct. The only time I saw it as a walk-on was during a rainy week in July.>> I was there for the entire month of July '06 for Mythica and the attraction was a virtual walk-on every day I walked past it. To such an extent that they switched off the FP on a regular basis.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Then why is the AquaSphere featured in the park and resort logos if it is not the icon? WDI wanted the park icon to be the fortress but the OLC wanted something on the scale and scope of Epcot's Spaceship Earth. Hence, the AquaSphere was created. In fact, the Disney University for TDS cast members teaches that though the fortress is featured in promotional ads, the AquaSphere is the true icon of the park. Unless you have proof saying otherwise, I'm going to go with the more reliable source.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<I was there for the entire month of July '06 for Mythica and the attraction was a virtual walk-on every day I walked past it. To such an extent that they switched off the FP on a regular basis.>> I saw the same for many attractions at both TDL and TDS too. Quite surprising really, especially seeing no Fastpass machines open for even the most popular attractions at TDL such as Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Splash Mountain.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Then why is the AquaSphere featured in the park and resort logos if it is not the icon?>> Because that awful TDR logo is meant to be a contrast between the SEA and LAND. Two "castles" wouldn't differentiate the products. <<Unless you have proof saying otherwise, I'm going to go with the more reliable source.>> Next time I see Chairman Tagami I will tell him that he is wrong.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Maybe they're the ones who are wrong. There's no denying that the AquaSphere is the official symbol or icon of the park, regardless of what WDI wanted it to be originally. And trust me, it was going to be the fortress and volcano at the beginning. It was only because of the OLC that the AquaSphere was even created. And anyways, it really doesn't make a difference to the WDI; they can still think that the fortress represents the park better but the OLC has clearly stated that the AquaSphere is the TRUE symbol of DisneySea. And believe me, I would take either Mount Prometheus or the fortress over the AquaSphere as the icon any day. Or maybe even both since they seem to be one giant structure.
Originally Posted By mstaft I article was interesting but left me scratching my head. DCA better than TDS? "These past five ‘wonder’ years would reveal my appreciation for Disney’s California Adventure because it felt personal and there was self involvement in the narratives in place there. And that’s what I couldn’t find here." I bet I would love this TDS park, as Epcot is my favorite of all the Florida ones- and to me, the feel seems similar to some degree. In my opinion, there is little artistry and alot of commerce behind DCA--and more of the opposite at TDS. Although I have never seen the place, I am fascinated by it. To each his own, I guess!
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan I'm just as baffled as you are. DCA left much to be desired and lacked the magic and charm of almost every other Disney park, especially when compared to Disneyland. There are not enough E-tickets for the whole family and I usually visit only for Tower of Terror and Soarin'. And it just totally lacks any of the elaborate theming associated with the Disney parks, something that TDS contains more than any other theme park. Paradise Pier needs to go because a carnival boardwalk just does not feel right in a Disney park. Same goes for the DinoRama at Animal Kingdom. There is very little Disney magic at DCA, though I still do not think it's as bad everybody says it is. On the other hand, I think that TDS is full of that Disney magic and would even rival the original Disneyland when it comes to charm. Don't ask me why, I just feel so immersed when I stroll through DisneySea.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros From how I'm understanding it, he's saying that DCA takes on a more stylized and imaginative look on reality than TDS. Although TDS certainly has much better theming IMO, I would still agree that DCA has more whimsy to it. With the hip and edgy came a look that was fresh and pretty creative (although not really was peopel are looking for in Disney parks). The sassy new style took jumps from reality (all of the Route 66 area, no matter how ugly it may be, is definately a cartoonized look at it) but just didn't have the funding to complete it. Part of what makes DCA so sad for me is that I can see where a lot of the plans were heading, and where they just plain ran out of money to do it the right way. Although I would put TDS's theming, resturants, shops, and attractions above DCA's any day of the week, it still seems to miss the mark on the fantasy factor for me. Although DCA also pretty much missed that one too, they have clear evidence that they tried for it.
Originally Posted By Mr X >>>Yet it appears that for a park about the ‘Sea’ the narratives are undeniably ‘Land’ locked.<<< I'll just go ahead and rip this article apart shred by shred, but first I just HAVE to say... How anyone writing a fluff opinion piece can use words like "undeniably" is beyond me. Undeniably in one person's opinion is all it is. I deny it. Therefore, it can't be undeniable. No, I take that back. I don't deny it. Because the sentence itself doesn't even make sense. The narratives? The stories you mean? Of submarine adventures, traversing the seven seas, maiden voyages, distant ports of call, frolicking with mermaids? Those stories? Yeah, undeniable. Right. I'll continue later. (fasten your seatbelts kids, this is gonna be good)
Originally Posted By Mr X >>>Although TDS certainly has much better theming IMO, I would still agree that DCA has more whimsy to it.<<< While I can understand the argument that some new imagineering projects result in places that seem "too real", like the comments about DisneySea and Animal Kingdom...I gotta say Mermaid Lagoon has more whimsy in it's kid zone than all of DCA put together. Ferret, if you're saying that DCA's "real stuff" is more Disnified than DisneySea's "real stuff"...I could definitely agree with that. Personally though, I never had a problem with either (DAK or DisneySea). Just like how everyone comments that at Epcot they "feel" like they are going to different countries... Funny that noone seems to complain about Epcot in the same way though.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<I'll just go ahead and rip this article apart shred by shred, but first I just HAVE to say... How anyone writing a fluff opinion piece can use words like "undeniably" is beyond me.>> I agree. I would even say that they are in the lowest minority when it comes to this critique. Up until a few months ago, I had never seen such a severe criticism of TDS. A lot of Disney fans I talked to returning from Japan claimed that TDS was the sole reason they went to Japan in the first place. All of them claimed that it was the best second gate by far and definitely the most beautiful theme park in the world. Even the most negative review criticized only the fact that there were not enough attractions. Even still, he was extremely amazed by the rich theming and extreme attention to detail.
Originally Posted By Mr X Keep in mind TDR_Fan that Lindsay has been an outspoken basher of DisneySea from the get-go (one of two, the other one is Lee). He once wrote that his opinion about the new parks was DCA in first place, WDSP in second, and DisneySea last. Hey, everyone has a right to their opinion. But seriously, how many people have you heard that think Walt Disney Studios Paris is BETTER than DisneySea? And it goes beyond the parks too, they've both expressed negative opinions about Japan and Japanese people in general, so take it for what it's worth (for the same reason, my dislike of Chinese people's rudeness certainly colored my opinion of Hong Kong Disneyland, especially when I witnessed outrageously rude behavior in the park itself!).
Originally Posted By leemac <<He once wrote that his opinion about the new parks was DCA in first place, WDSP in second, and DisneySea last.>> Absolute nonsense. Lindsay has never said anything of the sort. WDSP is firmly in last place in Lindsay's thinking.
