Originally Posted By vbdad55 Thought those here not suicidal over the HM queue might enjoy this video -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/JeffLangeDVD#p/u/2/b7w0LVL9WkM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/Je...0LVL9WkM</a>
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I have this friend, who has the friend, who thinks the "new" que to the HM sucks. And I really don't understand where this person is coming from since they keep rambling on about trees and river front views but failing to mention the hoards of hundreds of quests, Disney characters and one horse drawn hearse that always seem to get in the way of any potential photo opt I might want to experience. My question is; How long am I going to have to wait till they put a "live" wreath on the front door of the Haunted Mansion and is the "chicken door" really used for live chickens or it is just for celebrities like Princess Di, and les enfants?
Originally Posted By Manfried Thank you, I'm so tired of the change haters. This is a delightful little immersive add on. Remember, the Disney parks are not museums, and not for the exclusive enjoyment of those few [insert description] who think they are the exclusive arbiters of all things Disney.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I went thru the chicken door once since I only wanted to see the new QQQ. It actually was a very interesting exit and yes Lady Di is the ghost I saw as I rang the servants bells. Anything else I have no knowledge of.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Thank you, I'm so tired of the change haters. >> *Rolls eyes* I hate people who hate every change as well. Doesn't change the fact that there are bad changes, this being one of them. But then again, we can't all sit up on your high horse. <<This is a delightful little immersive add on.>> It's about as immersive as the Pooh playgorund, and as subtle as a Duffy meet and greet. <<Remember, the Disney parks are not museums, and not for the exclusive enjoyment of those few [insert description] who think they are the exclusive arbiters of all things Disney.>> Agreed. And remember, Disney parks are supposed to be the most detailed and story-driven parks out there where storytelling and emotion are king. This add on puts a black mark on both.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt As much as people talk about this I'm tempted to book a flight to Florida just to see it for myself.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>And remember, Disney parks are supposed to be the most detailed and story-driven parks out there where storytelling and emotion are king. This add on puts a black mark on both.<<< Assuming what you have said is true, let me ask. Why isn't this a part of storytelling? By who's standards are you basing the assumption that it isn't detailed as it should be? I know the answer...yours!!! Walt said that the parks would be continuously changing, plusing and moving ahead. It is your opinion that this isn't what he had in mind, but I have the feeling that were he alive today you might be quite surprised. I am basing that on the same criteria that you are basing yours. My opinion! HM queue was really nothing but a covered walkway until you got very close to the building. Now there is something to do before that, created in somewhat the same images as the characters in the changing room. Why isn't that in keeping with the spirit of the original story? It is humorous and helps to calm the fears of the young kids and if it upsets adults because it isn't scary enough, well that is just a sad story, I think. At a certain age we are supposed to be above that and all of our participation in any Disney story is supposed to be a willing suspension of disbelief. In other words...none of it is real.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Why isn't that in keeping with the spirit of the original story?>> The Mansion has a natural progression that was created over 40 years ago. The approach to the mansion is supposed to be normal, yet slightly unnerving, but no overt supernatural happenings. Only once we're inside are the haunted qualities of the mansion to come to light, and the ghosts aren't supposed to directly interact with us until after Madame Leota's seance.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<It is humorous and helps to calm the fears of the young kids and if it upsets adults because it isn't scary enough, well that is just a sad story, I think.>> Also...I can't say it really calms any fears. Each time I've been on the ride there are still terrified kids screaming from the Stretch Room. Should we kiddifie that as well? Crap, I probably just gave them an idea.
Originally Posted By danyoung >The Mansion has a natural progression that was created over 40 years ago. The approach to the mansion is supposed to be normal, yet slightly unnerving, but no overt supernatural happenings. Only once we're inside are the haunted qualities of the mansion to come to light, and the ghosts aren't supposed to directly interact with us until after Madame Leota's seance.< Y'know, I actually DON'T disagree with this. I agree that this was the progression of the story since the 60's. So now things have changed, and we see direct evidence of spooks while still outside the mansion. And you know what? This doesn't bother me in the least. It's a bit different from the original theme, but it's in no way a distraction, nor does it change in the slightest the theme that you see inside the attraction.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<It's a bit different from the original theme, but it's in no way a distraction, nor does it change in the slightest the theme that you see inside the attraction.>> Well, we'll agree to disagree. The old way had a subtle class to the whole proceeding with a slow burn to the reveal of the happy haunts and the true nature of the mansion, which is playful instead of scary. Now it's, "HEY! THERE ARE FRIENDLY GHOSTS IN HERE!" Followed by a very creepy, potentially startling scene followed by the slow burn. It makes for an incredibly uneven experience and really doesn't flow well. Disney is supposed to be about story, and right now, the entire story is very uneven in the Haunted Mansion. Does it affect the ride inside? Nope, it's still the best ride on the property. But the overall experience suffers from it. And before someone says I'm taking it too seriously, I'm not. It's simple story structure. It'd be like Shamalyan showing Bruce Willis's funeral at the beginning of The Sixth Sense and then trying to build the slow burn to revealing he's been dead the whole time.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost ^^^^Well, I think the name Haunted Mansion kinda gives that away, don't you? And just as a comment...there is a transition between comical ghosts and scary ghosts built right in. The stretching room...funny ghost pictures followed by the hanging body above. The hallways and attic = scary ghosts threw part of the cemetery and then there are funny ones, partying, dancing hitching rides...I don't call that scary. In short, there has always been a mix in there. In show business terms I believe it is called comic relief.
Originally Posted By leobloom It does mess up the pacing of the attraction and the slow burn effect as Hokie said, if you think about it. Having said that, if the new queue was actually well done and made good effect of its separate stations, all could be forgiven. But I found the little contraptions too static and just not interesting enough to warrant seeing more than once. Some of them are just unimpressive (the books that jut out), others make a mess out of the area (the sea captain's tomb), and others are just random and kiddified (the poetry "shrine" asking "can you think of a word that rhymes with _____"). I'm not a purist, but the new queue is decidedly "meh" IMO -- the very definition of an experience that isn't worth seeing more than once, which defines so much of WDI's output at WDW over the past ten years.
Originally Posted By HMButler79 ""HM queue was really nothing but a covered walkway until you got very close to the building"" You mean the cemetery WASN'T there before for 39yrs? REALLY...... ""Now there is something to do before that, created in somewhat the same images as the characters in the changing room. Why isn't that in keeping with the spirit of the original story?"" What original story do you mean? You were NEVER supposed to experience supernatural stuff OUTSIDE, in BROAD DAYLIGHT. The queue was DELIBERALY set up to be onminous, brooding, and then toungle in cheek w the family plot. ""It is humorous and helps to calm the fears of the young kids and if it upsets adults because it isn't scary enough, well that is just a sad story, I think."" The outside is NOT meant to be a Looney Tune cartoon. Theres a hearse, a mourning wreath, a bat weathervane and a wolf howling. Plus the masterful architeture of the Manse itself which was deliberatly designed to be ominous and foreboding. DUH. I find it sad that you think emotionally fragile children and thier parents who complained about Snow White and Alien Encounter can't handle this. ""In other words...none of it is real."" And THIS...100% PROVES.. your as ignorant as Carsillo and Goodman and it debases your whole argument. ALL the Mansions ARE set in the REAL WORLD. They are supposed to be REAL old Mansions set in the Old South, Dutch New Amsterdam Valley, or the Old West. The only lack of reality was the ghosts. THAT is why the Mansion made everyone suspend disbliefe for 40yrs. NOW WDI is saying "ahaha see it's ALL fake anyway. We're in on the joke HAHA" People like you....
Originally Posted By Manfried <<The Mansion has a natural progression that was created over 40 years ago.>> Yeah, 40 years ago. Why not make some changes?
Originally Posted By Manfried None of the Magic Kingdoms are a real world at all, HM, they are an escape from the real world.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Sounds like Manfried's got friends who've worked on HM's new queue. Sorry, but that's not an unbiased position, wanting to see changes and new additions simply because it keeps your WDI buddies employed. That pretty much negates your complaints about the 'change haters.'
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>The old way had a subtle class to the whole proceeding with a slow burn to the reveal of the happy haunts and the true nature of the mansion, which is playful instead of scary...<< I've now read this in several sources, and it's just, well, wrong. The place is called the HAUNTED Mansion. Not The Vaguely Unsettling Mansion Where Something Slightly Odd May or May Not Be Going On Until You Get to the Last Room and Find It's Really Just Playful Spooks Who Want to Socialize. The idea of "playful" vs. "scary" is explored well before Madame Leota wakes the ghosts. Specifically, there are humorous elements in the exterior cemetery, in the stretching room, and in the narration all the way through. Change for change's sake isn't automatically good. And it isn't automatically bad. But justifying the hatred of this addition on the basis that it somehow violates the spirit of the original attraction cannot be supported by the facts.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Yeah, 40 years ago. Why not make some changes?>> You're right. And while we're at it, why not go make some changes to Casablanca? I mean, that's even older! Before I get the same old tired "not a museum" quote thrown at me, there are perfectly good places where a queue like this would make sense. The new Pooh queue and Space Mountain are great. Something like this would be great for Big Thunder or Jungle Cruise. Just doesn't work in the Haunted Mansion. Sorry, Dug. That's completely wrong. In ALL of WDI's printed materials and the old WDI stories about the mansion, it's supposed to be split in half. Beginning half is spooky/scary, ending half is the Marc Davis comedy.
