Originally Posted By leobloom >> I am sure that given a decent budget and a blank slate, a new attraction that celebrates innovation could be developed by Imagineers. << With tie-ins to the Incredibles and Wall-E. I have little faith that today's WDI could come up with something as enduring as CoP.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<This factoid has always bothered me. There are no live actors in the show, so to act like it's the equivalent of a Broadway show is disingenuous. I doubt the major figures of "American theater" would recognize Carousel of Progress as part of their industry. It certainly never won any Tonys, so what's the point of the factoid? To tell us CoP has been around a while (with several different scripts, at that!). Great. Thing is still a perfect example of the staleness of MK.>> Walt Disney did Good!
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<I have little faith that today's WDI could come up with something as enduring as CoP.>> Actually WDI did come up with attractions like CoP, Horizons and World of Motion. Except those were torn down.
Originally Posted By leobloom That's why I said TODAY's WDI probably couldn't come up with something like COP (or Horizons or WoM or Epcot, for that matter).
Originally Posted By leobloom >> Walt Disney did Good! << Except Walt never saw this version of CoP in Tomorrowland at MK.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<Thing is still a perfect example of the staleness of MK.>> What next, calling Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise "the staleness" of the Magic Kingdom. Stop behaving as if classic rides like CoP are what is holding the Magic Kingdom back. If it wasn't for someone asking questions about the working hours for CoP we wouldn't even be having this conversation. And why not let guests experience CoP and decide for themselves? Seems to me no one is complaining about the lack or riders on CoP like they did with most everything ripped out of the ground in EPCOT.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<Except Walt never saw this version of CoP in Tomorrowland at MK.>> The only thing changed was the voice of the main character and the final scene getting a "retro fit". Big flipping deal! They are back to the "original" song. Unless you want the GE decals back.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> What next, calling Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise "the staleness" of the Magic Kingdom. Stop behaving as if classic rides like CoP are what is holding the Magic Kingdom back. << Well, Tom, most of those have been updated over the years. And I, for one, don't hit the Jungle Cruise most times when I visit the MK. >> If it wasn't for someone asking questions about the working hours for CoP we wouldn't even be having this conversation. << Right, someone who is a Disney theme parks fan. The vast majority of guests aren't interested in COP. I know I've been on COP numerous times when people got up and left in the middle of the show, which has resulted in seeing the same scene play over a couple of times. It's the Tiki Room of Tomorrowland. Dated or quaint, depending largely on your level of fandom, but it's hardly as entertaining as it should be in 2011.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> The only thing changed was the voice of the main character and the final scene getting a "retro fit". Big flipping deal! << Actually, Tom, the current script is NOT identical to the old 1960s script, and not just in the final scene. I just skimmed the old script at this link (<a href="http://www.mtpowell.com/script1.html" target="_blank">http://www.mtpowell.com/script1.html</a>) and, for instance, the food processor/paint mixer idea in the third scene is attributed to the *wife*, not to the husband as in the current version. There are other changes. Point being, Walt never saw this version. Who knows, he might even object to the show being presented as a kind of tribute to himself.
Originally Posted By danyoung I just want to go on record as saying that I hope they keep the CoP for the forseeable future. I can understand all the arguments against. It is an old show, it doesn't really fit thematically in Tomorrowland anymore, and the "new" technology in the final scene isn't all that new. The whole show could use a serious rewrite and update. But even with all that, I just don't care. It's an attraction that I've been enjoying since I first saw it in California in 1967, and I hope it never goes away.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<It's the Tiki Room of Tomorrowland.>> The Tiki Room is bizarre. CoP is NOT bizzare. Not by a long shot.
Originally Posted By leobloom ^^Tom, I meant people walk out of COP just like they used to walk out of Tiki Room. But, dude, if you feel the need to get sentimental and protective over a theme park attraction, you go for it.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros What if they keep the first 3 scenes as they are, then make the last scene a similar era to when the show opened, but schmaltz it up a bit. That way, it can fit in with the cartoony retro-future of MK's TL, avoid the huge era jumps between scenes, and never need to be updated again. By showing it as always being the history of what's next, it would never actually need to look forward, and therefore never need a major update to the script again. The first 3 scenes could remain the same, and the final scene would have some major tweaks to the original script, but stay true to the intent behind it. Replace the 1980's Christmas tree with a retro-chic sparkly aluminum one, 'downgrade' the technology they're showing off, and redo the set dressings, and you've got a 'new' 'old' 'timeless' attraction for relatively little investment. But, of course, it would require some money to get this done, and from a business perspective, it's much more manageable to keep the show in its current state, with the current riders/viewers, without wanting to change a thing. If they let it get out of date long enough, it will suddenly become a 'classic' that can't be touched. Just look at DL's Tiki Room.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I wonder if the Disney Company has any spare disco ball around. They seem to be the low budget fix for everything.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros There's a HUGE one hanging in Carnation Gardens in DL, which is about to get converted into a permanent Princess Fantasy Fair. I'm sure that they could arrange to ship it over to WDW. Maybe that would be a fair trade for the Toontown Christmas decorations they just got from the Mickey's Toontown Fair closure (which are pretty ugly, IMO)...
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo For me, the only reasons to go to the MK are COP, Hall of Presidents, and country bear jamboree. Everything else is done better at other Disney resorts or skippable. The haunted mansion and people mover perhaps being the other exceptions. I love cop, and the conceit that yesterday shapes today and tomorrow is still a current theme imho. But I have very little faith in wdi to pull off a show like this anymore. Mission space, MILF, TSMM, Philharmagic - yawn. But CoP is still awesome imho.
Originally Posted By 9oldmen >>Disneyland has lost so many wonderful attractions that are over in Florida now,<< So, other than COP and Country Bears, what's another example of a former Disneyland attraction that's now in Florida?
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Swiss Family Treehouse Tom Sawyer Island with frontier fort Astro Orbiter high in the sky PeopleMover Walt Disney Carousel of Progress Tomorrowland Speedway older version style Main Street Electrical Parade on Main Street(still fun to see)
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Sorry forgot Country Bear I am really not happy to hear the Carnation Plaza Dance Stage will be replaced with a Princess Fantasy Faire. That band that performed Saturday night Oct22nd was incredible as in Vintage Classy Great! And the place was jumping. Do you know (ferretafros) of any dates or timelines for this?
