Originally Posted By davewasbaloo EE was one of the single biggest disappointments of our last trip to WDW. We went mainly to experience this attractions, and when we rode it, the Yeti wasn't there. He had broken down and they just turned to lights off so you could not see him (this was before the strobe). This happened twice (about 2 months after it opened). It's a fun ride and has a great queue. But after waiting so long, it was a bitter disappointment for this AA fan.
Originally Posted By Mr X Bummer. On our only ride, we were pretty close to the front so we barely saw the thing at all (PRETTY sure we saw it, but it certainly isn't a great payoff compared to say the lava monster). Still, a fantastic coaster in its' own right imho (in terms of right length, air time, excitement, etc...), most likely my favorite of all the Disney coasters (only R&RC might come close but I'm a sucker for a speed launch).
Originally Posted By SeaTokyo agree that the YETI is too quick to be seen and it's a shame given the effort disney put into the design, not to mention the costs... I think the YETI would be better appreciated (and feared) if its appearance were done similar to that of the T-REX on JCE. JCE T-REX SPOILER VIDEO! see at 1:30 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4B9nQ1h7Ag&feature=fvw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ture=fvw</a>#
Originally Posted By Mr X The problem, I guess, is that a coaster is less "controllable" moving forward than Journey (obviously they have total control of the motion on that one) or even Jurassic Park where they can control exactly when the boat will actually drop. I suppose the only solution might have been to have extended the track just a bit further away from the monster, but that ship has sailed.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan That is a good point. On dark ride/hybrid attractions, the show scenes and sets tend to be a lot more detailed because guests have time to take it all in. On coasters, the only place for such sets are during the lift hill or slower parts of the track- and even then you still don't get to take as much in as you'd like.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< The problem, I guess, is that a coaster is less "controllable" moving forward than Journey >>> They certainly have control over the speed of the train on EE. The design of the track dictates about how fast the train will be moving at any given point. Sure, there are variations based on the weight of the passengers and so on, but within a certain window, the speed of the train at any point along the track is known in advance. Since EE was designed and built from scratch, the designers could have arranged for any speed they desired at the point where you pass the Yeti.
Originally Posted By Malin *** The entire premise of the "Forbidden Mountain" tour is to hopefully glance the legendary creature. *** Thats actually not quite correct, because your only passing though the Forbidden Mountain on the way to Everest base camp. You are not on some Yeti sightseeing tour, so like during Journey the encounter with the Monster is not planned to happen. Only real difference is Everest builds the encounter and final drop perfectly and is an excellent example of great Disney storytelling, that starts in the queue and builds up more and more into the ride. Journey on the other lacks the same kind of build up, unless I'm missing something in the Japanese translation. The monster appears out of no where and before you can grasp on to whats happened your in a high speed chase, shooting out of the side of the volcano. Don't get me wrong Journey is still a fantastic attraction with some beautiful theming though out, but I feel its let down by the lack of an in ride story and zero build up to what is the finale. Something that Everest has over Journey in my opinion.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Only real difference is Everest builds the encounter and final drop perfectly*** Really? I thought it was a gyp, myself. Hardly got to see the thing at all (how's that "perfect"?), and from what I hear the thing doesn't even work half the time. I agree with whoever wrote that the Lava Monster was a completely unknown thing that we were never "supposed" to see, but since (at least the time I rode it) we went down the wrong chamber we just unluckily happened to find it. If there were pictures or videos of the monster beforehand, how would it have been an unexpected surprise?
Originally Posted By Malin *** Hardly got to see the thing at all (how's that "perfect"?), and from what I hear the thing doesn't even work half the time. *** I'm not refering to the poor decisions made in the design process of the Yeti or the speed you pass it by, I've already stated Journey pulls the encounter with the Monster much better. But technical faults a side the finale with the Yeti encounter is perfectly timed, as you've just spent the last few minutes on the run from the creature and have one last attempt to make an escape. Its a stunning climax to your adventure, and from a story perspective is perfectly executed. *** If there were pictures or videos of the monster beforehand, how would it have been an unexpected surprise? *** But its not just a suprise its the attractions final scene and its grand finale, everything you've seen up to now leads to this final scene and without a decent build up it can fall flat. It would be like the big drop on Splash, but without the lift hill. Journey just drops you into its final and most thrilling act with no warning. Maybe you guys enjoy the final act because of the suprise, but I prefer good storytelling and a decent build up from start to finish, something Everest delivers on! storytelling
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan There's still a difference between the two though. On Everest, you are purposely crossing into Yeti territory. All the warnings and information in the queue was to give the guests proper knowledge of the creature that guards the Forbidden Mountain. In Journey, the magma worm doesn't play nearly the same role. It's not a central part of the storyline like I mentioned, as the entire premise of the attraction revolves around being taken "off-tour". Aside from the small hints of the creature's existence in the queue, any more and you'll be stretching the storyline since the creature is in an area far beyond our intended route. We are not supposed to know or even see this creature, hence why the sudden encounter works perfectly in the context of the attraction's storyline.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Journey on the other lacks the same kind of build up, unless I'm missing something in the Japanese translation. The monster appears out of no where and before you can grasp on to whats happened your in a high speed chase, shooting out of the side of the volcano. >>> I think you are missing something. There's plenty of build-up to the Lava Monster scene. You're on your leisurely subterranean tour, then something goes horribly wrong. It's quite obvious that you've veered off the intended path. The terrain changes markedly. You end up tunneling through uncharted territory, and go past spheres that look suspiciously like eggs of some sort. Then, you hear noises that imply there is something else nearby, that's large and also traveling through the ground. Then you come around the corner and meet her, and she's angry. Then you make your escape.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan And drawing parallels from the novel, your timely escape is from an unstable eruption in the magma vent. As the subterranean vehicles are not programmed to accelerate, it is the force of the eruption itself that propels us all the way to the surface and out of a side vent.
Originally Posted By Malin *** I think you are missing something. There's plenty of build-up to the Lava Monster scene. You're on your leisurely subterranean tour, then something goes horribly wrong. It's quite obvious that you've veered off the intended path. The terrain changes markedly. You end up tunneling through uncharted territory, and go past spheres that look suspiciously like eggs of some sort. Then, you hear noises that imply there is something else nearby, that's large and also traveling through the ground. Then you come around the corner and meet her, and she's angry. Then you make your escape. *** I admit reading it in writen content, the attraction does have some build up, but it does not play out how you describe it SuperDry, when riding the attraction. Even TDR_FAN and Mr X have stated in this thread that the Monsters appearance comes as a surprise.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan It comes as a surprise in the sense that you do not know what lies beyond the corner. You can see and hear evidence of its existence through passing by the egg chamber and also through its bellowing roars. But ultimately, we have no idea what "it" actually is until we come face to face with it.
Originally Posted By Malin *** On Everest, you are purposely crossing into Yeti territory. All the warnings and information in the queue was to give the guests proper knowledge of the creature that guards the Forbidden Mountain. *** And this is why I have praised the Everest attraction for having such a rich storyline with a decent build up. Journey does not play out in the same way and some may find vaule in having a sudden encounter, but I really love the slower build up, plus the myth and legend that surrounds Forbidden mountain.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***It would be like the big drop on Splash, but without the lift hill.*** That would be cool. Besides, that's just a normal function of that type of ride. Are you claiming that Disney invented the big lift hill as part of their storytelling efforts? Honestly, if you look at that story did Brer Rabbit climb up and up and up before jumping into the brian patch? I don't recall that part of the story, myself.
Originally Posted By Malin Its not so much the lift but the show scenes that are included during this part of the act. The tone of the ride is also darker and the lighting and score changes to reflect the mood. You have the two vultures atop and Brer Rabbit being cooked in a pot, as you slowly reach the top, before the final drop. Your heart starts pounding as you know whats about to come and Disney pulls it of in a fantastic way. Like you say the lift has to happen, as its part of how a log flume attraction operates, but what gives it an edge is that stunning 30-40 second build up to the top. Splash Mountain without that scene wouldn't be as good in my opinion.
Originally Posted By Mr X Well, yes. I agree with you (although I would disagree that EE has anything close to that level of immersive storytelling, the TV screens alone killed it for me). But my point is just that we should be careful not to give them *too* much credit for every little aspect of these rides, some of which are just functional (and they wrap their "story" around that, obviously, just like EE where that "broken track" you stop for is nothing more than sitting there waiting for the switch to occur). Same thing with coaster "story" issues. Despite SD's explanation (which I do understand), I think there's only so much you can do with coaster speeds and it ended up being a little quicker than I would think even the designers would've wished at the end there.
Originally Posted By barboy TDR_Fan ///The entire premise of the "Forbidden Mountain" tour is to hopefully glance the legendary creature./// Malin ///Thats actually not quite correct/// Yes and no, Malin............. the whole point of EE is to encounter the yeti **from the guest point of view**. The overwhelming reason guests queue up is to meet Yeti. Those EE imagineers have been watching too much Blair Witch Project whereby we feel there is a malicious presence(please excuse the blatant anthropomorphism) but we never get to see it---- instead of sticks and stones arranged in an unsettling, bewildering fashion in a Maryland forest all we get are footprints, torn up tracks, and shadows on a mountain in Asia. But as to the point/premise of the attraction's story then I agree with you. We are forewarned that those mountains MIGHT be the lair of a ticked off snow beast but there is no guarantee we will meet him or that he actually exists in the first place; hence the word 'legend'.
Originally Posted By barboy ///The monster(lava creature) appears out of no where and before you can grasp on to whats happened your in a high speed chase, shooting out of the side of the volcano./// Now I'll be the first to say that things get out of hand very fast on JTTCE--- no time to blink or cover up but there are key indicators during that short time that something is not only deeply amiss but that we are way off course and venturing into the den of one unfriendly creature.
