Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Roadtrip, you also neglected to count the Gran Fiesta Whatever, the Mexico boat ride with Donald and company. That's another animation tie-in.>> I neglected: 1) Remakes of existing attractions. 2) Extremely minor attractions. Gran Fiesta meets both criteria. I also did not mention the Journey Into (Your) Imagination remakes which certainly were not based on a film tie-in. It probably would have been better if it was.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Journey was based on a film tie-in. The show next door is based on Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It's theme of the Imagination Institute was applied to the ride. This failed, and was re-applied, and failed again. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is the reason Journey sucks.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Journey was based on a film tie-in. The show next door is based on Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It's theme of the Imagination Institute was applied to the ride. This failed, and was re-applied, and failed again.>> Ok. That's a stretch. But probably no worse than your Mission Space stretch. By your criteria absolutely every attraction Disney has ever done has a film tie-in. It's kind of like playing The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. I'll bite. I like games.
Originally Posted By leobloom It doesn't matter if Mexico is an "extremely minor" attraction or not. It exhibits the same kind of lazy Imagineering we're discussing. And since Mexico represents 1/2 the rides in World Showcase, it might not be as minor as you think. It certainly is a longer ride than many of the rides in Fantasyland...
Originally Posted By leobloom <sometimes proof-reading works real good.> You mean "really well." But then again, you probably didn't follow your own advice, smarta..
Originally Posted By mousermerf M:S is not a stretch. It was meant to be based on that movie, but the film flopped. Go look up stills from the film, see what set piece looks familiar. And Eric Idle's character is an outgrowth of HISTK, and that character was forced into Journey.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Oops, sorry. I thought Nikki was the only teacher around here of which I had to be careful.
Originally Posted By jonvn What this all comes down to is what I have been saying for a while. People online here kept blathering about how WDI was doing a terrible job because they were not getting enough money. Well, now they get enough money. And they still aren't doing good. It's not the money you spend, it's how you spend the money. It's been the same all along.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 I dont know whats worse about modern disney attractions staring at the lame video screens or hearing the annoying CRINGE worthy dialogue suc as: "whoa doc...these guys just have to use there IMAGINATIONS!" - the new "hipster" figment "now if you'll excuse me I have a fast pass to soarin" "Remember how easy it was to learn your abc's?" "I think I oiled myself" "I feed him hot dogs, buggers, and pizza"
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<People really think there's this grand effort and genius behind WDI - not because of what they're doing, but because of what others have done. To be cliche, they're standing on the shoulders of giants. >> I had a long post thought out, but I really think you nailed the point that matters. WDI, right now, even after the recent changes still has a very toxic atmosphere because you've got dueling divas and their minions largely fighting for stature, prominence, and, of course, money to fund their projects. They've both had some great ideas. But have fundamentally divergent views of what should be the makeup of Disney parks. What's worse is when it all comes down to it you have two 60ish men, who still believe they're 18 ... and often act the part.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I'm just holding judgement on whatever may replace CoP until I actually see it. Heck, it may not even end up being a character tie-in. Not to impugn Spirit's info, but it wouldn't be the first time Disney made a last minute change.>> No, it wouldn't, but this is fairly far along from what I've been told. And Disney is no longer waiting for films to come out to debut attractions based on them. This was one of the first issues John Lasseter discussed with Bob Iger when Pixar was purchased as far as attractions go ... that synergy was best taken advantage of when the exposure/marketing machine was at full-throttle. That's why the PoC changes happened when the second film debuted and the Pirate overlay on TSI happened just as the third was about to hit theaters. So, I'd be a shocked spirit if WALL*E, which really sounds like a wonderful film, doesn't wind up in the twin Carousel buildings. As to folks worrying about what happens if the film is a failure, my answer would be it doesn't matter and never has. Walt Disney made his castle for Sleeping Beauty before the film debuted. There are examples all over of attractions based on animated films that weren't huge hits ... like Alice in Wonderland and The Wind in the Willows and our beloved Splash Mountain. Dinosaur was just a stupid name-change of an existing attraction that did nothing for either the ride, which already was popular, or the film, which was an expensive flop.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Well, now they get enough money. And they still aren't doing good. It's not the money you spend, it's how you spend the money.>> Everytime I agree with you, I feel so dirty, Jon! But this is the key point.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 will people at imagineering get fired when Harry Potter land opens and tons of people start abandoning disney's video screen extravaganza? It's time for the crooks (Fitzgerald, Jacobson, etc.) to leave the building!
Originally Posted By pheneix There's not much I can add to this thread that hasn't already been said (and probably more articulate than anything I could have written, as this news fills me with enough F words to leave a child in awe). I'm probably done with Disney if this comes to pass. I can't justify spending my money for a product that is entirely different from what I experienced with my family growing up. Nor do I feel any need to commit myself to a career with an organization that doesn't care at all about creating one of a kind, inspiring experiences; something that I value in my work more than anything and an ideal that Disney used to have pride in. This company truly is dead...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<This company truly is dead...>> I truly doubt that. Disney at its worst is still better than many companies are their best. That said; I wouldn't be surprised if Harry Potter kicks the mouse's butt (I can just imagine Lucius Malfoy kicking a little Dobby with mouse ears!). I think Universal Florida is a first class theme park and they've got the best cast of characters in the last 20 years to work with.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>I truly doubt that. Disney at its worst is still better than many companies are their best.<<< Not sure anymore. Certainly not when it comes to Hotels and Restaurants anymore. I can have a better quality roon, service and at a lesser price with Marriott than Disney. And the MVCI offers much better value than the DVC. The only attractions in the last 10 years that have really impressed me are Soarin', Expedition Everest, and Moteurs Action. Sadly, that is a very small proportion of what Disney has created. Everything else - hotels, restaurants, merchandise, maintenance, entertainments, even the animated features have been dumbed down tremendously. And it is depressing. The company where I had to try everything new, every new movie, every new attraction, well they are losing more and more of my money, and I used to be a die hard fan. Not so much any more. I really regret sometimes that I am not older. My fav period of Disney growth was 1967 - 1993 (maybe 97 as I love DAK) - then everything started to go horribly wrong in my books. Hopefully like most Disney attractions it will be alright in the end. But I am losing a lot of faith fast. I hope my trip to DL in Feb restores some of that faith.
Originally Posted By jonvn "Everytime I agree with you, I feel so dirty, Jon!" You would have been agreeing with me for the past 10 years, then. I've said these same things many times, usually to complete derision. People keep yammering on about budget cuts and not enough money and "built on the cheap" while hundreds of millions to billions of dollars are spent on the parks. People need to stop listening to websites that say these things. They are beyond idiotic in their commentary. "I really regret sometimes that I am not older." I'll swap you a few years. Never wish your life away. It goes away fast enough on its own. "My fav period of Disney growth was 1967 - 1993" Mine is 1959 to 1967. Everything that we think of as great today basically came from that time (Haunted Mansion was after, in 1969, but it was many years in construction, so I throw that in there too). Nothing else after has ever even come close to what was built in those years few years. Anyway, I'm just so very grateful for "Save Disney." I mean, look at all it's done. It...um...it got Roy Disney back on the board. Which is what it was all about anyway. Now that he is there again, it all goes back just the way it was when he was on the board before. So MANY people were duped by this. People just get played for suckers in this stuff, as they are manipulated for behind the scenes politics for god knows what reason. No one seems to have any sense for themselves of what is good or not. They listen to other people to tell them how it is. They think that Disney started having parks in 1998. So Disney caters to them. They take their money, they make little effort, they produce substandard work. Why should Disney bother to do more? Walt Disney has been dead for 41 years. So are his ideals. Now we have people running around saying things like "We have to make it relevant for today's audiences." Good idea, except these guys are so inept that they are unable. They are coasting along on the reputation of men who built things in the 1960s. The entire corporation is. What do you think this Pirates movie franchise is, except something that has been layered on top of work done in 1967? I wish things were different, but they are not. Nothing I can do about it, either.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 I think everyone who doesnt like whts going on at WDW to stop visiting and spread bad word of mouth. Thast the only way we will get Disney to change their ways.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Jonvn your ignorant. The best era of the Walt Disney Company was 1984-1994. Nothing tops Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Roger Rabbit, and Indiana Jones. Truely imagineering at its peak.
Originally Posted By MPierce Now stop the name calling Skelly. Spirit taught you better than that jonvn has an opinion, you have a different one. He is not ignorant nor are you.
