Originally Posted By dshyates They are changing the name to Mickey's Fun Wheel and putting a giant fully realised Mickey face in the middle. That's pretty much a characterization of an existing non-character related attraction.
Originally Posted By Nate McDuck It sounds like I'm in the minority on this, but I like the idea of bringing a little more characterization into DCA. It's the one thing Disney can offer that absolutely cannot be replicated elsewhere (in general terms, of course). Although it is a good point that they could go overboard on it in a hurry. Hmmm... I guess I'm undecided after all. There are some great points for consideration here.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Well Nate McDuck, I appreciate we can all have different opinions, but animation is not just the reserve of Disney.
Originally Posted By dshyates How many park chains don't have characters these days? How many have a ride comparable to Haunted Mansion. What Disney really has to offer is the skills to create wonderment. But when you start with a character as inspiration then cobble a ride around it, instead of starting with an attraction concept you get commercialization.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains I like the Characters in the park - I can't wait for Carland - If I just wanted to go to a generic park I can go to Great America. If I didn't like the Characters and just wanted to ride rides I could go to Animal Kingdom - I go to Disneyland and DCA for the rides, the characters, the shows --- the all of it!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Standing ovation for dshyates. Absolutely. I swear, if I hear about another blooming toonfestation, I will scream. It's really sad when Dubai and Macau are more enticing than what Disney and Vegas have on the boil. After 30+ years of devotion to Disney, it is depressing.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Ironically I love DAK and Epcot because of the great theming, quality of attractions and minimal characters. But Dl is more intimate. It's funny, even when I was 5, I always felt Fantasyland and toons were weak.
Originally Posted By Nate McDuck Sorry, davewasbaloo. You are right, of course, and I should have been more clear in my comments. What I meant was the characters specific to Disney are the one thing that cannot be replicated elsewhere. They seem to be playing that as their trump card, in other words. From a marketing point of view they know other parks have roller coasters and water rides and cartoon characters. But nobody else has Mickey, Jack Sparrow, and Wall-E, so they want to remind everyone of that fact.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Fairpoint. But let's see - we go from expecting multi-million dollar attractions that are state of the art, to rubberheads (ok the costumes are expensive) and a minimum wage performer in them. Excuse me if that doesn't excite me. I am serious. When did the product dumb down so much?
Originally Posted By Nate McDuck But why can't they do both? This may be an unsophisticated opinion, but I think a ride like Buzz Lightyear is both a great attraction concept and fits the theme pretty well.
Originally Posted By Nate McDuck You do make an excellent point, though. If the attraction is just a swing ride with Mickey seats it's no better than any random amusement park. I really couldn't agree more.
Originally Posted By dshyates But do you go to DLR for only the character stuff. You don't like Haunted Mansion. Or would they be better with Pumba hosting the Jungle Cruise and oh, say, Sully, he's a monster, hosting the Haunted Mansion. They have monsters in a haunted mansions, right? Look we know its Disney and they have a huge arsenal of characters, we like the characters. Just watch us scream if the ran a parade without characters down main street. But it seems that EVERYTHING they build has a commercial tie-in. They are even going and inserting blantant commercialization into the classics. When is enough become too much. I figure we are about there and Disney as usual is blowing past enough into to much and they will kill it. I liked the characters a lot more before I couln't get away from them. Words like cloying and pandering come to mind.
Originally Posted By Nate McDuck I have to say I am thoroughly convinced. I was a bit on the fence on this topic, but davewasbaloo and dshyates have made some great arguments.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "If I just wanted to go to a generic park I can go to Great America." Great America has characters too. At least the one here in Santa Clara does.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Actually Dshyates, for me, Tapestry of Nations was the best parade Disney has ever done after the MSEP. No characters to be seen in that one.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I am not saying get rid of the characters (though it makes me very happy they are retreating from the Liberty Tree Tavern in WDW). What I am saying is let's not turn the parks into a kid only zone.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt “I think a ride like Buzz Lightyear is both a great attraction concept and fits the theme pretty well.†It does now because Pixar is what the current people running Disney wants to sell you. There was a time however, when the theme of Tomorrowland really meant something and that something wasn’t cartoons or pre-existing characters. It was about the opportunities that the future could bring. Tomorrowland might have fallen short on several counts, and it was all very commercial then too, but in a different way. In a way that showed vision and ambition. What they've done is turned serious topics like undersea exploration and future modes of transportation into dumbed down amusement park rids.
Originally Posted By dshyates Great America actually has 2 catalogs of characters (Nick and The Peanuts) to pull from. At least until the end of this year when they will lose the Nick characters. But Cedar Fair has Snoopy to fill the blanks. Marriott is getting the Nick characters for their new chain of family indoor waterpark resorts. You can get characters at non-Disney hotels before you get on property. I stay at the Ritz-Carlton for 2 reasons. 1. Its a better hotel than Disney can offer for $100+/night less. 2. to get away from the high pressuse commercialization. Seriously, the money grubbing is a real turn off for me.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I think folks are being a little unfair with all of this talk about how DCA is being over-run by characters. DCA's premier attractions, Soarin', Grizzly River Run and Tower of Terror, have no character tie-in. Everything on Paradise Pier currently has no character tie-in except for the big Mickey silhouette on Screamin', and even that is more a decorative touch for night-time lighting than a real character tie-in. After all of this stuff is done, how many attractions will DCA have involving characters? Three: Monsters Cars Toy Story Mania Oh me. Oh my. I think the world is going to end. All of this wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth would be downright hilarious if it were not so pathetic. P.S. davewasbaloo - I want you to know that this IS NOT directed at you. In a previous thread you thought I was criticizing you and I really was not. I am criticizing a particular mindset -- the whole Disney is going to hell in a handbasket gestalt. It is nothing personal.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo No worries RT. Thanks for the disclaimer. However, the new stuff includes: Little Mermaid Attraction The character overlay of Mulholland Madness, the Orange Stinger, and the Sunwheel (still rumours on screamin' too) Wonderful World of Colour 3 Cars attractions That's a lot of toonage for 1.1bn that could be better spent on other attraction experiences. This is adding to Playhouse Disney, Turtle Talk, Aladdin, Monster's Inc, Bugs Land, and Toy Story Midway Mania. To me the direction seems to be overkill. Add that to the Nemo and IASW overlays, Buzz and all the other toon based entertainment added to DL in recent years, it's a bit much. For us super theme obsessed fans, it is getting harder and harder to find an escape.
