Originally Posted By Doobie This topic is for discussion of the April 5th Jim Hill From the Archives column: The Greatest Performances Never Heard Parts 3 and 4. This article is at: <a href="News-ID115030.asp" target="_blank"><a href="http://LaughingPlace.com/News-ID115030.asp" target="_blank">http://LaughingPlace.com/News- ID115030.asp</a></a>.
Originally Posted By ashermel Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if Buzz Lightyear went in the space currently occupied by the Starcade as well as some of the space behind it. The Circlevision Theater became host to the Timekeeper Attraction from Paris and WDW; exiting out in the rear of the building by the Matterhorn. The Premier Shop as well as the Nasa Space exhibit became a line wait area for Rocket Rods (Disneyland could tear out the floor to make it a two level wait area on ground level and below). The Starcade could re-locate to part of the area now underused as outside seating for Red Rocket's Pizza Port (the old Space Place restaurant seating) and the Premier Shop could also go into this area or perhaps where the extra Star Tours, underutilized, line wait area is. The Nasa Space Exhibit could be put into the upper level line wait area for Space Mountain.
Originally Posted By RCCRUISER Things don't look to bright for Disney and the Anaheim Theeme park Division these days. When DisneySeas Tokyo opens up I predicting that there will be many comparisons between it and the new Disney's California Adventure. Comments that will not make management look very good. I hope that they will build Buzz Light Year to save face for the lack luster New Tomorrowland. We will see. For now I don't see anything in the future but layoffs and closed attractions and raised ticket and consession prices. I hope that upper management (Michael Eisner/Paul Pressler) will have to answer for the Desisions that they have been making; I.E. (go, Aneheim Angels, etc.) lack of vision and poor investment of Disney assets. It might take years for the company to play catch up at the expence of the theeme park division etc. Maybe we can be bought out by the Tokyo Land Company?
Originally Posted By Buzz Lite-Snack While I hope to see Buzz added in the not-too distant future, I am saddened that the Rod's probably will not be returning. For all the bad mouthing the ride has received, I had a blast on it everytime I rode it. Though I do understand that the maintenance problems are just unacceptable. It's unfortunate the ride couldn't have been completed in a more succesful fashion. Tomorrowland needs that energy of vehicles buzzing around overhead as it did in the days of the People Mover and the Sky Way. The Rods brought some overhead visual stimuli that is very in keeping with the concept of Tomorrowland. There will now be nothing happening overhead except the occasional rotations of the golden satellite dish. It's a pity. Perhaps they can find a way to have Buzz move from the old Circlevision building over the Tomorrowland entrance with the existing track then above Star Tours and over to the second floor space above Starcade and back. Well, one can dream. Tomorrowland just won't be the same without somthing whizzing or crawling along an overhead track. -Buzz
Originally Posted By topher I would have to agree with ashermel on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Put it in the Starcade area. It's being used now, for practically nothing and the restaurant has almost a Pizza Planet theme to it. Rocket Rods is one of my favorite Disney rides, so I hope that it doesn't get replaced. In my opinion, it won't, but we'll see. If Disney is so cost effective as they want us to think, then why not keep it going instead of gutting the whole thing, abandoning the track and spending tons more money to build a totally new attraction.
Originally Posted By RCCRUISER You are right about putting it in the starCade area. I don't possibly see where or how you could fit such a large ride in the Circle Vision Theater. There just would not be enough room. And even if they used the existing people mover track, how could you tie in the existing theeming of Buzz Light Year in a track that is 95% out doors? I don't see the possibilities. One possibility I can see is that they could use the Rocket Rods/People Mover Entry portion of the Track to the existing Star Cade area and divert the track down and use existing area in the old StarCade and ampetheater/Out Door portion of the Pizza place to accomidate the Theeming for the new ride. Then build tie it into the existing track back to the loading area again. Where else could they fit it? The area between Tomorrowland prominade and the prominade south of Maddahorn is too narrow? Any Suggestions or Ideas how else they would do it? It will be either a very short ride or they would have to use part of the Rocket Rods track.
Originally Posted By gadzuux How `bout putting it where Innoventions is? That attraction is a "stiff" - everybody seems to think so - it'll never get any better, and the building should be large enough to accomodate Buzz. As for it's rotating abilities, perhaps it could be incorporated into the ride, with the "targets" rotating as you ride in the vehicle. One other thing about Jim's article; he mentions how the "Meet the World" attraction glosses over (to say the LEAST) that little thing called WWII. If you've ever visited the memorial to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, you can't help but notice that about half of the visitors are Japanese. This might indicate that Japanese people are better adjusted to their role in the war than we might have thought. I understand that the argument could be made that a somber memorial in Hawaii is different from a theme-park attraction, but it seems that WDI is planning to play up the civil war in the new "Lincoln" re-do scheduled for this summer. Go figure.
Originally Posted By WDWEC Great story, but I have a sort of off topic question. In the Epcot's Japan 'ride building' if built, I thought a coaster was planned but at the last minute it would not fit? Does any one have any information on that????
Originally Posted By StarToursMike I am a cast member that resisides in TL. I gave myself a personal tour of the Rocket Rods building last night (which brought tears to my eyes =.( ). Here is some stuff i came up with... The whole building includes circle vision, the Rods entrance and exit queues, that store, nasa and 1/4 of the building is TL offices used by my bosses. My bosses have said that those offices wont be their much longer as they will be gutted out for the buzz ride. Their new offices will be relocated possibly back to the star tours break room where they used to be a while back or to some other local i dont know about. People dont remeber how big circle vision really is and most people dont know how much backstage is really in that building. NASA according to my lead on star tours who also works NASA/Astro Orbiter said that NASA is already going away..... Now Buzz would have more then plenty of room. I also came up with another intresting conclusion. A Buzz lightyear ride could fit in that 2 story building quite easily and still have room for Rocket Rods track and the line to get people in and out of rods....it would just take some crafty line management. I find it very intresting that one team is developing buzz, while another team is fixing rods (whom got 3 million according recently to fab disney babe)....I dont think Disney in their money-crunching ways would really let both teams do their jobs with totally oppisite intents without knowing what they are doing... Thats my little diddy... -Mike PS. They changed the signs at the rocket rods entrance from "Coming back in spring 2001" to "Rods is not open Today check out our other TL attractions"...i guess people were saying "Its spring open up the ride"
Originally Posted By Jim in Pasadena CA Regarding the furvor over Tokyo DisneySeas -- I don't think it's going to make any difference to how DCA is perceived. Case in point - noticed in the LA Times today that Universal Studios Japan opened recently -- I didn't even know it was under construction! People who travel to So Cal and Disneyland Resrot are not going to choose a trip to Tokyo Disneyland over travelling to California...IMO For the big fans of Disney theme parks sure -- does Disneyland Paris take any guests away from DL or WDW?
Originally Posted By SJHYM The Roller Coaster for Japan was a later idea. I saw a model of it at Imagineering around 1986 or 1987. I was told that the Japanese had a problem with the Mount Fuji themeing (Mt Fuji being a sacred place) and of course money. When the Disney-MGM Studios were under contstruction I worked on loan to Imagineering. THe wharehouse in Kissimme stored alot of our stuff. One day while walking around I saw boxes marked "Meet the World" they contained a couple of AA figueres for the FL version I was told. Lastly, we were always told at WDW that the show building was too small to hold the show and that is why it was cancelled. Thanks Jim for a great article
