Originally Posted By Sweeper Why not just put the project on hold? Better to wait than build another disappointment.
Originally Posted By NGrey ^ Probably because Mystic Manor is the anchor of the HKDL expansion. It's too late at this point to withdraw it completely, and I would suspect they want to open it as fast as possible to generate good publicity for the park. Although the ride is getting a budget cut, I doubt it will be a disappointment by any means. It will still be an impressive E-ticket attraction that will attract guests, even if some parts were scaled back.
Originally Posted By Malin *** These gyrations happen to ALL projects but they usually take place behind closed doors. *** No only expensive attractions. We've not heard of any budget cuts for Toy Story Land yet. If any attraction needs to be cut or altered from the budget its this piece of crap. Have you seen or heard about the 120 minute waits. The cheap theming thats so weak that the Rex statue has already been damaged. While I admit Hong Kong needs the capacity. This is just desperate.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 "Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crapcrap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap CRAP!! " This is modern Disney we are talking about. Not Universal. Why ANY of us is surprised is beyond me.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<The cheap theming thats so weak that the Rex statue has already been damaged.>> That is beyond pathetic. No excuse! With the Yeti, well, you can almost understand why that puppy has failed so miserably. Not WDI's finest hour. But the much smaller interactive Rex at TSP Paris? Already damaged? Geez Louise! WTF is wrong with this company now!! Unbelievable.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 I have heard that the French have no respect for things like gardens and will trample these and leave smoke butts on the ground. It's no wonder things get broken there!
Originally Posted By jmuboy "I have heard that the French have no respect for things like gardens and will trample these and leave smoke butts on the ground." True. However, after operating 18 years in Paris this isn't news nor is it an excuse. Design around your guests or dont add interactive elements that wint hold up.
Originally Posted By Malin *** This is modern Disney we are talking about. Not Universal. Why ANY of us is surprised is beyond me. *** Because despite being modern Disney. The company is still capable of pulling off some decent attractions when given the right budget and Imagineer. Certainly some of the upcoming stuff like Cars Land and that new Aulani vacation resort in Hawai seem to suggest Disney can still pull off some impressive projects. *** But the much smaller interactive Rex at TSP Paris? Already damaged? *** Its a very sad situation. But was predicted to happen by many online fans. Many European's have no regard for the parks. Which makes the decision to build this junk even more stupid.
Originally Posted By NGrey I haven't been reading up on the details of Playland, but what exactly is that Rex statue made of? Is it supposed to be interactive, and how did it get damaged so badly in only a few days after opening? It seems like a huge chunk was torn off from that picture I saw.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 Maybe they will invent a new "story" saying that this TSPL is actually situated in that horrible daycare centre from "Toy Story 3" and the guests are the unruly toddlers. Yeah. That's it. Then, just like with the pathetic Chester and Hesters at DAK, they can justify ANYTHING!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I am not sure what Rex is made of. Though I am pleased to say he has been fixed. THough the other areas like the jeep and RC Racer photolocation have been fenced off (for more info, see my write up in the DLP area of LP, photos to follow).
Originally Posted By Imagineerie dot com SuperDry: Good point regarding who has the management contract. This is all totally typical of TWDC. As a one-time huge theme park fanatic, my enthusiasm has been degressing steadily in recent years. The disappointments have just been too great and frequent. I find myself starting to avoid visiting the parks rather than enjoying them. I once worked with one of the Imagineers who worked on the original ToT design. Great guy; he gave me extensive details on that attraction's original design. The stuff he told me amazed me. Had they not rolled the budget WAY back on that, it would have been a legendary attraction even surpassing POTC and HM.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Had they not rolled the budget WAY back on that, it would have been a legendary attraction even surpassing POTC and HM*** Got details? In any case, I think ToT *is* a legendary attraction in its' own right...many folks find Pirates and Mansion to be dated and stale (I'm not one of those people though lol). Every era has its' classics.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< ***Had they not rolled the budget WAY back on that, it would have been a legendary attraction even surpassing POTC and HM*** Got details? >>> Check out this link (it's a link to Amazon.com): <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2a33yah" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2a33yah</a> Search for "We fell for it", then log in, and click on the results link on the left. This should take you to a page with original ToT concept art. Zoom in on the picture in the upper left. You can see that ToT had originally been conceived with each ride vehicle dropping down two separate drop towers (one about half as high as the other), turning horizontal at the bottom of the big drop, and having a few other things.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros The cars tilting backward at the bottom of the drops is because the original idea was to use a modified Intamin Freefall, since there really wasn't much other technology available at the time. Their basic idea was that the cars of 4 were loaded in a station, and the backed up into an elevator, which took riders to the top of a tower. It then pushed forward about 5' to the drop area, and let them go. Since it was directly over the loading area, the only way to get out of the drop was to turn it into a slope, putting riders on their back briefly, while hitting the breaks. It then goes through a switch mechanism that lowers the bottom part of the vehicle, and realigns the top part, so that it swings down (slowly) into an upright position at the original station level. It backs up further and passengers unload. Here's a picture of how the drop part works: <a href="http://www.chris-simon.org.uk/coasters/trips/usa03/images/day3/wildcatter_2.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.chris-simon.org.uk/...er_2.jpg</a> That system is very very primitive compared to what we got for TOT, and has significantly lower capacity (can you imagine the lines with only 4 guests per elevator?). It looks like we got most of the same scenes as what was in the book, and I'm not sure that the others are a huge loss (the projection during the drop doesn't look too exciting). I would guess that the overall attraction length is probably about the same, but with more time in the drops for the final version. Overall, I think it's a fair trade.
Originally Posted By NGrey "Andrew Kam, the Managing Director of HKDL, just replied the rumor of budget cut of Mystic Manor, [they] will still have the trackless system inside the ride" Good news or not? If the budget cut rumor is true and the trackless tech is staying, does that mean the cuts will affect the actual scenes?
Originally Posted By Malin I really hope the cuts being talked about will be on the small details that only an Imagineer would understand and get. Its interesting to nate that as part of the Expansion for the new area. Disney is planning a new 400 seat Resturant.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Maybe that's where the money is going, then. They must have cut the budget for the attraction in favor of having a restaurant.
