Originally Posted By wc I unfortunately agree with what Bean wrote regarding Mission Space. See post #9. My daughter has Autism. While I think she'd love the attraction, I'm not gonna do anything that's even remotely going to her brain.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Autopia is a right of passage. Those that did not grow up in a Disney park or have kids do not know this." Most parks in the US have these kinds of rides. They are hardly unique to Disney, so I have to disagree with you on this point.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo But the other parks are not good quality. Disneyland was meant for families, and it is a family friendly attraction.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Most parks in the US have these kinds of rides. They are hardly unique to Disney>> So should Disney remove their trains, carousels, boats, etc., because other parks have them as well? Autopia is a nice little attraction. Very well done; it makes the kids happy, and I rather enjoy it on occasion. No, it's not an E-ticket or even a D, but IMO it belongs in DL.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Right, but you said, "Autopia is a right of passage". That struck me as an overstatement given the prevalence of this sort of attraction at other theme parks across the country. It would be like saying a child taking its first ride on King Arthur Carousel is a right of passage. Maybe I just don't understand what you were trying to say.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "So should Disney remove their trains, carousels, boats, etc., because other parks have them as well?" No, but if they did in order to build something better or more appropriate thematically I'd be thrilled. That's what I loved most about Disneyland as a child: the way the place grew and changed over time.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I agree there is nothing futuristic about little gasoline powered cars in what is supposed to be Tomorrowland... but then just about nothing in TL is futuristic. I know it has been discussed before, but a new Autopia would be a great thematic fit n DCA. That's unlikely to happen though. I also know some people have discussed upgrading the Autopia with electric cars or whatnot. I think that rather misses the point of the ride, and would add nothing to the experience.
Originally Posted By Socrates Doesn't Hong Kong have electric cars? Socrates "The unexamined life is not worth living."
Originally Posted By trekkeruss There is no type of personal transportation vehicle or system that could be made into a theme park ride for kids, or adults for that matter. Technology today is so sophisticated that anything futuristic would be beyond what engineers (or imagineers) are capable of.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Right, which probably answers the question about why Pixar and other movie based characters are popping up all over Tomorrowland. It's the simplest "fix" they can come up with while keeping the company's brands in front of the public. Goodness, I have become incredibly cynical in my old age...
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> Autopia is a nice little attraction. << If it really were a "nice little attraction" that would be fine. It's not. Teacups is a "nice little attraction". So is the treehouse. Autopia is enormous. It sprawls over the entire NE quadrant, is noisy and smelly, and doesn't provide a unique experience. They're glorified go-karts. If it were some 'placeholder' attraction that would be one thing. But they've been around in one form or another for over fifty years. When 'carsland' opens in a few years it will make 'autopia' even more redundant. By removing the attraction, it frees up large amounts of square footage for new attractions AND allows for creating new footpaths that increase the overall park capacity. Win/Win. As to the sub show building, this could be accomodated either by reinforcing the current building or by placing supports for a new building on top on either side of the existing sub building. It was interesting looking at those maps linked earlier that show the route of the sub tracks. But ultimately, the tracks aren't as important as the dimensions of the showbuilding itself. Granted - I didn't have the opportunity to visit DL as a child so I don't have the emotional attachment to 'autopia' that others seem to have. But the age-range for this attraction seems to be mighty low - maybe between five and ten years old. That's a lot of resources and square footage directed at a very narrow age range. Anything else would be an improvement.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I meant little in terms of its appeal, not its size. Nice, not GREAT. Nice, not HORRIBLE. IMO they have plenty of real estate in TL already that is going unused, or is poorly used.
Originally Posted By wc gadzuux, you may have a point about what happens when cars land opens. But you know what's gonna happen if Disny announces it's demise? All the Disneyland traditionalists are gonna scream bloody murder. Ah well. It wouldn't be the first time.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I think you're jumping to conclusions. I don't feel that "traditionalists" would cry about Autopia much. Truth is, it *isn't* horribly special, other than being much better than all the other kiddie-car rides out there. Now, if they planned to replace it with a playground, all bets are off.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Truth is, it *isn't* horribly special, other than being much better than all the other kiddie-car rides out there." Exactly, and that was my whole point.
Originally Posted By DlandDug The real proof of whether Autopia should stay or go is in its appeal to the public. It's very popular. It has a busy FastPass. It maintains fairly good sized lines. Ergo, it will stay. I don't really understand the appeal. But I do understand why it is called a rite of passage. Generations have been taking their kids on the Autopia in Disneyland. For the kids, there is a certain thrill that comes with finally being able to operate their "own" car. It's hard to explain.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne 'For the kids, there is a certain thrill that comes with finally being able to operate their "own" car. It's hard to explain.' I agree, what's frustrating is lining up an hour watching men/women who clearly have their own license insist on driving their own car. If you can drive on real rides, I don't think crawling along a track at Disneyland is much fun, especially when there are much better attractions to go on.I would have actually liked the ride a lot more if the track wasn't SO long. Me and my brother (normally unlicensed and therefore the driver)got so bored! I can see why kids like it, but I'd love to see it removed, or even downsized. I know it won't happen but it was a pet hate of mine. Also, the line up area is probably the dullest in the park and the only time we noticed paint flaking off the barrier-poles (maybe we only noticed because there was nothing else to look at?) And, as many other have said, there is no longer anything 'Tomorrow-y' about these cars.. But yes, it will stay
Originally Posted By ArchtMig >>>But yes, it will stay<<< And it should. For all the right reasons that those that dislike it don't feel are reason enough for keeping it. But those that dislike it are in the extreme minority. Outranked ten thousand-fold each day by those that wait in line for it. So stay it will.
Originally Posted By Anatole69 What is the hourly capacity of Autopia? Just because it always has lines doesn't mean it is one of the most popular rides, not if it has a low hourly capacity. - Anatole
