Originally Posted By Roger55 Well for as much bashing of the pin traders there has been around here lately... here is something out of the pin trading community that might interest you all. The official Disney Pin Trading site has just released images of pins depicting the upcoming IASW Disney characters. Not sure if these are truly representative of what the characters will look like... but take a look. Aladdin and Jasmine <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42167" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42167</a> Ariel and Flounder <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42233" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42233</a> Cinderella <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42243" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42243</a> Lilo and Stitch <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42164" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42164</a> Peter Pan and Tinker Bell <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42165" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42165</a> Mulan <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42246" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42246</a> Pinocchio <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42249" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42249</a> Woody and Bullseye <a href="http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=42252" target="_blank">http://eventservices.disney.go...id=42252</a>
Originally Posted By utahjosh I like 'em. I look forward to seeing the characters in the ride. I don't think it will take away from the rest of the ride one bit, nor it's grand purpose here on earth.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I'll say this..... on a superficial level .... I believe the characters are going to look fine. It's what the ride represents to people .. is where the opinions are going to stem from. On face value ... I'll say .. Oh, they blend in okay. Then on a deeper level .... I may think it turns the ride into one giant commercial to promote their (already heavily promoted!) characters. Again ... we'll see in a month.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I think all the debating over the course of the year comes down to this: Those who see it as a cute ride with cute dolls and a cute song .. and has room for re-interpretations, all the time. To those who see it for it's original intent ... As a celebration of one united world .. through the eyes of children of the world.
Originally Posted By utahjosh I guess I'm in-between. I do see it as a cute ride with cute dolls and a cute song. I loved the Christmas re-interpretation. I don't think I'll mind the few characters thrown in. But I'm sure I'd reach a fighting point with too many changes. I also understand its original intent. The song is profound, I love the celebration of one united world, through the eyes of children of the world. I don't think adding some child-version-Disney characters changes that.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros They pretty much look like the ones already installed in HKDL. Some of them will blend in very well, while others (Stitch especially) stick out like a sore thumb. And I'm not entirely sure, but I think that Mulan might have been in there for the holiday overlay. I noticed a doll in the Asian section near the end that was dressed in armor, holding onto a dragon kite. It didn't seem to be anything that I remembered from before, so it kind of stood out as being out of place. It was also up on a little pedestal (maybe 2-3 feet above the flume) right next to the boats, in an area where the rest of the set wasn't nearly as close. If it's what I'm thinking of, she will be on the left side of the boat, just before making the left turn on the way out of the Asian room (just before the sparkly panda but on the other side, near where the fireworks are for the holidays).
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Once again I have to agree with oc_dean. I think the new dolls, though incongruous with the world unity theme and a blatant example of Disney's corporate mandate to put characters EVERYWHERE at their parks, will probably be okay. As much as I don't like it they could have done worse.
Originally Posted By utahjosh How funny would that be....if Mulan was there all through Christmas, and nobody even noticed. I didn't notice.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros So here's a picture from Darkbeer's site from the first day iaswh was opened, but it doesn't look like the doll is there. There's one back in the distance (next to the swirly roof), but I could have sworn that it was much much closer to the boat than that (though pretty much straight toward the camera from the position shown). I also specifically remember a dragon kite, and thinking it was new, and it's not shown here. Is it possible that they may have even added it since it opened for the holidays? I do feel like it came as a pretty big surprise to me the second or third time I rode it and it was suddenly there, but I just dismissed it since I'm usually looking to the other side at that point. <a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/gallery/6604966_9s4W6#420873873_AVYdv" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/ga...73_AVYdv</a>
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 You know I think it will be good. I know it's a "classic" but everything needs a fresh look every so often. I for one am looking forward to the introduction of new "characters" in the attraction.
Originally Posted By Moon Waffle I think they look very good. I am content with the change and it will add a nice "where's waldo" element for those who like that type of thing without intruding too much for the purists.
Originally Posted By Anatole69 Screw this character thing. I say go with the cereal boxes that someone added to the ride last month... that's a better idea. Much easier to cross promote with other companies, already established branding, and if you get really hungry during the ride you can just grab a box off the shelf. As soon as you talk to my stomach, my head stops listening... and I suspect most people are that way too. >_< - Anatole
Originally Posted By plpeters70 As much as I hate the idea of adding characters to Small World, I think I'll be able to live with these as long as they don't try to mix in their theme music like they did at Hong Kong Disneyland. From the videos I've seen of Small World in Hong Kong, the movie music just sounds horrible when mixed in with the Small World theme - very distracting and out of place.
Originally Posted By cinderella143also >>Screw this character thing. I say go with the cereal boxes that someone added to the ride last month... that's a better idea. Much easier to cross promote with other companies, already established branding, and if you get really hungry during the ride you can just grab a box off the shelf.<< Sorry to be slow but I was there last month and did not see this at all. I have no idea what you are talking about!
Originally Posted By monorailblue Just guessing, but it sounds like a quick-footed Guests dropped a couple of cereal boxes into a scene. Like I used to try to get a couple of prickly tree-thingies from the Matterhorn queue and then get toss them at Harold, trying to get them to stick. Something like that.
Originally Posted By oc_dean A CM snuck several cereal boxes into a few scenes of the ride .... as a practical joke, but mainly to protest the addition of Disney characters. Boy ... LP readers and LP in general is really asleep with this story. More at screamscape.com
Originally Posted By oc_dean >> I know it's a "classic" but everything needs a fresh look every so often. << Yeah ... Like Walt Disney World's tiki room needed a "fresh look" and got "Tiki Room: Under new management". A "fresh look" became the oh-so hip and edgy DCA of Feb 2001 ... or the "fresh look" of the oh-so fabulous "Tomorrowland:98 Imagination and Beyond." A "fresh look" can mean anything!! And lets be honest ... a "fresh look" with who's in charge has too often been crass and truly awful ideas with no heart .. no soul ... and a level of artistic integrity that has met new lows going into very late 20th Century!
