Originally Posted By friendofdd Well said, Dresswhites. I've been on it 6 or 7 times and feel much as you do. I am VERY impressed by the care and authenticity of the Native American costumes.
Originally Posted By ryanbalas When I worked IASW in 2001 they had FastPass for the busy times and would remove it for the regular/slower times. The people really liked the FastPass during those long line times - we did too. There were less complaints since the guests had the option of waiting or using the FastPass to return later. Put the FastPass back and only have it active when the park (or the ride) reach a certain capacity. I haven't been on since the refurb and new additions but, I saw the detailed photos and aside from the fact that some characters may become forgotten in time - it looks good and I can't wait to check it out in person.
Originally Posted By oc_dean As some people have said ... it's not the end of the world with these changes. LOL But each time I've gone on it ... the changes are distractions. Pardon me for beating the dead horse .. but 'small world' works on two levels. There's the superficial level, and underneath that ... is a (or was) a very carefully woven sub theme. The characters barely work on the surface level ... but are a distraction for me .. with it's sub theme.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Hey, anyone can make their Disneyland experience whatever they want. It's not a problem for me if some people want to tune out to one sub theme to one ride or another. But in the case of 'it's a small world' .. I have been enlightened for years what it means. And it resonates on a level, that makes me realize there's somethings bigger than myself, yet feel part of. Since when did the Disney characters become "Real Life representatives" for an attraction with a Real Life message. The Disney characters sugar coat it, to make it feel more cloying. But while 'it's a small world' has it's fantasy elements .. there's something more "tangeable" going on. And if the person next to me is not tuned into it .. that's fine. But when it starts influencing Disney Creativity then it starts to bother me.
Originally Posted By dresswhites but in some ways, rightly or wrongly, disney characters have become international ambassadors of goodwill throughout the world. in my humble opinion the characters work and my experience with the attraction remains the same as it always been. small world and thunder mountain are probabaly my favorite attractions in the whole park. When they first announced the changes, i was apalled. I thought it would be stupid and look bad and like others destroy the message of the attraction. In some ways this is all true with Hong Kong Disneyland Small world. while it looks like a beautiful attraction, the one there does seem to be overpopulated with disney characters and their songs. Disneyland small world works for me. i love the message, i feel it very powerful one, and like i said in my humble but personal opinion i don't think the characters detract from the message. Tying it back, i think it because the characters have become so beloved by all the world. i don't know. just my two cents.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >> Tying it back, i think it because the characters have become so beloved by all the world. << Let me ask you something .. since you like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: If they announced they were going to add Woody, Jesse, Pete, and the horse into the ride .. what would your opinion be? And what will be more important to you? Woody belongs in Big Thunder because "he's become so beloved in the world"? So therefore he fits thematically, and belongs? Or a ride where the ride is completely unattached to any fantasy element, and remains grounded into the surrealistic/romantic view the artisans created for Frontierland?
Originally Posted By oc_dean I think it's all too easy to apply the "Oh, the characters are beloved to the world, and are ambassadors" line so easily, so therefore they belong. It does not take much to look around .. look at all Disney has done for the parks in the last 10-15 years .. and to see, they've gone NUCLEAR on Character-driven ONLY commodities. I don't see it like the ride needed those characters so bad .. that they "had" to do it. Their heads are so embroiled into character-only projects .. that's all they see anymore. It's all about all the character exploitation they can do? And spin it by calling it a "enhancement". For decades ... they maintained an objectivity, and kept the parade of characters in proper perspective. You can create a park that exploits only 2D entities into some form of a 3D experience. But the successful Disneyland that I knew of ... I feel gain it's popularity .. not souly on the toons .... but the 3D adventures that have taken on a "4D" quality of their own. What do you think is going to resonate more with human audiences? 2D worlds brought into a 3D type environment? Or .... 3D worlds brought into a 4D type environment? When I talk into account every Disney attraction I have ever ridden. Toon based, or Reality based .. hands down .. every time ....... it's the more "real" worlds that they amp up .. is what has had an impact on me. I can giggle and laugh to a toon ..... but no Disneyland toon-based attraction has never generated a feeling I get in the worlds they've created that are more driven to connect to me someway.
Originally Posted By DlandDug For those who are seeking the return of many original elements that have been missing over the years, check out the area around "Cleopatra." The fabric wall and ceiling hangings are back in place! I remember seeing those on the TV presentation of Disney at the World's Fair, and was certain I had seen them back in 1972. So I was very happy to see that this area-- which has been rather painfully bare for some time-- has been restored to its intended appearance.
Originally Posted By ryanbalas I will have to agree that many Disney character have helped children to understand some big issues. I love that Lilo and Stitch really show what it means to have an extended family. So many people are from broken homes anymore and there are many that have terrible conditions to live in. To know that "family" can be so much more can save someone. Ariel, looking past what she has been told about "other people" and seeing what was within is a great lesson for us all. Especially with our current "us vs them" political world right now. Alladin, you aren't what your circumstances around you are. Again, looking past the exterior to get to the person inside. All these fit the Small World Theme.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo There is no sub theme. IASW is not exactly the most nuanced ride in the park.
Originally Posted By Bellella The new America scene is all right, just without the Toy Story characters. And the Disney characters are already very much promoted all over the world. The fact that they put Disney characters in the Small World celebration of world culture is like a very ironic joke. The only intended "theme" of Small World was world peace, and that's what it should always promote. Not the already over-promoted Disney characters.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>The new America scene is all right<< In concept, maybe .... but the actual execution .. BLEECH! It looks like a return of the design look for SuperStar Limo! The right side, where Jesse and Woody are, are okay. But the left side, and the arch going into the next room - awful, awful, awful!!!!
Originally Posted By Bellella I guess they had to do something pseudo-Hollywood since they took out the Hollywood Superstar Limo ride at DCA. Not a great loss, in my opinion. But why did they have to put it in Small World? Stupid!
Originally Posted By Socrates I made this point somewhere before, but I think it bears repeating: If there are no Disney characters in the final scene, do you think the original meaning of world unity is still preserved? Socrates "The unexamined life is not worth living."
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Even if there were characters in the last scene the original meaning would still be intact. I don't see how adding the characters changed the not-so-subtle message that IASW is about world unity. The attraction basically hits you over the head with that whole idea from the second the boat enters the building.
Originally Posted By Bellella I'm afraid I have to disagree. I'm afraid I have to say that the new characters are slightly tasteless. I can't support the company tainting something I've loved since I was a baby. Even if the characters weren't tasteless, I couldn't support their addition.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I haven't seen the new version of the ride, but in the context of the attraction I'm familiar with they probably are tasteless. Still, I don't see how their presence, tasteless or not, changes the message of IASW.
Originally Posted By Bellella What they're saying with the ride now is: "We're not using this ride to promote world peace anymore. We're using it to promote our characters, since they're certainly not promoted nearly enough. We don't care whether everyone loves this ride or not, we're going to use it for promotion purposes." I'm sorry for being bitter about it, but it hurts very much that they'll undermine a ride that was around when Walt was alive.
