Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct << Anything from the last ten years? >> All of Animal Kingdom. And I do remember Being surprised at how much I like BUZZ. But your point is well taken.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "<<Nothing in Spiderman or Indy, much as I enjoy them, has that kind of depth.>> "I'd greatly disagree. The flight sequence in Spider-man is like nothing I've ever experienced." It's a great kinetic moment. But no real emotional depth.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "To be fair, though, Disney doesn't make rides like Pirates and Mansion anymore. So I don't know why that should be a strike against Universal." I would say that Little Mermaid and World of Color falls within that category and, like Tasha, I'm expecting that RSR and all of Cars Land to have those qualities.
Originally Posted By leobloom I should've clarified and said WDW doesn't build those sorts of attractions anymore (the Mermaid clone is the exception, I guess, although it's gotten pretty mixed reviews).
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Well, for what it's worth I've never thought that the Haunted Mansion was all that great.
Originally Posted By tashajilek I would like to think TOT kind of falls into the HM/POTC category. Of course i think TOT is a little short, but still a great ride.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "I haven't been on any of the newer Universal rides, but Universal's strengths have always been it's delivery of recreating high impact cinematic thrills (Backdraft, Terminator, King Kong, Back to The Future, Jurassic Park, etc) at it's parks. To me, what their parks is short on is heart, and that is where Disney really shines. I think this is what Tasha and Dabob2 may be talking about." To me, I've always felt like there is so much testosterone pumping through the Universal attractions, that it leaves little room for any other emotion or feeling. Yes, this attraction looks impressive. Yes, I'd probably enjoy it, and so would my family. But at the end of the day, there is no emotional pull to make me want to come back again and again. Kind of feels like they are trying to shock and awe me as much as they can in five minutes and at the end you had fun, but wish they would have spent come time cuddling you afterwards.
Originally Posted By tashajilek "Well, for what it's worth I've never thought that the Haunted Mansion was all that great. " I am not a huge DL HM fan myself, but there was something about WDW'S version that made me love it. The building is creepier, the extra the library scene, glowing eyes, foot steps on the stairs and the new ending made me love it. I do like the HMH too which is a nice change up.
Originally Posted By dshyates I think Universal hit pay dirt with Harry Potter in terms of emotional impact. The number of people I actually saw in tears as they got to walk through Hogsmeade the fist time was touching. That is when I knew that Universal Creative succeeded in their goal of creating a truly immersive environment. Disney has developed such a fan base that get the warm fuzzys just walking in the place. And so many Disney fans just ooh and aaah over anything that Disney does that it is really hard to judge how well WDI is doing their job. I believe TSMM is a great example. The Disney fans love it. But those same people would rip universal a new one if they had created the ride for it not having any AAs or show scenes. They would rightly so call it a thinly veiled ride thru Wii game. Also I think you guys would be surprised at the number of Uni fans that get emotional over Uni's attractions. The love still given the long gone "Back To The Future" attraction is amazing.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Disney has developed such a fan base that get the warm fuzzys just walking in the place. And so many Disney fans just ooh and aaah over anything that Disney does that it is really hard to judge how well WDI is doing their job. I believe TSMM is a great example. The Disney fans love it. But those same people would rip universal a new one if they had created the ride for it not having any AAs or show scenes. They would rightly so call it a thinly veiled ride thru Wii game.<<< I think that's what's actually happening here in Europe. The Disney fan base likes everything Disney does at DLP, even if it's just a random carnival ride. However there are many wonderful themeparks in Germany with rides that surpass Disney, not always, but sometimes. But these rides don't get the same appreciation like Disney attractions. Another example are the Disney hotels in Paris, which have a very low quality compared to other hotels in Europe and Disney hotels in the US. There are also very well themed hotels, which even surpass some Disney hotels in the US, at Europa Park or Phantasialand in Germany. Some Disney fans don't like them, just because they are not Disney.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<It's a great kinetic moment. But no real emotional depth. >> Speak for yourself. I've wanted to swing with Spider-man since I came out the womb. It's a special moment.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I know a lot of people disagree with me, but I think Spiderman is the best theme park attraction out there. As much as I love the Harry Potter ride, I think Spiderman is a better experience, especially with the recent upgrades. As for hotels...I used to be a big Disney hotel fan. I have stayed at most of the resorts on property. With the exception of Bay Lake Towers, which I love, I would say the Universal resort hotels surpass anything Disney offers. The Royal Pacific is our new resort of choice. The place is beautiful, the rooms are nicer and the customer service is head above heels better than the Disney resort hotels.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <<It's a great kinetic moment. But no real emotional depth. >> <Speak for yourself.> Of course, I'm speaking for myself. That's what we do here. I've never been a comic book guy, or even close. Perhaps it's my age. When I was a kid, the Batman TV show was on. Even at the time I soon enough caught on that it was camp. As a result, I could never take guys traipsing around in tights seriously. So obviously someone "into" Spiderman is going to like it more than me, who responds to the great job they did technologically and kinetically, but finds nothing deeper there. The fear/allure/fascination with the dead, however, is something pretty universal to all people, which is why HM has more universal (sorry for the pun) appeal, I'd think. <TSMM is a great example. The Disney fans love it. > I like TSMM. But I don't love it, precisely because of the lack of emotion. Soarin' is, to me, a far better attraction and still DCA's best, pending RSR. It's not nearly as technologically advanced, but the overall experience to me is every bit as enjoyable as Spiderman. The latter is more thrilling, obviously, but Soarin' is simultaneously exhilarating and relaxing, which is a hard trick to pull off, and nearly unique in the theme park world. The urge to fly is also something nearly ubiquitous and primal in us humans, as is an appreciation for the beauty of nature (though obviously some feel that more than others). Add in that great music, and you have a much richer experience for me than TSMM, and an equal (though wildly different) experience to Spiderman.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt While it may be true that many Disney followers express an emotional fanatical response to just about anything that Disney does, it is also true that many people in the greater online community hold Disney to a much higher standard than other parks. For example, I was just over at Miceage looking at images taken during the day of the barges for the new Universal lagoon show in Florida, and they look awful, however the author describes the gigantic corporate logo sign (theming?) as an "acceptable solution". Please. Disney would never get a pass for doing something like that.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 It's also true that although Disney fanbois have been around longer, Uni fanbois exist now too; same basic genus, different species.
Originally Posted By Moon Waffle The newly upgraded Spiderman is the best ride I've ever been on. And I'm not even much of a comic-book/spiderman fan. Yep, even better than Harry Potter only because it is nearly impossible to tell where the physical sets end, and the 3-D movie begins. That was Potter's one flaw to me - it was too jarring when you made the transition from physical set to movie projection. If they upgrade Potter to HD, it just might become the best. If Transformers does this as well as people are saying, it may be as good or better than Spiderman. I'm just amazed that Disney has not had a solid answer to what Universal has done in the past decade. Perhaps RSR will be it?
Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct Thank you for the insight MoonWaffle. Now I know the digital projections truly make that much of a difference. I look forward to riding spiderman on a return visit after potter 2.0 opens. I bet Disney will not make a ride that is similar. If they do, people will have how they copied Unoversal. The closest thing would be Mission Space or Toy Story Midway Mania. But then again, did universal copy Disney's Indiana Jones and just a video. Hmmmm
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Isn't the Finding Nemo ride, really when it comes down to it, a similiar type of ride? Maybe in a hugely scaled down, less intense in your face kinda way, but essentially, it's screens intermixed with sets, right?
