World of Color

[MoonRakerSCM]

They do a good job hiding the massive light towers for Fantasmic during the day... There's no reason they could not have constructed pits for these and had them rise out of less obtrusive structures on the surface.

[HSM fans]

^^Well said Sparky. Now what would you rather have? Extravagant lighthouses or the wrap around boardwalk and a horrible show or nice lighthouses (which I don't think they're bad) and a great show? You can't have it both ways.

[PirateGuy 815]

They do a good job hiding the massive light towers for Fantasmic during the day... There's no reason they could not have constructed pits for these and had them rise out of less obtrusive structures on the surface.

Yeah, but that's on land, not in the water. It wouldn't have worked being underwater. And they do have those pits near the vewing terrace that are like what you suggested.

I to wish they were more fancy, but we'll see how it looks once completely done.

[MoonRakerSCM]

It's not 'underwater', it's a cement basin, by that thought the fun wheel is technically underwater, come on guys. If they built cement retaining walls around whatever mechanism would rise up and contain the show elements they could hide them inside the pit within the water no problem. Then, whatever they placed above the water surface could be much less imposing and more natural. Look at some of the show element housings for TDS... they're amazing and you don't even notice them until they open.

They have to be where they have to be yes, but there is no reason they shouldn't look natural where they have to be. Other parks do it, why not here?

[PirateGuy 815]

The intended version is nice and would be visually interesting.. these are crap.

But wait, these aren't in WDW.


Oh, snap! JK, JK- you guys knew it was coming!

[n747]

I don't know Moonraker, you'd have to ask someone who was in the know. It could be they didn't want the projectors moving up and down on a lift...or in the water - if they do plan on reprogramming the wave machine, then I don't think they want their precious equipment being compromised by water overtopping. (even 'waterproof' isn't 100% reliable)

They made pits for the frontal projection systems...so it's not like the option wasn't considered. They had to have had a good reason to use static housing systems...we just don't know it.

[MoonRakerSCM]

Up and down on a lift is no problem these days for anything, it's just cost and maintenance to keep it working properly. Overtopping? Come on guys, again. Building the surface features, whatever they could be, a few feet high would be no problem at all for water overtaking the housing.

I notice a difference between the front systems and the back systems that may suggest cheapness or quick underthought planning... the front system housing design was included in many models and art pieces... why were the back housings not? The only place we ever saw the rear housings was that one lighthouse sheet in the BSC correct?

[n747]

I don't know how that eludes to cheapness...it just eludes to the fact that pits were not feasible for the back side and in numerous versions of the concept art, weren't included because it wasn't going to happen.

Besides your claim of building on the cheap, theoretically what other benefits could come of the main rig being static on the surface? How about we start there.

[MoonRakerSCM]

weren't included because it wasn't going to happen.

Yeah, but neither were the 'lighthouses' yet they did happen.

[KNRG]

Am I the only one who can see that these things are ugly and that Disney had a better design that they chose not to go with?

It may not have been perfect but the chosen design is much further from perfect - they're boring. They look like a crappy autocad 3D student drafting of the more whimsical design but dumbed down because they don't know how to use various curve and spline tools properly to create the more whimsical look.

Seriously.

As for synchrolites - why are they there? Epcot hides them around the lagoon atop buildings in World showcase behind their facades - you only ever see them when they come up a little early in the evening before sunset. They're atop france and norway and the innoventions buildings (and others). I would think in the DCA lagoon that close to the audience they're going to be blinding. I'm really curious as to why they're physically in the lagoon.

(If you hit the company's website, Epcot is listed first in their example of installations in the "about us" section, apparently they're quite proud of those.)