Try Originality

[woody]

Is it me or does Disney seem less innovative with its rides and attractions? Too many rides are clones or variations of previous attempts. I'm afraid Disney is getting irrelevant.

Especially for DCA, there needs to be new excitement and energy from the attraction offerings. I'm not sure if these park plans will do the trick.

As much as I think Tower of Terror would be a good addition to DCA, it seems awfully clone-like and I'm afraid the ride will be a waste. Unless substantially improved from D/MGM's version, this ride will be a dud to the general public.

Flik's Fun Fair is a needed addition, but it seems very dull because it's staged as an oversized lawn. It may be a step above Camp Snoopy, but it certainly isn't new. D/MGM already has a "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure" where you imagine being small. Universal's IOA is ground breaking with a Seuss Landing with very whimsical architecture and rides.

In Florida, is D/MGM's Rock n'Roller Coaster really innovative? Sure, the launch is great and it is fast and fun, but I'm beginning to suspect Disney isn't committed to roller coaster ride theming and great new experiences. It's another ride in the dark like Space Mountain. Disney seems to like roller coaster rides in the dark to hide any shortcomings of the roller coaster itself or the lack of theming. When I rode RNRC, I felt the interior views were severely lacking. There could be more stuff to see. The 3 loops are not enough when compared with other new roller coasters.

I don't believe Disney added RnRC to be innovative. It was a direct answer to Universal Florida's plans.

Disney isn't a leader. It's a follower.

[AdoreEpcot]

Originally posted by woody
Disney isn't a leader. It's a follower.

Oooooooh! Woody, that's harsh!

But I have to agree. Just because it's harsh doesn't mean it isn't true.

I've thought for a few years now that in the theme parks, Disney has become a follower. Because I'd talked to many of the guys involved in its creation, I knew that IOA was going to kick Disney's butt. I'd already seen that Terminator 2 3-d, while certainly not kid-friendly, was greatly superior in its innovation and technology than any of Disney's 3-d shows.

Animal Kingdom was the last great innovative Disney park, and even on that one they blew some things. Some insiders have told me that Countdown to Extinction was much less than it should have been, not because its budget wasn't big enough, but because its budget was wasted before they got done building it.

And that, I think, is really the root of it. Everybody assumes that DCA and Disneyland's New Tomorrowland are bad because the budgets were cut. I suspect that the real reason was that WDI had become so prone to frivolous overspending that the company wasn't willing to risk the big bucks anymore.

Under Eisner's watch -- I think the problem began and ends at WDI. The smaller budgets they've been getting are a symptom, not a cause. It's not a money problem, it's a people problem.

Incidentally, the Imagineers key to the success of Tokyo Disney Seas no longer work for WDI, which let them go earlier this year. On the other hand, the company has kept people responsible for shows people complain about, like the Journey into Imagination remakes. Go figure.

Like I say, it's not a money problem, it's a people problem.

[pheneix]

>>>Disney isn't a leader. It's a follower.<<<

It has really been that way for several years now, not just a recent thing. Think about it for a second...

Disney MGM Studios is a rush job to compete with the vastly superior Universal Studios down the interstate.

Animal Kingdom is a half-job to compete with the vastly superior Busch Gardens down the interstate.

The irony of it all is that because these two parks had the chance to leach on to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center they outperformed the competition (though the tide is finally turning for Universal). I mean, would Animal Kingdom really stand a snowballs chance on it's own? Heck, MGM's saving grace has been the combination of the Tower of Terror and RnRC, and even with those two attractions attendance there is sinking lower and lower with each passing month.

>>>Like I say, it's not a money problem, it's a people problem.<<<

It's both. Disney does not even commit the funds to create a real quality product anymore, and when they do, they put people with absolutely no real experience or creative ability in charge of the project. It's not as much money as it is major egos, but yes, a lack of good funding is also a problem. And for that problem we only have Eisner's horrific mismanagements to blame.

[madabtmad]

Originally posted by woody
Unless substantially improved from D/MGM's version, this ride will be a dud to the general public.

Not really. How many people of the general public would even realize that there's a near clone across the country? Not very many at all.

I do agree on most of your other comments though.

[tangaroa]

Consider the amount spent on Disneyland's last few E Tickets:

Splash Mountain: 80 million
Indiana Jones: 100 million
Rocket Rods: 24 million.

You could say that they overspent on Indy and Splash but how can you define something like that? They spent 100 million on Indy and it was a wild success. They spent 20 something on Rocket Rods and it flopped. Did they overspend on Indy or did they underspend on Rocket Rods?

[woody]

Originally posted by madabtmad
Not really. How many people of the general public would even realize that there's a near clone across the country? Not very many at all.

I think many more people than you realize.

When DCA opened with Muppets and Bugs 3-D movies, these attractions were duds. Most people skipped them or felt they were only okay. No one described them as must-sees.

On Tower of Terror, I think most people will know it's a substantially changed version than Florida's version. People often compare the Pirates versions on both coasts. They know the difference.

I know when TOT first opened, most people felt it was a dud with only one drop. After it was fixed with more drops, the audience responded favorably. Then it was changed again without the 5th Dimension room (you only see a starfield), and lightning and shaking effects were added, but the drops are shorter. I felt this latest version was a dud. I liked the higher drops for more airtime and I missed the 5th Dimension room.

The DCA TOT must be better or the word will spread that its a dud. DCA does not have the luxury of time to constantly improve itself.

To be better, I think these things must be added.
1. Several Full Drops.
2. Intense Special Effects (less subtlety) from Louder Lightning and Bigger Shakes.
3. Without the 5th Dimension room, a replacement should be added. The rumored mirror effect sounds good.
4. Add Fireball Effects despite the negative connotation (9/11). The audience must be scared out of their wits.

Make Tower of Terror truly "terror-ble." You shouldn't have to be sorry about DCA, the Disastrously Cut Attractions park.

On another note, they should fix Soarin'.
1. Improve the queue line with more details and more indoor lines.
2. Add a hangar door to improve the immersive effects of flying out the hargar.
3. Improve the cutting between scenes with smoother transitions.

DCA must be fixed soon. It's such a 2nd hand park.

[pheneix]

>>>Then it was changed again without the 5th Dimension room (you only see a starfield)<<<

We still have the 5th Demension Room in Florida...

>>>I felt this latest version was a dud. I liked the higher drops for more airtime and I missed the 5th Dimension room.<<<

Then you will be happy to know that the next drop profile/rehab is supposed to include full drops once again. They are also completely converting the cabs to seat belt seating rather than the lap bar.

[AgentLaRue]

It does seem that Disney is trying to "dumb down" its product offerings in order to maximize profit margins. One look at the Disney Store makeover in my neck of the woods convinced me of that.

As for Tangaroa's query on under/overspending, I'd say they spent appropriately on Indy, given the revenues the attraction has generated. I can still recall the most insane line I've ever seen for a theme park ride, snaking into the hub, over into frontierland, etc. Amazing public response to the attraction, which should get serious credit in the park's record attendance years and maintaining what it has of its customer base since that time. Indy is still a major reason we return to the resort, and will continue to be for many years.

Ditto for Splash, different time period.

Rocket Rods is the anti-thesis of Indy and Splash, an example of how too little investment can result in wasting the entirety. Good idea, terrible execution.

[jonvn]

Nice to see you here, Kevin.

[DisneyGurl87]

I strongly agree that we are seeing WAY too much cloning between the Disney parks.

I think getting almost exact replica's from Florida and vice-versa is getting VERY old. While some people like the fact things are copied since they can't get to florida often, I find it very unoriginal and almost annoying.

Most of us go to the Disney parks for something new and original in style. You want to be able to go to the Disneyland Resort and then the WDW Resort and have completely different experiences. The way things are going now I'm finding myself with less and less of a case to convince the family to go to Florida some time in the near future.

It seems like if us SoCal-ers wait long enough, WDW will come to us.