Disney Dummies: Recent Irrational and Foolish Ideas from WDP&R

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well, I've held off on creating this thread for some time now, but photos of the ongoing current project at DCA became the trigger that finally got it going. Yes, you all know I'm referring to the piece of the ghastly facade on what was once the Tower of Terror. No, the entire facade hasn't been revealed yet, but so far it's looking just like the concept art, and that's not pretty.

This thread's purpose is to document all of the dumb ideas that have and will come from Disney regarding the DLR and maybe even WDW (but mostly the DLR) in the future, the ideas that made you shake your head, raise your eyebrow, facepalm, sigh, and scratch your head. I'd like for this thread to also be positive; we can share ideas on what we ourselves would have done, built, thought of, etc. that would counter Disney's decisions.

I guess I've started with GotF: Mission Breakout!. Feel free to piggyback on this subject or bring up another decision from Disney you feel is illogical.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
I think the biggest one I can think of is Light Magic. Feeling the need to follow up Fantasmic! with something big, they cancel one of them most iconic parades of all time, and vow never to bring it back (liars). They then debut a new show/parade hybrid- that bombs and don't replace it with a new night parade for almost 20 years until PTN.

I think Tomorrowland '98 is also a big one- that still has negative effects on the land today.
 

180º

Well-Known Member
This one's minor, but Hyperspace Mountain is really getting on my nerves, and I'm starting to think they just refuse to change the light bulbs in the strobe tunnel.

Tower of Terror for DCA was a great idea but I still think the execution of it was a bleak, bleak disappointment. It's only getting much worse with GOTGMB.
 

truecoat

Well-Known Member
Well, I've held off on creating this thread for some time now, but photos of the ongoing current project at DCA became the trigger that finally got it going. Yes, you all know I'm referring to the piece of the ghastly facade on what was once the Tower of Terror. No, the entire facade hasn't been revealed yet, but so far it's looking just like the concept art, and that's not pretty.

This thread's purpose is to document all of the dumb ideas that have and will come from Disney regarding the DLR and maybe even WDW (but mostly the DLR) in the future, the ideas that made you shake your head, raise your eyebrow, facepalm, sigh, and scratch your head. I'd like for this thread to also be positive; we can share ideas on what we ourselves would have done, built, thought of, etc. that would counter Disney's decisions.

I guess I've started with GotF: Mission Breakout!. Feel free to piggyback on this subject or bring up another decision from Disney you feel is illogical.

Was GotF intentional or a Freudian slip?
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Ariel's Non-Adventure. Let's take one of the company's most memorable, well-loved and genuinely THRILLING animated films-- a tale full of sharks, storms and an epic battle involving a giant, a vortex and ghost ships rising from their graves--PERFECT for a great theme park attraction--and base an entire ride on the most non-thrilling, non-adventurous scenes in the film. Genius!

Imagine if Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey focused soley on the Yule Ball...
 

Kiwiduck

Well-Known Member
Replacing the world's most elaborate, amazing, high-capacity AA theater show with a B-ticket dark ride.

I would've updated the show or at *least* kept one of the two theaters. Nothing about Pooh justifies what the park lost to install that lousiest of dark rides.
I wish they had kept the Country Bears too- an area with Splash Mountain and the Country Bears would have been a great.
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Ariel's Non-Adventure. Let's take one of the company's most memorable, well-loved and genuinely THRILLING animated films-- a tale full of sharks, storms and an epic battle involving a giant, a vortex and ghost ships rising from their graves--PERFECT for a great theme park attraction--and base an entire ride on the most non-thrilling, non-adventurous scenes in the film. Genius!

Imagine if Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey focused soley on the Yule Ball...

I feel like the fact they went with the Omnimover for capacity reasons really limited the imagineers as well as the fact that they had to fit into that existing building (if I'm not mistaken). Imagine though, if they extended the show building into the Redwood creak Challenge trail area.
 

VJ

Well-Known Member
I think the biggest one I can think of is Light Magic. Feeling the need to follow up Fantasmic! with something big, they cancel one of them most iconic parades of all time, and vow never to bring it back (liars). They then debut a new show/parade hybrid- that bombs and don't replace it with a new night parade for almost 20 years until PTN.
I honestly hate that Light Magic is the first thing that anyone thinks of when they think of a failed concept from Disney. The "streetacular" was everything Disney should be aiming for today, but they're too afraid to because innovation isn't "safe". The MSEP is an insanely tough act to follow but I feel like if Light Magic was reworked a bit and given more time, it would have grown on audiences.

Innovation is what Disney should be striving for. Trying new things. Pushing the envelope. But all we're getting are rehashes of the exact same ride system based on the same 10 movies, and a 45 year old electrical parade that hasn't been innovative in at least 30 years.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
...I feel like if Light Magic was reworked a bit and given more time, it would have grown on audiences.
I agree with your point that Disney should not shy away from innovation, but Light Magic really was a train wreck. From the creepy pixies to the overuse of screens, to the little-goes-a-long-way Riverdance influence, to having all the disney characters in their pajamas like you just walked in at an awkward moment... This was the Howard the Duck of Disney nighttime entertainment. And then having to drive the floats back up the route with all the float performers lying around "dead...." Just a mess. My heart goes out to all the performers in the show; I'm sure they gave it their all.

But, yeah, I agree. One failure shouldn't stop experimentation. I do think they learned their lesson about debuting/previewing a show until they know it's great...(looks at "Jungle Book Alive With Magic")... or not...
 

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
Soarin' Over the World. This version sucks. I don't get why they enhanced the scenery in the area and then turned the ride into that Asian version with an exceptionally weak arrangement of Jerry Goldsmith's original music which has nothing to do with California. Explain to me why the thing most people agree they got right about the original DCA was altered in such a way. My two favorite attractions in DCA were Soarin' Over California and the Tower of Terror. Now there's nothing left to do but get drunk and go to Disneyland.
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
Soarin' Over the World. This version sucks. I don't get why they enhanced the scenery in the area and then turned the ride into that Asian version with an exceptionally weak arrangement of Jerry Goldsmith's original music which has nothing to do with California. Explain to me why the thing most people agree they got right about the original DCA was altered in such a way. My two favorite attractions in DCA were Soarin' Over California and the Tower of Terror. Now there's nothing left to do but get drunk and go to Disneyland.

I have an ever so slight sneaking suspicion that California will be back.

It made sense to change it since they had the new video, but it doesn't make sense to keep it forever.
 

PiratesMansion

Well-Known Member
Not letting MSEP die.
Not replacing MSEP with anything when it left WDW.
Slapping Toy Story onto everything and building whole lands out of it everywhere.
Going from elaborate dark rides and original attractions to "oh look, it's a normal ride with (Disney character) on it! What fun and so different from normal amusement parks!"
Inevitable conversion of Good Tower to Guardians Tower II More Hipz More Breakoutz.

Edit: But wait, there's more!
Letting WDW just sit there stagnating and thinking that nobody will notice that Universal is improving
Spending billions of dollars on bracelets to avoid spending billions of dollars on attractions.
Related to the last one: doing everything possible to avoid building attractions. Just build attractions! All parks depend on reinvestment and new offerings to keep the public interested. People don't go to parks to eat food and shop, they go for attractions, and skirting around the obvious just makes them look completely clueless.
 
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mickEblu

Well-Known Member
I have an ever so slight sneaking suspicion that California will be back.

.

I hope so. The California version is far superior
and had a lot of soul which the new version is lacking. Some of the locations in the new version look like they are completely CGI. The transitions between locations are cheesy and get repetitive.
 
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