TCM teams up with Disney to refresh Great Movie Ride

[CDavid]

Uh, not really. Thing likes skype and live streams make most of the old finale dated. If they left it completely the same the AAs at the end would look terrible compared to the rest of the AAs which were upgraded. People would be complaining that they left the "future" scenes in the 90's like COP. Besides SSE's finale from 1982- 1994 was pretty much screens and lights during the descent, wasn't it? I'm not saying it's perfect but its better than leaving a relic of the past to what's supposed to be the future, IMHO.

The previous version of the Spaceship Earth descent did depict the future of communications, complete with depictions of real-time ("streaming") video; Please explain how "Thing likes skype and live streams make most of the old finale dated"? I can't immediately recall any scene(s) which would have required more than token (or not any) alterations to remain relevant to 2014 "cutting-edge" communications technology. Further, the descent relied primarily (and very effectively) on projections, simple models, lighting effects, and a driving musical score - there was limited use of actual sets, let alone AA figures. In any event, Disney has hardly been relunctant to the continued use of obsolete AA figures at many other Walt Disney World attractions, even when it shows; What would be so different here?

And what does the 1994 version of the ride have to do with anything? Had the descent been left largely unchanged, it would have been the pre-Siemens version.

Regardless, none of this has anything whatsoever to do with the fact they botched the refurbishment of the Spaceship Earth descent in the current version. Nobody is saying the previous attraction finale was the pinnacle of Disney theme park achievement and a classic which should never be altered (though it was well done), but merely that it was far superior to what we have currently - largely barren darkness where we get to watch a silly Flash video of ourselves (once technology advances to the point we can watch Flash videos at home on our computers, this too will become irrelevant...).

Yup, it is amazing how some conveniently forget how many "screens" that Disney has used over the years. The entire "Mission to Mars" ride there when it first opened up in 1972 relied primarily on screens for the entire attraction except the preshow.

That's hardly the same thing as the little screens in your Spaceship Earth ride vehicle, for one thing, but regardless nobody is suggesting that the use of screens (projections, etc.) is inherently evil. The problem rises when they are used as a cheaper substitute, or are just plain overused, to a large or complete exclusion of sets, models, figures, and other forms of media.

Some people may like it for the nostalgia, but you don't pay $100 to get into a Disney park for nostalgia

Actually, nostalgia is exactly what gets millions of people into Walt Disney World theme parks every year.

 

[Kman101]

I almost feel like TDO is afraid to even touch COP. That and they don't want to spend the $$ on it. Personally, I would have been fine if it went back to Disneyland or they moved it to Epcot (dodges the stones and yelling about arm-chair imagineering). And this comes from someone who adores COP.

 

[Ignohippo]

TDO's minions will read this post and focus on one word, and one word only..... Screens (to be fair UNI if they keep up what they are doing may need to rebrand USF 'Universal Screens Florida'.

The 'vault' on TCM makes that part a win (based on what I've seen on the 'Walt Disney Treasures' series, there's gold in that vault), but I have a concern about the 'park experience'. And that part is the 'preshow'.

Right now the preshow is the best preshow on property. Both for entertainment value, and especially for the fact that it acts as a 'preshow on a loop'. You don't have to wait outside the 'preshow room' for the next preshow. As you go through the line, once you approach the theatre, there's no fixed start to the show, you enjoy it as you proceed in the line. I'm afraid, in order to 'satisfy the sponsor', this aspect could die (and could create a much slower line). Have Robert Osborne introduce the finale. While some of the trailers could be swapped out, keep it a 'trailer preshow loop'!!!!

The ride itself (though it doesn't seem to be part of it since that costs $$$): Tarzan is definitely the weak link. And there's an important genre that isn't really represented in the ride portion: Comedy. (though to be fair - Singing in the Rain is a comedy - and a very good one - but it's musical aspects are what's put forward). A good comedy (that get's airplay on TCM): A Shot in the Dark (I'm thinking of Dreyfuss chewing on Clouseau's leg while he's trying to karate chop him off). The 'bomb delivery' in Dr Strangelove could be a good scene as well...

Finale: could definitely be refreshed. And while James Bond is a mandatory inclusion: it needs to be a EON Bond film (not that horrible never say never again). And it needs LESS, not more '$DIS owned IP'. Some of those Touchtone comedies have been forgotten, and rightly so...

As far as some rumors that the ride had a potential 'expiration date' in the minds of the sharp pencil boys:

My guess is some did in fact want it repurposed - for ambitious reasons (imagine having the 'new park icon' on your resume) as well as it's footprint. And/or it's 'fake' leaks meant to extinguish sources...

It's a celebration of the movies. If ever there were a place where large screens could be used to help promote the purpose, this is it.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Footlight Parade, The Public Enemy, The Searchers...

Obscure, Obscure, Obscure...

As for cheap, there are a million ways the ride could be updated (using some of the tech that Uni currently uses that cold be implemented) that could make it a lot more interesting, but the animatronics were 'meh' even when the thing was first built.

 

[flynnibus]

Footlight Parade, The Public Enemy, The Searchers...

Obscure, Obscure, Obscure...

If you are above 40yrs old and ride through that attraction and think 'what are these scenes about' you needed to get out more. Even someone who is 30+ some should understand why 90% of those scenes are in there.

As for cheap, there are a million ways the ride could be updated (using some of the tech that Uni currently uses that cold be implemented) that could make it a lot more interesting, but the animatronics were 'meh' even when the thing was first built.

What the heck does updating have to do with the thing being done on the cheap when it was built?

I put it in the same vein as CoP. Some people may like it for the nostalgia, but you don't pay $100 to get into a Disney park for nostalgia (and this comes from someone who hates change and is very much a traditionalist)

Uhmm.. the attraction was about celebrating the great history and standouts of Hollywood's past...

You seem to have a severe problem with separating your issues of the attraction being stale NOW and what you shame the attraction as it ever was.

Your credibility has reached zero for me.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That's hardly the same thing as the little screens in your Spaceship Earth ride vehicle, for one thing, but regardless nobody is suggesting that the use of screens (projections, etc.) is inherently evil. The problem rises when they are used as a cheaper substitute, or are just plain overused, to a large or complete exclusion of sets, models, figures, and other forms of media.

Oh, it has been suggested many times. It is talked about as being the worst thing ever. It is mentioned when comparing Disney and Uni in a manner that implies that Disney shouldn't do something like that.

The problem is that screens are today's technology, like it or not. AA's are ok, but only in small doses to the modern guest. They are what AA's once were, but, their time is close to gone. I love them, but, they are no longer the draw that they once were. One can get much more immersed in an attraction via screens as opposed to AA's and they can be upgraded much easier. Attractions like Spiderman combine screens with 3d and that is what we will see more of in the future, I'm thinking. It is the best use of 3d that anyone has come up with.

 

[Ignohippo]

If you are above 40yrs old and ride through that attraction and think 'what are these scenes about' you needed to get out more. Even someone who is 30+ some should understand why 90% of those scenes are in there.



What the heck does updating have to do with the thing being done on the cheap when it was built?



Uhmm.. the attraction was about celebrating the great history and standouts of Hollywood's past...

You seem to have a severe problem with separating your issues of the attraction being stale NOW and what you shame the attraction as it ever was.

Your credibility has reached zero for me.

Again, I love old movies and would love to see the attraction stay. We've become such a throwaway society and it's a shame classic movies don't have the same respect now as they did when I was a kid. That said, the attraction needs to be much, much more interesting than it currently is if it's to stay.

First, I'm 46 and a big movie buff. Ask 500 on the street what those 3 movies are and I guarantee 99% will not be able to tell you. They're simply too obscure for the general public.

Second, I wear not having credibility to you as a badge of honor. Thank you.

Third, the attraction is lame. Always has been. I sincerely respect that many of you enjoy it, but that is not the opinion of the average public. Do I have quantitive data about this? Of course not. But I do know the looks of friends and family when I mention going on it when we are at DHS. Most look either nauseated or completely disinterested. It's an "avoid at all costs" ride for most people I know.

If it were such an amazing attraction, the BAH never would have been put in front of it and there wouldn't be the constant rumors of it being replaced.

Like I said, I think an attraction like it has a ton of merit. I just think the execution needs to be a lot better than what is currently there.

 

[OneAdam12]

What happened to this rides sponsorship with Coca Cola?

 

[Ignohippo]

Oh, it has been suggested many times. It is talked about as being the worst thing ever. It is mentioned when comparing Disney and Uni in a manner that implies that Disney shouldn't do something like that.

The problem is that screens are today's technology, like it or not. AA's are ok, but only in small doses to the modern guest. They are what AA's once were, but, their time is close to gone. I love them, but, they are no longer the draw that they once were. One can get much more immersed in an attraction via screens as opposed to AA's and they can be upgraded much easier. Attractions like Spiderman combine screens with 3d and that is what we will see more of in the future, I'm thinking. It is the best use of 3d that anyone has come up with.

Agreed completely. I wouldn't replace anything that's there with screens, but showing clips from the movies themselves large in the backgrounds of the sets could be incredibly interesting if it were done right.

I think of it kinda like the way Music Man was used in Wall-E.

The scenes themselves don't do much for me in the GMR (like I said, I find them a bit cheesy, boring and WAY out of date), but if you were to add actual clips from the movies running in the background, it might be a great way to get people more into it.

 

[rct247]

I've always thought that the movies picked for Great Movie Ride were supposed to help represent an overall genre of film to celebrate. Footlight Parade, Singing in the Rain, and Mary Poppins cover musicals, their progression through time. Mary Poppins also has the family movie genre covered. The Public Enemy covers gangster action films which paved the way for modern action films like the Die Hard series. The actual gangster scene isn't straight from a movie but falls into the same category. In the old west, they tried not to focus on just one film, but in the queue we see it is The Searchers. Next Alien covers the science fiction and thriller genre. Indiana Jones covers action and adventure which helps transition into another generic action adventure scene. Horror movies get a nod followed by an action drama with Tarzan. The drama genre continues with Casablanca. The animated film genre gets a nod with Fantasia and finally a family adventure classic caps things off with Wizard of Oz.

The film choices were meant to be old and classic. They don't just celebrate those films, but the cultural significance of those films to those genres.

 

[FettFan]

Footlight Parade, The Public Enemy, The Searchers...

Obscure, Obscure, Obscure...

Psst. Culture isn't just something found in yogurt.

 

[Little Green Men]

The previous version of the Spaceship Earth descent did depict the future of communications, complete with depictions of real-time ("streaming") video; Please explain how "Thing likes skype and live streams make most of the old finale dated"?

Well the entire montage of people talking through video phones such as the mom singing her daughter to sleep is very skype-esque, or the parents watching their daughter giving a speech through a live stream. Those are more common, so it's not looking at the future but at what we have now. The kids in the classroom, I mean idk if we have exactly that, but we have computer labs in schools now.

AA figures at many other Walt Disney World attractions, even when it shows; What would be so different here?

Just because some rides have dated AA's would make it OK to leave the ending representing the future with the static AAs? I admit my memory is hazy of the finale so maybe I though they had more moving figures than reality.

That's hardly the same thing as the little screens in your Spaceship Earth ride vehicle, for one thing, but regardless nobody is suggesting that the use of screens (projections, etc.) is inherently evil. The problem rises when they are used as a cheaper substitute, or are just plain overused, to a large or complete exclusion of sets, models, figures, and other forms of media.

I'm sure it cost a bit to install a computer in every vehicle and to make sure each guest photo taken is sent to their corresponding vehicle, it also shows the area the riders are from in the post show.

And what does the 1994 version of the ride have to do with anything? Had the descent been left largely unchanged, it would have been the pre-Siemens version.

Regardless, none of this has anything whatsoever to do with the fact they botched the refurbishment of the Spaceship Earth descent in the current version. Nobody is saying the previous attraction finale was the pinnacle of Disney theme park achievement and a classic which should never be altered (though it was well done), but merely that it was far superior to what we have currently - largely barren darkness where we get to watch a silly Flash video of ourselves (once technology advances to the point we can watch Flash videos at home on our computers, this too will become irrelevant...).

I was referring to the bolded part:

I really hope that's a bad analogy, because they really botched the ride descent during that refurbishment (would have been fine left alone).

You were saying it would be fine if left alone, I was just saying that it was dated and since Siemens wanted SSE to tie in with their products they didn't want the finale to be as communication-esque.

 

[Bluewaves]

I think this is a great addition and very good choice of a sponsor, I do wish they would upgrade the audio system throughout the ride and this goes for many WDW attractions, they just sound horrible, they sounded good 20 something years but they need to work on things, or maybe I'm just biased because I do audio calibrations for high end surround systems, anyway, the video and audio side are rough, and it is noticed, projection and audio tech are always changing, a AA is still way cooler than anything shown on a screen, especially when the audio thats pupmed through it is good.

 

[JordanKing]

Hope that the end film goes digital. The quality of it always made me squirm.

 

[Fantasmicguy]

I've always thought that the movies picked for Great Movie Ride were supposed to help represent an overall genre of film to celebrate. Footlight Parade, Singing in the Rain, and Mary Poppins cover musicals, their progression through time. Mary Poppins also has the family movie genre covered. The Public Enemy covers gangster action films which paved the way for modern action films like the Die Hard series. The actual gangster scene isn't straight from a movie but falls into the same category. In the old west, they tried not to focus on just one film, but in the queue we see it is The Searchers. Next Alien covers the science fiction and thriller genre. Indiana Jones covers action and adventure which helps transition into another generic action adventure scene. Horror movies get a nod followed by an action drama with Tarzan. The drama genre continues with Casablanca. The animated film genre gets a nod with Fantasia and finally a family adventure classic caps things off with Wizard of Oz.

The film choices were meant to be old and classic. They don't just celebrate those films, but the cultural significance of those films to those genres.

Perfect^^

 

[BrerJon]

Even if they just removed "I see dead people.", the script would be better. I cringe every time.

Yeah, pretty much just take out that line and the George of the Jungle reference and they'd be all set.

 

[Captain Neo]

The idea is to “inject TCM brand authority” into the ride, said Pola Changnon, vice president for brand creative and on-air promotions at TCM, and “pique the curiosity” of visitors, encouraging them to explore the world of classic film once they are home.

Sounds absolutely thrilling

 

[TalkingHead]

Footlight Parade, The Public Enemy, The Searchers...

Obscure, Obscure, Obscure...

More like...

Musicals, Gangster Films, and Westerns...

Familiar, Popular, and Iconic.



Side note: I know the John Wayne AA isn't explicitly in The Searchers. Is the Cagney AA replicating a scene from The Public Enemy, or is supposed to be a generic gangster film scenario? I don't remember seeing a similar scene in Public Enemy.

 

[draybook]

I haven't seen Footlight Parade, The Public Enemy or the Searchers, but I can appreciate whet they're trying to do and highlight with those older classics.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Agreed completely. I wouldn't replace anything that's there with screens, but showing clips from the movies themselves large in the backgrounds of the sets could be incredibly interesting if it were done right.

I think of it kinda like the way Music Man was used in Wall-E.

Hello Dolly, not Music Man.