Sad Haunted Mansion

[FettFan]

That's for sure. It also plays the joke of the scene better. You expect a fortune teller in her chair, not trapped in her ball. The floating around toon a bit away from that.

Aye. Thank goodness they didn't have her rolling around like a hamster ball.

That would have just been silly.

 

[Angel Ariel]

edited to remove after seeing the moderator''s post later in the thread.

 

[WEDwaydatamover]

Disney needs to stop breaking perfect attractions. Tweak things yes- lighting, audio, aesthetics. The current batch of Imagineers are never going to out do the originals. I'm sorry.

 

[LAKid53]

I can answer what pushed me and many other over the edge: Disney gets what they pay for, first off. At $8.25-9.25 an hour (which was the pay rate when I was there) and when Orlando has one of the biggest gaps between average income and average apartment price (this problem is due almost entirely to WDW, btw), it's not easy to see why many leave. Because that doesn't buy or keep quality. But the problems in Adventureland/Liberty Square attractions are a special kind of vile tacked on top of that. A lot of us got hired thinking that we were going to be able to truly make magical experiences for guests and be able to work while putting on a "show." At least, that was the kind of Disney Cast Member we grew up on. But now, your job is a glorified cattle herder. You're not permitted to adlib (a pun) in the stretch rooms or say anything aside from a banal spiel because apparently the "drag your wretched bodies" line that was used for 40 years was making the Mommy Bloggers feel "unwelcomed." We were told, as Mansion Butlers/Maids, not to "play the part" as was done in the past. We were told to smile and act as if we were working at Fantasyland or anywhere else in the park. Disney doesn't want show because it slows the cogs down. And if we're not herding cattle through the ride quickly, how will they spend money in the gift shop. The culture has changed so much that the reasons to work there no longer exist. It's one thing if you're getting crap pay but having fun at work. It's another thing to get crap pay, managers who are either a 21 year old college intern or are nasty/vile to their cast, hours cut so Disney can keep exploiting the college program, reprimands for using too much "show" while at work, watching your fellow cast members have to sleep in their cars, ect... Why would anyone stay aside from the same blind brand loyalty that keeps the people of this board going to the crumbling swamp six flags?

This is so sad to read......

 

[Disone]

As stated earlier in the thread about Madame Leota being stationary, I got to ride earlier this week, and noticed that she was indeed stationary back on the stand. My last trip to the swamps before this was in February, and I remember her crystal ball still floating then. I really hope this isn't another example of just letting a broken effect go instead of fixing it. Anyone have more info?

Today she was floating around the room again. So that was good news. Bad news... the hurry back doll was in place but literally had no face and as a result was not doing her regular Spiel. Where her face should have been was just a bunch of high tech cpu looking surface. Somewhat creepier than the actual face.

 

[Magicart87]

Today she was floating around the room again. So that was good news. Bad news... the hurry back doll was in place but literally had no face and as a result was not doing her regular Spiel. Where her face should have been was just a bunch of high tech cpu looking surface. Somewhat creepier than the actual face.

Blast! I was hoping the stationary Leota was a design choice. Oh well.

 

[Edward M]

I think that Tokyo Disney ruined a lot of Disney World rides for me. Everything there was perfectly maintained, and everything here is so awfully maintained. Dinosaur (which just had a refurb and looked great a mere 4 months ago), Splash Mountain (broken animatronics all over the place), Test Track (the lighting there seemed very off and a lot of effects were just turned off), Expedition Everest (that Yeti has bright lights on him and he looks so still), Tower of Terror (just felt and looked dated), and Haunted Mansion (the graveyard scene animatronics were not working properly) all looked in terrible condition. Those were also the only rides I rode with animatronics and complex effects on my last visit (was a short one). I preferred Avatar Land and their rides to anything else cause things actually worked.

 

[World_Showcase_Lover007]

Having said that, Disney is expensive and expectations at Disney rightfully should be high. So when beloved effects aren't working or working sub-par, it's a major let down.

Like a few others, the ride needs a good zhuzzing up.

Yes. I've said many a time (to anyone that will listen) that Disney charges super-premium prices, so guests have the expectation of at least a premium product. Anything less, you feel cheated or taken advantage of. And the most irking thing is that guests who experienced the parks in the 90s know that it's possible to have clean amenities and properly functioning attractions, because mgmt. back then obviously made it a priority.

Today's parks have a bit more foot traffic but to me it's no excuse, especially when it seems that they are barely trying. Maybe my experiences in times and decades past are "rose-colored" due to youth/nostalgia/non-business oriented expectations, but it seemed like you could eat off the sidewalks if needed, they were so clean. So at the very least, the rides were operating as they should. Rides are older and obviously needed fixing and refurbishing, so they need to do it instead of putting out sub-par product. The long term business model will eventually suffer.

 

[Tiny Arms]

I think that Tokyo Disney ruined a lot of Disney World rides for me. Everything there was perfectly maintained, and everything here is so awfully maintained. Dinosaur (which just had a refurb and looked great a mere 4 months ago), Splash Mountain (broken animatronics all over the place), Test Track (the lighting there seemed very off and a lot of effects were just turned off), Expedition Everest (that Yeti has bright lights on him and he looks so still), Tower of Terror (just felt and looked dated), and Haunted Mansion (the graveyard scene animatronics were not working properly) all looked in terrible condition. Those were also the only rides I rode with animatronics and complex effects on my last visit (was a short one). I preferred Avatar Land and their rides to anything else cause things actually worked.

What has occurred with Dinosaur? On our most recent trip from May 5th - 7th, the only thing I really noticed that was off was the photo carnotaurus; he was leaning WAAAAAY forwards (almost like he was about to faceplant ). Didn't really look too good, especially for a spot where your picture is taken.

 

[POLY LOVER]

I enjoy reading things like this it shows how much true fans notice. If Disney doesn't stop allowing attractions to disintegrate over time they will take a back seat to universal. Sad to say I!ve seen it coming for some time now. Someone needs to remind whoever runs this company about a man called Walt Disney and his dream that built this thing called the happiest place on earth.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Wouldn't it be horrible if those lame animated Hitchhiker Ghosts were just the beginning? If the Disney bean-counters decided that all those hard-to-maintain AAs were just too costly and needed to go, and so they got rid of them a la the Great Movie Ride and replaced every scene with screens?

I honestly wouldn't put it past them...

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Wouldn't it be horrible if those lame animated Hitchhiker Ghosts were just the beginning? If the Disney bean-counters decided that all those hard-to-maintain AAs were just too costly and needed to go, and so they got rid of them a la the Great Movie Ride and replaced every scene with screens?

I honestly wouldn't put it past them...

It would spark riots.

 

[danyoung56]

Wouldn't it be horrible if those lame animated Hitchhiker Ghosts were just the beginning? If the Disney bean-counters decided that all those hard-to-maintain AAs were just too costly and needed to go, and so they got rid of them a la the Great Movie Ride and replaced every scene with screens?

While I'm not in favor of replacing true AA figures with screens, do you really think the heads on a stick were better than cutting edge animations? I totally look forward to this part of the attraction now, whereas before it was just a ho-hum ending.

 

[Magenta Panther]

While I'm not in favor of replacing true AA figures with screens, do you really think the heads on a stick were better than cutting edge animations? I totally look forward to this part of the attraction now, whereas before it was just a ho-hum ending.

I don't know what you mean by "head-on-a-stick" when referring to the original Hitchhiking Ghosts. They were full-body AAs that, thanks to the Pepper's Ghost effect, really looked like they were riding with you in your buggy. It was tremendously convincing. The new screen versions just look like blurry CGI cartoons. IMO they're a major fail.

 

[crxbrett]

It would spark riots.

Definitely. Possibly worse than the riots we'd see if Daryl ever dies.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

I was there last week and the (new and improved) hitchhiking ghosts didn't work at all. :/