Then and Now - WDW Comparison Photos

Raineman

Raineman

Well-Known Member
Goofyernmost said:
Yea, that is correct, however, in my opinion, they managed to do both. I think the hub looks better now then it ever has. It is very well designed, pleasant to look at and functional. In the daytime it is beautiful with the fountains and flowers and at night it affords many more clear views of the Castle. I cannot think of one thing that was given up to make that all happen.
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But the trees! Please, won't somebody think of the trees!
Seriously though, it makes me laugh that some people on here that complain about the hub changes over the years, including the removal of the trees, are the same ones that complain the existing trees are getting too big and blocking their view of the castle from the side, not to mention the complaints that the HM is getting too overgrown and should have a finely manicured lawn.
 
Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
Raineman said:
But the trees! Please, won't somebody think of the trees!
Seriously though, it makes me laugh that some people on here that complain about the hub changes over the years, including the removal of the trees, are the same ones that complain the existing trees are getting too big and blocking their view of the castle from the side, not to mention the complaints that the HM is getting too overgrown and should have a finely manicured lawn.
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I don't know about anyone else but I'm fine with those trees. The trees around HM make it look very creepy but the no tree look also works very well but to the opposite effect.
 
Brad Bishop

Brad Bishop

Well-Known Member
I actually like the still shot of the castle being lit better than the old castle lighting, though I prefer the trees in the hub in the old shot.

The old castle lighting (incandescent) was kind of "blah" in my opinion. The new castle lighting (that pic, in particular) looks good to me. One thing I really dislike about the current castle lighting is the constant changing of the colors. It makes no sense. It's like someone left the lighting system on "demo".

Another thing I'd like to see again is Space Mountain being lit up like it was when it opened. Space Mountain used to be this noticeable white "mountain" peeking out at night. It was great. Now it's barely lit (is it even lit??) and you don't notice it at all.
 
Graham9

Graham9

Well-Known Member
This was taken in August 1998, our first trip to WDW, on 35mm film. This was from one of the cable cars which ran in Magic Kingdom. Apologies for the finger in shot.

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Graham9

Graham9

Well-Known Member
Mike S said:
I made a point of riding the Skyway at SFGA when I was up there. Nice views but I don't think that kind of ride has a place in modern Disney theme parks unless it's the chair lift at BB.
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I was fairly gutted and disappointed when WDW took this ride down...but I think with time, it would now seem out of place where it was.
 
Sonconato

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Mike S said:
I don't know about anyone else but I'm fine with those trees. The trees around HM make it look very creepy but the no tree look also works very well but to the opposite effect.
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My family and I are one of those that were disappointed in the trees being removed from the hub and I can assure you, we don't care, nor are complaining, that the trees around the Parks are getting larger. We love that they keep on growing! In our opinion, the ONLY reason they removed the trees in the hub is for the Projection Show which we simply have no interest in. The reason we feel this is the ONLY reason for the removal of the trees is they did the exact same thing at AK with the Tree of Life. Now that they have removed the trees from in front of the Tree of Life, that tree looks nowhere near as majestic as it used to, at least in our opinion. We seem to think it has something to do with the same illusion that makes the moon appear larger when it is near the horizon (called the Summer Moon Illusion/Ponzo Illusion).
 
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Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
Sonconato said:
My family and I are one of those that were disappointed in the trees being removed from the hub and I can assure you, we don't care, nor are complaining, that the trees around the Parks are getting larger. We love that they keep on growing! In our opinion, the ONLY reason they removed the trees in the hub is for the Projection Show which we simply have no interest in. The reason we feel this is the ONLY reason for the removal of the trees is they did the exact same thing at AK with the Tree of Life. Now that they have removed the trees from in front of the Tree of Life, that tree looks nowhere near as majestic as it used to, at least in our opinion. We seem to think it has something to do with the same illusion that makes the moon appear larger when it is near the horizon (called the Summer Moon Illusion/Ponzo Illusion).
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I thought the big trees started to go for Wishes?

I never knew what that big moon was called. Thanks :)
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Sonconato

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Mike S said:
I thought the big trees started to go for Wishes?

I never knew what that big moon was called. Thanks :)
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You're right...it was also for Wishes. We just didn't think of that because we choose not to watch them from that location...even way back when they did have the trees. Thanks for the bit of TV nostalgia.
 
Sonconato

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Mike S said:
I thought the big trees started to go for Wishes?

I never knew what that big moon was called. Thanks :)
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My husband decided to compare the "not so then" AK (from around 2010) to the same location now to see if that Moon Illusion made sense. It seems that when the trees were in the foreground, it made the Tree of Life seem larger because it appeared to be further away as if it were in a distant jungle. Now it seems smaller, oddly enough, because the roots come down to the concrete plaza which brings it closer to you. At least that is the sense we get, especially when you're actually there. Our preference is the "then" version.
AK Comparison.png
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Sonconato said:
My husband decided to compare the "not so then" AK (from around 2010) to the same location now to see if that Moon Illusion made sense. It seems that when the trees were in the foreground, it made the Tree of Life seem larger because it appeared to be further away as if it were in a distant jungle. Now it seems smaller, oddly enough, because the roots come down to the concrete plaza which brings it closer to you. At least that is the sense we get, especially when you're actually there. Our preference is the "then" version.
View attachment 158445
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To me the after looks larger. I guess it's individual perception.
 
donsullivan

donsullivan

Premium Member
Here is a progression over the years of Seven Seas Lagoon from 1969 to 2012. It really shows the development stages nicely with things like expansion of Poly, addition of Grand Floridian, addition of Wilderness Lodge and later the Lodge next to Wilderness Lodge. You can also see the progression of removal of North Garden Wing at Contemporary and it's replacement by BLT. The Speedway gets added along the way, etc.. Kind of cool to see the overall progression of things over the long arc of time.

Please note, these are not my photos so if you think that a date is factually inaccurate I'll be happy to correct as appropriate.

1969
1969.jpg


1973
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1974
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1978
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1984
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1990
1990.jpg


1997
1997.jpg


2002
2002.jpg


2008
2008.jpg


2012
2012.jpg
 
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The_Jobu

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
donsullivan said:
Here is a progression over the years of Seven Seas Lagoon from 1969 to 2012. It really shows the development stages nicely with things like expansion of Poly, addition of Grand Floridian, addition of Wilderness Lodge and later the Lodge next to Wilderness Lodge. You can also see the progression of removal of North Garden Wing at Contemporary and it's replacement by BLT. The Speedway gets added along the way, etc.. Kind of cool to see the overall progression of things over the long arc of time.

Please note, these are not my photos so if you think that a date is factually inaccurate I'll be happy to correct as appropriate.
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Heh, that's neat. Looks like they had plans for the GF from the start but didn't get around to it until the 90s.
 
RobidaFlats

RobidaFlats

Well-Known Member
The_Jobu said:
Heh, that's neat. Looks like they had plans for the GF from the start but didn't get around to it until the 90s.
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If I remember correctly, that site was initially slated for an Asian themed resort that would have opened in 1974. After that was cancelled (along with other resorts during the oil crises), it sat unused until the development of the Grand Floridian in the late 80s.
 
donsullivan

donsullivan

Premium Member
RobidaFlats said:
If I remember correctly, that site was initially slated for an Asian themed resort that would have opened in 1974. After that was cancelled (along with other resorts during the oil crises), it sat unused until the development of the Grand Floridian in the late 80s.
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I believe that is true. Also, if you look at the image from 1990, you can see the period when they cleared the land and did all the suitability testing for the plot between TTC and Contemporary alongside the lagoon. They're was a resort planned for that plot of land from the start as well. Unfortunately, each time they've tested the suitability of the land, they determined it impractical with then currently available construction techniques. The phrases I heard after these tests was that the test piles just sunk into the ground never to be seen again, they could just not find anything solid to build on. I'm sure at some point as new techniques are developed they'll try again.

If you look at the island closest to the Grand Floridian plot in the 1984 image you can still see the wave machine for the Poly beach along the side of the island (long straight line). In the following 1990 image it's gone.

You can also see the Poly expansions under construction in 1978 and the second one underway in 1984.
 

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