What Makes Great Attractions So Great?

[Chef Mickey]

Why after so long is The Haunted Mansion still one the best attractions on property? I must have ridden it hundreds of times and still can't get enough. I have a couple theories but I'm curious why you feel you enjoy certain favorites time after time. Here are a few of mine.

1) Detail. I'm always finding something new, even on the Haunted Mansion

2) A catchy song, interesting narration, and great music. The best attractions have you humming the song or reciting the narration long after you exit the ride. You'll find yourself humming it at work, at home, and other places not named WDW.

3) Nostalgia. I'm not going to lie. The classic have a special place in my heart and for all of us that rode them as kids and young adults.

4) Originality. The best attractions seem to have the most original ideas. If there is a popular movie related to the ride, it seems to water down the experience slightly. To get my Haunted Mansion fix, I have to actually ride the attraction.

Other rides that fall in this category for me:

Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Spaceship Earth
The American Adventure
Pirates
It's a Small World
Tower of Terror
Expedition Everest
Carousel of Progress

 

[Gomer]

I agree with all those criteria above. But I’d add one as well.

For a ride to be truly great and timeless, I think it needs to tap into a genre or idea that is part of a shared joy or ideal in most human beings.

The rides that truly stand out as timeless classics. A haunted house. A pirate sea adventure. A journey through space. Even splash mountain which is an all-time great taps into a story of back country simplicity and a love of home. These things cross quadrants and appeal to all in a way that a lot of rides that focus on an individual movie or character may not. And these elements, in addition to the detail, music and other factors are what differentiate those rides from others that seem to lack some of that same intangible appeal. It is a romanticism for the adventures, interests, and ideas that we all share at some base level

 

[lazyboy97o]

Heart.

 

[Magenta Panther]

A great ride takes out you out of the real world for a few minutes. When you walk up to the Hollywood Tower Hotel, for instance, you can easily believe that it's really a haunted hotel from the 1930's. When you see the overgrown foliage, pass the dry, cracked empty fountains and walk into the dusty, cobwebbed hotel lobby, with its still-rich furnishings and stained glass chandeliers...man...that is theming at its best. Unlike Mermaid's, the queue and the facade of the Hotel are not the best part of the experience. They're the beginning of the story.

So I think "story" is what makes great attractions so great.

 

[Glasgow]

For me, it's "immersion", pure and simple. If you can make me feel like I'm somewhere else, in a place other than a bldg in the middle of Florida, then you've created something special. Its that suspension of disbelief that really sells the attraction to me. Isn't that why most of us visit?

This, along with many of the other qualities listed here in the thread, is what makes an attraction special. Each ride contains different amounts of each quality, which is why many rides appeal to different demographics.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Can't argue with any of your #1 - 4 points. I feel exactly the same. Disney takes an ordinary attraction that you might have experienced some where else and adds to it by making it totally unique and Disney. You cant see all the details by riding it once. You have to re-experience it over and over again to spot all the hidden details and then once you think youve seen it all, you spot something new.
The musical compositions are such that you instantly connect with the attraction and long after youve left the world, can be brought back in an instant after hearing the first few musical notes.
Walt set the mold for making the attractions from the queue to the ride to the exits, first class and thankfully the ones in control since he passed away were wise enough to continue on in the same way.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

There are so many things that Disney does well that turns a basic, run-of-the-mill attraction into a favorite for so many. Nostalgia certainly plays a big part in making certain attractions a favorite, but there's more to it than that. Think of the actual simplicity of things such as Soarin and Space Mountain. You're either just kind of sitting there (albeit it lifted up a bit off the floor) looking at a movie screen, or you're in a relatively slow-moving rollercoaster that just happens to be running in the darkness. But Disney adds in a whimsical charm to these rides, whether it be in the decor of the queues, or of the accompanying music (queue or ride itself), and throws in little touches here and there (like squirts of scented air in Soarin, or the occasional dip and drop in SM) that just instantly adds so much to the attraction.

 

[Redsky89]

Its about atmosphere. I always compare Disney rides to thrill rides in other parks. Do other parks have bigger faster rides? Yes. But they lack music, theme, interactive queue lines, etc.

 

[Jim Chandler]

I can agree with all of the above but there are some rides for some people that are just about fear, speed, or adrenaline. Most of those IMHO are short lived because those people are always looking for the next bigger, faster or scarier thing. Where as all of Disney rides may or may not include fear, speed or adrenaline they all do evoke a feeling of something most of us grew up at some point in time.

 

[Tom]

Because Marc Davis and Xavier Atencio. That's why. The world will never, ever, see people like them again.

 

[WondersOfLife]

1- Detail
2- Keeping the park guest in suspense
3- Nostalgia

 

[JohnD]

I think Imagination 1.0 could have been one of the long- lasting great attractions. It had the detail, nostalgia, memorable theme, and great characters.

Can you "imagine" refurbing HM and creating an entirely different attraction not once but two times?

One of the worst decisions WDW ever made...

 

[Mia22]

Attention to detail, theming, evoking sentiment, the warm fuzzy feeling, and that magic that you just can't put into words.
I noticed after a recently attending Universal Studios after many years of absence that they are also now focusing more on theming and attention to detail in their rides such as Gringotts, Despicable me, Mummy and Simpsons. However I still prefer WDW, because of the above reasons.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I also think the content plays a large role. Detail, music, theming, and and originality are key, but I think having some connection with the content really impacts your desire to continue riding.

Harry Potter is really well done with tremendous detail, great theming, a great ride system, etc. However, I couldn't care less about the content. I have no connection to it, so my ride is very "in the moment." Afterward, I just move on and don't think about it or desire to ride again.

 

[righttrack]

Takes you back with memories
Takes you forward with things you didn't realize before

 

[scoobygirl39541]

4) Originality. The best attractions seem to have the most original ideas. If there is a popular movie related to the ride, it seems to water down the experience slightly. To get my Haunted Mansion fix, I have to actually ride the attraction.

I think you nailed it right there. It's impossible to get overly saturated with themes that can only be experienced while inside the parks. Unless you visit weekly, these themes stay fresh every single time you experience them. For all the IP attractions, you can watch the movie at home, play the video game, listen to the music, etc... but you can't do that with HM, JC, BTMR, etc.

 

[copcarguyp71]

In a word...immersion

From the time you first catch sight of the ride structure or building through to your time spent in the queue and the actual ride itself you should have total suspension of disbelief. It should quite frankly wrap itself around you and take you on a trip into a themed experience filled with surprises and hidden nuggets that take multiple times riding to even see or realize they were there.

My favorite of these is Splash Mountain. It actually tells a story start to finish and makes you part of the story itself.

 

[Chef Mickey]

In a word...immersion

From the time you first catch sight of the ride structure or building through to your time spent in the queue and the actual ride itself you should have total suspension of disbelief. It should quite frankly wrap itself around you and take you on a trip into a themed experience filled with surprises and hidden nuggets that take multiple times riding to even see or realize they were there.

My favorite of these is Splash Mountain. It actually tells a story start to finish and makes you part of the story itself.

Agree...that's the single reason I keep coming back. The attractions never get old because they're so detailed and immersive.