EPCOT Test Track to be reimagined

wdwmagic

Administrator
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Monorail view from a live stream today showed outdoor queue stanchions in place.
These ones or more?

Test-Track_Full_60737.jpg
 

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
No, he was talking about Disney's reputation. The one that the theme parks do not exist without. The theme parks built on the back of IP. He's forgetting that whole part because it doesn't fit his narrative.
And think about it: If Disney had an IP for Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise (perhaps Jungle Book) at the time the parks were built, and those rides were themed to those IP's - would the public at large have had any problem at all with those rides being IP based?
Not in the slightest.
 

Castle Cake Apologist

Well-Known Member
No, he was talking about Disney's reputation.

Yes, Disney's reputation in themed design. That was clear from the context of his post, and the fact that we are actively participating in a discussion forum dedicated to Disney's work in themed design. I would imagine that he's familiar with the fact that Disney as a company didn't suddenly exist upon the opening of Disneyland.

Do you really need people to constantly point out to you when they're specifically talking about the theme parks and not the media conglomerate when they mention Disney here on the Disney theme park website?

Like, come on.
 
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Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
Yes, Disney's reputation in themed design. That was clear from the context of his post, and the fact that we are actively participating in a discussion forum dedicated to Disney's work in themed design. I would imagine that he's familiar with the fact that Disney as a company didn't suddenly exist upon the opening of Disneyland.

Do you really need people to constantly point out to you when they're specifically talking about the theme parks and not the media conglomerate when they mention Disney here on the Disney theme park website?

Like, come on.
My guy, that's not at all what he was referring to.
All true.

BUT…

Theme parks can LAUNCH franchise. It’s hardly surprising that Universal - “ride the movies” - only builds film-to-park IP-based attractions, but Disney should know better. Their reputation was BUILT on theme-park-first IPs, many of which went on to become extremely profitable transmedia franchises.
He makes no mention of 'themed design'. The specific call out of Universal is also proof that there is no reference to 'themed design', but of the company's overall procedures and processes. Saying how a theme park can 'launch' franchises and then immediately talking about how the company's reputation was built on it is not discussing 'themed design' in any way.

Even if we suppose that you're correct and thats what he was talking about - their reputation on 'themed design' wasn't built on new IP either. The opening day attractions at Disneyland, if you're going to say thats when they built their 'themed design reputation' were nearly all IP. The railroad, Autopia, and the films in Tomorrowland are the only attractions not tied into an IP.
 
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Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
And think about it: If Disney had an IP for Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise (perhaps Jungle Book) at the time the parks were built, and those rides were themed to those IP's - would the public at large have had any problem at all with those rides being IP based?
Not in the slightest.
Jungle Cruise's IP was True Life Adventures. It was much more serious in tone originally.
 

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
My guy, that's not at all what he was referring to.

He makes no mention of 'themed design'. The specific call out of Universal is also proof that there is no reference to 'themed design', but of the company's overall procedures and processes. Saying how a theme park can 'launch' franchises and then immediately talking about how the company's reputation was built on it is not discussing 'themed design' in any way.

Even if we suppose that you're correct and thats what he was talking about - their reputation on 'themed design' wasn't built on new IP either. The opening day attractions at Disneyland, if you're going to say thats when they built their 'themed design reputation' were nearly all IP. The railroad, Autopia, and the films in Tomorrowland are the only attractions not tied into an IP.
I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about. Neither Penguin or I mentioned “themed design.”

You’re stretching the definition of IP to the point of absurdity in your claims about Disneys opening day. Jungle Cruise, for instance, is not IP based, even if certain pre-existing pieces of anrt inspired it (as they inspire every artistic endeavor ever undertaken). Other posters have explained the story behind Davy Crockett, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, etc. This is all beside the point, because your “opening day” framing is entirely arbitrary - the attractions that, as I said, built Disneys reputation were ones like Pirates and HM.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
It's important to note that what opened at Disneyland in 1955 was not only impacted by time and budget constraints, but just as importantly, Disney's lack of industry knowledge, resources and experience. Both with operating parks and understanding their potential.

Most of Disneyland's opening day rides were either transportation rides (trains, boats, cars...mules), or off the shelf flat rides and bus bar dark ride tech given a Disney character dressing.

Jungle Cruise is significant because it's the first true Disney attraction in terms of how we understand them today. A long form experience with custom sets and figures that uses ride vehicles, track layout, pacing and scenic design and blocking to create a sense of time and place. The Jungle Cruise of 1955 may not have been the ride we know of today, but it laid the groundwork for everything since. It's telling that as time progressed Disney moved away from stock rides and towards greater customization and elaboration of their attractions. Originality in both design and subject matter.

[Rocket to the Moon would be the other example IMO, but like Circarama, the precursor to Circle-Vision, both are offshoots of the widescreen/novelty exhibition trend that dominated movie theaters in the 1950s, but given that Disney touch of storytelling.]

As @Casper Gutman explains, the rides that came to define Disney by the late 60s were things like Pirates, Mr Lincoln, Small World, etc, not the C-ticket dark rides and B-ticket flat rides of Fantasyland. They were part of the experience, but not the whole experience, and certainly not the main draws or the ones that commanded higher ticket prices.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about. Neither Penguin or I mentioned “themed design.”
I know you weren't. I only quoted you because goofball @Castle Cake Apologist was misquoting you.
You’re stretching the definition of IP to the point of absurdity in your claims about Disneys opening day. Jungle Cruise, for instance, is not IP based, even if certain pre-existing pieces of anrt inspired it (as they inspire every artistic endeavor ever undertaken). Other posters have explained the story behind Davy Crockett, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, etc. This is all beside the point, because your “opening day” framing is entirely arbitrary - the attractions that, as I said, built Disneys reputation were ones like Pirates and HM.
And again, the reputation of Disney was built before any of those attractions existed. They wouldn't have the money or the partners to build Disneyland if Walt's reputation wasn't already built. I don't think its fair to say 'Disney's reputation was only built on these attractions, which didn't have IP' when those non-IP attractions wouldn't have existed if not for what Disney did before that point.
 
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