Nanea Volcano feature pool at Disney's Polynesian Resort closing in August for extended refurb

[Bocabear]

Look, artists or technicians doesn't really matter... I think the point is, they lack a sense of style and staging that past Disney Imagineers seemed to have excelled at. Maybe corporate culture does not allow them to create the beautiful immersive environments they once did...that were truly transportive...not necessarily literal. It's about a certain lack of style and drama...they don't seem to have the same touch...
I don't mean to be negative, but was expecting this to look amazing after the defurb of the lobby...Maybe I should continue to lower my expectations...

 

[Bocabear]

You forgot to include the old kids splash pad area. Gonna miss the scaling and spouts on this gorgeous area

It was a different time....There were no Splash Zones back in 1971.... Not saying every angle of everything they did was amazing...but...overall they seemed to understand staging better.... or maybe better than what they care to put into the projects they are working on right now...

 

[aladdin2007]

what upsets me is the landcaping, before when you walked out back from the lobby there was beautiful landscaping and a creek with rocks and water, now they have ripped all that out, and replaced it with flat squares of sod, nothing else. Really sad and cheap looking.

 

[Bocabear]

it's not squares of sod....it an event lawn for special occasion rentals! Yay nothing reminds me of Polynesia more!!

 

[seahawk7]

I'm also upset with this refurb because everybody else is. Grrrrrr! Angry face!

Are you sure it's not heat exhaustion?

 

[flynnibus]

Here is a video walk through

What's with the parking lot light poles?

Nice area... But excite me to want to pay those crazy rates? No way. The area is average... Not magical

 

[Rutt]

It was a different time....There were no Splash Zones back in 1971.... Not saying every angle of everything they did was amazing...but...overall they seemed to understand staging better.... or maybe better than what they care to put into the projects they are working on right now...

I don't know, to me it looks like they really just tried to 'dumb it down' so there was more room. Cant say Im a fan. Count me on the side of the previous look.

 

[ford91exploder]

I really wish you would stop throwing accusations out like that. 3D CAD modeling is not a 'head only' process, as I'm sure any other designer on these boards would attest. The Imagineers of today, using the technology at their disposal, are technical artisans. There is not a firm separation between the two. Most likely they did use clay ON TOP of 3D printed models and then scanned that back in to their designs to further refine them, and get a feel for the work. They are artisans with great technical ability, and this is truly an accurate and beautiful piece of sculpture. It isn't a cartoony representation of a volcano as the guest would expect, its true to what they would see in a tropical volcanic setting. There is absolutely no way you can legitimately knock the Imagineers for designing it that way, other than the typical "old is better, new is rotten" argument.

Don't act like it's just today's guys, either. The process of using clay, computer modeling, and combining those two forms of planning and design has been used for years by WDI. They used CAD and clay techniques to get the basic shape of the Tree of Life, including most of the designs for the larger animals, before it was assembled according to the plans generated by the scanned and refined computer models. You know this, I'm sure. Stop being so perpetually negative.

Would you like some cheese with that?, The fact is that today's work from WDI lacks soul and it's pretty obvious from the work they turn out these days what their toolset is. I've got both 3D printers and multi-axis milling machines, Machines have a regularity of features which hand work lacks and if one has made parts with these types of machines one knows what to look for.

The simple fact is 3D CNC is CHEAPER than hand work as such Disney will prefer it. There is nothing wrong using 3D as a tool but when they are only tool in use the work tends to be lacking from a creative standpoint.

Simple fact is the new work is not up to the standard WDI maintained up through the late 90's, Disney pushed out the 'old guard' like Tony Baxter and Eddie Sotto and other guys with formal arts and architecture training with a bunch of 'clip art kids'. I wonder how Joe Rohde has managed to hang on so long at WDI.

 

[ford91exploder]

Look, artists or technicians doesn't really matter... I think the point is, they lack a sense of style and staging that past Disney Imagineers seemed to have excelled at. Maybe corporate culture does not allow them to create the beautiful immersive environments they once did...that were truly transportive...not necessarily literal. It's about a certain lack of style and drama...they don't seem to have the same touch...
I don't mean to be negative, but was expecting this to look amazing after the defurb of the lobby...Maybe I should continue to lower my expectations...

The old imagineers had training in fine arts and architecture, Look at Eddie Sotto's old thread on why things worked from an artistic and architectural standpoint. They made things by hand to see how they 'worked' artistically. Today's kids in WDI just do stuff in SolidWorks and Illustrator I'd be surprised if any of them can actually paint and/or sculpt.

 

[Rutt]

Look, artists or technicians doesn't really matter... I think the point is, they lack a sense of style and staging that past Disney Imagineers seemed to have excelled at. Maybe corporate culture does not allow them to create the beautiful immersive environments they once did...that were truly transportive...not necessarily literal. It's about a certain lack of style and drama...they don't seem to have the same touch...
I don't mean to be negative, but was expecting this to look amazing after the defurb of the lobby...Maybe I should continue to lower my expectations...

Bang on! Sadly, it's actually a reflection. Of today's society to me.

 

[cspencer96]

Would you like some cheese with that?, The fact is that today's work from WDI lacks soul and it's pretty obvious from the work they turn out these days what their toolset is. I've got both 3D printers and multi-axis milling machines, Machines have a regularity of features which hand work lacks and if one has made parts with these types of machines one knows what to look for.

The simple fact is 3D CNC is CHEAPER than hand work as such Disney will prefer it. There is nothing wrong using 3D as a tool but when they are only tool in use the work tends to be lacking from a creative standpoint.

Simple fact is the new work is not up to the standard WDI maintained up through the late 90's, Disney pushed out the 'old guard' like Tony Baxter and Eddie Sotto and other guys with formal arts and architecture training with a bunch of 'clip art kids'. I wonder how Joe Rohde has managed to hang on so long at WDI.

Could you by any chance share what your line of work is, considering that when anyone calls you out on your negativity you immediately claim expert status on the subject? I am a lighting designer, sculptor and freelance graphic designer. I know what you mean by regularity of features, but what in the design of this pool area or any other landscape rock work screams machining and regularity to you? It all appears to be hand-sculpted and painted to me, albeit with a guide likely creating using - oh no, heaven forbid - COMPUTER MODELING. I don't see how CNC machining is being brought into a discussion about what would potentially be 3D printing vs. clay modeling (which I would be willing to bet money the Imagineers use a combo of both on all rock work designs these days).

The old imagineers had training in fine arts and architecture, Look at Eddie Sotto's old thread on why things worked from an artistic and architectural standpoint. They made things by hand to see how they 'worked' artistically. Today's kids in WDI just do stuff in SolidWorks and Illustrator I'd be surprised if any of them can actually paint and/or sculpt.

You grasp at straws and throw out negative statements, and just blatantly bash the current generation of Imagineers. Yes, they are young (and so am I), but in no way does that give you a right to say that you'd be surprised if they had any practical ability with physical media. It is incredible to me that you have somehow embraced this title as Negative Nancy, and only seek to surpass your previous statements each time you lend your comments to something. Notice the good for once, seek out the positives. I guarantee you'd have a much better time.

 

[DGracey]

what upsets me is the landcaping, before when you walked out back from the lobby there was beautiful landscaping and a creek with rocks and water, now they have ripped all that out, and replaced it with flat squares of sod, nothing else. Really sad and cheap looking.

Landscaping was removed so you can see Cinderella Castle from the lobby glass. Which when you think about it, is quite rare. It's likely the only resort where you can.

 

[Horizons1]

Landscaping was removed so you can see Cinderella Castle from the lobby glass. Which when you think about it, is quite rare. It's likely the only resort where you can.

Yea, when you squint you can barely make out a turret. Yippie!

 

[ford91exploder]

Could you by any chance share what your line of work is, considering that when anyone calls you out on your negativity you immediately claim expert status on the subject? I am a lighting designer, sculptor and freelance graphic designer. I know what you mean by regularity of features, but what in the design of this pool area or any other landscape rock work screams machining and regularity to you? It all appears to be hand-sculpted and painted to me, albeit with a guide likely creating using - oh no, heaven forbid - COMPUTER MODELING. I don't see how CNC machining is being brought into a discussion about what would potentially be 3D printing vs. clay modeling (which I would be willing to bet money the Imagineers use a combo of both on all rock work designs these days).

You grasp at straws and throw out negative statements, and just blatantly bash the current generation of Imagineers. Yes, they are young (and so am I), but in no way does that give you a right to say that you'd be surprised if they had any practical ability with physical media. It is incredible to me that you have somehow embraced this title as Negative Nancy, and only seek to surpass your previous statements each time you lend your comments to something. Notice the good for once, seek out the positives. I guarantee you'd have a much better time.

I clean up OTHER people's total screw ups (the kind that get management teams fired) for a living looking for things that are wrong comes as naturally as breathing. If you don't like what I have to say there is always the ignore button.

 

[wdwmagic]

Landscaping was removed so you can see Cinderella Castle from the lobby glass. Which when you think about it, is quite rare. It's likely the only resort where you can.

Is that important? Do you really need to be able to see a tiny distant object on the horizon from the lobby? Wasn't the castle meant to be revealed only when right in front of it after passing beyond Main Street?

 

[ford91exploder]

Is that important? Do you really need to be able to see a tiny distant object on the horizon from the lobby? Wasn't the castle meant to be revealed only when right in front of it after passing beyond Main Street?

Yes that's what I always thought as well, But since the castle is the symbol in TWDC's advertising it seems everything has to be castle centric.

 

[Bocabear]

Castle centric….Well if it was a closer view i would believe that, but when you can barely see the castle from the pool area, I imagine it is almost imperceptible from the actual lobby…having to look across the rubble pile fountain, through the doors and then the half mile across the water and islands… though I really can't say I understand anything they are doing these days….except watering down the brand.

 

[DGracey]

Is that important? Do you really need to be able to see a tiny distant object on the horizon from the lobby? Wasn't the castle meant to be revealed only when right in front of it after passing beyond Main Street?

Well, for Disney it sure seems to be important. All marketing materials in recent years have a castle focus. And the aim to see the castle from the Poly is likely related to DVC sales and DVC members - as a constant reminder of just how close you are to the Magic Kingdom every time you walk through that lobby or are at the pool.

No the castle was not built only to be seen once inside. There are references from original Imagineers like Marty Sklar who said the castle was built as high as it was to be seen from outside the gates, to build anticipation and excitement for entering the most magical place. They wanted the castle to be seen from the TTC, from the ferries, from the monorail, from the Contemporary ... and from the Poly. There is no single more powerful marketing tool for the Walt Disney Company than that castle - heck it's even in the opening to every movie credit.

Disney has been in hyperdrive recently removing trees to see the castle, enlarging the hub for flow and to see the castle better, building Bay Lake tower where it was to see the castle, etc.

As mentioned by many on this board though - I think we've reached the tipping point of mass congestion of such a singular focus on the castle ... only so many people can be in front of it at one time. But that's the magic Disney is selling, so it's not the visitor's fault.

 

[ford91exploder]

Castle centric….Well if it was a closer view i would believe that, but when you can barely see the castle from the pool area, I imagine it is almost imperceptible from the actual lobby…having to look across the rubble pile fountain, through the doors and then the half mile across the water and islands… though I really can't say I understand anything they are doing these days….except watering down the brand.

To the marketing drone the destruction of the landscaping so that you can see 'The Castle' was eminently worth it, It does not matter if you need 10x50 binoculars to SEE the castle it's visible and that's ALL that matters.

Yes it's watering down the BRAND as well especially the Polynesian Brand, There is nothing that says Polynesia more than a view of a German castle...

 

[ford91exploder]

Well, for Disney it sure seems to be important. All marketing materials in recent years have a castle focus. And the aim to see the castle from the Poly is likely related to DVC sales and DVC members - as a constant reminder of just how close you are to the Magic Kingdom every time you walk through that lobby or are at the pool.

No the castle was not built only to be seen once inside. There are references from original Imagineers like Marty Sklar who said the castle was built as high as it was to be seen from outside the gates, to build anticipation and excitement for entering the most magical place. They wanted the castle to be seen from the TTC, from the ferries, from the monorail, from the Contemporary ... and from the Poly. There is no single more powerful marketing tool for the Walt Disney Company than that castle - heck it's even in the opening to every movie credit.

Disney has been in hyperdrive recently removing trees to see the castle, enlarging the hub for flow and to see the castle better, building Bay Lake tower where it was to see the castle, etc.

As mentioned by many on this board though - I think we've reached the tipping point of mass congestion of such a singular focus on the castle ... only so many people can be in front of it at one time. But that's the magic Disney is selling, so it's not the visitor's fault.

Yes I think you nailed it.