News Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

[MaryJaneP]

Is the "Theme" to maximize bonuses and profits by foregoing any expense spent on designing/creating/installing/maintaining any facade on a show building?

 

[RSoxNo1]

A properly executed ride works well regardless of the theme. For me personally, I couldn't care less about the Tron "franchise", but if it produces a cool ride, than I'm for it.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

A properly executed ride works well regardless of the theme. For me personally, I couldn't care less about the Tron "franchise", but if it produces a cool ride, than I'm for it.

Agreed. As someone who's experienced the ride and never seen the movies, I'd much rather have Tron than not.

1) The ride is incredibly fun - easily one of the highlights for me in SDL, and it seems most visitors feel similarly (or at least positively overall).
2) It compares very well to WDW's existing coasters.

-It has a more unique ride vehicle than RnRC and faster max speed, but loses the inversions. Perfect for MK.​

-It makes Space Mountain feel like trash, which could eventually force the track replacement it desperately needs. Scratch that, it'll never happen, but at least we'll have Tron.​

3) It's not nearly the first case of an unsightly show building. Between Soarin' (I don't mind it), Everest, Dumbo's queue, Pandora, Galaxy's Edge, Guardians, and Ratatouille, that ship has sailed at every park.

 

[justintheharris]

Those buildings are visible . . . and designed to be seen. Pooh's building was a bigger offender as Mr. Toad when the park first opened, but buildings were put in over the years that fixed it. Even then, they all feature Castle Wall-style theming that speaks to the architecture of the area and don't intrude on areas where that does not fit.

TRON is an unthemed box that was designed in Shanghai to be angled away from the park to the extent that the Canopy would cover most of it. They made that (mostly) work from inside the park, since the park was designed from scratch along with the ride and they could accommodate it. That same building is now being plopped down on the edge of the Magic Kingdom in a spot that is much more visible to guests both inside the park and outside, and nothing is being done to theme, disguise, or obscure the box. TRON Shanghai cannot be seen from Fantasyland - TRON Magic Kingdom can, in a big way, and it isn't a flattering angle.

Doesn't mean the ride won't be fun or that we can't enjoy it, but we shouldn't pretend that Disney is living up to their own standards by permitting the design to create large visual intrusions in and around the Magic Kingdom.

There are angles where they did not theme the buildings really.

More importantly, the ride isn't done and it's receiving a lot of judgement on its sightlines for a ride that isn't complete. It's not that I don't necessarily understand the complaints but many forum members are acting as though they'd rather have no ride at all.

 

[BrianLo]

Is the "Theme" to maximize bonuses and profits by foregoing any expense spent on designing/creating/installing/maintaining any facade on a show building?

Can't be that. The Tron cover is/was supposedly very expensive...

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

There are angles where they did not theme the buildings really.

More importantly, the ride isn't done and it's receiving a lot of judgement on its sightlines for a ride that isn't complete. It's not that I don't necessarily understand the complaints but many forum members are acting as though they'd rather have no ride at all.

I think you'd have a hard time finding a poster here who's actually said "I'd rather have no ride at all than have them build TRON because the sightlines are bad".

I think most of us who are annoyed with how they're handling the sightlines mostly just wish they'd do a better job handling the sightlines.

The ride isn't done, but, like Guardians of the Galaxy, the building is up and large enough that it's not going away short of a cloaking device the likes of which we've never seen. The building is getting some paneling - okay, so now it's a big box with some paneling. If you're gonna be visible from all over (like Space Mountain) at least give us a beautiful building that's an asset if not a liability (like Space Mountain).

I don't understand why we have to wait for ALL the panels to be up to say something when we know what all the panels are going to look like. We get it, and the criticism is valid. Come on. There's no secret applique forthcoming that will suddenly hide this building.

It's beyond me why after 60 years in the business Disney suddenly feels like they can build an IKEA warehouse and decorate it on one side and call it done, like they did with TRON in Shanghai, are doing with Guardians in Epcot, and here again with TRON in MK. The level of re-landscaping they would have to do outside of Storybook Circus to hide TRON is tremendous and we've been given no indication they're going to try to do it - and the Guardians building suggests the standards have dropped enough that they don't feel this is an issue. So why wait to say something? All that does is let them get away with it.

"There are angles where they did not theme the buildings really" - to the extent that they aren't theming TRON? There's nothing else like this anywhere in the MK, and the race isn't close. There's room for imperfection - you don't have to theme the entire building if the eye is guided skillfully away from the spaces that are lacking, as is the case with Pooh, Pan, and Small World, which all have interesting facades that cover a vast majority of their surfaces.

The same cannot be said of TRON - as seen below, MOST of the building is unthemed AND uncovered, with the Canopy positioned strategically to hide this fact. If that's your design then you must either place the building equally as strategically in its new implementation or account for the fact that you can't. In building TRON at MK Disney is doing neither.

I say this all as someone who's still excited to ride. I've been dying to take a trip on a Light Cycle for years. I'm excited for MK to get a new E Ticket Attraction. But let's not pretend that the lack of theming on this building isn't a new low for sightlines at the Magic Kingdom - it is.

 

[justintheharris]

I think you'd have a hard time finding a poster here who's actually said "I'd rather have no ride at all than have them build TRON because the sightlines are bad".

I think most of us who are annoyed with how they're handling the sightlines mostly just wish they'd do a better job handling the sightlines.

The ride isn't done, but, like Guardians of the Galaxy, the building is up and large enough that it's not going away short of a cloaking device the likes of which we've never seen. The building is getting some paneling - okay, so now it's a big box with some paneling. If you're gonna be visible from all over (like Space Mountain) at least give us a beautiful building that's an asset if not a liability (like Space Mountain).

I don't understand why we have to wait for ALL the panels to be up to say something when we know what all the panels are going to look like. We get it, and the criticism is valid. Come on. There's no secret applique forthcoming that will suddenly hide this building.

It's beyond me why after 60 years in the business Disney suddenly feels like they can build an IKEA warehouse and decorate it on one side and call it done, like they did with TRON in Shanghai, are doing with Guardians in Epcot, and here again with TRON in MK. The level of re-landscaping they would have to do outside of Storybook Circus to hide TRON is tremendous and we've been given no indication they're going to try to do it - and the Guardians building suggests the standards have dropped enough that they don't feel this is an issue. So why wait to say something? All that does is let them get away with it.

"There are angles where they did not theme the buildings really" - to the extent that they aren't theming TRON? There's nothing else like this anywhere in the MK, and the race isn't close. There's room for imperfection - you don't have to theme the entire building if the eye is guided skillfully away from the spaces that are lacking, as is the case with Pooh, Pan, and Small World, which all have interesting facades that cover a vast majority of their surfaces.

The same cannot be said of TRON - as seen below, MOST of the building is unthemed AND uncovered, with the Canopy positioned strategically to hide this fact. If that's your design then you must either place the building equally as strategically in its new implementation or account for the fact that you can't. In building TRON at MK Disney is doing neither.

View attachment 443630

I say this all as someone who's still excited to ride. I've been dying to take a trip on a Light Cycle for years. I'm excited for MK to get a new E Ticket Attraction. But let's not pretend that the lack of theming on this building isn't a new low for sightlines at the Magic Kingdom - it is.

Perhaps it is a new low but why not wait until the canopy is built and trees are planted? The canopy should conceal it from Tomorrowland and the show building would primarily only be visible from casey jr

 

[rudyjr13]

It's beyond me why after 60 years in the business Disney suddenly feels like they can build an IKEA warehouse and decorate it on one side and call it done, like they did with TRON in Shanghai, are doing with Guardians in Epcot, and here again with TRON in MK.

You answered this point yourself by saying this:
“I say this all as someone who's still excited to ride. I've been dying to take a trip on a Light Cycle for years. I'm excited for MK to get a new E Ticket Attraction.”

As the consumer, you have the ultimate say by choosing to visit or not. Disney is betting that you will still visit even with the IKEA box in view.

 

[Tay]

This is coming along nicely. To bad the line will be crazy! They really should’ve went big for the 50th an added an e-ticket in all 4 of the major lands. That definitely would’ve help manage the crowds. Hopefully by the 60th they at least redo Tomorrowland completely but I doubt it. 75th seems more realistic.

 

[Incomudro]

Then go to Six Flags if you don’t actually care about design. Or you’re not being honest with yourself and things like design and “details” actually matter to a theme park.

The design of the Tron ride is gorgeous.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The design of the Tron ride is gorgeous.

A warehouse is what qualifies as gorgeous?

 

[MaryJaneP]

Ride is inside and it may be gorgeous. Perhaps the criticism is in the lack of theme-ing on the outside of the building, and if it resembles any dumb box warehouse, should not be described, by anyone with any design sense, as gorgeous. Most buildings have more than one viewable facade and it seems inconsistent with prior efforts to hide buildings to do nothing on the "guest" viewable sides. It also seems foolhardy to argue that critics cannot offer any criticism until the building is complete. If that were the case, then by refusing to install a small panel on the backside of the building, it could be forever under construction like the Winchester house in CA.

 

[Incomudro]

Ride is inside and it may be gorgeous. Perhaps the criticism is in the lack of theme-ing on the outside of the building, and if it resembles any dumb box warehouse, should not be described, by anyone with any design sense, as gorgeous. Most buildings have more than one viewable facade and it seems inconsistent with prior efforts to hide buildings to do nothing on the "guest" viewable sides. It also seems foolhardy to argue that critics cannot offer any criticism until the building is complete. If that were the case, then by refusing to install a small panel on the backside of the building, it could be forever under construction like the Winchester house in CA.

Outside the ride, we see the canopy which is gorgeous and blocks the view of the box from most angles.
We do not know how much the view of the box will be obscured from other angles as of yet until measures like tree planting is done.
In any event, what is wrong with seeing a box - which is a computer (a box) - in a modern setting?

 

[optjay]

but many forum members are acting as though they'd rather have no ride at all.

Me!
Not another coaster, not in that location.

 

[JoeCamel]

Outside the ride, we see the canopy which is gorgeous and blocks the view of the box from most angles.
We do not know how much the view of the box will be obscured from other angles as of yet until measures like tree planting is done.
In any event, what is wrong with seeing a box - which is a computer (a box) - in a modern setting?

They could have done this to the outside of the box as they did at DS to hide the concrete boxes.

Disney Springs News

A 2000 car parking garage will begin construction in 2017, adding to the Disney Springs parking capacity.

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[lazyboy97o]

Outside the ride, we see the canopy which is gorgeous and blocks the view of the box from most angles.
We do not know how much the view of the box will be obscured from other angles as of yet until measures like tree planting is done.
In any event, what is wrong with seeing a box - which is a computer (a box) - in a modern setting?

The canopy only blocks select angles as it only sits on one side. It does not wrap the building, at all. Landscaping would require unpermitted berms or 100’ tall trees that would also look ridiculous, especially looming behind Space Mountain.

The industrial design of computers has advanced quite a lot. Even in the movies, the Grid is accessed inside an old brick building and not a warehouse.

Industrial facilities may have been praised by Modernists for their functionality but they would hardly be identified as Modern. Storage facilities and warehouses are hardly considered exciting places and why theme parks do not work as just a collection of warehouses with cool rides inside.

 

[larryz]

I think you'd have a hard time finding a poster here who's actually said "I'd rather have no ride at all than have them build TRON because the sightlines are bad".

I think most of us who are annoyed with how they're handling the sightlines mostly just wish they'd do a better job handling the sightlines.

The ride isn't done, but, like Guardians of the Galaxy, the building is up and large enough that it's not going away short of a cloaking device the likes of which we've never seen. The building is getting some paneling - okay, so now it's a big box with some paneling. If you're gonna be visible from all over (like Space Mountain) at least give us a beautiful building that's an asset if not a liability (like Space Mountain).

I don't understand why we have to wait for ALL the panels to be up to say something when we know what all the panels are going to look like. We get it, and the criticism is valid. Come on. There's no secret applique forthcoming that will suddenly hide this building.

It's beyond me why after 60 years in the business Disney suddenly feels like they can build an IKEA warehouse and decorate it on one side and call it done, like they did with TRON in Shanghai, are doing with Guardians in Epcot, and here again with TRON in MK. The level of re-landscaping they would have to do outside of Storybook Circus to hide TRON is tremendous and we've been given no indication they're going to try to do it - and the Guardians building suggests the standards have dropped enough that they don't feel this is an issue. So why wait to say something? All that does is let them get away with it.

Remember Walt's original vision for "sightlines"?

Spoiler

Block out the outside world.

Well, this gravity building will certainly achieve that goal.

 

[rle4lunch]

Pics today of the multi shade go away grey install.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Remember Walt's original vision for "sightlines"?

Spoiler

Block out the outside world.

Well, this gravity building will certainly achieve that goal.

Let's not forget that part of the function of purchasing so much land in Florida was to push the outside world far beyond the Magic Kingdom horizon - there is no "outside world" that has needed to be blocked by a building in the entire time the Magic Kingdom has been operating.

The problem here is that now Disney has become the one that has brought the outside world into the sightline by creating a building that is an eyesore from every angle that isn't dead-on behind the Canopy. The whole purpose of buying so much land was to be able to control everything the guests see. Now they're at the point where they don't mind if they build a building that looms like this over Fantasyland:

(Photo from 1/22/20)

EDITED To Add: The photo above shows the perspective of the TRON building that is relative to the view from this arrow in Shanghai - so it's clear that the Canopy will not obscure the building from this angle

 

[Rich Brownn]

Disney bought all that land to build hotels. Keeping the world away was a bonus. Walt was upset about the glitter, but he was really upset when he found out tourists spent twice as much outside of Disneyland (for hotel, food etc) then inside.