ChewbaccaYourMum
Well-Known Member
Some pictures from yesterday while I was on the PeopleMover
Well, to be fair, what they did to "alter the design" of Pirates when it went from DL to WDW was not an improvement.![]()
Can't argue with that, but that's not worth the trade off of the ride being so much shorter. And I would argue the gently floating through the bayou and restaurant is an awesome way to transition from "New Orleans Square" into the ride, which is something not needed at WDW.The entrance and Q is a big improvement and helps to tell a better story imho.
So. This big box.
In Shanghai the attraction is designed to be visible only with the canopy in front of it. Kind of only from Tomorrowland Light and Power area.
In Orlando the orientation is skewed 45 degrees meaning the designed to be hidden box will be visible from the Speedway, Cosmic Rays, Tea Cups, Storybook Circus etc
The yellow line is a rough alignment of the WDW RR:
View attachment 449698
I hope they’re going to do more than paint big stripes on it.
Yup - again, begs the question. The folks at WDI aren't stupid. They designed this ride specifically for Shanghai so that your approach angle hid the big box. Now, to just pick it up and plop it down in an entirely different park, with entirely different scale, sight lines, etc. means that A) they don't understand their own design principles, B) they just don't care, or C) the cost savings of simply duplicating it overwhelms any (I believe they think "outdated) concerns about sight lines.So. This big box.
In Shanghai the attraction is designed to be visible only with the canopy in front of it. Kind of only from Tomorrowland Light and Power area.
In Orlando the orientation is skewed 45 degrees meaning the designed to be hidden box will be visible from the Speedway, Cosmic Rays, Tea Cups, Storybook Circus etc
The yellow line is a rough alignment of the WDW RR:
View attachment 449698
I hope they’re going to do more than paint big stripes on it.
Easiest way to drop in the existing design. It’s also on the opposite side of the park, so it further skews what was intended as visible.Do you know why it was built 45 degrees off from Shanghai? I do not see a single positive in positioning it this way besides maybe for Railway configuration purposes.
My guess is C with a solid foundation of B. Either way, it's coming.
TRON and Ratatouille were built because they already existed and the failure of MyMagic+ to eliminate the need for new attractions was starting to make itself painfully apparent. Knee jerk reactions to a plan many “idiots” with experience warned would not work. They’re both examples of lousy spatial design. They’re suburban Walmart’s dropped down with no concern for how they interact with their surroundings.I’d say C. The imagineers care. One of the imagineers I talked to this year at D23 said she much prefers working on projects for the Tokyo parks because they get to do so much more there.
I wish we could know the full story of why tron was chosen vs. many other projects that were certainly proposed.
Easiest way to drop in the existing design. It’s also on the opposite side of the park, so it further skews what was intended as visible.
The canopy is not just an added show piece, it follows the layout of the track and is very expensive. There wouldn’t be much of a cost savings with a larger, redesigned canopy.I understand that, but the canopy could have easily faced Tomorrowland at the same angle as Shanghai without causing complications unless something unknown to me is the culprit. With this design the canopy is less visible from the land, the show building is partially unhidden from the Speedway and entirely unhidden from Toontown.
The only logical reason I see to this design is a longterm plan to build out attractions atop the existing speedway that could easily be positioned to block the Tron show building. Had Tron been positioned parallel with the speedway it would prevent an attraction from being placed there.
This insane plan would also call for longterm thought placed into the future buildout of the Storybook Circus area.
I am not saying Imagineers do not think that long term, but I do not see the expansion that would justify Tron's placement happening in the next decade. At that point is it really even justifiable to leave an eyesore like that?
I made a mockup of a Tomorrowland overhaul for fun a while back, only relevant for demonstrating what I am saying. Putting it in a spoiler so it isn't that big.
I really do not see the benefit of building Tron this way.![]()
I understand that, but the canopy could have easily faced Tomorrowland at the same angle as Shanghai without causing complications unless something unknown to me is the culprit. With this design the canopy is less visible from the land, the show building is partially unhidden from the Speedway and entirely unhidden from Toontown.
The only logical reason I see to this design is a longterm plan to build out attractions atop the existing speedway that could easily be positioned to block the Tron show building. Had Tron been positioned parallel with the speedway it would prevent an attraction from being placed there.
This insane plan would also call for longterm thought placed into the future buildout of the Storybook Circus area.
I am not saying Imagineers do not think that long term, but I do not see the expansion that would justify Tron's placement happening in the next decade. At that point is it really even justifiable to leave an eyesore like that?
I made a mockup of a Tomorrowland overhaul for fun a while back, only relevant for demonstrating what I am saying. Putting it in a spoiler so it isn't that big.
I really do not see the benefit of building Tron this way.![]()
In general it just seems the art of hiding show buildings has past. Look at the Avengers stuff in DCA or this hideous box, then look at DINOSAUR and Splash. Doesn't even compare.
The canopy is not just an added show piece, it follows the layout of the track and is very expensive. There wouldn’t be much of a cost savings with a larger, redesigned canopy.
Different layout, different cost. Just turning the building wouldn’t fix that much and still have cost implications.I am not suggesting a redesign of the canopy in anyway.
There is plenty of room to allow a similar angle accomplished in Shanghai to be ultilized. Had the attraction been constucted in a different angle it would have done wonders.
View attachment 449731
The coaster was manufactured in the Netherlands with some simple pieces and supports possibly fabricated in China. Walt Disney World passed on co-developing the attraction when it was approved a decade ago.Probably got a twofer deal with the Chinese factory which fabricated the track sections and supports. Made two identical pieces of everything, same dimensions and angles down to the millimeter. Hopefully.
The imagineers could only choose the "least bad" orientation of the finished clone with respect to Space Mtn, WDWRR, WEDway and last of all, sightlines. I'll bet there was less than 5° leeway.
Presumably they placed it the way they did to spare us this type of situation:I am not suggesting a redesign of the canopy in anyway.
There is plenty of room to allow a similar angle accomplished in Shanghai to be ultilized. Had the attraction been constucted in a different angle it would have done wonders.
View attachment 449731
Quoted for it's hilarity and accuracy.They’re suburban Walmart’s dropped down with no concern for how they interact with their surroundings.
The queue is better...the ride however is not...It is shorter and missing a few scenes that help tell a better story... Look to the Paris version...I think that is the best iteration of the ride. (when everything is working)... The Shanghai version is really a completely different animal... It would be amazing if they could actually expand our Pirates, add a few new show scenes and have a better ending.The entrance and Q is a big improvement and helps to tell a better story imho.
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